Effect of cytoplasmic male-sterility in sorghum on host plant interaction with sorghum midge,Contarinia sorghicola

Summary Sorghum midge, Contarinia sorghicola Coq. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is one of the most important pests of grain sorghum worldwide. We studied the reaction of midge-resistant and midge-susceptible genic-cytoplasmic male-sterile (A-lines) and their maintainers (B-lines), and the effect of resistant and susceptible restorers on sorghum midge. Midge damage and adult emergence were significantly lower on the B-lines of midge-resistant genotypes (PM 7061 and PM 7068) than their corresponding A-lines, while the reverse was true for the midge-susceptible genotypes (296A and ICSA 42). Differences in midge damage and the number of midges emerged were not significant between the midge-resistant and midge-susceptible A-lines when infested without pollination (except midge emergence on PM 7061A). Pollination with a midge-resistant restorer (DJ6541) reduced midge emergence significantly in one of two seasons. Source of pollen did not influence midge emergence on the highly-resistant A-line, PM 7061A. The implications of these observations in the development of midge-resistant hybrids were discussed.     

In vitro Selection for Tolerance to Fusarium in F1 Microspore Populations of Wheat

Microspore populations of eight Fhybrids of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) whose parents had different levels of resistance to Fusarium were screened in vitro, using phytotoxins of Fusarium as biochemical probe. Two selection methods were compared for the in vitro selection: either embryoids and calli were first initiated from anthers in toxin-free medium and then grown on medium with 0.3—0.9 %Fusarium toxin; or anthers were immediately cultured in modified liquid potato-2 medium in the presence of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5ml Fusarium toxin per liter culture medium, a concentration which reduced the number of calli and embryoids to about 10 % compared to the toxin-free controls. Microspores from donor hybrids which were produced from very susceptible cultivars were killed by lower toxin concentrations than micro-spores from hybrids of less susceptible parents. From surviving calli and embryoids, originally initiated from 242,000 anthers in both procedures a total of 375 green lines could be regenerated. The results indicate that it is possible to enrich the fraction of regenerating microspores by those which contain the gene complex responsible for reduced susceptibility to Fusarium by the use of a pathotoxin.     

Pod shatter resistance evaluation in cultivars and breeding lines of Brassica napus, B. juncea and Sinapis alba

Pod shatter susceptibility was investigated in Brassica napus germplasm and shatter resistant species of B. juncea and Sinapis alba. The comparisons were made by measuring seed yield in field plots, detached pod rupture energy (RE) and the half‐life of pod‐opening. Pod shatter resistance was significantly greater in B. napus lines derived from interspecific hybridizations of B. napus with B. rapa, B. carinata and B. juncea, than common B. napus cultivars. While these lines exhibited no significant difference in resistance to pod shatter than B. juncea, an entry of S. alba had no yield loss caused by pod shatter. Resistance to pod shatter was characterized in the field as little or no yield loss after full maturity, delayed shattering in time, and stable yield performance under variable climatic conditions during pod maturity. Yield loss caused by pod shatter ranged from a low of 4% for the B. juncea cv. ‘AC Vulcan’ to a high of 61% for the black seeded B. napus line DH12075 in 2‐year field trials after 1 month maturity. Pod shatter resistance was not significantly associated with specific plant and pod morphological traits, except pod length (P = 0.005) in tested materials. Field visual scores of pod shatter through inspections of average pod shatter per plant within plots were highly correlated with plot yield loss. Indoor quantitative evaluations of pod strength using a pendulum machine to measure pod RE and random impact test to measure half‐life of pod‐opening resistance were highly correlated with field yield loss. Multiple evaluations of pod shatter in method and in time after pod maturity are recommended for reliable evaluation of pod shatter resistance.     

Vegetative phase change among sweet corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids varying for reaction to common rust (Puccinia sorghi Schw.)

In maize, timing of vegetative phase change has been implicated in the response to certain pests and environmental stresses. Common rust is the most serious disease of sweet corn in the north central United States. Sweet corn hybrids differing for resistance to common rust were evaluated for vegetative phase change traits. There were significant differences among hybrids for all vegetative phase change traits measured, as well as resistance to common rust. Certain hybrids displayed rapid transition (within two leaves) from juvenile to adult vegetation, while others displayed prolonged transition (within four leaves). There were no significant correlations between vegetative phase change traits and common rust severity among the commercial sweet corn hybrids evaluated in this experiment.     

QTLs and candidate genes for chlorate resistance in rice (Oryzasativa L.)

Chlorate resistance is one of the reliable characters in Indica/Japonica classification. To understand the genetic basis of chlorate resistance is very important for revealing the evolutionary mechanism of Indica/Japonica differentiation. In this study, a doubled haploid (DH) population derived from anther culture of ZYQ8/JX17, a typical Indica and Japonica hybrid, was used as the genetic material to investigate chlorate sensitivity of the parents and DH lines. The quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of chlorate resistance were analyzed based on the molecular linkage map of this population. Total of 3 QTLs (qCHR-2, qCHR-8 and qCHR-10) for chlorate resistance were detected on chromosomes 2, 8 and 10, respectively. A QTL × QTL epistatic interaction was detected between qCHR-2 and qCHR-10. Genes involved in nitrogen assimilation, such as nitrate reduction, molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis and nitrate transport were strong candidates of QTLs for chlorate resistance. A putative nitrate reductase gene (8611.t00011), and two putative nitrate reductase genes (9319.t00010 and 9319.t00012) were in the genomic region of qCHR-2, and qCHR-8, respectively, and a putative nitrate transporter gene (756.t00011) was in the region of qCHR-10. The expression of 8611.t00011, 9319.t00010 and 756.t00011 were confirmed by the corresponding cDNAs, and 2 in/del and 12 SNPs in the coding regions of these three genes were found between Indica (cv. 9311) and Japonica (cv. Nipponbare) in silico. These results indicated that these three genes were candidates of the chlorate resistance QTLs. An in/del in the coding region of 8611.t00011 was used to develop a new PCR marker. A polymorphism was detected between JX17/Nipponbare and ZYQ8/9311. This polymorphism corresponds to the chlorate sensitivity of Nipponbare and 9311. This marker was located between Y8007R and RM250 on chromosome 2 in the DH population, where qCHR-2 was also located.     

Expected selection efficiency for resistance to cacao pod rot (Phytophthora palmivora) comparing leaf disc inoculations with field observations

Summary A genetic analysis of resistance of cacao to Phytophthora palmivora was carried out in a 5 × 5 diallel and in a 4 × 2 NC II factorial design, involving cross-progenies and parental clones planted in the nursery and field, respectively. Resistance was scored in the laboratory by inoculation of leaf discs with P. palmivora spores with four replicates and, for the factorial design, results were compared with the percentage of rotten pods in the field assessed over a seven-year period. Significant differences between genotypes were observed for both laboratory and field evaluation methods. For the laboratory test, no reciprocal effect was observed and plant effects within seedling progenies were more significant than plant effects within clones. General combining ability was the main source of variation but specific combining ability was also significant for the leaf disc test applied to the diallel. Heritabilities increased with the number of replicates, reaching values of 0.34 and 0.67 for narrow sense heritability, and 0.60 and 0.67 for broad sense heritability, for the diallel and the factorial design, respectively. These values were higher than observed for the percentage of rotten pods in the field in the factorial design (0.42 and 0.47, respectively). For the leaf test, the expected genetic gains were around 30% with a selection intensity of 5%. The existence of significant genetic (0.71) and phenotypic (0.39) coefficients of correlation between resistance on leaves and percentage of rotten pods in the field in the factorial design confirms the feasibility of using the leaf disc test for early selection of resistance to Phytophthora pod rot of cacao.     

The role of resistance breeding in the intergrated control of downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) in protected lettuce

Summary Over the last 30 years, six resistance alleles (Dm2, Dm3, Dm6, Dm7, Dm11 andDm16) located in two linkage groups, have contributed to the control of downy mildew in lettuce crops grown under protection (glass or polythene) in northern Europe. More recently, an as yet genetically uncharacterised resistance factor, R18, has also begun to assume importance. The occurrence of the various combinations of these resistance alleles that exist in commercial cultivars has been dictated by the pathotypes ofBremia lactucae used in their selection but also restricted by linkage in repulsion. In the UK, a pathotype ofB. lactucae insensitive to phenylamide fungicides, such as metalaxyl, emerged in 1978 and became prevalent throughout lettuce production areas in subsequent years. The specific virulence of this pathotype was identical to the previously described phenylamide sensitive pathotype NL10 and cultivars carryingDm11, Dm16 or R18 were resistant. Consequently, an integrated control strategy based on the utilisation of metalaxyl on cultivars carryingDm11 provided effective control in UK until 1987 when a new phenylamide insensitive pathotype began to cause problems. The specific virulence of this second pathotype, which was first reported in the Netherlands and France, was identical to the previously described phenylamide sensitive pathotype NL15. Cultivars carryingDm6, Dm16 or R18, but notDm11, were resistant to NL15; consequently an appropriate change in the cultivar recommendations for use in the integrated control strategy was successfully promulgated. It is predicted that variations of this integrated control strategy involving the use of appropriately selectedDm gene combinations may prove effective for some time. This prediction is based on studies of the status of the avirulence loci in the two phenylamide insensitive pathotypes and of the specific virulence characteristics of phenylamide sensitive components of the pathogen population.     

Effectiveness of Twenty-Four Barley Resistance Genes Against Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe graminis DC f. sp. hordei Em. Marchal) in Spain

Twenty-four near-isogenic barley lines, with a cv.‘Pallas’ background, carrying different mildew resistance genes were subjected in 1987, 1989 and 1990 to natural infection by the pathogen at several different and contrasting Spanish sites in order to study its virulence. The virulence genes proved to be geographically grouped into three regions: western (Valladolid), southern (Sevilla) and northern and northeastern (Navarra, Lleida and Girona). The mildew population of Lleida was more variable when compared with Navarra and Valladolid. Overall, the most effective resistance genes were: Ml-a13 + Ml-(Ru3), mlo and Ml-(1402).