Genetic variation for shoot elongation before winter and its correlation with vernalization requirement in winter oilseed rape (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> L.)

Changing climatic conditions in north-western Europe are accompanied by occasional extreme weather conditions. This requires breeding of winter oilseed rape cultivars which are resilient to diverse abiotic stress factors, e.g. frost, drought and heat. The degree of vernalization requirement of winter oilseed rape has been found to be related to frost tolerance and winter hardiness. Shoot elongation before winter in particular has been identified as one decisive factor for frost tolerance in winter oilseed rape. However, the relationship between vernalization requirement and shoot elongation before winter is not known. In the present study the genetic variation for shoot elongation before winter and vernalization requirement of 19 genetic diverse breeding lines and cultivars were analyzed. Autumn and spring sown field experiments in multiple environments were performed to determine shoot elongation before winter and vernalization requirement, respectively. In spring sown field experiments, genotypes with a low vernalization requirement were characterized by the occurrence of long bolting plants with flower buds. Large and significant genotypic variation was found for shoot length in the autumn sown and spring sown environment. Broad sense heritability was quite high for shoot length in the spring sown environment (h²?=?97%), whereas it was only of medium size for shoot length before winter (h²?=?62%). Although the correlation between shoot length before winter and shoot length in the spring sown environment was positive (Spearman’s rank r_S?=?0.48*), a number of genotypes with reduced shoot elongation before winter and low vernalization requirement were identified. Results indicate that genotypes with a reduced shoot elongation before winter independent of their vernalization requirement can be selected in breeding programs.     

Relationship between Prehardening, Photosynthetic Activity at Cold Acclimation Temperatures and Frost Tolerance in Winter Rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera). The Consequences for the Reliability of Frost Resistance Estimation under Controlled Conditions

The effect of prehardening (early stage of growth at moderate low temperatures (+12°C) during the day) on the reliability of frost resistance estimation in a controlled environment has been studied on three winter oilseed rape cultivars differing markedly in their field survival rate (Leo, Górczański and Idol). It has been also examined the relationship between the photosynthetic activity during the first stage of cold acclimation and the level of frost resistance observed in investigated cultivars. Presented results demonstrated that prehardening, which increases to a significant degree the effectiveness of the cold acclimation process, also increases the differences in cold hardiness between cultivars, and limits the magnitude of experimental errors made during frost resistance estimation under controlled conditions. In all studied cultivars, prehardening increases significantly the photosynthetic activity during cold acclimation. On the other hand, both in the prehardened and in the non-prehardened plants, no relation has been found between either gas exchange rates or chlorophyll 'a' fluorescence characteristics at low temperatures and cultivar ability for acclimation. Neither the existing differences in photosynthetic activity, nor the degree of photosynthetic apparatus acclimation to cold, which occurs during prehardening, are the factors responsible for the frost resistance variation observed between studied cultivars.     

Relationship between cold resistance,heading traits and ear primordia development of wheat cultivars

Summary For breeding early heading wheat cultivars with resistance to frost damage which are well adapted to dry areas of West Asia and North Africa, the relationships between winter hardiness, ear primordia development and heading traits, i.e. veernalization requirement, photoperiodic response and narrow-sense earliness, were assessed using a total of 30 genotypes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in an experiment in Syria. The results of artificial freezing tests indicated that cultivars with good winter hardiness were to be found only in the winter wheat cultivars which required 50 or more days of vernalization treatment. These winter wheat cultivars did not initiate internode elongation without vernalization even at 95 days after planting. Thus their ear primordia were still underground and were protected from frost injury at this stage. Photoperiodic response and narrow-sense earliness were not associated with winter hardiness and earliness of internode elongation, but were related to the number of days to heading after planting. This indicated the possibility for breeding early heading cultivars with winter hardiness and tiller frost avoidance by combining high vernalization requirement, short narrow-sense earliness and neutral response to photoperiod.     

冬小麦品种抗霜冻力的影响因素分析

应用移动式人工霜箱,研究了冬小麦幼穗抗霜冻力随发育期的变化规律。结果表明,随发育期进程,幼穗抗霜冻力呈下降趋势,从药隔前期开始进入低温敏感期。利用室内人工霜箱,在药隔前期对21个品种进行了抗霜冻力鉴定,进而分析了不同品种、冬春性、越冬抗冻力以及叶片可溶性糖含量等对冬小麦抗霜冻力的影响。结果表明,除少数品种有一定抗霜冻力外,多数品种抗霜冻力无显著差异。品种抗霜冻力与其冬春性和越冬抗冻力均无显著相关性,与叶片可溶性糖含量之间亦无显著相关性。     

Comparison of Vernalization Requirements and Frost Resistance of Winter Rape Lines Derived from Double Haploids

Vernalization requirements and cold resistance of 13 lines of winter rape derived from doubled haploids obtained by androgenesis were investigated. The degree of vernalization requirements was examined in two parallel experiments. In the first experiment seedlings aged 2 weeks were vernalized during 63 and 35 days under controlled conditions, at 5 °C. In the second experiment the natural conditions of vernalization were differentiated by sowing the plants at four different dates in spring: March 15th, April 15th, May 15th, and at the latest date excluding vernalization, June 5th. The lines examined revealed differentiation of vernalization requirements that were similar in both experiments; all the lines required a period of exposure to cold before flowering. Cold resistance of lines was estimated in two successive series at −15 °C and −17 °C. Before testing the plants were kept in natural field conditions from the beginning of September until the middle of November. Testing of cold resistance was preceded by hardening under controlled conditions. Considerable differences in cold resistance was found in the forms investigated.
The results obtained do not show any relation between frost resistance and the degree of vernalization requirements, as the line characterized by the strongest winter habit of growth showed low cold resistance, whereas the lines which were closer to spring growth habit showed the highest level of cold resistance; the lines with the least vernalization requirements revealed the highest level of cold resistance. This conclusion can be confirmed by the significance of the correlation coefficients between the various indices defining the frost resistance and the indices of vernalization requirements.     

Relationship between vernalization requirement and winter hardiness in doubled haploids of barley

Summary Progeny lines of chromosome-doubled haploids from crosses between one winter and four spring barley varieties were analysed for winter hardiness and vernalization requirement in the field. About one quarter or less of the offspring lines required vernalization under field conditions showing that winter versus spring habit of growth is controlled by at least two pairs of genes. The vernalization requirement could be measured quantitatively by testing a few plants in a greenhouse after artificial cold treatment during germination. The individual winter lines tested required from two to seven weeks of vernalization in order to flower as early as possible. The cold treatment had no effect on the time of flowering in the spring lines.Winter hardiness varied from zero to 100% plant survival in the field. The majority of the lines requiring vernalization survived better than 90% and the survival of the rest was at least 60%. The winter survival of the spring lines varied from zero per cent (about one third of the lines) to 100%. Hence, it is possible to obtain lines of good winter hardiness without requirements for cold treatment. Conversely, a selection for vernalization requirement has a positive effect on winter hardiness.     

Marker-assisted increase of genetic diversity in a double-low seed quality winter oilseed rape genetic background

Generation of novel genetic diversity for maximization of heterosis in hybrid production is a significant goal in winter oilseed rape breeding. Here, we demonstrate that doubled haploid (DH) production using microspore cultivation can simultaneously introgress favourable alleles for double‐low seed quality (low erucic acid and low‐glucosinolate content) into a genetically diverse Brassica napus genetic background. The DH lines were derived from a cross between a double‐low quality winter rapeseed variety and a genetically diverse semisynthetic B. napus line with high erucic acid and high glucosinolates (++ quality). Twenty‐three low‐glucosinolate lines were identified with a genome component of 50–67% derived from the ++ parent. Four of these lines, with a genome component of 50–55% derived from the ++ parent, also contained low erucic acid. Heterosis for seed yield was confirmed in test‐crosses using these genetically diverse lines as pollinator. The results demonstrate the potential of marker‐assisted identification of novel genetic pools for breeding of double‐low quality winter oilseed rape hybrids.     

Vegetative Performance of Tropical Highland Maize (Zea mays L.) in the Field

An attempt has been made to work out a simple and reliable method of fast frost resistance evaluation of winter oilseed rape using in vitro cultures. In winter rape cv. Górczański, there was investigated cold acclimation ability of hypocotyle sections from 5-days old seedlings and also of callus tissue formed on these sections after subsequent 4 weeks growth on induction medium. It has been found that hypocotyle sections are unable to cold-acclimate. Winter rape calli acclimated well and optimum conditions for acclimation is fortnight's growth at +2°C. Exposure to light during hardening was not necessary for acquiring maximum resistance. On five winter rape cultivars freezing tests were performed using the best cold acclimation conditions. The differences in resistance between hypocotyle sections did not match the differences in field survival or frost resistance of whole plants. As distinct from hypocotyle sections callus tissue appeared to be suitable for evaluation of frost resistance. However, to ensure the objectiveness of assessment in this method is not so easy. The testing temperature must be chosen carefully, because the results can be reliable only at sufficiently low temperature. For correct estimation of the frost resistance level, it is possible to use both the decrease of triphenyltetrazolium chloride reduction rate during freezing and the increase of callus dry weight during 14 days after freezing.
(Abbreviations: BAP — 6-Benzylaminopurine; 2,4-D — 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; LT50 — temperature at which 50 % of the plants (or plant material) has been frost killed; MS(0.5;2) — Moorashige and Skoog Basic Medium with addition of 0.5 mg 2.4-D and 2 mg BAP; PPFD — photosynthetic photon flux density; TTC — 2,3,5 triphenyltetrazolium chloride)     

Relationship between Frost Tolerance and Cold-Induced Resistance of Spring Barley, Meadow Fescue and Winter Oilseed Rape to Fungal Pathogens

Plants exposed to one stress factor may become more tolerant to another. Cold is the most often documented factor inducing plant resistance to pathogens. The aim of this work was to investigate whether resistance of spring barley and meadow fescue to Bipolaris sorokiniana and resistance of winter oilseed rape to Phoma lingam induced at 5 °C for 2, 4 or 6 weeks are associated with frost tolerance, water potential and soluble carbohydrate content. Cold‐acclimated plants of each species showed increased resistance to the studied pathogens. Barley, fescue and rape plants demonstrated higher frost tolerance after hardening, but only in the case of fescue a correlation between resistance to frost and resistance to B. sorokiniana was found. A significant decrease in the water potential of leaf cells was observed in cold‐acclimated barley and fescue. In these two species, water potential greatly affected resistance to B. sorokiniana. However, only in barley did accumulation of fructose, glucose and sucrose correlate as well with changes in water potential as with cold‐induced resistance to the pathogen. In the case of hardened rape, no correlation between the studied parameters was found. The results obtained indicated that the temperature of 5 °C used during cold acclimation was not favourable for hardening of this plant species.     

Combination of resistance to Verticillium longisporum from zero erucic acid Brassica oleracea and oilseed Brassica rapa genotypes in resynthesized rapeseed (Brassica napus) lines

Resynthesized (RS) forms of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.; genome AACC, 2n = 38) generated from interspecific hybridization between suitable genotypes of its diploid progenitors Brassica rapa L. (syn. campestris; genome AA, 2n = 20) and Brassica oleracea L. (CC, 2n = 18) represent a potentially useful resource to introduce resistance against the fungal pathogen Verticillium longisporum into the gene pool of oilseed rape. Numerous cabbage (B. oleracea) accessions are known with resistance to V. longisporum; however, B. oleracea generally has high levels of erucic acid and glucosinolates in the seed, which reduces the suitability of resulting RS rapeseed lines for oilseed rape breeding. In this study resistance against V. longisporum was identified in the cabbage accession Kashirka 202 (B. oleracea convar. capitata), a zero erucic acid mutant, and RS rapeseed lines were generated by crossing the resistant genotype with two spring turnip rape accessions (B. rapa ssp. olerifera) with zero erucic acid. One of the resulting zero erucic acid RS rapeseed lines was found to have a high level of resistance to V. longisporum compared with both parental accessions and with B. napus controls. A number of other zero erucic acid RS lines showed resistance levels comparable to the parental accessions. In the most resistant RS lines the resistance and zero erucic acid traits were combined with variable seed glucosinolate contents. Erucic acid‐free RS rapeseed with moderate seed glucosinolate content represents an ideal basic material for introgression of quantitative V. longisporum resistance derived from B. oleracea and B. rapa into elite oilseed rape breeding lines.     

不同类型冬小麦品种拔节后幼穗低温敏感期的鉴定

摘要：以百农矮抗58、豫麦49－198、豫农949和偃展4110这4个小麦品种为材料,利用人工气候室处理,研究了冬小麦拔节期幼穗抗霜冻力随幼穗分化进程的变化规律。在药隔期前后对4个品种进行了抗霜冻力鉴定,进而分析了不同品种、冬春性以及幼穗发育进程等对冬小麦抗霜冻力的影响。结果表明：4个品种中百农矮抗58抗冻能力较强,其他几个品种抗冻能力相对较弱。随幼穗发育进程的推进,幼穗抗霜冻力总体呈下降趋势, 从雌雄蕊末期发育进入药隔期,幼穗的抗霜冻力骤然下降,雌雄蕊分化期之前以及药隔期之后,抗霜力的下降趋势比较平缓,表明雌雄蕊至药隔期这个阶段是冬小麦幼穗分化的低温敏感期。品种的抗霜性研究适宜在该时期展开。     

Relevance of Osmotic and Frost Protecting Compounds for the Winter Hardiness of Autumn Sown Sugar Beet

The cultivation of autumn sown sugar beet (winter beet) is supposed to result in a marked yield increase compared with spring sown sugar beet. Although the importance of the growth stage reached before winter for the survival of autumn sown sugar beet has already been shown, it is not clear to which extent osmotic and potentially frost protecting compounds may contribute to winter hardiness. The study thus aimed to analyse the acclimatization process of sugar beet to low temperatures and to identify compounds which are important for survival of frost. Field trials with autumn sown sugar beet were conducted at eleven environments in Germany from 2009/10 to 2012/13, which were accompanied by greenhouse experiments with controlled temperature regimes. In the field trials, the survival rates after winter varied from 0 % to 99 %, but only in four environments differences between the five genotypes occurred. During acclimatization, betaine, glutamine, proline and raffinose were markedly accumulated and osmolality was enhanced. In particular betaine, amino acids and osmolality showed a positive correlation to the survival rate and were thus identified as potentially frost protecting substances for sugar beet. In contrast, raffinose and proline seem to act rather as stress indicators as they were negatively related to survival. Possible frost protecting substances were identified which can be used in breeding to improve the winter hardiness of sugar beet.     

Studies for assessing the influence of hardening on cold tolerance of barley genotypes

Summary Frost tolerance of 30 barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars have been field evaluated in North Italy during the 1990/1991 winter season that was characterized by exceptionally low temperatures without snow cover. The results showed a significant correlation between cold injury and grain yield loss (r=0.61^**). Five cultivars chosen for their varying degree of frost tolerance were further evaluated using laboratory tests. Measurements of survival rate and membrane damage were used to assess the influence of hardening on frost resistance. The reliability of the tests is shown by the high correlation to the field data. For both the laboratory temperature regimes and field conditions, the tested cultivars showed the same order of classification. The effect of a rise in temperature at the end of the hardening treatment on frost tolerance is also reported. The laboratory tests here proposed can be integrated in a breeding programme for improving frost tolerance in barley.     

Winter hardiness in trench celery

A total of 51 red and white commercial varieties of trench celery were grown and examined for winter hardiness at the National Vegetable Research Station. Although some plants of most varieties survived the winter, none showed a commercially useful degree of winter hardiness, in that none were marketable after moderate frost. The red varieties had a significantly better survival than the white varieties. In the first season, single plant selections were made from the varieties having both the highest percentage of winter survival and the best agronomic characters. Although some of the progenies derived from these selected plants by self-pollination showed a small increase in winter survival as compared with their parent varieties when both were grown in the second season, no plants of these progenies were sufficiently hardy to remain marketable after moderate frost. It was concluded that none of the varieties tested showed any promise as a source of winter hardiness to be used in a breeding programme, and that selection for one generation from within these varieties did not improve winter hardiness to a useful extent.     

江苏省冬油菜生育期内低温事件的年际变化及对产量的影响

为探讨气候变化对我国油菜生产带来的可能影响，选取江苏省地区52个气象站1961—2012年日气温资料及冬油菜产量逐年数据，采用M-K趋势检验探求冬春季节8种低温指数的变化趋势，并依托一阶差分法探讨低温指数与产量的数量关系。结果表明：（1）1961-2012年间省内大部分地区冬春季节低温事件的总天数、连续低温事件的场次、强度及持续性呈现出显著的减弱趋势；（2）不同类型低温指数中，FI1（越冬期日最低气温<-5℃的总天数）与CI4（蕾薹期连续日最低气温<0℃天气的最长持续时间）对冬油菜产量的负效应最为显著；（3）各站点产量对FI1及CI4敏感性分析表明江苏省北部地区冬油菜种植对低温灾害事件更为敏感；（4）1961-2012年间江苏大部分地区FI1及CI4的减少趋势给研究区冬油菜产量带来了一定幅度的增产。     

A Note on the Skewness of the Frequency Distribution of Harvest Indices with an Application to Winter Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.)

Based on well-known statistical approximations for the mean, variance, and for the third moment about zero of the ratio of two random variables, a general expression has been derived for the skewness of the distribution of harvest indices. The skewness of the distribution of harvest indices depends on three parameters: coefficients of variation for the two component traits and their correlation. Conclusions for the sign of this skewness are discussed. Finally, the theoretical results and conclusions have been checked and applied to an experimental data set of winter oilseed rape. The agreement between expected and observed skewness is extraordinary good.     

白菜型冬油菜叶片结构和光合特性对冬前低温的响应

为明确白菜型冬油菜在冬前低温下叶片结构特征、光合作用特性及其抗寒性,本研究在0℃和–7.6℃自然低温条件下,选用白菜型冬油菜品种陇油7号(超强抗寒)和天油4号(弱抗寒),测定并比较其叶片气孔性状、解剖结构和光合、荧光参数的日变化等指标。结果表明,随着冬前温度下降,2个白菜型冬油菜叶片气孔密度、气孔面积、气孔周长、栅栏组织和海绵组织厚度均变小,细胞间隙变大,叶片变薄;P_n日变化呈"单峰"型曲线,无光合"午休"现象;叶片的P_n、G_s、T_r和CE均降低,而C_i均升高,说明是非气孔限制引起P_n降低。白菜型冬油菜在冬前低温条件下发生了光抑制现象,表现为F_m和F_v/F_m下降,F_o上升。与超强抗寒品种陇油7号相比,弱抗寒品种天油4号叶片气孔密度和气孔面积均较大,气孔总周长较长,叶片较厚,P_n、F_m和F_v/F_m均较高,说明冬前低温条件下,天油4号光合能力较强,光抑制程度较弱。白菜型冬油菜在冬前低温条件下的叶片气孔密度越大、气孔面积越大、气孔周长越长、叶片及栅栏组织和海绵组织越厚,光合能力越强,地上部生长越旺盛,品种抗寒性越差。本研究为冬油菜抗寒种质创新和育种提供了部分理论支撑。     

Leaf glucosinolate profiles and their relationship to pest and disease resistance in oilseed rape

Summary Glucosinolates are sulphur-containing glycosides which occur within vegetative and reproductive tissue of oilseed rape. Following tissue damage, glucosinolates undergo hydrolysis catalysed by the enzyme myrosinase to produce a complex array of products which include volatile isothiocyanates and several compounds with goitrogenic activity. Many of these products have been implicated in the interaction betweenBrassica and their pests and pathogens and some may have a role in defence mechanisms. Low glucosinolate (00) oilseed rape cultivars have been shown to possess similar concentrations of leaf glucosinolates as high glucosinolate (0) oilseed rape cultivars. Likewise, despite considerable speculation to the contrary, 00 cultivars have been shown not to be more susceptible to pests and pathogens than 0 cultivars. The potential to enhance pest and disease resistance of oilseed rape by manipulating the leaf glucosinolate profile without reducing seed quality is discussed.     

Outcrossing frequencies from multiple high erucic acid oilseed rape fields to a central receptor field

Genetically modified oilseed rape is currently grown on about 23 % of the global oilseed rape acreage. In order to separate transgenic and non-transgenic oilseed rape production and to ensure co-existence of different agricultural cultivation schemes, as is specified by the European legislation, confinement measures have to be defined. Pollen-mediated gene flow is the most important means by which transgenes are dispersed between fields. In contrast to the majority of the previous investigations the objective of this study was to assess the extent of gene flow in the case of multiple pollen-donor fields. A high erucic acid rape genotype was used as biochemical marker for the quantification of outcrossing into a low erucic acid oilseed rape variety. Outcrossing data were obtained from two experimental locations. As expected, multiple pollen sources in a fragmented landscape can result in high gene transfer frequencies, thus requiring larger isolation distances than a field design with a single pollen donor source. The results of the study are transferable to homozygous transgenic oilseed rape varieties.     

电阻抗图谱法与电导法测定枣树枝条抗寒性的相关性

选育抗寒性强的品种是避免枣树受到低温气候伤害的最有效方法,因而,探寻测定枣树抗寒性的合适方法非常重要。以7个品种枣树1年生枝条为材料,利用电导率(EL)法和电阻抗图谱(EIS)法测定其抗寒性。研究了低温胁迫下枣树枝条EIS参数（单分布电路元素电阻率r、r₁;胞外电阻率r_e;胞内电阻率r_i;弛豫时间τ;弛豫时间分布系数ψ）的变化,并对比分析了2种方法测定枣树抗寒性结果的相关性,以期确定快速测定枣树抗寒性的最佳参数。结果表明：在低温胁迫下,随着处理温度的降低,枣树枝条的各EIS参数均减小。通过EIS参数胞外电阻率r_e和弛豫时间τ拟合估算的抗寒性与EL法测定的抗寒性呈显著正相关,相关系数分别为0.840和0.879。结果表明冷冻处理后EIS参数r_e和τ可以作为测定枣树抗寒性的参数。采用EIS法测定抗寒性省时、不需要温育、不破坏植株,具有更大的优越性。