S‐locus diversity and cross‐compatibility of wild Prunus avium for timber breeding

Prunus avium is primarily cultivated for its fruit, sweet cherries. However, it is also used to produce high‐quality timber. In a P. avium seed orchard, gametophytic self‐incompatibility is a restriction for free pollen flow and should be considered when establishing basic forest materials. In this study, S‐locus diversity and cross‐incompatibility of wild cherry individuals in clonal banks established for breeding for timber production were investigated. Wild cherry trees (140) with outstanding forest growth habit, collected in northern Spain, grafted and planted in two clonal banks, were genotyped at the S‐locus. The self‐incompatibility S‐locus genes, S‐RNase and SFB, were analysed by PCR. Twenty‐two S‐haplotypes, resulting in 72 different S‐genotypes, were identified. The genotypes were grouped into 33 incompatibility groups and 39 unique genotypes. This initial S‐locus analysis revealed large genetic diversity of wild cherry trees from the Spanish northern deciduous forest, and provides useful information for seed orchard design. Wild P. avium displays significantly more genetic diversity than what is detected in local cultivars, revealing a narrowing of genetic diversity during local domestication.     

S-allele identification by PCR analysis in sweet cherry cultivars

Gametophytic self‐incompatibility, governed by the S‐locus, operates in sweet cherry. The knowledge of the S‐genotype of sweet cherry cultivars is therefore essential to establish productive orchards by defining compatible combinations. The isolation of sweet cherry S‐R Nases has allowed the use of different molecular techniques to characterize the S‐genotypes of sweet cherry cultivars. Previously, incompatibility group assignment could only be carried out on mature trees through pollination tests. In this work, PCR analysis with primers designed on the conserved sequences of sweet cherry S‐R Nases has been used to characterize the S‐genotype of 71 sweet cherry cultivars, including 26 cultivars whose S‐allele constitution had not been previously described. This approach has allowed the detection of alleles that had not been amplified by PCR before, to identify six putative new S‐alleles, to define three new self‐incompatibility groups and to compile the standards for a PCR‐based S‐allele typing method in sweet cherry.     

Development of a molecular marker for self‐compatible S4′ haplotype in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) using high‐resolution melting

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) has stylar gametophytic self‐incompatibility, which is controlled by the multi‐allelic S‐locus and encompasses the highly polymorphic genes for the S‐ribonuclease (S‐RNase) and S‐haplotype‐specific F‐box (SFB), which are female and male determinants, respectively. The self‐compatible mutant SFB4′ corresponds to an allele variant of SFB4 and presents a frameshift mutation. Even though male‐determinant molecular markers can discriminate between SFB4 and SFB4′ alleles, the methods required are laborious, time‐consuming and expensive, and not suitable for massive analysis and integration into breeding programmes. Our aim was to develop molecular markers for the evaluation of self‐compatibility alleles in sweet cherry, that could be used as a high‐throughput screening strategy to identify SFB4 and SFB4′ alleles, based on a marker for male determinacy. Our results were consistent using primers flanking the mutation responsible for the SFB4′ allele. We designed a specific molecular marker and confirmed it in sweet cherry commercial varieties. This new molecular marker is feasible for self‐compatibility alleles in the male determinant in sweet cherry‐assisted breeding programs.     

甜樱桃品种SSR指纹图谱数据库的建立

为了建立甜樱桃品种指纹图谱数据库,从而对不同甜樱桃品种进行分子鉴定,以“红灯”、“萨米脱”、“吉塞拉5号”、“吉塞拉6号”等24个甜樱桃主要栽培品种为试材,利用2.5%琼脂糖凝胶电泳进行SSR引物的筛选,选择差异明显且等位基因数目少（2个）的SSR标记,从38对SSR引物中筛选出能够扩增出稳定带型且不同材料之间差异明显的SSR引物,并从中选出10对SSR引物进行甜樱桃分子指纹分析,根据各甜樱桃DNA样品的电泳条带结果进行赋值,利用Visual Basic和Access软件进行数据库编程,创建一个数据库,入选的10对引物对样品的扩增结果赋值排列起来,即成为甜樱桃的“基因身份证”号码,从而根据分子身份证对不同甜樱桃种质进行鉴别。     

Identification of S-alleles using polymerase chain reaction-cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence of the S-locus receptor kinase in inbreeding lines of Brassica oleracea

Identification and DNA polymorphism of the S‐locus receptor kinasegene (SRK) was analysed by pollen tube tests, polymerase chain reaction‐cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (PCR‐CAPS) and nucleotide sequencing. SRK‐specific primers that can distinguish class and class II S haplotypes amplified single DNA fragments of 900‐1050 bp. The DNA fragments of 22 inbred lines amplified with a class SRK‐specific primer pair determined seven types with HinfI and EcoRII. In addition, the DNA fragments of 17 inbred lines amplified with a class II SRK‐specific primer pair determined three types with Hinf1. Nucleotide sequencing of the DNA fragments amplified from 10S haplotypes showed that exons of the 3′‐end in SRK are highly conserved, and that there is much variation of the introns, which produced polymorphism of the band pattern in PCR‐CAPS profiles. The S haplotypes of the plants were determined by restriction analysis of PCR products and agreed with results based on pollen tube growth tests. The PCR‐CAPS analysis using specific primer pairs of SRK is considered to be useful for S allele identification in breeding programmes.     

Genetic Relationships in Malus Evaluated by RAPD 'Fingerprinting' of Cultivars and Wild Species

The potential use of RAPD markers for taxonomic studies in Malus was investigated using 18 accessions of wild species and 27 apple cultivars. 29 preselected random decamer primers were applied to three sets of Malus genotypes. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) ‘fingerprints’ were analysed for polymorphic amplification fragments, and coefficients estimating genetic similarity were calculated on the basis of about 50 polymorphic RAPD loci in each set of genotypes. Cluster analysis by an unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) revealed that, in the cultivars, the molecular classification was in good agreement with the known lineage. A dendrogram generated for the wild species gave relationships that were, in principle, in accordance with the known phylogenetic information. Closely related species from section I were clearly distinguishable from those of sections III and IV. On the molecular level, a high degree of genetic diversity was found among both different apple cultivars and wild species of the genus Malus. The results gave additional evidence for the hypothesis that M. pumila and M. sylvestris were involved in the origin of the cultivated apples.     

Molecular evaluation of genetic variability in wild populations of mulberry (Morus serrata Roxb.)

Sixteen populations of the wild mulberry, Morus serrata Roxb., were analysed for their genetic diversity with the aim of using them in introgressive breeding programmes with cultivated relatives. Five genets from each population were collected from different natural populations of M. serrata present in Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh in India, and diversity of morpho‐anatomical traits and inter‐simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were studied. Significant amounts of genetic diversity were observed among these populations for morpho‐anatomical as well as DNA markers. The 17 ISSR primers generated a total of 95 DNA markers, 51 of which were polymorphic, revealing 67% polymorphism among the populations. The pair‐wise genetic distance, estimated from these DNA markers varied from 0.091 between Urgam‐3 and Kathpuria to 0.258 between Dakrakao‐1 and Dunda with an average genetic distance of 0.165. Clustering analysis grouped these 16 populations into three broad groups. The grouping showed a moderate correlation with the geographical distances. Based on the morphological traits and molecular genetic variability, plants of Urgam‐1, Bhowali farm, Nainitikar, Dunda or Korwa‐2 can be selected for breeding and conservation programmes.     

部分烟草种质遗传多样性与亲缘关系的ISSR标记分析

烟草遗传资源多样性与亲缘关系研究，是烟草遗传育种与起源演化研究的重要基础，本文首次应用ISSR标记，对烟草属（Nicotiana）4个种30份材料的遗传多样性进行分析。从70个ISSR引物中共筛选出16个多态性明显、条带清晰、反应稳定的引物，对30个样品DNA共扩增出309条谱带，平均每个引物扩增出19.31条带，多态性条带比率（PPB）达93.20%。种间遗传相似系数在0.26~0.96之间，表现出丰富的遗传多态性。系统聚类结果显示，N. glutinosa、N. suaveolens、N. gossei 3个野生种间存在较大的遗传差异，遗传相似系数在0.29~0.52之间；27份栽培品种种内遗传相似性相对较高，在0.54~0.96之间，显示出栽培种内的遗传基础相对比较狭窄，但其中白肋21、台烟7号与其他供试材料有较大的遗传差异。ISSR聚类分析表明，当L1取值为D = 0.475时，可将3个野生种与27份烟草栽培品种明显区分开，反映出种间的遗传差异；当L2取值为D = 0.776时，可将30份材料分为2个大类、3个小类和6个独立的个类，较好地揭示了烟草属种间或栽培种品种类型间的遗传多样性与亲缘关系，可为烟草遗传育种和遗传连锁图谱构建的杂交亲本选择提供科学依据。本研究还表明ISSR标记比RAPD标记具有更高的稳定性，在植物遗传多样性的分子标记或克隆研究中，可优先使用ISSR标记。     

甜樱桃主要栽培品种多酚含量的测定与品质分析

为建立包括植物多酚在内的樱桃果实品质评价标准体系,进而为品种选育和栽培管理提供技术依据,定量分析研究山西省栽培的樱桃品种‘那翁’、‘红灯’、‘佐藤锦’、‘大紫’、‘龙冠’、‘红玛瑙’、‘8-2’、‘6-19’果实的总酚、原花色素、绿原酸、总糖、总酸含量与果实形态指标对果实风味品质的影响。研究结果表明,植物多酚类物质总量与种类对樱桃果实的风味品质具有重要影响,植物多酚类物质总量与种类可以作为衡量樱桃果实风味品质的主要指标。通过对试验测定数据进行相关分析和聚类分析计算,提出樱桃果实风味品质分级的数量指标。     

Identification of cherry incompatibility alleles by microarray

We have developed a microarray for identification of sweet cherry incompatibility alleles. Using intron sequence information of the S-RNase gene, we have created a microarray chip that allows the specific recognition of the incompatibility alleles present in a cultivar. Most of the probes designed showed high specificity towards their alleles. In the original set of probes, cross-hybridization was observed between a few alleles with high sequence similarity. As our identification system is based on the combined hybridization information from both introns, we were able to identify false positive and unspecific probes which could be eliminated from our microarray. The optimized microarray was tested on cultivars with known alleles. The chip correctly identified all alleles tested. Furthermore, it was also possible to identify alleles in other cultivars where, so far, only one allele has been determined and also to determine in sour cherry the alleles originating from the sweet cherry parent. Our results demonstrate the great promise of microarray technology for this novel application.     

日光温室甜樱桃叶片叶绿素含量影响因子初探

为探索日光温室甜樱桃叶片叶绿素含量的影响因子,试验测定不同温室方位、不同树体方向、不同树形、不同品种以及叶面肥处理下甜樱桃叶片叶绿素a、叶绿素b和总叶绿素含量。结果表明,温室东部甜樱桃叶片叶绿素含量显著低于温室西部和中部;树体南向和东向叶绿素含量显著大于树体西向和北向;甜樱桃品种间叶绿素a、叶绿素b和总叶绿素含量不同,且差异性不同;施用叶面肥可显著提高温室甜樱桃叶片叶绿素含量;试验中3种树形之间甜樱桃叶片叶绿素含量差异不显著。     

Genomic variation and genetic relationships in Ipomoea spp.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to develop genetic fingerprints and analyse genetic relationships among 29 Ipomoea accessions from different geographical locations around the world, including unique wild species, and reproducible profiles were obtained for all accessions using random decamer primers. The primers generated 46 polymorphic markers, one primer alone having 10 products, enabling the discrimination of all 29 accessions. A high level of genetic variability in sweet potato collections was suggested by the degree of polymorphism. Half of the Japanese land races were closely related while accessions from Papua New Guinea and The Philippines were distinct and exhibited the greatest genetic diversity. The wild species Ipomoea gracilis and Ipomoea tiliacea formed a group distinct from the cultivated sweet potato. The wild tetraploid accession K233 and the species Ipomoea trifida were progressively more related genetically to the cultivated sweet potato and are the probable progenitors of Ipomoea batatas, and may be suitable as germplasm for genetic enhancement. RAPDs proved to be useful for sweet potato systematics and should be valuable for germplasm management, gene tagging and efficient choice of parents in breeding programmes.     

Morphological variation within a sour cherry collection

Summary Morphological traits of 28 full-sib sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) families developed with pollen from European sour cherry selections were evaluated with principal component (PC) analysis. The traits which loaded on the first PC were size characters such as lateral length, leaf area, fruit weight, and trunk diameter increase. These character loading on the first PC could be interpreted as representing gradations between morphologies characteristic of the 2 presumed progenitor species, sweet cherry (P. avium L.) and ground cherry (P. fruticosa Pall.). Mean family differences in trunk diameter increase, lateral length, leaf area, and fruit weight varied approximately 12, 3.7, 2.5, and 2 fold, respectively. These results suggest that it may be possible to select sour cherry hybrids approaching the tree and fruit size of either progenitor species. The results are discussed in reference to germplasm collection and the potential of certain cultivars and hybrids as parents.     

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) variation in Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn. accessions from China and the Himalayan region

The diversity among 52 landraces and cultivars of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) and one accession of its wild ancestor, F. tataricum ssp. potanini Batalin, from diverse geographic origins was examined using random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) markers. Eighteen primers produced a total of 240 fragments, of which 153 (63.75%) were monomorphic and 87 (36.25%) polymorphic bands. UPGMA-based pairwise Jaccard’s coefficient of similarity was used to deduce the relationships among 53 genetically diverse accessions. The similarity between cultivated tartary buckwheat accessions ranged from 0.61 to 1.00. Four distinct clusters were formed which corresponded well with the geographic distribution of the tartary buckwheat. Nepalese accessions showed maximum diversity followed by Chinese accessions. Tartary buckwheat accessions from the Himalayan region of northwestern India revealed a narrow gene pool. The wild buckwheat accession did not group with any of the three cultivated tartary buckwheat groups, and formed its own single-entry group. Genetic similarity (0.59) of Chinese buckwheat accessions with the wild ancestor reaffirmed that cultivated tartary buckwheat originated in the Yunnan province of northwestern China. Consistent with some earlier reports, our study demonstrated the usefulness of the RAPD technique for the characterization of plant genetic resources and assessment of diversity between species. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Identification of DNA probes that reveal polymorphisms among closely related Phaseolus vulgaris lines

Summary Analyses of genetic diversity within populations could be of great benefit to plant genetic resources conservation. In order to identify genetic markers that are variable within populations, the genome of Phaseolus vulgaris was screened with several DNA sequences in order to identify hypervariable sequences. Polymorphisms were observed between Middle American and Andean cultivars using the protein III tandem repeat of the M13 phase and the 33.15 human minisatellite. Extensive differences were observed when the DNA of two divergent lines—BAT93 and Jalo EEP558, of Middle American and Andean origin, respectively—were digested with HinfI, TaqI, HaeIII and hybridized with the 33.15 human minisatellite. Similarly, numerous polymorphisms were observed when the M13 protein III tandem repeat region was hybridized with TaqI digests of these cultivars. Polymorphism was also detected among sister lines of two F₆ backcross materials involving Middle American and Andean lines when genomic DNA was digested with TaqI and hybridized with M13 tandem repeat region. In addition, polymorphism was observed among Porrillo cultivars that resulted from selection within a single landrace population. Whereas only one isozyme difference had been observed previously among the Porrillo cultivars, eleven restriction fragments detected by the M13 protein III tandem repeat sequence differentiated these cultivars. Ribosomal DNA also hybridized to several polymorphic bands on TaqI and EcoRI genomic Southern blots of the F₆ backcross material. Only one polymorphism was observed with EcoRI-digested genomic DNA of BAT93 and Jalo EEP558 was hybridized with microsatellite (GACA)₄. This probe might be useful in ascertaining relationships at the species and subspecies level, and as a marker in mapping studies. Our results show that both the human 33.15 minisatellite and M13 should be useful probes to detect within-population variability in common bean.     

Amplified fragment length polymorphism as a tool for molecular characterization of almond germplasm: genetic diversity among cultivated genotypes and related wild species of almond,and its relationships with agronomic traits

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis is a rapid and efficient method for producing DNA fingerprints and molecular characterization. Our objectives were to: estimate genetic similarities (GS), marker indices, and polymorphic information contents (PICs) for AFLP markers in almond cultivars; assess the genetic diversity of almond cultivars and wild species, using GS estimated from AFLP fingerprints and molecular characterization; and facilitate the use of markers in inter-specific introgression and cultivar improvement. The genetic diversity of 45 almond cultivars from Iran, Europe, and America, were studied assaying 19 primer combinations. In addition, several agronomic traits were evaluated, including flowering and maturity times, self-incompatibility, and kernel and fruit properties. Out of the 813 polymerase chain reaction fragments that were scored, 781 (96.23%) were polymorphic. GS ranged from 0.5 to 0.96, marker indices ranged from 51.37 to 78.79, and PICs ranged from 0.56 to 0.86. Results allowed the unique molecular identification of all assayed genotypes. However, the correlation between genetic similarity clustering as based on AFLP and clustering for agronomic traits was low. Cluster analysis based on AFLP data clearly differentiated the genotypes and wild species according to their origin and pedigree, whereas, cluster analysis based on agronomic data differentiated according the pomological characterization. Our results showed the great genetic diversity of the almond cultivars and their interest for almond breeding.     

Genetic diversity of wild coffee (Coffea arabica L.) using molecular markers

Genetic diversity was studied using RAPD markers among119 coffee (Coffea arabica L.) individuals representing 88 accessions derived from spontaneous and subspontaneous trees in Ethiopia, the primary centre of species diversity, six cultivars grown locally in Ethiopia, and two accessions derived from the genetic populations Typica and Bourbon, spread in the 18^th century, which gave rise to the most currently grown cultivars. Twenty-nine polymorphic fragments were used to calculate a similarity index and construct dendrograms. The Ethiopian material was separated from the Typica- and Bourbon-derived accessions and classified in four groups: one with most of the collected material from southwestern Ethiopia and three from southern and southeastern Ethiopia. Almost all detected diversity was found in the southwestern group while the southern and southeastern groups presented only 59% of identified markers. The genetic distances were low between the southwestern group and the southern and southeastern groups, and between the southwestern group and the Typica- and Bourbon-derived accessions. The cultivated coffee derived from the genetic populations Typica and Bourbon appeared little differentiated from wild coffee growing in the southwest. The results supported the hypothesis that southwestern Ethiopian coffee trees could have been introduced recently in the south and southeast. A separate analysis of the 80accessions classified in the southwestern group allowed identifying particular spontaneous- and subspontaneous-derived accessions and redundancies in the collected material from southwestern Ethiopia. RAPD markers did not detect any within-collection polymorphism except for two trees that were identified as off-types in the CATIE field genebank. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Application of the TRAP technique to lettuce (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactuca sativa</Emphasis> L<Emphasis Type="Italic">.</Emphasis>) genotyping

Summary To demonstrate the applicability of the target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP) marker technique to lettuce genotyping, we fingerprinted 53 lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars and six wild accessions (three from each of the two wild species, L. saligna L. and L. serriola L.). Seven hundred and sixty-nine fragments from 50 to 900 bp in length were amplified in 10 PCR reactions using 10 fixed primers in combination with four fluorescent labeled arbitrary primers. Three hundred and eighty-eight of these fragments were polymorphic among the 59 Lactuca entries and 107 fragments were polymorphic among the 53 lettuce cultivars and the six wild accessions; 251 fragments were present only in the wild species. These markers not only discriminated all cultivars, but also revealed the evolutionary relationship among the three species: L. sativa, the cultivated species, is more closely related to L. serriola than to L. saligna. Cluster analysis grouped the cultivars by horticultural types with a few exceptions. These results are consistent with previous findings using RFLP, AFLP, and SAMPL markers. The TRAP markers revealed significant differences in genetic variability among horticultural types, measured by the average genetic similarity among the cultivars of the same type. Within the sample set, the leaf type and butterhead types possessed relatively high genetic variability, the iceberg types had moderate variability and the romaine types had the lowest variability. The genetic behavior of TRAP markers was assessed with a mapping population of 45 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from an interspecific cross between L. serriola and L. sativa. Almost all the markers segregated in the expected 1:1 Mendelian ratio and are being incorporated into the existing lettuce linkage maps. Our results indicate that the TRAP markers can provide a powerful technique for fingerprinting lettuce cultivars. The U.S. Government's right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

甜樱桃在黔北的生物学观察

对红灯、大紫、芝罘红樱桃的生长发育状况,进行4年连续观察,研究甜樱桃在亚热带湿润季风气候生长发育规律.结果表明,3个品种生长发育正常,发芽率高,成枝率弱,新梢在展叶后、果实采收后均有一较快生长期,花芽形态分化开始于5月中下旬, 8月底多数完成分化,果实在硬核前后各有1个较快生长期,果肉肥厚多汁,酸甜适口,耐贮,产量、品质受春季温度、雨量的影响。成熟早,质量、产量低于传统生产区。     

Determination of self-incompatible genotypes in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) accessions and cultivars of the German Fruit Gene Bank and from private collections

Sweet cherries are self-incompatible because of a gametophytic self-incompatibility system. S alleles in the style and pollen determine the crossing relationships. Knowledge of the S allele constitution of cultivars is very important for cherry growers and breeders, and recently, molecular methods have been developed to distinguish the S alleles in sweet cherries. The S allele genotypes of 149 sweet cherry cultivars and clones, including 126 not previously genotyped, were determined by using PCR analysis. Thirteen different S alleles in 40 combinations were distinguished and nine new incompatibility groups were documented. Two new S alleles were identified in five local sweet cherry processing cultivars from southwestern Germany using the second intron primers. The sequence of these alleles was determined and compared to all known sequences available in the NCBI database. The sequences obtained showed high similarities to the alleles S ₁₉ and S ₂₂, previously described only in wild cherries, Prunus avium L.