Overexpression of a New Zinc Finger Protein Transcription Factor OsCTZFP8 Improves Cold Tolerance in Rice

Figure 6

Cold tolerance evaluation of OsCTZFP8-overexpressing lines and NT control plants. (a) Pollen fertilities were determined using a 1% iodine-potassium iodide (I₂-KI) solution after cold treatments. The pollen was picked up from spikelets and pounded on the slide, stained with the I₂-KI, and observed under an Olympus microscope; NT: nontransgenic control plants; OE-1-6: OsCTZFP8-overexpressing line. Scale bars represented 100 μm. (b) Blue-stained pollen grains were counted to determine pollen fertilities; NT: nontransgenic control plants; OE-1-6 and OE-3-2: OsCTZFP8-overexpressing lines. Data represent the means ± SE () of three independent experiments. Significantly different from the NT at . (c) Seed setting rates were observed at harvest. Photographs were taken for the upper part of the ground of rice plants, panicles, and the seeds of overexpressing lines and NT; NT: nontransgenic control plants; OE-1-6, overexpressing line. (d) Seed setting rates were measured after harvest by counting the shrunken grains and full grains. Five panicles per plant and ten plants per line were measured, and the average was calculated. Data represent the means ± SE () of two independent experiments. Significantly different from the NT at ; NT: nontransgenic control plants; OE-1-6 and OE-3-2: OsCTZFP8-overexpressing lines.

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