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This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Tailored to the Specific Necessities of Species, Industry and Case Reports. ; Nowadays, farm animal industries use assisted reproductive technologies (ART) as a tool to manage herds' reproductive outcomes, for a fast dissemination of genetic improvement as well as to bypass subfertility issues. ART comprise at least one of the following procedures: collection and handling of oocytes, sperm, and embryos in in vitro conditions. Therefore, in these conditions, the interaction with the oviductal environment of gametes and early embryos during fertilization and the first stages of embryo development is lost. As a result, embryos obtained in in vitro fertilization (IVF) have less quality in comparison with those obtained in vivo, and have lower chances to implant and develop into viable offspring. In addition, media currently used for IVF are very similar to those empirically developed more than five decades ago. Recently, the importance of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the fertility process has flourished. EVs are recognized as effective intercellular vehicles for communication as they deliver their cargo of proteins, lipids, and genetic material. Thus, during their transit through the female reproductive tract both gametes, oocyte and spermatozoa (that previously encountered EVs produced by male reproductive tract) interact with EVs produced by the female reproductive tract, passing them important information that contributes to a successful fertilization and embryo development. This fact highlights that the reproductive tract EVs cargo has an important role in reproductive events, which is missing in current ART media. This review aims to recapitulate recent advances in EVs functions on the fertilization process, highlighting the latest proposals with an applied approach to enhance ART outcome through EV utilization as an additive to the media of current ART procedures. ; David Martín-Hidalgo was recipient of a post-doctoral grant from the Government of Extremadura (Spain) and "Fondo Social Europeo"; Reference: PO17020. L. González-Fernández was supported by the regional grant "Atracción y retorno de talento investigador a Centros de I+D+i pertenecientes al Sistema Extremeño de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación" from "Junta de Extremadura" (Spain); Reference: TA18008. ; Peer reviewed

Soybean is a crop of agronomic importance that requires adequate watering during its growth to achieve high production. In this study, we determined physiological, photochemical and metabolic differences in five soybean varieties selected from the parental lines of a nested association mapping population during mild drought. These varieties have been described as high yielding (NE3001, HY1; LD01-5907, HY2) or drought tolerant (PI518751; HYD1; PI398881, HYD2). Nevertheless, there has been little research on the physiological traits that sustain their high productivity under water-limited conditions. The results indicate that high-yielding varieties under drought cope with the shortage of water by enhancing their photoprotective defences and invest in growth and productivity, linked to a higher intrinsic water use efficiency. This is the case of the variety N-3001 (HY1), with a tolerance strategy involving a faster transition into the reproductive stage to avoid the drought period. The present study highlights the role of the physiological and biochemical adjustments of various soybean varieties to cope with water-limited conditions. Moreover, the obtained results underscore the fact that the high phenotypic plasticity among soybean phenotypes should be exploited to compensate for the low genetic variability of this species when selecting plant productivity in constrained environments. ; This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds (AGL2014-52396) and from the Basque Government (UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16; IT-932-16). J.B. is a holder of a PhD fellowship from the Public University of Navarre. R.E. received a Juan de la Cierva-incorporacion grant (IJCI-2014-21452).

The total area under quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) cultivation and the consumption of its grain have increased in recent years because of its nutritional properties and ability to grow under adverse conditions, such as drought. Climate change scenarios predict extended periods of drought and this has emphasized the need for new crops that are tolerant to these conditions. The main goal of this work was to evaluate crop yield and quality parameters and to characterize the physiology of two varieties of quinoa grown under water deficit in greenhouse conditions. Two varieties of quinoa from the Chilean coast (Rainbow) and altiplano (Illpa) were used, grown under full irrigation or two different levels of water deficit applied during the grain filling period. There were no marked differences in yield and quality parameters between treatments, but the root biomass was higher in plants grown under severe water deficit conditions compared to control. Photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance decreased with increased water stress in both cultivars, but the coastal variety showed higher water use efficiency and less discrimination of13 C under water deficit. This response was associated with greater root development and a better stomatal opening adjustment, especially in the case of Rainbow. The capacity of Rainbow to increase its osmoregulant content (compounds such as proline, glutamine, glutamate, K and Na) could enable a potential osmotic adjustment in this variety. Moreover, the lower stomatal opening and transpiration rates were also associated with higher leaf ABA concentration values detected in Rainbow. We found negative logarithmic relationships between stomatal conductance and leaf ABA concentration in both varieties, with significant R2 values of 0.50 and 0.22 in Rainbow and Illpa, respectively. These moderate-to-medium values suggest that, in addition to ABA signaling, other causes for stomatal closure in quinoa under drought such as hydraulic regulation may play a role. In conclusion, this work showed that two quinoa cultivars use different strategies in the face of water deficit stress, and these prevent decreases in grain yield and quality under drought conditions. ; This work was supported by the Government of Navarre (Rural Development, Environment and Local Administration unit)-FEADER (210160009).

Incluye material complementario ; Anthropogenic heavy metal pollution is an important health issue in urban areas, and therefore rapid and inexpensive monitoring in time and space is desirable. This study aimed (i) to assess the suitability of Tilia cordata leaves as a valuable heavy metal bioindicator, including seasonal changes in concentrations and (ii) to evaluate the use of leaf carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (δ13C and δ15N) as novel indicators of urban heavy metal pollution. Leaves were collected from three different pollution intensity locations (Bilbao, Vitoria, and Muskiz) in the Basque Country (northern Spain). Analysis of leaf heavy metals related to traffic emissions and δ13C and δ15N determinations were carried out during July-October 2018. Leaf samples from Bilbao, the most populated and traffic-intense location, showed the highest concentration of heavy metals (mainly from polluted air). Additionally, the two urban areas, Bilbao and Vitoria, showed stronger correlation between these heavy metals, indicating a traffic-related source of emissions. The source of contamination (soil or air) in relation to elements and optimal sampling time is discussed herein. On the other hand, Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant trends between leaf δ13C and δ15N and the studied heavy metals, especially Pb, Cr and Cd, supporting the hypothesis of δ13C and δ15N as tools to distinguish locations according to their heavy metal pollution levels. To our knowledge, this is the first time that δ13C and δ15N have been used as monitoring tools in heavy metal pollution and consequently more research is still needed to calibrate this tool through extensive vegetation screening. ; This research was supported by the Spanish Government [AGL 2015-64481-C2-1-R] and the Basque Government [UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16]. RE received a Juan de la Cierva incorporation contract IJCI-2014-21452.