Germplasm

Intensive selection in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding programs over the past 100 years has led to a genetic bottleneck in modern bread wheat. Novel allelic variation is needed to break the yield plateau, particularly in the face of climate change and rapidly evolving pests and pathogens. Landraces preserved in seed banks likely harbour valuable sources of untapped genetic diversity because they were cultivated for thousands of years under diverse eco-geographical conditions prior to modern breeding. We performed the first genetic characterisation of bread wheat accessions sourced from the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) in St Petersburg, Russia. A panel comprising 295 accessions, including landraces, breeding lines and cultivars was subject to single seed descent (SSD) and genotyped using the genotypingby-sequencing Diversity Arrays Technology platform (DArT-seq); returning a total of 34,311 polymorphic markers (14,228 mapped and 20,083 unmapped). Cluster analysis identified two distinct groups; one comprising mostly breeding lines and cultivars, and the other comprising landraces. Diversity was benchmarked in comparison to a set of standards, which revealed a high degree of genetic similarity among breeding material from Australia and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Further, 11,025 markers (1888 mapped and 9137 unmapped) were polymorphic in the diversity panel only, thus representing allelic diversity potentially not present in Australian or CIMMYT germplasm. Openaccess to DArT-seq markers and seed for SSD lines will empower researchers, pre-breeders and breeders to rediscover genetic diversity in the VIR collection and accelerate utilisation of novel alleles to improve wheat.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different types of light and some factors on some vegetative growth and flowering of two cultivars of carnation plant (Dianthus caryophyllus L.). The results showed the maximum leaves number, leaf area per plant, internodes number and intermodal length were recorded under 14h incandescent (41.09 leaves/plant, 363.91 cm2, 18.70 node/plant, and 7.675 cm) respectively, and the increase was significant. While the effect of triple interaction, which showed a significant effect in all characteristics, the largest leaf area per plant (578.66 cm2) was obtained from the moonlight cultivar when cultured on the media containing 60% local compost and exposed to the 14h incandescent, Also, the maximum vase life was found in the Ormea cultivar (17.47 days) when the cultivar was exposed to the 14h incandescent and was cultured on medium that included 60% local compost. The best grade flower was obtained when the Ormea cultivar was cultured on a medium containing 30% and 60% local compost under 14 hours of incandescent light, reaching 3.89.

Twenty exotic pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) germplasms were studied to determine the genetic parameters to understand the usefulness of genotypes in the breeding program. Forty characteristics were measured in fruits, arils, leaves, and flowers, as well as juice characteristics including, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, sugars, anthocyanin, and phenols. Analysis of variance establishes that among all the parameters analyzed, a significant genetic difference was present for yield and yield attribution traits of the studied pomegranate germplasm. All plants were grouped into five clusters among them Green Globe and Hakubotan were most distinct from others. Saharnyi, Orange, Ovadan, Nusai, Kaim-anar, Al-Sirin-Nar, 20090265, Eve and Sogdiana may be used as one of the parent with another parent Green Globe for getting better recombinants by hybridization method. The presence of significant inter-cluster variations revealed that hybridization program could be useful for the d...

This study aimed to establish a compelling approach for inducing embryogenesis through in vitro anther culture in Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.), the most consumed and popular eggplant among indigenous vegetables on the African continent. While in vitro androgenesis has been favorably employed in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) breeding, there has been no attempt to induce embryogenesis in a large germplasm of its relative, Solanum aethiopicum. In two distinct experiments, the largest germplasm collection of Solanum aethiopicum gr. Gilo was assessed for embryogenesis induction using C medium supplemented with different concentrations of hormones. In the first experiment, callus induction was successful with an overall rate of 36.6 calli/100 anthers, but embryo formation was unsuccessful. Statistical analysis revealed a dependency of the rate of callus induction on accessions. In the second experiment, only four selected accessions of Solanum aethiopicum gr. Gilo were used ...

Fruit rot is the primary threat to cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) production in the northeastern United States, and increasingly in other growing regions. Efficacy of chemical control is variable because the disease is caused by a complex of pathogenic fungi. In addition, cranberries are often grown in environmentally sensitive areas, placing restrictions on chemical control measures. Thus, a major focus of the cranberry breeding program is to develop cultivars with improved fruit rot resistance (FRR). Several genetically diverse sources of FRR have been identified in our germplasm collection. However, the most resistant accessions lack one or more attributes; e.g., productivity, required for commercial acceptance. These resistant accessions were used in crosses with elite high-yielding selections and in 2009, 1624 progeny from 50 crosses were planted in 2.3-m2 field plots. During 2011–13, under field conditions with very limited fungicide management, disease pressure was severe,...

Mapping of quantitative trait Loci for grain iron and zinc concentration in diploid A genome wheat Abstract Micronutrients, especially iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), are deficient in the diets of people in underdeveloped countries. Biofortification of food crops is the best approach for alleviating the micronutrient deficiencies. Identification of germplasm with high grain Fe and Zn and understanding the genetic basis of their accumulation are the prerequisites for manipulation of these micronutrients. Some wild relatives of wheat were found to have higher grain Fe and Zn concentrations compared with the cultivated bread wheat germplasm. One accession of Triticum boeoticum (pau5088) that had relatively higher grain Fe and Zn was crossed with Triticum monococcum (pau14087), and a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population generated from this cross was grown at 2 locations over 2 years. The grains of the RIL population were evaluated for Fe and Zn concentration using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The grain Fe and Zn concentrations in the RIL population ranged from 17.8 to 69.7 and 19.9 to 64.2 mg/kg, respectively. A linkage map available for the population was used for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) for grain Fe and Zn accumulation. The QTL analysis led to identification of 2 QTL for grain Fe on chromosomes 2A and 7A and 1 QTL for grain Zn on chromosome 7A. The grain Fe QTL were mapped in marker interval Xwmc382-Xbarc124 and Xgwm473-Xbarc29, respectively, each explaining 12.6% and 11.7% of the total phenotypic variation and were designated as QFe.pau-2A and QFe.pau-7A. The QTL for grain Zn, which mapped in marker interval Xcfd31-Xcfa2049, was designated as QZn.pau-7A and explained 18.8% of the total phenotypic variation.

Urdbean ( Vigna mungo L. Hepper) is comparatively more vulnerable to leaf crinkle disease than other pulses. Urdbean leaf crinkle disease (ULCD) is a widespread and devastating disease of economic significance resulting in extreme crinkling, puckering, curling and roughness of leaves, malformation of floral organs and stunting of plants. The ULCD causes substantial yield losses annually in major urban-producing countries around the world. Aphids, insects, and whiteflies have been identified as disease vectors. The virus is also transmitted via inoculation, grafting, and seed sap. The seed yield loss in ULCD-affected Urdbean crops ranges from 35%-81%, which depends on the genotype, location type and time of infection. The diseased material and favorable climatic conditions lead to a widespread viral illness. In germplasm screening, genetic variations have been reported indicating continuous screening of available varieties and new germplasm to identify new traits (different genes) an...

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a major threat to citrus sustainable yield and production. Therefore, various strategies are discussed in this review to provide solutions for the control of the disease. These include phyto-sanitory techniques to reduce pathogen inoculum in the field which are based on several approaches such as the presence of a reliable pathogen detection system, control over vector populations, cultural practices, chemotherapy and finally the production of diseasefree propagating material. In addition to phytosanitory techniques, efforts to introduce resistant genes into cultivatable germplasm are also needed and are thus also discussed in this review.

The paper compares food and straw fodder traits in wheat lines of 6 different CIMMYT wheat trials tested across 32 environments of South Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan). Experiments were conducted in the main spring wheat season with sowing time of mid-November to mid-December and harvest between March to April. Investigated and compared were grain yield (GY), straw yield (SY), straw nitrogen (N) content, neutral (NDF) and acid (ADF) detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin (ADL), and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). Highly significant (P < 0.0001) differences were observed between cultivar types for all traits. The proportional ranges in traits between the cultivar types were high for GY and SY (> 60%), considerable (45%) for HI and straw N (40%), moderate for ADL (18%), and minor for NDF, ADF, and IVOMD (< 10%). Across cultivar types GY and SY were significantly positive correlated but GY accounted for only 14% of the variation in SY. Positive fodder traits such as N and IVOMD tended to be negatively associated with GY, whereas negative traits such as NDF, ADF and ADL were positively associated with GY, significantly so (P < 0.05) in the cases of ADF and ADL. Except for one case, broad sense h 2 were stronger for GY than for SY. Among straw fodder quality traits, the negative fodder quality traits ADF showed the highest h 2 for all quality traits, with the exception of the two drought trials. Across all cultivar types only ADF was significantly (P < 0.05) positively related to GY. No significant (P > 0.05) relationships were observed between N, ADF and IVOMD and SY. Among cultivars consistent relationships were only observed between N and GY which were significantly (P = 0.03 to 0.009) inversely correlated in five out of the six cultivar types. Within cultivars types ADF varied by at least 2.3% units in HTNM and 1st DRYT and up to 4.9% units in ESWYT. By extrapolation such cultivar-dependent differences will matter at wheat straw trading.

Wheat varieties/lines from diverse sources were evaluated for their reaction to a population of the cereal cyst nematode (CCN), Heterodera avenae (pathotype Ha 41), from Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Of the 38 tested varieties/lines, eight had been previously rated as either resistant or moderately resistant to populations of CCN other than from Ludhiana, nine were resistant to Tilletia indica (Karnal bunt), six were derived from the BC3 population of the cross KBRL22/3*PBW343, and fifteen were synthetic lines derived from Triticum tauschi × Triticum durum. Of the varieties earlier reported resistant to CCN, two (AUS 15854 and AUS 15895) were found resistant to the Ludhiana population of the CCN, whereas AUS 15807 was only moderately resistant. Only one of the Karnal bunt resistant variety, KBRL 13, was resistant while KBRL 10, KBRL 22, CMH 77.308 and H 567.71 were moderately resistant to CCN. Of the lines from the cross KBRL22/3*PBW343, three were moderately resistant. Amongst the fifte...

Yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) and powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis tritici) of wheat can be effectively managed by the cultivation of resistant varieties. However, such resistant varieties become susceptible due to evolution and spread of new and matching virulences of these pathogens after a short period of their commercial cultivation. Hence, breeding for disease resistance tends to be a continuous process with prerequisite of identification of diverse resistant donors. In this context, more than 500 genotypes comprising advanced breeding material form CIMMYT and those developed in India were subjected to multilocational screening at hot spot locations of yellow rust and powdery mildew (Dhaulakuan, Malan and Ludhiana) under artificial epiphytotic conditions during the Rabi cropping season 2014-15 to 2016-17. Five genotypes from advanced Indian wheat breeding material were free from both the diseases whereas, 8 genotypes of CIMMYT origin showed mean terminal yellow rust (TYR) severity ≤5S and terminal powdery mildew (PM) reaction ≤3 and were highly resistant whereas 30 genotypes among Indian wheat breeding material showed mean terminal YR severity ≤5S and terminal PM reaction ≤5 were found resistant. Agronomically superior genotypes may be directly utilized as varieties and sources with multiple resistance may be used as donors in breeding program.

The value of exotic wheat genetic resources for accelerating grain yield gains is largely unproven and unrealized. We used next-generation sequencing, together with multi-environment phenotyping, to study the contribution of exotic genomes to 984 three-way-cross-derived (exotic/elite1//elite2) pre-breeding lines (PBLs). Genomic characterization of these lines with haplotype map-based and SNP marker approaches revealed exotic specific imprints of 16.1 to 25.1%, which compares to theoretical expectation of 25%. A rare and favorable haplotype (GT) with 0.4% frequency in gene bank identified on chromosome 6D minimized grain yield (GY) loss under heat stress without GY penalty under irrigated conditions. More specifically, the &#39;T&#39; allele of the haplotype GT originated in Aegilops tauschii and was absent in all elite lines used in study. In silico analysis of the SNP showed hits with a candidate gene coding for isoflavone reductase IRL-like protein in Ae. tauschii. Rare haplotypes...

Predictability estimated through cross-validation approach showed moderate to high level; hence, genomic selection approach holds great potential for biofortification breeding to enhance grain zinc and iron concentrations in wheat. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major staple crop, providing 20 % of dietary energy and protein consumption worldwide. It is an important source of mineral micronutrients such as zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) for resource poor consumers. Genomic selection (GS) approaches have great potential to accelerate development of Fe- and Zn-enriched wheat. Here, we present the results of large-scale genomic and phenotypic data from the HarvestPlus Association Mapping (HPAM) panel consisting of 330 diverse wheat lines to perform genomic predictions for grain Zn (GZnC) and Fe (GFeC) concentrations, thousand-kernel weight (TKW) and days to maturity (DTM) in wheat. The HPAM lines were phenotyped in three different locations in India and Mexico in two successive crop season...

Bermudagrass, Cynodon spp. is one of the most commonly grown turfgrass genera in the southern United States having excellent drought tolerance, but poor tolerance to shade. Developing cultivars tolerant to shade would allow bermudagrass to become more prevalent in home lawns or other recreational areas in the southeast, where trees dominate the landscape. In this field study, nine accessions collected from Pretoria, South Africa were evaluated for their ability to grow under shade with varying fertility treatments. These accessions and cultivars ‘Celebration’, ‘TifGrand’, and ‘Tifway’ were evaluated under 0%, 63%, and 80% continuous shade during 2011–12. For both years, significant differences among shade levels, genotypes, and the interaction of the two were observed. As expected, the progression from 0% to 63% to 80% shade reduced normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), percent turfgrass cover (TC), and turf quality (TQ) readings for all accessions. Some genotypes, however,...

The objective of the present work was to develop an advanced fast phenotyping tool to explore the cashew apple compositions from different genotypes, based on a portable near-infrared (MicroNIR) spectroscopy. This will be in addition to associating the variability of the respective cashew apple pulps with the genotypes by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The NIR analysis is a non-destructive, low-cost procedure that provides prompt results, while considering the morphology of different cashew apples (shape, size, and color). The UPLC-HRMS analysis is characterized by specific bioactive compounds, such as the derivatives of hydroxybutanoic acid, galloyl, and flavonoids. Furthermore, both techniques allowed the identification of a group of accessions, which presented similarities among the chemical profiling. However, to improve the understanding of cashew chemical and physical variability, further variables related...

Stripe or yellow rust (YR) caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Erikss. is a persistent biotic-stress threatening global wheat production. To broaden our understanding of the shared genetic basis of YR resistance across multi-site and multi-year evaluations, we performed a large genome-wide association study using 43,706 YR observations on 23,346 wheat lines from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center evaluated between 2013 and 2019 at sites in India, Kenya and Mexico, against predominant races prevalent in the countries. We identified 114 repeatable markers tagging 20 quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with YR on ten chromosomes including 1D, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3A, 4A, 4D, 5A, 5B and 6B, among which four QTL, QYr.cim-2DL.2, QYr.cim-2AS.1, QYr.cim-2BS.2 and QYr.cim-2BS.3 were significant in more than ten datasets. Furthermore, we report YR-associated allelic fingerprints for the largest panel of wheat breeding lines (52,067 lines) till date, creating s...

Stripe rust caused by Puccinia striformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Eriks. (Pst) is a major constraint to wheat production in Northern India. In this study, 616 indigenous germplasm (IC) accessions of wheat were screened under field conditions against mixture of Pst isolates at DWR Karnal during 2012-13 crop season. Out of 616 accessions, 197 accessions were observed to be resistant (R), 115 moderately resistant (MR) to moderately susceptible (MS) and 304 as susceptible (S) against yellow rust. On the basis of days to heading, the accessions were grouped into four classes (early, medium early, medium late and late). Chlorophyll content index (CCI) recorded in flag leaf showed significant differences between resistant and susceptible lines in each classified group at 5% level of significance. The difference for CCI between resistant and moderately resistant plants was negligible, however in comparison with resistant plants, susceptible plants showed loss of 35-39% of chlorophyll. There...

Grain shape is one of the important agronomic traits, which is closely related to the yield of rice. A new rice mutant, named small and round grain (srg1), was isolated from an indica cultivar Zhenong 34 by ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. The microscopic analysis showed that the cell length of spikelet in srg1 was decreased compared with that in wild type (WT), which caused the grain length short. Meanwhile, the grains of srg1 were wider than those of WT because of the increased cell layers in spikelet in the lateral direction. Therefore, the inhibition of cell expansion and increased cell proliferation collectively led to the small and round grain. By map-based cloning, the gene SRG1 was located on the short arm of chromosome 9, which encodes a kinesin-4 protein, represented by the gene LOC_Os09g02650. A single nucleotide polymorphism, occurred in the 16th exon of SRG1, led to premature translation stop in mutant. The cell cycle-related genes were up-regulated in srg1, which conferred that SRG1 controlled grain width through the cell proliferation. Since the role of SRG1 in regulating grain shape was not clarified well before, it is valuable to explore the mechanism of grain development. This study could, hence, provide a morphogenesis and molecular basis for elucidating the function of SRG1, as well as a new germplasm resource for the further study of grain development.

INTRODUCTION Brassica napus L. is the most important oil seed crop of Pakistan (Sabagh et al.,2019). It is principally cultivated in irrigated as well as rainfed areas of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces on an area of 0.077 mha with production of 0.049 million tons (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2020-21). The average yield of B. napus is 812 kg/ha for below the global average. The local production of edible oil is Estimated at 0.374 million tons against required 3.291 million tons (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2020-21). The indigenous oil output is not keeping pace with the expanding demand of ever-growing population, forcing the country to import 2.917 million tons of

PI 642161) to various national programs with combined resistance to two parasitic plants, Striga gesnerioides (Wild.) Vatke and Alectra vogelii Benth. Of these, two lines were developed by the partial backcross method using a local landrace, B 301 from Botswana, as the source of resistance to Striga and Alectra and the other lines were subsequently developed through regular hybridization and selection using the derived lines as resistant sources (Singh, 2002). Alectra vogelii is more prevalent in the northern Guinea Savanna and southern Sudan Savanna of West Africa as well as in east and southern Africa, whereas S. gesnerioides is mostly found in west and central Africa. Resistance to S. gesnerioides is controlled by a single dominant gene and resistance to A. vogelii is controlled by duplicate dominant genes which are different from the gene conferring S. gesnerioides resistance (Singh and Emechebe, 1990; Atokple et al., 1993; Singh et al., 1993). Therefore, transfer of resistance is more straightforward. Testing for resistance to both parasites was done in the screen house as well as in the field at relevant sites in West Africa and South Africa. The pedigrees and brief characteristics of individual lines are described below. 'IT90K-59' is an F5 line from the backcross IT84S-2246-4/ B301//IT84S-2246-4. The local line B301 is a landrace from Botswana and IT84S-2246-4 resulted from the cross IT82D-716/IT81D-1020, and each of these parents were derived from the crosses TVx 6332/TVx 3236 and TVx 1193-9F/TVu 2027, respectively. TVx 6332 is derived from a three way cross TVx 1193-9F/TVu 2027//TVu 625. The parents of TVx 1193-9F are TVu 1190 and TVu 76, which are the cultivated varieties 'V.U.5' from Kenya and 'Prima' from Nigeria, respectively. TVu 2027 is a local line 'Kano-8' and TVu 625 is a selection No.A-10 from Nigeria. TVx3236 involves TVu 1509 and Ife Brown as its parents. TVu 1509 is selection No. H 27-1-1 and 'Ife Brown' is an improved variety from Nigeria. IT90K-59 is an early maturing variety (70 d to maturity) with semi-erect growth habit and medium size broad leaves. It has no purple pigmentation either on the joints connecting the petiole with the main stem or at the junction of the leaflets with petiole. Thus, the entire plant parts are green. The flowers have a white standard and keel petals but purple wing petals. It has brown color medium size seeds (about 17 g 100 seeds 21), with a rough seed coat. In addition to its resistance for Striga and Alectra, it is also resistant to major diseases including anthracnose [caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus) Lams.], web blight [caused by Corticium solani (Prill. & Delacr.) Bourdot & Galz.], brown blotch [caused by Colletotrichum capsici (Syd.) Butler & Bisby], and scab (Elsinoe phaseoli Jenk.), Cowpea yellow mosaic virus and Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus, nematode [Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood], cowpea storage weevil [Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius)], cowpea flower thrips [Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom)], and cowpea aphid [Aphis craccivora (Koch)]. It has been recommended for cultivation in the Alectra infested areas of South Africa (Mathews et al., 2001). 'IT90K-82-2' has the same pedigree as IT90K-59 except that it came from the reciprocal cross B301/IT84S-2246-4//IT84S-2246-4. It is earlier in maturity (about 65 d) with erect plant 'IT87K-819-118' is an F6 plant derived line from the backcross IT90K-59/IT88D-867-11//IT88D-867-11. IT88D-867-11 is

M. Marticorena, S. Bramardi, and R. Defacio. 2010. Characterization of maize populations in different environmental conditions by means of Three-Mode Principal Components Analysis. Cien. Inv. Agr. 37(3): 91-103. Characterization of 31 native populations of maize conserved at the germplasm bank of the INTA Pergamino Experimental Station, Argentina, was achieved by evaluating 10 quantitative attributes in two different environmental situations. The experimental design generated three-way or three-mode data, repeated observations of a set of attributes for a set of individuals in different conditions. The information was displayed in a three-dimensional array, and the structure of the data was explored using Three-Mode Principal Component Analysis, the Tucker-2 Model. A group of populations was identified that displayed homogeneous behavior in the two environments with respect to the following traits: ear length, prolificacy, grains per meter, yield and 1000 kernel weight. However, another group of populations displayed opposite behavior for the traits of plant height and ear insertion height in the different environment conditions and is indicative of the existence of genotype-environment interaction. In conclusion, Three-Mode Principal Component Analysis is an important tool for characterizing plant genetic resources when their phenotypic values are likely to be affected by environmental conditions.

Thirteen known Yr gene-associated markers pertaining to genes (Yr5,Yr10,Yr15,Yr24/Yr26) were used to identify the genes in selected wheat germplasm which were found resistant under field conditions at two locations in Punjab, India against stripe rust. In field evaluation, 38 genotypes exhibited highly resistant response, with a final rust severity (FRS) ranging from 0 to TR. Seven genotypes expressed a resistant to moderately resistant response with FRS ranging from 5MR–10S. In race-specific phenotying against most prevalent pathotypes of Pucciniastriiformistritici (46S119,110S119 &238S119) by seedling reaction test (SRT) 14 genotypes (29.2%) were found to be immune (IT = 0), 28 genotypes (58.3%) were resistant (IT = 1), and 3 genotypes (6.3%) were moderately resistant (IT = 2). Yr5 was detected in sixteen lines with the help of two markers Xwmc175 and Xgwm120 linked with Yr5. Yr10 was detected in ten lines with the marker Xpsp3000 and Yr15 was detected in fourteen lines with two l...

Türkiye'de mısır çoğunlukla ana ürün olarak yetişir fakat iklimin uygun olduğu kıyı şeridinde (Kıyı ege, Akdeniz bölgeleri) ve benzer iklime sahip Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesinde hem ana ürün (Nisan-Eylül arası) hem de ikinci ürün (buğday hasadından sonra Temmuz-Ekim arası) olarak yetiştirilme şansına sahiptir. Mısır yetiştiriciliğinde yetişme dönemine uygun doğru çeşidi saptamak en önemli konudur. Bu çalışma Ege Bölgesinde ana üründe yaygın olarak kullanılan ve kullanılabilecek olan 20 adet mısır çeşidiyle (8 kamu ve 12 özel) 2 yıl boyunca (2005 ve 2006) yürütülmüştür. Denemede agronomik ve kalite olmak üzere 2 grup gözlem alınmıştır. Agronomik gözlemler grubunda çiçeklenme gün sayısı, silaj olgunluk gün sayısı, bitki boyu, yaprak oranı, sap oranı, koçan oranı, yeşil ot ve kuru ot verimi gibi özellikler incelenmiştir. Bu özellikler açısından mısır çeşitleri arasında istatistik anlamda önemli farklar oluşmuştur. Kalite analizleri bakımından ise ADF, NDF, ADL, kül, ham yağ, ham protein özellikleri incelenmiştir. Yapılan istatistik değerlendirmede ana üründe ADF açısından çeşitler arasında istatistik anlamda önemli farklar oluşmuştur. Tüm bulguların ışığında; silajdan beklenen verim ve fayda açısından ana üründe; FAO olum grubu 650 ve yukarısı olan (650-750) orta geççi ve geççi çeşitlerin kullanılmasının yerinde olacağı sonucuna varılmıştır.

Turkiye genelinde dusunuldugunde silaj ana urunde yayginlik gostermekle beraber iklim kosullarinin ve sicakligin uygun oldugu kiyi ve gecit iklime sahip yorelerde ve benzer iklime sahip Guneydogu Anadolu Bolgesinde bugday hasadindan sonra silo yemi amaciyla ikinci urun olarak da (Haziran-Ekim arasi) yetistirilmektedir. Bu noktada en onemli konu 2.urune uygun kisa vejetasyonlu, yuksek verimli  dogru cesidi saptamaktir.  Bu calisma 17 adet misir cesidiyle  2 yil boyunca (2005 ve 2006) yurutulmustur. Denemede agronomik ve kalite olmak uzere 2 grup gozlem alinmistir. Agronomik gozlemler grubunda ciceklenme gun sayisi, silaj olgunluk gun sayisi, bitki boyu, yaprak orani, sap orani, kocan orani, yesil ot ve kuru ot verimi gibi ozellikler incelenmistir. Bu ozellikler acisindan misir cesitleri arasinda istatistik anlamda onemli farklar olusmustur. Kalite analizleri bakimindan ise ADF (Asit deterjanda cozunmeyen lif), NDF (Notr deterjanda cozunmeyen lif), ADL(Asit deterjanda cozunmeyen ligni...

Tomato flavour is an important goal for breeders. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major determinants of tomato flavour. Although most tomato varieties for fresh market are F1 hybrids, most studies on the genetic control of flavour-related traits are performed on lines. We quantified 46 VOCs in a panel of 121 small fruited lines and in a test cross panel of 165 hybrids (the previous panel plus 44 elite cherry tomato lines crossed with a common line). High and consistent heritabilities were assessed for most VOCs in the two panels, and 65% of VOC contents were strongly correlated between lines and hybrids. Additivity was observed for most VOCs. We performed genome wide association studies (GWAS) on the two panels separately, along with a third GWAS on the test cross subset carrying only F1 hybrids corresponding to the line panel. We identified 205, 183 and 138 associations, respectively. We identified numerous overlapping associations for VOCs belonging to the same metabolic pat...

Bauhinia racemosa commonly called sonpatta tree is an important member of Bauhinia genus. Among several species of Bauhinia this species has many traditional and ethno-medical uses. It is an economically important and nutritious species. In the present study, various uses and different Bauhinia species were compared. Seeds from different locations of Bauhinia racemosa were tested for their size as well as germination behaviors using different treatments including the use of plant growth regulators.

dry matter content-markers had moderately low predictive accuracy in both populations (r< 0.40) due to the more quantitative nature of the trait. This work confirmed the markers' effectiveness in multiple backgrounds, therefore, further strengthening their value in cassava biofortification to ensure nutritional security as well as dry matter content productivity. Our study provides a framework to guide future marker validation, thus leading to the more routine use of markers in MAS in cassava improvement programs.

IITA is a non-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa's most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. It is a member of the CGIAR System Organization, a global research partnership for a food secure future.

Cassava is a key food security crop in Central Africa, but its production depends largely on the use of local farmers’ varieties characterized by inherently low yield which is compounded by generally high susceptibility to various growth and yield-limiting pests and diseases. Improved cassava genotypes have demonstrated the potential to substantially improve cassava’s contribution to food security and the development of the cassava industry and the improvement of nutrition status elsewhere in Western Africa. Eleven improved cassava genotypes were compared with a local landrace (LMR) used as a check under field conditions over two years in eight locations, grouped in four agro-ecologies in Cameroon. Pest and disease abundance/incidence and damage severity were evaluated. At harvest, root yield and carotenoid content were measured. Best linear unbiased predictors showed the lowest breeding value for LMR with the cassava mosaic virus disease (+ 66.40 ± 2.42) compared with 1.00 ± 0.02% ...

Understanding the genetic diversity among accessions and germplasm is an important requirement for crop development as it allows for the selection of diverse parental combinations for enhancing genetic gain in varietal selection, advancement and release. The study aimed to characterize 183 provitamin A cassava (Manihot esculentaCrantz) accessions and five Sierra Leonean varieties using morphological traits, total carotenoid content and SNP markers to develop a collection for conservation and further use in the cassava breeding program. Both morphological parameters and 5634 SNP markers were used to assess the diversity among the provitamin-A cassava accessions and varieties. Significant differences were observed among the accessions for most of the traits measured. The first five PCs together accounted for 70.44% of the total phenotypic variation based on yield and yield components among the 183 provitamin-A cassava accessions and five Sierra Leonean varieties. The present study sho...

Phaseolus vulgaris is an economically important crop. The most important disease which hampers its production is anthracnose which is found in almost every bean growing region of the world. Anthracnose in beans is caused by a hemibiotrophic fungus, namely Colletotrichum lindemuthianum. Use of resistant genotypes will provide a long lasting solution to the economic losses caused by anthracnose as this method is biologically safe as well as cost effective. For the present investigation, nearly ten C. lindemuthianum isolates collected from Baramulla, Kashmir were used. Inoculum of each isolate was produced by inoculating bean extract medium with a monosporic culture of C. lindemuthianum, incubated at 25ºC for seven days, the spore suspension culture filtered through double layered muslin cloth and inoculum load was adjusted to 1.2 X 10 6 spores per milliliter with the help of a haemocytometer. Seed dip method was used for the inoculation of the test plant. The inoculated seeds were sown in sand and were kept at 25ºC for the period of one month. The disease reaction was scored after twelve days of inoculation following 0-5 scale where 0 = no disease; 1 = pin point lesion; 2 = small lesion; 4 = large deep lesion and 5 = sunken lesions with rotten apex. Two broad categories of the accessions emerged; infected (infection rate high or mild) or non-infected. Based on the presence or absence of infected plants accessions were labeled as susceptible or resistant.

Olea europaea germplasm is constituted by a huge number of cultivars, each one characterized by specific features. In this context, endemic cultivars evolved for a very long period in a precise local area, developing very specific traits. These characteristics include the production and accumulation of phytochemicals, many of which are also responsible for the nutraceutical value of the drupes and of the oils therefrom. With the aim of obtaining information on the phytochemical profile of drupes of autochthonous cultivars of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, a metabolomics-based study was carried out on 19 selected cultivars. Multivariate data analysis of 1H-NMR data and 2D NMR analyses allowed the rapid identification of metabolites that were qualitatively and/or quantitatively varying among the cultivars. This study allowed to identify the cultivars Racioppella, Guglia, Pizzulella, Oliva amara, and Racioppa as the richest in health-promoting phenolic compounds. Fu...

La diversidad del maíz (Zea mays L.) en México es amplia y aún existe la necesidad de llevar a cabo trabajos que permitan discernir la variación dentro y entre grupos raciales y establecer colecciones de referencia racial para su entendimiento. Se valoró la diversidad morfológica de poblaciones representativas de 10 razas de maíz de México. En el ciclo primavera-verano de 2010 se establecieron experimentos con 88 accesiones representativas de las razas Bofo, Celaya, Coscomatepec, Dulce de Jalisco, Elotes Occidentales, Mushito, Palomero de Jalisco, Serrano de Jalisco, Tablilla de Ocho, y Zamorano Amarillo, en las localidades de Roque, Guanajuato y Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, bajo un diseño experimental de bloques incompletos, se midieron 30 caracteres morfológicos. El análisis de varianza indicó diferencias significativas entre las accesiones para todos los caracteres (variables). El análisis de repetibilidad reflejó que 16 caracteres presentaron un coeficiente ≥3, éstos fueron los menos...

Genetic diversity among seven Saudi tomato landraces collected from different regions of the country was assessed using SDS-PAGE and molecular (sequence-related amplified polymorphism-SRAP) markers. A total of 19 alternative protein bands with different mobility rates were identified within a molecular weight range of 9.584-225 KDa, with 53% polymorphism. Specific protein bands were observed in the ''Hail 548" and ''Qatif 565" landraces. Genetic similarity based on Jaccard's coefficient ranged from 0.53 to 1.00, with an average of 0.72. For molecular evaluation, 143 amplicons (fragments) were generated using 27 SRAP primer pair combinations, of which 88 were polymorphic across all the landraces. The PIC values ranged from 0.46 to 0.90, with an average of 0.76. All landraces showed an average of 0.66 similarity coefficient value. The UPGMA dendrogram supported by principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed clusters of the landraces that almost corresponded to their geographical origin. Thus, seed storage protein profiling based on SDS-PAGE and SRAP markers can efficiently be used to assess genetic variability among tomato germplasms. The information obtained in the analysis will be of great interest in the management of ex situ collections for utilization in breeding programs or for direct use in quality markets.

A total of 70 bread wheat varieties bred in Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute (DAI), Bulgaria were characterized for the composition of high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS and LMW-GS, respectively) using SDS-PAGE. Twenty-five different HMW-GS patterns were observed. The most frequent combination was 2*, 7+9, 5+10 (23.76%) and N, 7+9, 5+10 (14.85%). Twenty-eight different LMW-GS patterns were established as Glu-A3c, Glu-B3b, Glu-D3c and Glu-A3e, Glu-B3b, Glu-D3c being the most frequent. The average Glu-score of the investigated wheat varieties was comparatively high (8.0). One of the reasons for the high score was the gradually removing of subunit 2+12 at locus Glu-D1, which effect on bread making quality was negative. The potential of locus Glu-D1 was still unused for improving end-use quality of wheat and for broadening the genetic diversity of germplasm. The established database describing the HMW and LMW-GS of DAI bread wheat varieties may be useful for breeders who want to use Bulgarian germplasm in their breeding programs.

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for stomata- and yield-related attributes with high-density Illumina 90 K Infinium SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) array in bread wheat to determine genetic potential of germplasm for scarce water resources with sustainable yield potential. Major yield and stomata attributes were phenotyped on a panel of Pakistani and foreign accessions grown in non-stressed and water shortage environments during two seasons. Highly significant variations were shown among accessions in both conditions for examined characteristics. Water shortage conditions reduced the overall wheat yield and strong positive correlation existed among stomatal frequency, leaf venation and grain yield per plant. Population structure analyses based on 90,000 SNP data classified the accessions into four sub-populations which indicated the presence of genetic variability. Marker-trait association (MTA) analyses revealed that 422 significant SNPs at p ≤ 10−3, after cr...

Hipótesis sobre infección natural e implementación de una prueba de inoculación artificial para la detección temprana del nivel de resistencia de progenies de palma de aceite Ganoderma disease of the oil palm: Hypothesis on natural infection and implementation of an early artificial inoculation test to screen oil palm progenies for their level of resistance Resumen Genetic resistance to basal stem rot (BSR) of oil palm is an important component of an integrated disease control strategy. Early detection of susceptibility or resistance level is essential for a breeding program and for the sustainability of this crop, particularly in Southeast Asia. A screening test for oil palm progenies was developed and validated using planting material from two private companies in Indonesia,

Pomegranate is one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran. Fruit pomological characterization has usually been used for the assessment of pomegranate germplasm, and is a crucial step before the beginning of any molecular study. In spite of the commercial importance of Iranian pomegranate fruit worldwide, little information is available on the attributes of some of its genotypes. In this two-year study, 15 pomological attributes of 38 sour pomegranate genotypes growing in Markazi province were evaluated. A great variability was found among pomegranate genotypes in fruit weight and size, calyx size, 100 arils (g), total soluble solid contents, peel thickness, crack sensitivity, aril adhesion to the skin, aril colour, aril juiciness and seed hardiness. Some genotypes were notable for their various characteristics. For example,&quot;6-3-S&quot;genotypes with large fruit and good aril yield, red color, juicy aril, soft seeds, slight adhesion of the aril to the skin and low sen...

Pomegranate, Punica granatum L., is one of the oldest cultivated fruit species. This study used morphological data and a set of simple sequence repeat markers to investigategenetic diversity among 202 Iranian pomegranate accessions during the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons at Saveh Research Station, Saveh, Iran. Principal component analysis showed that leaf traits were predominant in the first and second component during both years, indicating that these traits are not only useful in assessing genetic diversity, but also for characterizing pomegranate germplasm. There was high correlation between the length of style and flower shape, implying that these traits are directly associated with tree performance. There was also close correlation between leaf length with leaf width, and total leaf length as well as and flower traits such as flower diameter and width. Twenty-three alleles (ranging from two to nine per locus) were detected using seven SSR markers with ABRII-MO26 showing the hi...

The application of recent biotechnological tools for conservation of rare fruit species from developing countries, including in vitro and hydroponic culture protocols, improved propagation techniques and molecular marker application, is described. Promising propagation methods include forcing germination of seeds, in-vitro protocols well adapted to these rare fruit species that allow the introduction, micropropagation and rooting of plant material, and developing hydroponic culture protocols that allow the early propagation of high-risk genotypes. In addition, the growth of seedlings in controlled environmental conditions in greenhouse and cold chamber provides a useful strategy for obtaining vigorously growing plants from seeds year round. A standard karyotyping protocol has been described working in several species as preliminary tool to start molecular (DNA) studies. In addition, different protocols for DNA isolation and quantification have been assayed in these rare fruit species. Molecular markers based on PCR amplification of the DNA have also become an essential tool for the characterization and conservation of these species. Regarding this PCR amplification of the DNA, two main strategies, RAPD (if the DNA sequence is unknown) and SSR markers (if the DNA sequence is known), have been assayed. These markers have been applied in the genetic characterization of this germplasm, the establishment of genetic relationships between cultivars and species, and the future construction of genetic maps of these rare fruit species. Additional advantages encouraging the utilization of these new technologies in breeding programs include the high levels of synteny between genomes of related species, and a well-established international network of cooperation among researchers.

Peanut smut caused by Thecaphora frezii is a severe fungal disease currently endemic to Argentina and Brazil. The identification of smut resistant germplasm is crucial in view of the potential risk of a global spread. In a recent study, we reported new sources of smut resistance and demonstrated its introgression into elite peanut cultivars. Here, we revisited one of these sources (line I0322) to verify its presence in the U.S. peanut germplasm collection and to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) potentially associated with resistance. Five accessions of Arachis hypogaea subsp. fastigiata from the U.S. peanut collection, along with the resistant source and derived inbred lines were genotyped with a 48K SNP peanut array. A recently developed SNP genotyping platform called RNase H2 enzyme-based amplification (rhAmp) was further applied to validate selected SNPs in a larger number of individuals per accession. More than 14,000 SNPs and nine rhAmp assays confirmed the prese...

Pulses are one of the most important categories of food plants, and Pea (Pisum sativum L.) as a member of pulses is considered a key crop for food and feed and sustainable agriculture. Integrative multi-omics and microsymbiont impact studies on the plant's immune system are important steps toward more productive and tolerant food plants and thus will help to find solutions against food poverty. Didymella pinodes is a main fungal pathogen of pea plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) promote plant growth and alleviate various stresses. However, it remained unclear as to how the AMF effect on seed metabolism and how this influences resistance against the pathogen. This study assesses the AMF impacts on yield components and seed quality upon D. pinodes infection on two different P. sativum cultivars, susceptible versus tolerant, grown in pots through phenotypic and seed molecular analyses. We found that AMF symbiosis affects the majority of all tested yield components as well as a reduction of disease severity in both cultivars. Seeds of mycorrhizal pea plants showed strong responses of secondary metabolites with nutritional, medicinal, and pharmaceutical attributes, also involved in pathogen response. This is further supported by proteomic data, functionally determining those primary and secondary metabolic pathways, involved in pathogen response and induced upon AMF-colonization. The data also revealed cultivar specific effects of AMF symbiosis that increase understanding of genotype related differences. Additionally, a suite of proteins and secondary metabolites are presented, induced in seeds of P. sativum upon AMF-colonization and pathogen attack, and possibly involved in induced systemic resistance against D. pinodes, useful for modern breeding strategies implementing microsymbionts toward increased pathogen resistance.

Association mapping was undertaken in common wheat to identify markers associated with pre-harvest sprouting tolerance (PHST). For this purpose, a population of 242 wheat genotypes and 250 SSR markers were used. The population used consisted of diverse germplasm, which carried sufficient phenotypic variation for PHS for conducting association mapping. The population was found to be structured and stratified into 15 sub-populations; the tolerant and moderately tolerant wheat genotypes were distributed in all the sub-populations. This feature of the population along with other information on population structure was used in association mapping using both the available models, the general linear model (GLM) and the mixed linear model (MLM); hopefully, this minimized the rate of false positives. As many as 30 markers were found to be associated with PHST, 26 markers with GLM and 17 markers with MLM; 13 markers were detected using both the approaches. Only eight SSR markers associated with QTL for PHST were such, which were located within the marker intervals that were earlier reported to carry QTLs for PHST. The remaining 22 markers that were found to be associated with PHST could not be associated with any of the genomic regions known to carry QTLs for PHST, which are known to occur on all the 42 chromosome arms of wheat genome.

Curcuma amada Roxb. (family Zingiberaceae), is gaining global attention as potential source of new drug molecule(s) as it is credited with compounds having remarkable pharmacological properties. Recognizing the risk of loss of genetic variability of C. amada in response to imprudent exploitation of the natural resources coupled with unsystematic cultivation practices, preservation of its genetic resources has attracted the current research attention. The present study exploited the multifarious properties of Luffa sponge (i.e. sound physical strength, stability in texture/shape over wide pH range and repeated autoclaving, cost effective availability, etc.) as a novel matrix for synthetic seed conservation. In this study, we have evaluated the consequences of the presence of two fungicides, namely-bavistin and rosebengal, in the gel matrix as well as in the Luffa sponge for conservation of contamination free germplasm of C. amada. A maximum of 50% and 75% regrowth could be recorded amongst rosebengal and bavistin containing synthetic seeds respectively after 4 weeks of plating on plant growth regulator-free MS medium. Further growth of the encapsulated microshoots was significantly impeded by the presence of rosebengal within the synthetic seeds. On the contrary, the bavistin containing synthetic seeds demonstrated five times better regeneration ability to contamination-free shoots. A total of 78% survival was achieved upon transfer of these healthy plantlets to glasshouse. RAPD fingerprinting revealed 84.62% genetic similarity between randomly selected synthetic seed derived plantlets. This report strengthened the vital conservation approach of C. amada using inexpensive Luffa sponge as storage matrix and bavistin for eradication of contaminations.

Unavailability of germplasm with Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) tolerance genes remains the main bottleneck towards management of the two diseases in tropic and sub-tropic regions in Africa. We assessed the pathogenicity of two viruses and established the presence of genes linked to CBSD and CMD among some elite cassava lines using field techniques and PCR methods. The screen-house experiment was arranged in split plot in completely randomized block design replicated thrice. Severity data was done on a scale of 1-5 at an interval of 14 days post inoculation. Symptomatic fresh leaves were used in the extraction of genomic deoxyribonucleic acid and amplification done using markers linked to African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV), separated bands scored as present (+) or absent (-) and visualized under UV trans-illuminator. Virulence and pathogenicity results showed higher tolerance to CBSD and CMD under single inoculation. In contrast, dual inoculation synergistically increased severity expression leading defoliation at early stages of growth. DNA amplification found no CBSD and CMD alleles in CAS1. However, some traces of the alleles were amplified on CAS2, CAS3, KME3 and KME4. Mutant cassava lines exhibited low severity compared to parental lines which were genetically different in terms of viral genes detected by the ACMV linked markers.

Objectives: Under All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Potato, studies on the selection of potato apical leaf curl virus disease-resistant genotypes, pest surveillance, seed degeneration, and management of aphid in field conditions were conducted at Hisar during 2017–2018. Methods: Sowing of seed tubers was done at recommended time and spacing in every experiment followed by spraying of required insecticides. Observations on different aspects were recorded and statistically analyzed to present results in tabular format. Results and Discussion: Out of 100 germplasm, seven were resistant and one was moderately resistant to potato apical leaf curl New Delhi virus, all the local genotypes were susceptible to disease. There was infestation of aphids, jassids, thrips, and whitefly irrespective of cultivars. Severe mosaic incidence ranged from 63.6 to 93.2%. The breeder seed was superior as it resulted in the highest seed tuber emergence (98.94%) and the least incidence of leafroll d...