{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T22:35:49Z","timestamp":1777415749211,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,11]],"date-time":"2019-10-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1570752000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"MiPAAF, Rome, Italy, PoCN(Area Science Park, Trieste, Italy), PIANO PER RICERCA","award":["2016-2018"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2016-2018"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["High-Throughput"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Leonardite-based biostimulants are a large class of compounds, including humic acid substances. Foliar application of biostimulants at field level improves plant growth, yield and quality through metabolic changes and stimulation of plant proton pumps. The present study aimed at identifying optimum dosage of BLACKJAK, a humic acid-based substance, which is able to modify genes involved in sugar beet growth. Thirty-three genes belonging to various biochemical pathway categories were tested in leaves of treated sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) samples to assess gene expression profiling in response to BLACKJAK. Seedlings of a diploid and multigerm variety were grown in plastic pots and sprayed with two dilutions of BLACKJAK (dilution 1:500\u20131.0 mg C L\u22121 and dilution 1:1000\u20130.5 mg C L\u22121). Leaf samples were collected after 24, 48, and 72 h treatment with BLACKJAK for each dilution. RNA was extracted and the quantification of gene expression was performed while using an OpenArray platform. Results of analysis of variance demonstrated that, 15 genes out of a total of 33 genes tested with OpenArray qPCR were significantly affected by treatment and exposure time. Analysis for annotation of gene products and pathways revealed that genes belonging to the mitochondrial respiratory pathways, nitrogen and hormone metabolisms, and nutrient uptake were up-regulated in the BLACKJAK treated samples. Among the up-regulated genes, Bv_PHT2;1 and Bv_GLN1 expression exerted a 2-fold change in 1:1000 and 1:500 BLACKJAK concentrations. Overall, the gene expression data in the BLACKJAK treated leaves demonstrated the induction of plant growth\u2013related genes that were contributed almost to amino acid and nitrogen metabolism, plant defense system, and plant growth.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ht8040018","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,11]],"date-time":"2019-10-11T10:53:03Z","timestamp":1570791183000},"page":"18","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Expression Profiling of Candidate Genes in Sugar Beet Leaves Treated with Leonardite-Based Biostimulant"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Hanifeh Seyed","family":"Hajizadeh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh 55136-553, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5856-4592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bahram","family":"Heidari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Crop Production and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 7144165186, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Bertoldo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Cristina","family":"Della Lucia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Magro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SIPCAM S.p.A., 20016 Pero (MI), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chiara","family":"Broccanello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4959-2935","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Baglieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9871-2414","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivana","family":"Puglisi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Squartini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Campagna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"COPROB, 40061 Minerbio (BO), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5812-8504","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Concheri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7851-0065","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Serenella","family":"Nardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6577-6956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piergiorgio","family":"Stevanato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1007\/s11104-014-2131-8","article-title":"Agricultural uses of plant biostimulants","volume":"383","author":"Calvo","year":"2014","journal-title":"Plant Soil"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Swift, R.S., and Sparks, K.M. 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