Patterns of diversity in pigeonpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cajanus cajan</Emphasis> (L.) Millsp.) germplasm collected from different elevations in Kenya

Pigeonpea germplasm accessions collected from low (<500 m), medium (501–1000 m), high (1001–1500 m) and very high elevation zones (>1500 m) of Kenya were evaluated for 15 agronomic traits and seed protein content at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India. There were significant differences (P < 0.001) among elevation zones for the number of primary and secondary branches, days to 75% maturity, pod length, seeds per pod, 100-seed weight and seed yield. Mean values indicated that the accessions from low elevation zone were significantly different from those collected in higher elevation zones for early flowering and maturity, number of primary branches, pod length, number of pods per plant, seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, seed yield and harvest index. None of the accessions collected in Kenya belonged to extra early (<80 days to 50% flowering) and early (80–100 days to 50% flowering) maturity groups, as defined by time to flowering at Patancheru, India. Mean diversity index based on all characters indicated that accessions from the low elevation zone are more diverse than those from the higher elevation zones. Frequency distribution for trait extremes indicated that the accessions from the low elevation zone were early to flower and mature, short statured, produced more primary and secondary branches with high pod bearing length, long pods, more pods per plant, more seeds per pod, a high seed yield and harvest index. Accessions from the very high elevation zone were late flowering, with a large number of tertiary branches, large seeds and a high shelling percentage and could be a source for cold tolerance and the breeding of vegetable types. Results suggest that the elevation of collection sites is therefore a very important determinant of variation patterns of pigeonpea in Kenya.     

Diversity in Indian sesame collection and stratification of germplasm accessions in different diversity groups

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the ancient oil crops, grown in India since over 5,000 years ago. Diversity in the Indian sesame collection (3,129 accessions), representing all eco-geographical regions, for a range of morphological and agronomic characters was studied. Wide variation in plant habit (plant height and branching pattern), pubescence of various plant parts (stem, leaf, corolla and capsule), flower colour and number of flowers per leaf axil, capsule characteristics (shape, size, number in the axil of a leaf and number of locules in a capsule), number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, mean seed weight, and yield per plant was recorded. A detailed multivariate analysis was performed on a set of 100 selected accessions representing different agro-ecological zones. The accessions were classified into 7 discrete clusters. The principal components analysis described the spatial relationship among the entities and confirmed groupings obtained through clustering. Based on the clustering pattern of 100 accessions, the entire collection was allocated to different clusters. Representation of various zones in 7 clusters gives us the opportunity to form distinct diversity groups making combined use of passport and characterisation data. These diversity groups would subsequently be used for sampling the accessions for building up a core collection of sesame, a project already operative at the NBPGR.     

Inter-relation between descriptors and morphine yield in Asian germplasm of opium poppy Papaver somniferum

A set of 208 Indian and two Thai germplasm accessions of opium poppy Papaver somniferum were assessed for variation in 17 morphological characters, seed yield and content and yield of morphine from capsules and peduncles. The germplasm was found to be highly variable for all the characters evaluated. In the harvested peduncles and capsules, 13% was peduncle straw, 61% seeds and the rest capsule husk. The peduncle and capsule straw yields ranged between 0.6–2.2 and 1.4–5.3 g plant^-1, respectively. Morphine content in the peduncle varied between about 0.001–0.24% and that in the capsule from 0.02 to 1.05%. On average basis morphine content in the capsule husk was more than 9-fold higher than the peduncle straw. The plant morphine yields from peduncles and capsules ranged between 1.2 and 28.6 mg plant^-1. Four accessions yielded more than 20 mg of morphine plant^-1. Among these, in one of the accessions about 13% of the morphine was contributed by the peduncle. The plants of high morphine yielding accessions were generally small in height, and bore white flowers and large sized ungrooved capsules with a small number of seeds, on a large peduncle.     

Evaluation of Wild Lens Taxa for Agro-Morphological Traits, Fungal Diseases and Moisture Stress in North Western Indian Hills

Exploitation of wild gene pool for breeding is a common practice in an increasing number of cultivated plants. The cultivated lentil could not attain the substantial improvement in the yield potential due to loss of genes for higher productivity and lack of resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. The absence of evaluation data of wild lentils for characters of economic importance, besides biotic and abiotic stresses, is one of the constraints in their use in lentil breeding programme. In the present study, 70 wild accessions from four wild Lens subsp./sp. (L. culinaris subsp. orientalis, L. odomensis, L. ervoides and L. nigricans) along with 3 checks (Precoz, PL-406 and PL-639) were evaluated for phenological and agro-morphological characters, for their reaction to three fungal diseases (wilt, powdery mildew and rust) and screened for tolerance to moisture stress. The wild accessions showed higher performance for branches/plant as compared to cultivated genotypes. Similarly, a few accessions of L. culinaris subsp. orientalis were earlier to flower and had higher seeds and seed yield/plant as compared to cultivated lentil. However, some were comparable with cultivated genotypes for flowers/peduncle, peduncle length and plant height. The mean performance for flowers per peduncle, leaflets per leaf, plant height, seeds and seed yield per plant increased, while decreased for days to flowering and maturity, and branches per plant during the evolution of cultivated lentil from the wild Lens taxa. Of Lens taxa, L. nigricans had the maximum resistant accessions for biotic and tolerance to abiotic stresses. The valuable variation existing among wild accessions can be exploited following introgression with cultivated lentils. It will help in the flow of useful genes from wild to cultivated lentil for generating wide spectrum of variability and its subsequent use in genetic restructuring of lentil.     

Agrobiodiversity of eleven accessions of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mucuna pruriens</Emphasis> (L.) DC. var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">utilis</Emphasis> (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck (velvet bean) collected from four districts of South India

Eleven accessions of an under-utilized legume, Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck (velvet bean) were collected from four districts of South India and their agronomic characters were evaluated. The vegetative growth characters such as the germination percentage, plant height, number of leaves and branches per plant were recorded. The yield based characters such as the number of clusters/plant (4–14), number of flowers/cluster (3–15) and the fertility index (66–91%) were observed. The seed yield reaches 2.9–6.9 t/ha. The number of seeds per pod, seed weight and the seed recovery percentage were also calculated. The level of diversity in the agrobotanical traits of velvet bean observed in the present study could be of interest in a breeding programme.     

Collection and Characterisation of Malabar Tamarind [Garcinia cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr.]

A collaborative crop specific exploration and collection mission to collect the germplasm and to study the population size of male and female/hermaphrodite trees of Malabar tamarind [Garcinia cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr.] in the area of its diversity was undertaken during July 2002 in Kerala and Karnataka. A total of 56 accessions of Malabar tamarind were collected. Two collections of Malabar tamarind were found to be very specific because of the uncommon fruit colour, which is pinkish red. All the collected accessions are grown at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) Regional Station, Thrissur for characterisation and conservation. Extensive range of variability was found in fruit colour, shape, size and nature of branching and canopy of trees. Characterisation of 13 fruit and five seed characters was done for 51 accessions. The variability was found to be maximum for nipple length (74.8%) and minimum for fruit girth (12.8%). Two promising accessions were identified based on mean fruit weight (161 g) in IC 354028 and mean rind thickness (15 mm) and mean rind weight (125 g) in IC 354019.     

Diversity Analysis of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Germplasms Available in Nepal Based on Morphological Characters

A total of 179 garlic (Allium sativum L.) accessions were collected from various parts of Nepal in 2000. Each accession was planted in each of a plot of 2.25 m² at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) Horticulture farm (225 m asl) and at the Agriculture Research Station, Dailekh (1400 m asl) of Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) in the first week of November 2000. All accessions were characterized for leaf erectness, leaf color, leaf wax, leaf cross section, bulb regularity, bulb skin color, bulb outer scales number, days to emergence, bulbing period, number of green leaves at 135 days after planting, days to maturity, plant height, bulb weight, bulb diameter, number of cloves per bulb, clove diameter and bulb yield. Data were analyzed by using principal component and cluster analysis procedures to reveal three major clusters. Four principal components were identified explaining more than 86% of total variation. Major characters included in the principal components were bulb weight, diameter, yield, number of cloves per bulb, maturity, plant height, number of green leaves at 135 days after planting, and bulbing period. The level of variation found in the collection showed the great potentiality of improving agronomic characters in garlic.     

Diversity in White Lupin (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lupinus albus</Emphasis> L.) Landraces from Northwest Iberianplateau

All the accessions (35) of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) landraces collected from northwest Iberian plateau and maintained at the Spanish germplasm collection (CRF of INIA), were studied with the general objective of assessing the biodiversity of these landraces and to ascertain their value as genetic resources for the development of germplasm adapted to the areas where they were collected with long and chilly winters. The characterization study comprised 51 qualitative and 50 quantitative characters. Quantitative parameters were analyzed by Principal Components Analysis (PCA). The 2-dimensional plot (49.3% of cumulative variability) formed a main group of accessions and 4 outliers (#1, #9, #27 and #28) separated in the first PC. The characters with a higher contribution to the first PC were inflorescence length, leaf petiole length and leaf central foliole area. The presence of alkaloids, the percentage of plants killed by soil borne fungal diseases, the phenology, the yield per plant and yield components were also assessed. Twenty six accessions (the main group in the PCA plot) showed high homogeneity, with the following highlights: bitterness, indeterminate growth habit, early ripeness and spring sowing with the exception of #18, in which seeding date is unknown and it had a later phenology. By contrast accessions #9 and #27 were bitter of autumn sowing with determinate growing habit and they had the longest values of primary inflorescence length and a later phenology when they were sown in spring. Average values for yield and yield components showed a broad range of variation between accessions. The main yield component was the number of pods per plant. Accession #22 had the highest mean seed mass, although this had not significant influence in yield. Accession #17 showed the highest yield and #1 the lowest. This last also had the lowest values of inflorescence length, leaf petiole length and leaf central foliole area. No significant differences of resistance to soil-borne fungi were found between accessions. The year had a significant effect in the phenology, yield and yield components except for number of seeds per pod. The studied material might be of interest for the development of spring sowing germplasm adapted to north Iberian peninsula.     

Pattern of diversity for morphological and alkaloid yield related traits among the periwinkle Catharanthus roseus accessions collected from in and around Indian subcontinent

Thirty two accessions of periwinkle Catharanthus roseus collected from different semitemperate to tropical geographical areas of Indian subcontinent, Madagascar, Singapore and Malaysia were characterized under field conditions for 53 growth, development, morphogenesis and alkaloid yield related characters over a few seasons at Lucknow, India. Large differences were observed among the accessions for each of the characters examined. The differences among the accessions ranged 3, 80 and 15 fold for the alkaloid yield related traits – leaf dry matter yield and leaf vincristine and vinblastine concentration, respectively. Strong correlations were observed between leaf area and leaf yield with leaf alkaloid, root and root alkaloid yields, contents of dimeric alkaloid in leaves with yields of respective alkaloids, leaf number and root alkaloid content with leaf vinblastine yield and leaf vinblastine content with leaf vincristine and vinblastine yields. Multi-variate analyses allowed classification of the accessions into 5 to 7 morphologically and presumably genetically distinct groups. Generally, the accessions coming from tropical agro-climates tended to get separated from those having origins in subtropical to semi-temperate environments. Three clusters were observed to bear complementary characters for possibly cross-parenting high alkaloid yielding transgressive segregants. One of the accessions of C. roseus in which the leaf vincristine content was 5 fold and vinblastine content one and a half fold of the respective all accession means appeared suitable for the domesticated cultivation. It was proposed that accumulation of high amounts of total alkaloids and one or more dimeric alkaloids in leaves of certain accessions may be a reflection of reproductive fitness achieved under the biotic and abiotic stresses imposed on their parent populations, sometime in their evolutionary pathway.     

Analysis of diversity and distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jatropha curcas</Emphasis> L. germplasm using Geographic Information System (DIVA-GIS)

Jatropha curcas L., an important biodiesel plant, has been studied for its distribution and diversity in south east coastal zone of India using DIVA-GIS. The Grid maps were generated on the distribution pattern, plant height, number of primary branches, collar length, number of fruits per cluster and oil content. Flowering in the collected accessions were grouped in to very early (35%), early (29%), medium duration (10%), late (20%), and very late (6%) types. Analysis for richness using rarefaction method of DIVA-GIS showed that Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh is the potential area for germplasm with high oil content. The present study revealed that diverse germplasm accessions of J. curcas are distributed all over the south east coastal zone and enabled us to find out gaps in collection and diversity richness from SEC zone of India for conservation.     

Phenotypic diversity in the pigeonpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cajanus cajan</Emphasis>) core collection

The pigeonpea core collection developed at ICRISAT genebank consists of 1,290 accessions from 53 countries. The core collection, which includes selected lines in extra early, early, medium and late maturity groups was evaluated for 18 qualitative and 16 quantitative characters during the 2004 rainy season, to assess the phenotypic diversity and determine the relative importance of different characters in evaluating pigeonpea germplasm accessions. The four maturity groups differed significantly for all characters under study. The medium maturity group showed significantly higher mean number of primary, secondary and tertiary branches, number of racemes, pod bearing length, pods per plant, shelling percent and plot seed yield. Late maturity group showed significantly higher mean for leaf size, plant height, pod length, seeds per pod and 100-seed weight, indicating this group as a good source of vegetable pigeonpea. Significant positive correlations were found between number of secondary branches and pods per plant in extra early group (r = 0.756), late maturity group (r = 0.776) and entire core (r = 0.728) and between number of racemes and pods per plant in all maturity groups and entire core. Principal coordinate and principal component analysis showed that seven qualitative and nine quantitative traits were important in explaining multivariate polymorphism. The Shannon–Weaver diversity index (H′) varied for different maturity groups and traits. Phenotypic diversity, averaged over all the 16 characters, increases from extra early group (0.36 ± 0.04) to late maturity group (0.42 ± 0.04) suggesting that medium and late maturity groups have greater diversity compared to extra early and early maturity groups.     

水稻杂种后代丰产性状预测及其遗传规律的研究

通过奇选42、广二矮104等7个水稻品种,分别配制不同的杂交组合,研究了水稻主要经济性状的遗传力,F_1与两亲本的相关,杂种各世代之间的相关,F代的主要经济性状之间的相关,F_4代构成产量的经济性状与单株谷粒产量的复相关和多元回归分析。结果表明,水稻的株高、千粒重、结实率、单株谷粒重和穗粒数的遗传力较高,这些经济性状在 F_1与两亲本的相关中,在杂种各世代之间的相关中,都表现出中度或高度的显著或极显著的正相关。每株穗数和每穗实粒数与单株谷粒产量,每株穗数和每穗粒数与单株谷粒产量,每株穗数和结实率与单株谷粒产量,在复相关和多元回归中,都表现为显著或极显著的水平。     

Morphological and chemical variation in 25 collections of the Indian medicinal plant, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Withania somnifera</Emphasis> (L.) Dunal (Solanaceae)

Six phenotypic characters and three withanolide markers were assessed in 25 accessions of Withania somnifera collected from different states of India for studying genetic variability. The variability ranges observed at phenotypic and chemotypic levels were polymorphic. Based on D² values and PCA (Principal Component Analysis) of phenotypic traits like plant height, no. of branches/plant, no. of seeds/berry, root length, root diameter and root yield, these 25 accessions were grouped in five clusters. The relative contribution of each character towards genetic divergence was worked out. Five accessions–AGB002 (Rajasthan), AGB003 (J&K), AGB004 (Madhya Pradesh), AGB006 (J&K) and AGB009 (Punjab) representing clusters 2 and 4 exhibited maximum intra and inter-cluster divergence. Cluster 5 representing accession AGB053 (Andhra Pradesh) was having mixed traits. Chemically most of the accessions in cluster 3 showed uniformity in presence of three marker withanolides Withaferin A, Withanone and Withanolide A in the leaves.     

Seed variability in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Madhuca longifolia</Emphasis> (Koenig) J. F. Macbride,a source of oil for use as bio-energy

Madhuca longifolia (Koenig) J. F. Macbride is native to India. Seeds contain 20–50% oil (Mahua oil) and the seed cake is used as manure. Mahua oil is used by rural communities for protection against storage pests. Almost all parts of this tree have medicinal properties. Four explorations and collection missions was conducted during July–October 2007 in Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry. This resulted in the collection of 55 accessions. Characterisation and analysis of 7 seed characters were done. The existence of enormous variability in seed length, thickness and 100 seed weight indicates scope for utilization of these accessions for selection of promising material for extraction of oil. Oil content of kernels has been evaluated. Kernel oil ranged from 44.43 to 61.50%. Three accessions IC556617 with 61.50, IC556632 with 60.80 and IC556632 with 60.55% of kernel oil are superior to the rest. Further collections in the site of these oil rich accessions are promising for more productive Madhuca longifolia genetic resources.     

Assessments of genetic diversity within a world collection of cultivated hexaploid oat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Avena sativa</Emphasis> L.) based on qualitative morphological characters

A characterization of 10,105 accessions of hexaploid cultivated oat (Avena sativa L. sensu lato) from 85 countries of the Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC) collection was conducted at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Eight environmentally stable morphological characters (panicle type, panicle erectness, panicle density, lemma colour, dorsal awn of lemma, ligula, major infraspecific group), differentiated into 18 character states, were used to define genetically distinct morphological groups. Comparisons of oat diversity from different countries, among the major infraspecific groups and among Canadian oat cultivars registered between 1886 and 2002 were possible. The 10,105 accessions represented 118 different morphological groups. The number of accessions in each morphological group was unevenly distributed with the 13 most frequent morphological groups including 90% of the accessions. The most frequent morphological groups in the PGRC collection were identical with the most frequent types of Canadian oat cultivars. The greatest richness of diversity was found in oat from countries with temperate climates and intensive oat breeding programmes. The oat accessions comprised 8,754 accessions of common hulled oat, 183 accessions of hull-less oat and 1,168 accessions of red oat. For red oat (A. byzantina C. Koch), West Asia was richest in diversity. The USA could be considered a secondary centre of diversity for red oat and Canada a secondary centre of diversity for hull-less oat. Morphological diversity of oat cultivars released in Canada increased during the twentieth century. The morphological groups were related to formal taxonomical infraspecific classifications of A. sativa. Applications of the concept of defining morphological groups for phenotyping a large germplasm collection are demonstrated discussed.     

Variation of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L. subsp.usitatissimum) and its wild progenitor pale flax (subsp.angustifolium (Huds.) Thell.)

The domestication of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L. subsp.usitatissimum) is briefly discussed. Using data documented as a matter of routine in genebank work, 63 accessions of cultivated flax from the flax germplasm collection of the Gatersleben Genebank are compared with 73 accessions of its wild progenitor pale flax (subsp.angustifolium (Huds.) Thell.), which have been observed in systematic field trials. Range of variation, genetically based variation, heritability and correlation of several characters are considered, especially with respect to the influence of domestication. Cultivated flax shows higher variation in the characters of generative plant parts, while pale flax varies more in the vegetative parts of the plant. The character correlations are similar in both subspecies. Of the 29 characters studied in pale flax the parameters describing tillering, height of plant, weight of seeds, width of petals and width of leaves are especially suitable for distinguishing between different accessions. In spite of the high heritabilities of most of the characters, the influence of the environment is significant in most cases.     

Variability in Mucuna pruriens L. germplasm for L-Dopa, an anti parkinsonian agent

Mucuna pruriens L. (Fabaceae) is a popular Indian medicinal plant, which has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic system of Indian medicine for diseases including parkinsonism. The seeds of M. pruriens contain 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (L-dopa) as a major constituent, an intermediate precursor of the neurotransmitter dopamine. L-dopa extracted from seeds of Mucuna is more effective as drug than the synthetic counterpart. The plant is widely distributed throughout the India and in other parts of the tropics including Central and South America. The present study was aimed to screen thirty-eight accessions of Mucuna germplasm collected from different geographical regions of India for L-dopa content, an effective drug used for Parkinson’s disease. The L-dopa content in seeds of M. pruriens was quantitatively analyzed by high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) at 280?nm wavelength. Results indicated wide variability among thirty-eight accessions of M. pruriens for seed characters like seed colour, size and shape. The L-dopa content in seeds of M. pruriens ranged between 3.29 and 5.44?% (on dry weight basis) among different germplasm collections augmented from various parts of India. Promising accessions identified having high L-dopa content were IC551549 (5.44?%), IC551514 (5.41?%), IC331536 (5.40?%), IC552857 (5.36?%), IC385844 (5.32?%) and IC439197 (5.32?%). Due to the economic importance of the drug, these promising M. pruriens accessions can be exploited for large scale cultivation for their pharmacological important constituents mainly L-dopa content.     

Characterization of genetic variation and relationships among Choix germplasm accessions using RAPD markers

Choix, a plant in the tribe Maydeae of the grass family, has been cultivated in Asia for several thousand years. It is a potential gene resource for improvement of other cereal crops because of its nutritional value and tolerance to stress. Genetic variation and relationships among 21 Choix lachryma-jobi L. accessions were characterized by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. A total of 205 DNA fragments across all materials were amplified with 31 random primers, averaging 6.61 per primer. Among amplified fragments, 115 showed polymorphism averaging 3.71 per primer. Of amplified markers, 56.1% were polymorphic, indicating considerable variation at the DNA level among these accessions. Some fragments were accession-specific. Pair-wise genetic similarity (GS) among 21 accessions ranged from 0.809 to 0.301. The 21 accessions clustered into two major groups. Three exotic Choix accessions clustered together. Three other Choix accessions, collected from Guangxi, China, clustered into a cohesive subgroup. Four wild types of Choix clustered into the same subgroup. These results indicated that the classification by RAPD data reflected the differences in geographic origins and evolution in Choix.     

Morphological diversity in sorghum germplasm from India

Summary Of the 5000 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Monench) germplasm accessions assembled at ICRISAT Asia Center (IAC), over 4000 accessions from 11 major sorghum growing states in India were evaluated for morphological and agronomical characters at IAC during rainy and postrainy seasons.Considerable diversity was observed for all the characters studied. Diversity was more among states than within states. Variation among the seasons was also considerable. Days to flowering ranged from 42 to 129 days during postrainy and 33 to 180 days during the rainy season indicating their day length sensitivity. Plant height ranged from 65 to 330 cm during postrainy and 75 to 655 cm during rainy season. Panicle length ranged from 5 cm to 52 cm and panicle width from 1 to 51 cm. Erect and compact panicles are more frequent although all possible panicle shapes and compactness were found. In general, sorghums from India produce medium to large, lustrous grains in which the subcoat (testa) is absent. All the 5 basic and 10 intermediate sorghum races were found in India though durra or half-durra predominate. Racial diversity is maximal in the state of Andhra Pradesh followed by Maharashatra state. In the world collection a majority of the sources of resistance to shoot fly, stem borer, and striga are from India. Based on diversity for morphological and agronomical characters, India could be considered as the secondary center of diversity. Sorghum germplasm from India is useful for good quality large grain.