Germplasm

To evaluate and collect highly valued genotypes of native apples, the growth and fruit characteristics of 79 native cultivars and germplasm of apples in Tehran, Ardebil, Markazi, Ghom, and Hamadan regions were studied in four years. About 30 characteristics such as leaf and tree morphology, fruit and seed characters and susceptibility to pests and diseases were evaluated in this study. Some of collected genotypes are highly promising for fresh consumption with respect to precocity, storage time, yield per tree and marketing potential. Some of these materials could be used for cultivar and rootstock breeding programs. Classification of genotypes based on several traits showed good segregation on the population. For harvest time there was about 7 months of differences between early and late maturing genotypes. For storage life, 7 % of genotypes showed very long storage ability. For fruit attractiveness and flesh color also there was a good segregation among genotypes. About 6 % of the...

Nowadays, the flower industry is growing so fast that its development requires introducing new varieties to the flower market. Iran is the habitat of numerous species of wild plants that are among the valuable genetics in the breeding process. The identification of native Iris species, investigation of morphological diversity, and distribution method have a significant effect on the introduction of this flower as new and superior cultivars cut flower and bedding plant. The documentation of the most important habitats of Iris in Arak province, identification of morphological characteristics and correlation determination of morphological traits are the most important aims of this research. The results showed that there is a correlation between some of the traits. The highest positive correlation was related to the height of flower and length of the leaf, length of the flowering stem and the length of the leaf and the height of the flower and the length of the flowering stem. The ecoty...

Thirty (30) accessions of okra (Abelmoschus spp. (L.) Moench) germplasm were collected from four major production regions in Ghana and were evaluated under field conditions at the Department of Horticulture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, during the minor and major seasons of 2008 and 2009. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) descriptor list for okra was used as a guide for data collection. Variations were observed among the different accessions based on their vegetative traits, inflorescence, fruit and seed characteristics. There was a wide variation in plant height among the accessions; flowering and fruiting periods varied considerably among all accessions based on the output of the Principal Components, Correlation and Cluster analyses. There was a strong positive correlation between total fruit production and first fruit producing node (r = 0.76); first fruit producing node and first flowering node (r = 0.79); and number of fruits per plant and stem diameter at base (r = 0.88). The observed variabilities in the traits studied strongly indicate the possibility of selecting plants with suitable morphology when considering integration into any improvement programme towards preservation and conservation of okra diversity in Ghana. The distant relatedness among the various accessions could also be considered and incorporated into hybridisation programme in breeding for different consumer preferences and market demands.

An experiment was conducted at El-Mattana Agricultural Research Station, Luxor Governorate, to evaluate the yield and ratooning ability of 30 sugar cane genotypes (clones) along with the check cultivar GT 54/9 during three different crop cycles; plant cane (PC), first ratoon (FR), and second ratoon (SR) crops during 2011/2013 harvesting seasons. A randomized complete block design with three replicates was used. Results indicated that the evaluated genotypes varied significantly (P = 0.05) within and among crop cycles for stalk length, stalk diameter, stalk density, stalk weight, stalks number, cane yield, Brix, sucrose%, purity%, sugar recovery, and sugar yield. The evaluated genotypes differed significantly in their ratooning ability (RA) for all studied traits. Over evaluated genotypes, means of stalk diameter, stalk weight, stalk density and cane yield in plant cane were higher than those in the first and second ratoon crops, while means of Brix, sucrose, purity and sugar recovery percentages in the second ratoon were higher than those in plant cane and first ratoon crops. The relative influence of genotypic variance ( 2 g) in determining the phenotypic variance was primary to genotype by crop interaction variance ( 2 gc) and error variance ( 2 e) for all studied traits. Broad sense heritability (H%) estimates were high for cane yield and its components as well as sugar yield, since it ranged from 82.53 for cane yield to 95.06 for stalk length. High genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) estimates were for stalk weight (27.01), stalk density (39.36) and stalk number (32.57), while low estimates were for stalk length and juice quality traits (2.05 ≤ GCV% ≥ 7.99). Genotypic variance ( 2 g) was primary to error variance ( 2 e) for RA of cane yield and its components as well as sugar yield and juice quality traits. The highest heritability estimates of RA were for stalk weight (98.10%), stalk density (98.24%), stalk number (99.46%) and sugar yield with high genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) estimates for the same traits (22.78, 32.26, 36.41 and 27.26, respectively).

Brinjal is the second most important vegetable crop after Tomato in relation to its total production. Better production from any crop can only be achieved from a better variety. But in most cases the producers especially the rural farmers are not aware about the selection of high yielding varieties. Without any justification they just buy those seeds are easily available in nearby shops resulting harvest a poor yield with very unsatisfactory return.   In this regard five different brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) germplasm collections were evaluated for their major yield and yield contributing attributes along with total chlorophyll content as physiological parameter. The study was conducted in rain shelter 10, at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, arranged in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications. Research findings revealed significant variations for all the measured parameters among different brinjal cultivars. Round purple brinjal (...

The experiment was conducted with the existing bearing trees of different jackfruit genotypes at Jamalpur region during the year 2014–2015. Twenty-three jackfruit germplasm viz., AHJ-01, AHJ-02, AHJ-03, AHJ-04, AHJ-05, AHJ-06, AHJ-07, AHJ-08, AHJ-09, AHJ-10, AHJ-11, AHJ-12, AHJ-13, AHJ-14, AHJ-15, AHJ-16, AHJ-17, AHJ-18, AHJ-19, AHJ-20, AHJ-21, AHJ-22 and AHJ-23 were selected for the study to identify superior ones. The recorded age of the selected tress ranged from 8 to 29 years. The selected superior genotypes differ widely among themselves. Great variability exists with regards to many desirable characters viz., bearing (once or twice a year), yield per tree (02–60 fruits per year), average fruit weight (2.57–11.00 kg), number of bulbs/flakes per fruit (41.00–181.00), number of seeds per fruit (39.00–180.00), total weight of bulbs (0.90–6.381 kg) and flake’s TSS (13–23%). Jackfruit trees are cross pollinated and are mostly seed propagated. As a result, morphological and agronomical characters of jackfruit showed a distinct range of variation. The quantitative data of jackfruit germplasm and their range, mean, standard deviation (SD), standard error (SE) and coefficient of variance (CV%) are presented. The highest quantitative variation was observed for total number of fruits per plant (CV 80.98%) which was followed by total bulbs weight (CV 56.02%) and weight of rachis (CV 49.64%). Minimum variation was noticed in seed breadth (CV 8.13%). A total of six qualitative characters were recorded and evaluated to the variability among the studied jackfruit germplasm. Wide range of variability regarding qualitative characters was observed among twenty-three jackfruit germplasm. Fruit skin colour, fruit shape, bulb colour, bulb firmness, sweetness & taste and seed colour of jackfruit germplasm were investigated. The maximum variation was observed in fruit skin colour and bulb firmness of jackfruit germplasm. Among the twenty-three jackfruit germplasms, one germplasm AHJ-02 showed early bearing habit (Off-season). So, the quantitative characters viz., age of plant 25 years, total number of fruits per plant 32 nos., weight of individual fruit 7.57 kg, date of harvest 05.03.2016, stalk attachment depressed, fruit length 33 cm, fruit breadth 22 cm, weight of rind 2.90 kg, weight of rachis 733 g, rind thickness 1.03 cm, total number of bulbs per fruit 288 nos., bulb length 4.29 cm, bulb breadth 1.93cm, 10-bulb weight 122.92 g, total bulb weight 3.54 kg, total number of seeds per fruit 284, seed length 2.56 cm, seed breadth 1.27 cm, 10-seed weight 34.01 g, total seed weight 966 g, edible portion 52% and TSS 23% were recorded. Qualitative characters viz. fruit colour-greenish yellow, fruit shape-oval, bulb colour-yellow, bulb firmness-medium soft, taste-sweet and seed colour-brownish patch in colour were recorded. Considering fruit characteristics i.e., taste, sweetness, hardness of bulb, bulb color, fruit size, %TSS, %edible portion and yield, the germplasm AHJ-02, AHJ-03, AHJ-04, AHJ-05, AHJ-06, AHJ-07, AHJ-09, AHJ-11, AHJ-14, AHJ-16, AHJ-18, AHJ-19, AHJ-21 and AHJ-23 were found to be suitable for jackfruit cultivation at Jamalpur region, Bangladesh. The present finding shows the great genetic potential of the studied germplasm. It can be used in future breeding programmes for getting productive and quality traits. Moreover, the variability observed in the current study could be used in jackfruit improvement programme. Finally, the plant breeders and horticulturists can choose germplasm according to their needs. Therefore, these jackfruit germplasms can be included in the variety development programme in future.

The effect of N 6 (3-hydroxybenzyl)adenine (meta-Topolin-mT) was compared with that of N 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and zeatin at the proliferation stage of micropropagation of red-fleshed Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis 'Zes006' in two separate experiments. Shoot number, shoot weight, leaf number and leaf area were significantly higher in mT-supplemented media compared with BAP or zeatin. When transferred to rooting media, plantlets that were propagated in mT-supplemented media readily produced roots, enabling easy acclimation to the greenhouse, whereas none of the plantlets propagated in BAP-or zeatin-supplemented media produced roots. Using 12 pairs of Simple Sequence Repeat primers designed for A. chinensis var. chinensis, a very low rate of somaclonal variation was detected at some loci in plantlets produced in zeatin-(1.04%), BAP-(0.4%) as well as in mT-(0.2%) supplemented media. Overall, mT in equimolar concentrations was the better cytokinin for tissue culture of 'Zes006' kiwifruit and may well be applicable to many other kiwifruit genotypes. Key message Supplementation of media with meta-Topolin for in vitro propagation of the red-fleshed kiwifruit cultivar 'Zes006' enhanced better shoot proliferation, giving healthy plantlets that were easier to acclimatize to the greenhouse environment compared with media supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine or zeatin. It also induced a lower rate of somaclonal variation, as detected by SSR markers.

Brinjal is the second most important vegetable crop after Tomato in relation to its total production. Better production from any crop can only be achieved from a better variety. But in most cases the producers especially the rural farmers are not aware about the selection of high yielding varieties. Without any justification they just buy those seeds are easily available in nearby shops resulting harvest a poor yield with very unsatisfactory return. In this regard five different brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) germplasm collections were evaluated for their major yield and yield contributing attributes along with total chlorophyll content as physiological parameter. The study was conducted in rain shelter 10, at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, arranged in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications. Research findings revealed significant variations for all the measured parameters among different brinjal cultivars. Round purple brinjal (V1=Mte2) had the highest fruit weight (238.60g; which is about 88.14% increased fruit weight over V4), followed by long red purple brinjal (V2=H117) with 167.50g (about 83.10% increased fruit weight over V4), long green brinjal (V3=H249) with 119.70g (about 76.36% increased fruit weight over V4) and the lowest fruit weight (28.30g) was found in brinjal variety V4 (Telunjuk), respectively. On the other hand red purple brinjal (V2) was the longest (24.23 cm) in size with 5.60 cm in diameter, but the highest fruit diameter (12.24 cm) was recorded in V3 brinjal. Long red purple brinjal (V2) showed the shortest days to 50% flowering with 49 days compared to Kermit brinjal (V5) which took the longest 61 days to 50% flowering. The highest total leaf chlorophyll content was detected in V5 (51.02 nmol/mg) while the lowest (44.06 nmol/mg) was in V3. From the correlation analysis significant correlation were detected among days to 1st flowering and days to 50% flowering; plant height and fruit diameter, while significant but negative correlation was seen among numbers of leaves and fruit diameter; plant height and fruit weight with chlorophyll content. From the cluster analysis primarily; V1, V2, and V3 were grouped into one cluster while V4 and V5 into another clusters, while in secondary clustering V1 alone in one group, V2 and V3 in 2 nd group and finally V4 and V5 were in third groups which indicated a significant diversity among cultivars. On an average; considering varietal performance for yield and yield contributing attributes of five (5) different brinjal cultivars, it was revealed that the fruits of V1 gained the highest weight, while the fruits of V2 had the highest length and the fruits of V3 gained the highest diameter.

Genetic diversity study in crop species is an effective tool for agrobiodiversity exploitation. The world has far too long been over-dependent on a paltry number of homogeneous varieties of a few major crops (e.g. maize, rice, wheat and potato), with their related potential vulnerabilities to biotic and abiotic stresses (pest, disease, and global climate change) particularly in parts of Asia and Africa. Sustainable conservation and utilisation of Neglected and Underutilised species (NUS) in Africa and elsewhere around the world is gaining prominence in recent times. Crop species need to be diversified and adapted to specific environments for maximum returns with resilience under variable agro-ecological climates. The teeming global population can only live and survive when there is commensurate food supply. Vegetables are major staples for most populace the world over. Okra (Abelmoschus spp L.) is an invaluable species in Agrarian economies of most countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas. The genetic worth, bioactive constituents and biochemical potential in Okra were studied and well documented for both domestic and industrial utilisation.

Recent developments in molecular biology and other biotechnologies have advanced our knowledge of the history of grapevine domestication and the evolution of this crop. The aim of this chapter is to review recent applications of biotechnology to characterize and improve grapevine germplasm in order to guide the more efficient development of new grapevine cultivars. The chapter focuses on specific strategic areas, including germplasm management and improvement as well as pathogen elimination.

Rust in wheat is a serious threat worldwide and cause a considerable loss in yield that may be more than 90 % in case of susceptible variety or under epidemic conditions. For screening of stem rust, plants were inoculated with a fungus (Accessions # 09077 denoted by Cereal Disease Research Institute, Murree, Pakistan). Inoculums in the form of uredial suspension in soltor-170 were sprayed uniformly with a sprayer with a five nozzle. After ten days of infection, among 192 genotypes, one hundred and fifty three were resistant, where 16 were susceptible. For stripe rust, sixty four genotypes were resistant, whereas none was absolutely susceptible and 30 algal species were recorded.

Maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm from CIMMYT is genetically most diverse in the world and is exceedingly useful for broadening the genetic base of temperate maize germplasm. It is a tough challenge for improving efficiency and reliability of extracting the best suitable germplasm from exotic germplasm. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine optimum number of testers for evaluating a large number of exotic lines; 2) to test if we should use different testers at different locations ; 3) to find if inbred line testers from different het-erotic groups have same selection efficiency. The 25 exotic lines were crossed with four elite local maize inbred lines. Results revealed that one inbred line tester could correctly select the top best lines from a large number of exotic lines and two testers gave more reliable results than one tester did. However, when line x location interaction was significant, selected lines by one tester in one location were not necessarily the same as those selected at another location. That means different testers should be used for selecting best exotic lines at different locations. This study also showed that inbred lines from different maize heterotic groups did not show significant differences in identifying best exotic germplasm.

Chickpea is one of the dry edible legumes with best nutritional composition as it does not contain any specific major antinutritional
or toxic factors. The seeds have an average of 23% protein and 80% of the crops’s nitrogen requirements are
met from symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Chickpea has several desirable agronomic characteristics and it is one of the most
heat and drought-resistant crop and suitable for production in low moisture and fertility soils. Chickpea remarkably
predominates among other pulse crops in terms of both area and production in India. To meet with the ever increasing
demand for new varieties with desirable traits, the genetic resources of chickpea are of immense value for the breeders.
Due to rapid changes in the agro-ecological conditions throughout the world, the chickpea genetic resources comprising of
wild species, old and primitive cultivars, land races endowed with superior gene complexes are being rapidly eroded.
Efforts for augmentation of chickpea genetic resources were undertaken by importing the diverse germplasm from various
parts of the world. The exotic introduction in chickpea comprises germplasm with resistance to various biotic and abiotic
stresses and its wild species for utilisation in crop improvement programmes in India.

The present study was carried out to characterize six hundred rice germplasm accessions on the basis of thirty nine morphological and twelve agronomical traits. Most of the morphological characters showed variation in different accessions except leaf: collar leaf: ligule and leaf: shape of ligule. A significant amount of variation was displayed for most of the agronomical traits examined. After evaluation of 600 accessions for eight quantitative characters, on the basis of mean values, top ten accessions were identified for the yield ancillary traits. These can be used to identify phenotypically divergent sources for traits of interest in breeding programmes.

Until recently, there has been no set of model descriptors for date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.). We propose here a system of descriptors for date palm to meet the needs of genebanks, in situ and ex situ conservation activities, and as an aid in diversity studies. Multi-score and bi-state systems are used to express the date palm traits. We have compiled standard passport data (17 parameters); details of eco-geography (13 parameters); ethno-botany (15 parameters); management (18 parameters); characterization (58 vegetation parameters, 27 fruit parameters, 22 seed parameters, 41 inflorescence parameters, 4 molecular marker parameters, 5 cytological parameters and 24 biochemical parameters); and evaluation activities (66 biotic stress parameters and 13 abiotic stress parameters). These attributes were derived from 1275 samples representing 55 varieties cultivated in Egypt. Trait data were collected both from trees growing in their natural habitats as well as from trees growing ex situ on the farm of the Central Laboratory of Date Palm Research and Development (CLDPRD) genebank. The proposed date palm descriptors provide a standardized information set for all characterization and evaluation activities for date palm genebanks.

The long tradition of common bean cultivation in Italy has allowed the evolution of many landraces adapted to restricted areas. Nowadays, in response to market demands, old landraces are gradually being replaced by improved cultivars. However, landraces still survive in marginal areas of several Italian regions. Most of them appear severely endangered with risk of extinction due to the advanced age of the farmers and the socio-cultural context where they are cultivated. The present contribution is an overview of the state of the art about the knowledge of Italian common bean germplasm, describing the most important and recent progresses made in its characterization, including genetic diversity and nutritional aspects.

AB STRACT: An eval u a tion trial on ivy gourd (Coccinia cordifolia L.) ge no types in Allahabad agro cli ma tic con di tion was con ducted at veg e ta ble re search farm, De part ment of Hor ti cul ture, SHIATS Allahabad for 16 char ac ters i.e. days to first fe male flower anthesis, plant height, internodal length, pet i ole length, fruit length, fruit daimeter, av er age fresh fruit weight, num ber of seeds/fruit, num ber of fruits per plant, yield per plant, yield per hect are, TSS (°Brix) and ascor bic acid con tent. Eight ge no types of ivy gourd, namely Arka Neelachal Sabuja, Arka Neelachal Kunkhi, AAIIG -1, AAIIG -2, AAIIG -3, AAIIG -4, AAIIG -5 and AAIIG -6 were eval u ated in ran dom ized block de signed in three rep li ca tion dur ing 2011. The ge no type AAIIG -1 and Arka Neelachal Sabuja showed min i mum days to fe male flower anthesis. The high est fruit length and fruit di am e ter were ob tained by Arka Neelachal Kunkhi and AAIIG -1, re spec tively and max i mum fruit weight was ex hibited by ge no types AAIIG -1. The most prom is ing ge no type was AAIIG -1 for max i mum num ber of fruit per plant and fruit yield per plant fol lowed by Arka Neelachal Sabuja.

Introduction. Fruit quality can be evaluated by combining instrumental and sensory analyses. These methodologies have been affirmed and tested on different fruit tree species, but loquat is still little known from this point of view. Materials and methods. In this trial, conducted in Palermo and Catania (Sicily, Italy), both instrumental and sensory analyses were carried out on fruit of 8 loquat affirmed cultivars ('Golden Nugget', 'Peluche') and local cultivars ('Marcenò', 'Sanfilippara', 'Nespolone di Trabia', 'Virticchiara', 'Bianco Dolce' and 'BRT20') with the aim of assessing their quality traits. Results and discussion. The sensory results agreed quite well with the physicochemical data. Among the affirmed cultivars both 'Peluche' and 'Golden Nugget' confirmed their commercial value expressing a good overall fruit quality. On the other hand, the local Sicilian cultivars have very interesting physical, chemical and sensory profiles. Conclusion. The results indicated the goodness of this approach in evaluating loquat fruit quality and proved that not only the affirmed loquat cvs but also the local ones had very interesting qualitative features. Keywords: Italy / Sicily / loquat / Eriobotrya japonica / fruit quality / physicochemical analysis / sensory testing Résumé-Évaluation de la qualité des fruits de cultivars commerciaux ou traditionnels de néflier (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) par analyses instrumentales et sensorielles. Introduction. La qualité des fruits peut être évaluée en combinant les analyses instrumentales et sensorielles. Ces méthodologies ont été mises au point et testées sur différentes espèces d'arbres fruitiers, mais le néflier du Japon est encore peu connu de ce point de vue parce que l'on manque d'information sur la qualité des fruits des variétés locales traditionnelles. Matériel et méthodes. Dans cette étude, réalisée à Palerme et à Catane (Sicile, Italie), deux analyses instrumentales et sensorielles ont été réalisées sur les fruits de huit cultivars de néflier commerciaux ('Golden Nugget', 'Peluche') ou locaux ('Marcenò', 'Sanfilippara', 'Nespolone di Trabia', 'Virticchiara', 'Dolce Bianco' et 'BRT20') dans le but d'évaluer leurs caractéristiques de qualité. Résultats et discussion. Les résultats d'analyse sensorielle ont assez bien correspondu avec les données physico-chimiques. Parmi les cultivars commerciaux, 'Peluche' et 'Golden Nugget' ont tous les deux confirmé leur valeur commerciale à travers une bonne qualité globale de leurs fruits. D'autre part, les cultivars locaux siciliens ont montré des profils physiques, chimiques et sensoriels très intéressants. Conclusion. Les résultats indiquent la validité de cette approche dans l'évaluation de la qualité des fruits du néflier, en ayant démontré que non seulement les cultivars commerciaux mais aussi les variétés locales avaient des caractéristiques qualitatives très intéressantes.

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is well known for its biochemical constituents that define the product quality and confer pest and disease resistance. Seven major metabolites – epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECg), epigallocatechin (EGC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), caffeine, theobromine, and gallic acid – of 87 beverage type and six non-beverage type tea accessions from Sri Lankan tea germplasm were profiled using HPLC and LC-MS/MS. All seven metabolites varied widely in the beverage type accessions. The non-beverage types only contained gallic acid and epicatechin. Results prove the presence of high EC and ECg contents in green leaves to be a reliable marker for identifying high-quality black teaproducing accessions. High EC and low EGCg contents in green tea leaves appear to enhance traits of resistance to blister blight disease. Significant variations detected in theobromine, caffeine, and total polyphenol content define the affinity of germplasm to the main three tea taxa, and we conclude that C. sinensis ssp. lasiocalyx predominates the Sri Lankan germplasm collection.

Baillonella toxisperma is a multipurpose tree that provides non-timber forest products. In particular, fruit kernels can be transformed into buffer for cooking and cosmetics and its bark is used to cure many ailments in local communities. Unfortunately, natural stands of B. toxisperma are seriously threatened in Cameroon. The objectives of the study were to document uses of the targeted species, its management patterns and assess its population structure. Ethnobotanical and quantitative ecological methods were used. The results showed that the species was found to be multipurpose and produced several products and services. The most mentioned services were conservation of foodstuffs and medicine. Community responses indicated that the species became rare and there were no strategies developed to preserve it. The quantitative inventory supported this community view: the species had a low density (0.02 individual/ha) and a weak size class distribution. The species appeared to be threatened by illegal logging, overexploitation and poor attitude to its conservation. Due to the high value of the species, respondents claimed that they were interested in conserving it but they lacked appropriate propagation techniques, materials and skills. Thus, the sensitization and the domestication of the species should urgently be considered in the farmer environment with strong sound of policy. Source of original Articles: http://www.innspub.net/volume-6-number-5-may-2015-jbes/

An interspecific cross was made to transfer leaf rust, Karnal bunt, powdery mildew and cereal cyst nematode resistance from a non-progenitor tetraploid species, Aegilops triuncialis (UUCC), into bread wheat. Sterile F1 of the cross between susceptible Triticum aestivum cv. WL 711 and a resistant accession of Ae. triuncialis (Acc.3549) was backcrossed to the cultivated parent. Two sets of resistant derivatives were selected from selfed progenies of BC2/BC3plants. One group of derivatives with 42 chromosomes had spelta, type head and possessed resistance to cereal cyst nematode and powdery mildew in addition to moderate resistance to leaf rust. Giemsa C-banding of mitotic metaphase chromosomes showed that these derivatives possess a substitution of 5U chromosome of Ae. triuncialis for 5A of bread wheat. The second set of derivatives (2n=44) with disomic addition of an acrocentric Ae. triuncialis chromosome possessed leaf rust, Karnal bunt and powdery mildew resistance. Genomic in situ hybridization showed that this set of derivatives also possess a pair of translocated chromosomes involving break point in the centromere and short arm of Ae. triuncialis chromosome.

We describe a droplet-vitrification cryotherapy method for the eradication of grapevine leafroll-associated virus-3 (GLRaV-3) from diseased in vitro shoots of Vitis plants. The procedure involved pre-culture of 1.0-mm shoot tips containing five to six leaf primordia (LPs) for 3 days with a pre-culture medium containing 0.3 M sucrose, 0.16 mM glutathione and 0.14 mM ascor-bic acid, treatment of the pre-cultured shoot tips for 20 min at room temperature with a loading solution composed of 2 M glycerol and 0.4 M sucrose and exposure to plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2), prior to freezing in liquid nitrogen of dehydrated shoot tips contained in 2.5-μL PVS2 droplets on aluminium foil strips. Virus localisation showed GLRaV-3 was not present in apical dome (AD) and LPs 1-4, but it was detected in the basal shoot tip region, approximately 0.5 mm from the AD, as well as in LP 5 and more mature tissues. Histological observations identify that only freezing in liquid nitrogen results in the death of all cells in areas of shoot tips harbouring virus, whereas PVS2 treatment does not. Thus, freezing in liquid nitrogen is a necessary step that eradicates GLRaV-3. This cryotherapy procedure produced shoot regrowth levels that ranged from 43% to 59%, and all plants recovered after cryotherapy were free of GLRaV-3 in two wine, one table and one rootstock cultivars. Thus, this procedure can be considered to be efficient and wildly applicable for eradication of GLRaV-3 from Vitis spp. K E Y W O R D S cryotherapy, grapevine leafroll disease, histological study, shoot tip, virus localisation, Vitis

The avocado breeding and germplasm preservation projects in California may ultimately provide the industry with consistently heavier producing, high-quality avocado varieties, better pollinizer varieties, and improved rootstock hybrids. The program will rely on the continued evaluation of new material generated through traditional selection techniques and the introduction of new material from other countries, as well as refined genetic techniques used to increase the efficiency of crossing and selection. Selections from open pollinated progeny; the main approach of the breeding program for over 60 years, will probably not yield great progress without the help of modern genetic tools. Most modern plant breeding programs incorporate new molecular genetic methods. Methods that provide a systematic analytical approach to predictability will be essential to breeding progress in the future.

Chemical analysis of the Sri Lankan tea (Camellia sinensis, L.) germplasm would immensely contribute to the success of the tea breeding programme. However, the polyphenols, particularly catechins (flavan-3-ols), are readily prone to oxidation in the conventional method of sample preparation. Therefore, optimization of the present sample preparation methodology for the profiling of metabolites is much important. Two sample preparation methodologies were compared, fresh leaves (as in the conventional procedures) and freeze-dried leaves (a new procedure), for quantification of major metabolites by employing two cultivars, one is known to be high quality black tea and the other low quality black tea. The amounts of major metabolites such as catechins, caffeine, gallic acid, and theobromine, recorded in the new sampling procedure via freeze-dried leaves, were significantly higher than those recorded in the conventional sample preparation procedure. Additionally new method required less a...

Chlorogenic acid (5-O-caffeoyl-quinic acid; CGA) is an ester of caffeic acid and (-)-quinic acid with many beneficial properties for human health, such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, anti-carcinogenic, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic properties. This has raised an interest for the development of new crop cultivars with increased CGA content. One of the crops with higher CGA content is eggplant (Solanum melongena). There is a wide diversity for CGA content in cultivated eggplant germplasm, which is influenced by the fruit developmental stage, storage conditions, and environmental factors. Therefore, appropriate experimental designs are required for an efficient breeding. Several strategies are proposed for breeding for high CGA content such as intraspecific variation, selection among accessions, development of hybrids and lines with good agronomic and commercial characteristics, or introgression of the high CGA trait in élite lines. Some wild relatives, like S....

Background: Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is among key spice crops grown in Morogoro district of Tanzania. Most of the pepper types grown in the district are only known by their local names as Babu kubwa, Babu ndogo, Babu kati and Ismailia. This may limit information on germplasm collection or genetic resource for plant improvement and trade in markets with variety specifications. The aim of this study was to generate preliminary information of the pepper types based on their morphological characteristics for easy comparison with other known pepper varieties in the spices industry. Methods: The evaluation of pepper morphological characters was conducted following a randomized complete block design with three replications and four treatments (pepper types). Observations were recorded with respect to 28 characters (9 qualitative and 19 quantitative) which entail vegetative (8) and reproductive (20) traits. The quantitative data for vegetative, inflorescence and berry characters were subjected to analysis of variance. Mean separation test was conducted using Turkey's Honest Significance Test at (α = 0.05). Correlation and regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between yield and yield attributes of pepper. Results: Babu kubwa and Babu ndogo pepper types were characterized by erect and horizontal branching habit, whereas the others showed hanging habit. Babu kubwa had longer spikes (12.4 cm), leaves blade (17.9 cm), leaf petiole (2.8 cm), wider leaves (12.9 cm) and larger berries (5.8 mm) than all other pepper types. Babu kubwa and Babu kati had cordate and acute leaf bases, respectively while other types had round leaf base shapes. The highest number of flowers was recorded on Babu kubwa (93.5) and Ismailia (90.7) with spikes weighing 7.6 g and 7.5 g, respectively compared to other types. Babu ndogo and Ismailia had compact spikes, while other types had medium loose spikes. Babu kati had the highest number of spikes kg −1 (282.6) due its lower spike weight compared to other types. The highest weight of 100 fresh spikes (704.3 g) and 1000 fresh berries (164.2 g) was recorded on Ismailia. Spike length was significantly positively correlated to yield (r = 0.23, R 2 = 0.08, p < 0.001). However, yield had a significant negative correlation with the number of spikes kg −1 (r = −0.85, R 2 = 0.017, p = 0.001) and fresh weight of 1000 berries (r = −0.91, R 2 = 0.003, p = 0.04). Conclusions: The pepper types grown in Morogoro district differed significantly based on most of the evaluated traits. This information can be used to formulate methods and strategies for conservation and in turn genetic improvement of the crop. Despite that the pepper types literary matched with characters of some well-known commercial varieties, confirmation of genetic relatedness is yet needed. Further studies need to be conducted in © The Author(s) 2021. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article' s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article'

The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine general combining ability (GCA) of 25 inbred lines selected from CIMMYT populations, specific combining ability (SCA), heterotic specific-group combining ability (HSPGCA) of testcrosses from these 25 lines, using four testers; (2) to determine optimum number of testers for evaluating a large number of exotic lines. The 25 exotic lines were crossed with four elite local maize inbred lines (a line ´ tester design). A randomized complete-block design with three replications was used at two locations. Data on grain yield and five yield-component traits were recorded. Combining ability analysis showed 8 exotic lines to be genetically similar to the testers and could be assigned to the two current maize heterotic groups. Correlation analysis indicated that one tester had correctly selected the top best lines
from a large number of exotic lines. However, when line ´ location
interaction is significant, exotic line performance should be
evaluated at multiple locations or multiple years or both.

Genetic resources of Coffea canephora have been introduced in several tropical countries with potential for crop development. In Ecuador, the species has been cultivated since the mid-20th century. However, little is known about the diversity and genetic structure of introduced germplasm. This paper provides an overview of the genetic and phenotypic diversity of C. canephora in Ecuador and some proposals for implementing a breeding program. Twelve SSR markers were used to analyze 1491 plants of C. canephora grown in different living collections in Ecuador, compared to 29 genotypes representing the main genetic and geographic diversity groups identified within the species. Results indicated that most of the genotypes introduced are of Congolese origin, with accessions from both main subgroups, SG1 and SG2. Some genotypes were classed as hybrids between both subgroups. Substantial phenotypic diversity was also found, and correlations were observed with genetic diversity. Ecuadorian Ro...

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were used to assess genetic diversity and study genetic relatedness in a large collection of Malus germplasm. A total of 164 accessions from the Malus core collection, maintained at the University of Illinois, were genotyped using apple SSR markers. Each of the accessions was genotyped using a single robust SSR marker from each of the 17 different linkage groups in Malus. Data were subjected to principal component analysis, and a dendrogram was constructed to establish genetic relatedness. As expected, this diverse core collection showed high allelic diversity; moreover, this allelic diversity was higher than that previously reported. Cluster analysis revealed the presence of four distinct clusters of accessions in this collection.

An efficient in vitro propagation protocol for Artemisia amygdalina D. developed here resulted in the induction of significantly more number of shoots (36 shoots per nodal explant) on a medium containing 10 µM benzyl amino purine (BAP) and 10 µM α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) than any other treatment. Growth of the regenerated shoots in phytohormone free MS medium resulted in a significant increase in biomass, shoot height and shoot multiplication. The regenerated shoots also formed roots when transferred onto full strength and half strength MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium. Healthy in vitro raised plantlets were acclimatized and maintained in standard greenhouse conditions for further growth. This study provides a basis for germplasm conservation and further investigation of this rare, medicinally important plant species.

Sorghum, a major crop for income generation and food security in West and Central Africa, is predominantly grown in low-input farming systems with serious soil phosphorus (P) deficiencies. This study (a) estimates genetic parameters needed to design selection protocols that optimize genetic gains for yield under low-phosphorus conditions and (b) examines the utility of introgressed backcross nested association mapping (BCNAM) populations for diversifying Malian breeding materials. A total of 1083 BC1F5 progenies derived from an elite hybrid restorer “Lata-3” and 13 diverse donor accessions were evaluated for yield and agronomic traits under contrasting soil P conditions in Mali in 2013. A subset of 298 progenies were further tested under low-P (LP) and high-P (HP) conditions in 2014 and 2015. Significant genetic variation for grain yield was observed under LP and HP conditions. Selection for grain yield under LP conditions was feasible and more efficient than the indirect selection ...

Cashew is a kidney-shaped nut that commercially grows on a tropical evergreen tree. In recent times, the commercial importance of cashew nut and apple in terms of human health is gaining great momentum. The kernels of 75 promising cashew germplasms were taken from different soils of West Bengal, for biochemical quantification. Out of which 10 promising commercial germplasms were taken for experimental study. The study indicates that nutritional content Iron (0.08%), Calcium (0.96%), magnesium (0.75%), potassium (2.18%), sodium (0.22%), phosphorus (1.21%), neutral lipid (98.54%), phospholipid (3.12%), protein (49.63%), starch (33.5%), amino acid (53.37%), phenol (53.4%), total sugar (21.27%). It also contains a huge amount of lipids that promote good cardiovascular health. Often high triglyceride levels are associated with an increased risk for heart disorders and monounsaturated fats reduce triglyceride levels. The cashew nuts high magnesium content also takes the credit for its healthy heart quality and so daily recommended for the heart-healthy mineral. It also protects against high blood pressure, muscle spasms, migraine headaches, tension, soreness, and fatigue.

An experiment was conducted at El-Mattana Agricultural Research Station, Luxor Governorate, to evaluate the yield and ratooning ability of 30 sugar cane genotypes (clones) along with the check cultivar GT 54/9 during three different crop cycles; plant cane (PC), first ratoon (FR), and second ratoon (SR) crops during 2011/2013 harvesting seasons. A randomized complete block design with three replicates was used. Results indicated that the evaluated genotypes varied significantly (P = 0.05) within and among crop cycles for stalk length, stalk diameter, stalk density, stalk weight, stalks number, cane yield, Brix, sucrose%, purity%, sugar recovery, and sugar yield. The evaluated genotypes differed significantly in their ratooning ability (RA) for all studied traits. Over evaluated genotypes, means of stalk diameter, stalk weight, stalk density and cane yield in plant cane were higher than those in the first and second ratoon crops, while means of Brix, sucrose, purity and sugar recovery percentages in the second ratoon were higher than those in plant cane and first ratoon crops. The relative influence of genotypic variance ( 2 g) in determining the phenotypic variance was primary to genotype by crop interaction variance ( 2 gc) and error variance ( 2 e) for all studied traits. Broad sense heritability (H%) estimates were high for cane yield and its components as well as sugar yield, since it ranged from 82.53 for cane yield to 95.06 for stalk length. High genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) estimates were for stalk weight (27.01), stalk density (39.36) and stalk number (32.57), while low estimates were for stalk length and juice quality traits (2.05 ≤ GCV% ≥ 7.99). Genotypic variance ( 2 g) was primary to error variance ( 2 e) for RA of cane yield and its components as well as sugar yield and juice quality traits. The highest heritability estimates of RA were for stalk weight (98.10%), stalk density (98.24%), stalk number (99.46%) and sugar yield with high genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) estimates for the same traits (22.78, 32.26, 36.41 and 27.26, respectively).

2017. Morphological variation among tomato germplasams. Int. J. Agri and Env. Res., 3(2): 240-244. Abstract Eleven tomato genotypes AVTO Germination percentage, days to first flowering, days to first fruiting, days to first fruit ripening, internode length, leaf length, leaf width, and stem diameter were studied during the experiment. Higher germination (91.3 %) war recorded in AVTO-1288. Early first flowering (51.7) and first fruit ripening (87.7) was observed in AVTO-1405 whereas early first fruiting (61.3) was recorded in AVTO-1409. The lengthy leaves (7.0 cm) and wider leaves (3.8 cm) were recorded for AVTO-1405, while bigger stem diameter (1.9) was recorded for AVTO-1456. These genotypes should be further studied for desired character and may be exploited in future breeding program.