BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR 1 (BES1) transcription factor is closely associated with the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway and plays an important role in plant growth and development.  SLB3 is a member of BES1 transcription factor family and its expression was previously shown to increase significantly in tomato seedlings under drought stress.  In the present study,we used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology to downregulate SLB3 expression to reveal the function of the SLB3 gene under drought stress further.  The downregulated expression of SLB3 weakened the drought tolerance of the plants appeared earlier wilting and higher accumulation of H₂O₂ and O₂^–·, decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and increased proline (PRO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and peroxidase (POD) activity.  Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis of BR-related genes revealed that the expression of SlCPD, SlDWARF and BIN2-related genes was significantly upregulated in SLB3-silenced seedlings under drought stress, but that the expression of TCH4-related genes was downregulated.  These results showed that silencing the SLB3 gene reduced the drought resistance of tomato plants and had an impact on the BR signaling transduction which may be probably responsible for the variation in drought resistance of the tomato plants. 

Zinc finger-homeodomain proteins (ZF-HDs) are transcription factors that regulate plant growth, development, and abiotic stress tolerance.  The SL-ZH13 gene was found to be significantly upregulated under drought stress treatment in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves in our previous study.  In this study, to further understand the role that the SL-ZH13 gene plays in the response of tomato plants to drought stress, the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method was applied to downregulate SL-ZH13 expression in tomato plants, and these plants were treated with drought stress to analyze the changes in drought tolerance.  The SL-ZH13 silencing efficiency was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis.  In SL-ZH13-silenced plants, the stems wilted faster, leaf shrinkage was more severe than in control plants under the same drought stress treatment conditions, anyd the mean stem bending angle of SL-ZH13-silenced plants was smaller than that of control plants.  Physiological analyses showed that the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) and the content of proline (Pro) in SL-ZH13-silenced plants were lower than those in control plants after 1.5 and 3 h of drought stress treatment.  The malondialdehyde (MDA) content in SL-ZH13-silenced plants was higher than that in control plants after 1.5 and 3 h of drought stress treatment, and H₂O₂ and O₂^-· accumulated much more in the leaves of SL-ZH13-silenced plants than in the leaves of control plants.  These results suggested that silencing the SL-ZH13 gene affected the response of tomato plants to drought stress and decreased the drought tolerance of tomato plants. 

In China, a soil-borne virus causing a disease of winter wheat and associated with Polymyxa graminis, has been reported for many years and is now recognized as a new species, Chinese wheat mosaic virus (CWMV).  Since the determination of its genomic sequence, more progress has been made in understanding its genomic structure and functions.  Molecular and serological methods have been developed to help survey the distribution of the virus and to provide the basic information needed for disease forecasting and control.  At present, the best countermeasure is cultivation of resistant wheat varieties.  In addition, development and application of some auxiliary countermeasures, such as rotation of non-host crops, delayed seed-sowing, reasonable application of nitrogen fertilizer, and treatment of imported seeds with fungicides before sowing, may be helpful for controlling the disease.  The viral distribution and damage, virion properties, genome organization and spontaneous mutation, temperature sensitivity, and disease management options are here reviewed and/or discussed to help in developing more cost-effective countermeasures to control the disease in the future.

In the coastal saline soils, moisture and salinity are the functions of groundwater depth affecting crop growth and yield. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to: 1) investigate the combined effects of moisture and salinity stresses on wheat growth as affected by groundwater depth, and 2) find the optimal groundwater depth for wheat growth in coastal saline soils. The groundwater depths (0.7, 1.1, 1.5, 1.9, 2.3, and 2.7 m during 2013–2014 (Y1) and 0.6, 1.0, 1.4, 1.8, 2.2, and 2.6 m during 2014–2015 (Y2)) of the field experiment were maintained by soil columns.  There was a positive correlation between soil moisture and salinity.  Water logging with high salinity (groundwater depth at 0.7 m in Y1 and 0.6 m in Y2) showed a greater decline towards wheat growth than that of slight drought with medium (2.3 m in Y1) or low salinity (2.7 m in Y1, 2.2 and 2.6 m in Y2).  The booting stage was the most sensitive stage of wheat crop under moisture and salinity stresses.  Data showed the most optimal rate of photosynthesis, grain yield, and flour quality were obtained under the groundwater depth (ditch depth) of 1.9 m (standard soil moisture with medium salinity) and 2.3 m (slight drought with medium salinity) in Y1 and 1.8 m (standard soil moisture with medium salinity) and 2.2 m (slight drought with low salinity) in Y2.  The corresponding optimal soil relative moisture content and conductivity with the 1:5 distilled water/soil dilution, in the depth of 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm in coastal saline soils, were equal to 58.67–63.07% and 65.51–72.66% in Y1, 63.09–66.70% and 69.75–74.72% in Y2; 0.86–1.01 dS m^–1 and 0.63–0.77 dS m^–1 in Y1, 0.57–0.93 dS m^–1 and 0.40–0.63 dS m^–1 in Y2, respectively.