Assessment of genetic variability in the endangered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus macroptera</Emphasis> Mont. (“hatkora”) from Mizoram,north-east India

Assessment of genetic variability in the available germplasm is the prerequisite for development of improved genotypes through planned breeding programmes. In view of this, 39 “hatkora” (Citrus macroptera Mont.) genotypes collected from different locations of Mizoram, India were evaluated for physico-chemical characteristics during 2013–2015. The study reveals that there was significant variation among the collections in these particular traits. Individual fruit weight ranged from 277.78 to 617.69 g; fruit diameter 9.32–12.52 cm; fruit length 7.74–10.19 cm, fruit volume 238.33–583.33 cc; pulp weight 153.75–320.94 g; pulp:peel ratio 1.50–3.24 and seed number 9.33–23.6. Similarly, the chemical parameters also varied significantly among different germplasms. The juice content varied from 13.45 to 32.53 %, ascorbic acid 34.81–73.64 mg/100 mL, TSS 6.15–9.10 %, acidity 5.03–8.75 %, total sugars 5.16–7.97 % and sugar:acid ratio 0.75–1.52. From the analysis of genetic parameters, it could be concluded that characters like fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit volume, pulp weight, pulp–peel ratio, juice, Total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, ascorbic acid, total sugars, and sugar–acid ratio could be used as selection criteria for development of effective and productive plant types in “hatkora”. Wide range of variation in physico-chemical parameters of “hatkora” fruits indicated the great scope of individual plant selection based on these characters for future genetic improvement programme.     

Variation of Agro-morphological Characters in Moroccan Barley Landraces Under Near Optimal and Drought Conditions

In many areas of North Africa, barley is often the only possible rainfed crop. In these regions water deficit is the primary constraint affecting crop production. Twenty barley landraces collected from different localities in south Morocco and four modern varieties were characterized in two field experiments, one under well-irrigated and one under limited-irrigated conditions. Nine agro-morphological characters were evaluated: Plant height, tiller number per plant, number of grains per spike, number of spikes per plant, spike weight, spike length, plant weight (PW), number of internodes of rachis (NIR), and length of the last internode of rachis. The correlation coefficients among characters were nearly the same in the well- and limited-irrigated experiment. Under limited-irrigated conditions, plant growth was significantly decreased as measured by all characters except NIR, which was unaffected. The percentage of reduction, ranging from 80.08% to 5.82%, was recorded on PW and NIR, respectively. The injury index ranging from 4.02 to 0.06 was recorded on PW and NIR, respectively. Using discriminant analysis the genotypes were arranged in three, clearly separated groups that varied in their tolerance to drought stress.     

Variation in ascorbic acid and oxalate levels in the fruit of Actinidia chinensis tissues and genotypes

Ascorbic acid and total oxalate were measured in fruit from six genotypes of Actinidia chinensis. Ascorbic acid was separated from oxalate in fruit extracts by HPLC and quantified from absorbance at 245 nm, whereas oxalate was measured enzymatically in the HPLC eluate. Levels of whole fruit mean ascorbic acid in the different genotypes ranged from 98 to 163 mg/100 g of fresh weight (FW), whereas mean oxalate varied between 18 and 45 mg/100 g of FW. Ascorbic acid was highest in the inner and outer pericarp, whereas oxalate was concentrated in the skin, inner pericarp, and seed. Essentially no ascorbic acid was found in the seed. Each tissue clustered separately when the tissue ascorbic acid and oxalate data were normalized to the whole fruit level of ascorbic acid and oxalate in that genotype and plotted against each other, suggesting that oxalate is not a sink for excess ascorbic acid but that oxalate formation is regulated.     

Morphological Diversity of Bambara Groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] Landraces in Tanzania

A field experiment was conducted in Tanzania for two seasons to assess the genetic diversity of bambara groundnut landraces based on morphological characters. One hundred accessions collected from a wide range of agricultural zones in the country were evaluated in a 10 × 10 triple lattice block design at Maruku station in Bukoba, Tanzania. For the qualitative characters evaluated, considerable morphological variations were observed for growth habit, pod shape and pod colour. Quantitative morphological characters such as peduncle length, number of leaves per plant, terminal leaflet width, terminal leaflet length, petiole length, plant spread, plant length, pod width, seed length, seed width, number of pods per plant, shelling percentage and days to 50% flowering showed significant variation among accessions for the two test seasons. Multivariate analysis for 15 quantitative morphological traits that showed significant variation indicated that the first four PCs with eigenvalues ≥1 accounted for 63.0 and 65.0% of the total variance among the accessions during the two test seasons, respectively. The most important loadings for PC1 and PC2 for the two seasons were terminal leaflet width, terminal leaflet length, petiole length, plant spread, plant height and pod length, pod width, seed length, seed width, numbers of pods per plant. Cluster analysis grouped bambara groundnut accessions into three major groups with respect to their geographic origins. Based on this present study, bambara groundnut landraces from Tanzania displayed a considerable diversity for morphological and agronomic traits useful for germplasm management and utilization into crop improvement.     

Lower crop load for Cv. Jonagold apples (Malus x domestica Borkh.) increases polyphenol content and fruit quality

The influence of crop load on fruit quality was investigated on 7-year-old slender spindle cv. Jonagold/M.9 apple trees. In mid June five different crop loads per tree were prepared by reducing the fruit number to average 30, 59, 104, 123, and 157 fruits per crown. The fruit from low-cropping trees had more red blush, a higher percentage of soluble solids in fruit flesh, and better flesh firmness in comparison to fruit from high-cropping trees. As the crop load decreased, the concentration of all phenolic compounds in the fruit samples (cortex plus skin) increased; concentrations of the most important individual fruit phenolics were also higher. When crop load fell from 157 to 30 fruits per crown, total polyphenols increased from an average of 1300 to 1680 mg/kg of fruit fresh weight (FW) (+29%), low molecular weight polyphenols increased from 1140 to 1570 mg/kg of FW (+38%), and high molecular weight polyphenols increased from 1740 to 2070 mg/kg of FW (+19%). The average increases in single polyphenols were even greater: chlorogenic acid (+82%); 4'-p-coumaroylquinic acid (+22%); catechin (+178%); and epicatechin (+71%). Ascorbic acid was not significantly dependent on crop load.     

Effect of top-dressed potassium fertilization on the yield and quality of cucumber

The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of top-dressed potassium (K) application on the production of hybrid cucumber “Sapphire.” The experimental design was a randomized complete block, with five blocks of 0.80 × 0.40 m² each and eight replicate plants per block. The five fertilization rates of K used were 0, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg K₂O ha^?1. Data collection consisted of the estimation of fruit diameter, fruits length, fruit fresh and dry weights, the number of fruits per plant, and the weight of fruits per plant. The number of fruits per hectare and the fruit fresh weight per hectare were calculated. Fruit tissue was analyzed for determination of macronutrient concentrations, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, sugar contents, and protein content. The data were statistically analyzed using regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA). There was a significant effect of the fertilization rate of K on fruit diameter, fruit fresh and dry weights, macronutrients concentrations in fruits, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and reducing sugars. A quadratic equation was adjusted for the number of fruits per plant and per hectare; fruit yield per plant and per hectare, with maximum top-dressing doses, was estimated to be between 60 and 95 kg K₂O ha^?1. A linear increase was obtained in the pH. An increase in the K fertilization rate caused a linear decrease in the fruit length.     

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.     

Genetic basis of species differentiation between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coffea liberica</Emphasis> Hiern and <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. canephora</Emphasis> Pierre: Analysis of an interspecific cross

The phenotypic and genetic differentiation between the two related Coffea species (C. liberica Hiern and C. canephora Pierre) was examined. These species differed markedly in terms of leaf, inflorescence, fruit and seed characters. A genetic map of the interspecific cross Coffea liberica × C. canephora was constructed on the basis of 72 BC1 hybrids. Eighty-three AFLP markers, four inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and five microsatellites corresponding to Coffea liberica species-specific markers were mapped into 16 linkage groups. The total length of the map was 1502.5 cM, with an average of 16.3 cM between markers and an estimated genome coverage of 81%. The two species were evaluated relative to 16 quantitative traits and found to be significantly different for 15 of them. Eight QTLs were detected, associated with variations in petiole length, leaf area, number of flowers per inflorescence, fruit shape, fruit disc diameter, seed shape and seed length. Results on segregation distortion and the under-representation of particular markers were interpreted in terms of genome differentiation. The implications for the introgression of QTLs involved in advantageous morphological traits (number of flowers per inflorescence, fruit and seed shape) are discussed.     

水稻株高突变系的农艺性状与抗倒伏研究

以14个水稻日本晴株高突变体近等位系为材料,研究了株高对水稻农艺性状和抗倒伏能力的影响。结果表明:株高与穗长、节间3长、重心高度、主茎鲜重、主茎干重、千粒重、单株生产力和生物产量呈极显著正相关,与节间2长呈显著正相关;同时株高与倒伏关系密切,与倒伏指数呈极显著正相关,与弯曲力矩、秆型指数呈显著或极显著负相关。农艺性状与抗倒伏相关性显示,穗长、重心高度、基部节间长(第1、2节间)、主茎鲜重及干重、结实率、千粒重、单株生产力和生物产量等对植株的抗倒伏性影响较大。     

低磷胁迫下溶液培养大豆生长和磷素营养特性及其与土培下磷效率特性的关系

采用无磷 (P0 )和低磷 (P1 )溶液培养方法 ,对 1 9份经田间和盆栽土培试验中磷效率特性表现不同的大豆基因型进行研究 ,探讨低磷溶液培养条件下大豆基因型生长和磷素营养特性及其与土培条件下磷效率特性的关系。结果表明 ,在低磷溶液培养下 ,不同大豆基因型吸收溶液中可溶性磷的能力存在差异 ,吸收的磷量可达到自身固有磷量的 5 %～ 80 %左右。土培条件下磷效率比值相对值较小 (即在酸性红壤耕地上适应性较好 )的基因型 ,在低磷溶液培养下 ,不同基因型吸收溶液中可溶性磷的能力有强有弱 ;而磷效率比值相对值较大 (即在酸性红壤耕地上适应性较差 )的基因型 ,亦有相似的表现。低磷处理的不同大豆基因型植株鲜重净增量为无磷处理的 17.79%～99.09% ,植株干重净增量为 15.64 %～11.6 67%。无磷处理的植株干、鲜生物量 ,地上部干、鲜量 ,磷效率比值和低磷处理的磷效率比值以及种子重与土培条件下大豆基因型磷效率比值相对值呈显著、极显著正相关。     

磷供应水平对大豆不同生育期磷铁比及光合效率的调节

[目的]明确磷(P)不同供应水平对大豆生理性状的影响及其基因型差异,以及这些性状对单株粒重的影响,为磷肥的合理施用提供理论依据.[方法]水培试验以Hoagland营养液为基础,设置4个磷供应水平处理,分别为0(CK)、100、500和1000μmol/L.供试大豆为6个磷高效基因型和6个磷低效基因型.在大豆生长的始花期...     

Variation in shoot and root characteristics and their association with drought tolerance in lentil landraces

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris), generally grown as a rainfed crop, is often subjected to drought. Drought tolerance is closely related to the distribution of root systems in the soil. We studied seedling shoot and root characters in a set of eight randomly selected lentil genotypes collected from Ethiopia, India, Iran, Syria and ICARDA. Each group of genotypes represents a specific adaptation to the environmental conditions associated with its area of origin. The genotypes were evaluated during two seasons (1997 –1999) under field conditions. Thirty-five-day-old seedlings grown in pots in the open air were assessed for stem length, stem weight, taproot length, lateral root number, total root length and total root weight. Combined analyses over 2 years showed that these characters exhibited significant genotypic variability. Stem length, taproot length and lateral root number were highly correlated, both amongst themselves and with yield. High heritability estimates provided reliability in screening based on these traits. Regression analysis showed that stem length alone accounted for 85% of the variance that occurred in seed yield per plant. Cluster analysis showed that the landraces that originated in Iran and Syria, and the breeding lines developed at ICARDA are distinctly different from the lentil accessions that originated in countries at more southerly latitudes (India and Ethiopia). However, of the total of 40 genotypes, only one line (ILL 6002) was strikingly different from all other test genotypes. This line exhibited significantly superior root and shoot traits and yield, and, therefore, is a valuable germplasm for breeding drought tolerant cultivars.     

Separation,characterization, and quantitation of benzoic and phenolic antioxidants in American cranberry fruit by GC-MS

A GC-MS method is reported for separation and characterization of widely different amounts of benzoic and phenolic acids as their trimethylsilyl derivatives simultaneously in cranberry. Fifteen benzoic and phenolic acids (benzoic, o-hydroxybenzoic, cinnamic, m-hydroxybenzoic, p-hydroxybenzoic, p-hydroxyphenyl acetic, phthalic, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic, vanillic, o-hydroxycinnamic, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric, ferulic, caffeic, and sinapic acid) were identified in cranberry fruit in their free and bound forms on the basis of GC retention times and simultaneously recorded mass spectra. Except for benzoic, p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic, and sinapic acids, 10 other phenolic acids identified have not been reported in cranberry before. The quantitation of the identified components was based on total ion current (TIC). The experimental results indicated cranberry fruit contains a high content of benzoic and phenolic acids (5.7 g/kg fresh weight) with benzoic acid being the most abundant (4.7 g/kg fresh weight). The next most abundant are p-coumaric (0.25 g/kg fresh weight) and sinapic (0.21 g/kg fresh weight) acid. Benzoic and phenolic acids occur mainly in bound forms and only about 10% occurs as free acid.     

Correlation and path coefficient analyses of qualitative and quantitative traits in selected bottle gourd landraces

Knowledge on associations between yield and related traits is vital to improve selection efficiency in cultivar improvement. This study determined the relationships among qualitative and quantitative traits in bottle gourd landraces using simple correlation and path analyses. Results showed significant and positive correlations between the number of fruits per plant (NFPP) with number of male flowers (NMF), number of female flowers (NFF), plant height (PHT) and number of branches (NB). Number of seeds per fruit (NSPF) positively correlated with PHT, NMF, NFF, NB and fruit weight (FW). Fruit texture, degree of warts (DW), fruit shape (FS), and degree of neck bending, stem-end fruit shape and fruit neck length (FNL) had significant negative correlations with NFPP or NSPF. Path analysis revealed high direct path coefficient value (0.96) between FW and NSPF. Also, positive direct path coefficient value (0.92) was exhibited between NFF and NFPP. Relatively high direct path coefficient value (0.47) was exhibited between DW and NSPF. This study demonstrated that selection for increased FW and NFF may improve genetic gain in seed yield and fruit yield in bottle gourd breeding. Using the above analyses, the following landraces such as BG-06, BG-07, BG-09, BG-11, BG-13, BG-24 and BG-67 were selected for breeding.     

GENETICALLY MODIFIED AND CONVENTIONAL DRY BEAN GENOTYPE RESPONSES TO SOIL FERTILITY

Dry bean is important pulse for the diet of South American population and results related to comparison of genetically modified and conventional dry bean genotypes to soil fertility are limited. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to compare genetically modified and conventional dry bean genotypes to soil fertility. Genotypes evaluated were Olathe Pinto, Olathe 5.1 (genetically modified), BRS Pontal, BRS Pontal 5.1 (genetically modified), Pérola and Pérola 5.1 (genetically modified). Fertility levels were 1 g fertilizer (5-30-15) kg^?1 soil (low fertility level) and 2 g fertilizer (5-30-15) per kg soil (high fertility level). These fertility levels were designated as low and high, respectively. Grain yield, number of pods per plants, and seed per pod were significantly increased with the increase in soil fertility. Shoot dry weight, seed per pod, and 100 seed weight were also significantly influenced by genotype treatment. Fertility X genotypes interaction was significant for maximum root length and root dry weight, indicating genotypes responded differently at two fertility levels in relations to these two traits. Shoot dry weight, number of pods per plant, and grain harvest index had significant association with grain yield, indicating that increase in these three traits grain yield can be increased. Grain yield efficiency index (GYEI) was having significant linear association with grain yield. Hence, on the basis of GYEI, genotypes were classified as efficient (E), moderately efficient (ME), and inefficient in nutrient use. Three conventional genotypes (Olathe Pinto, BRS Pontal and Pérola) and one genetically modified genotype (Olathe Pinto 5.1) were classified as moderately efficient and two genetically modified genotypes (Pérola 5.1 and BRS Pontal 5.1) were classified as efficient. None of the genotypes fall into the inefficient group.     

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.     

品种及种苗规格对当归成药期质量和经济效益的影响

当归是甘肃省定西市品牌大宗道地药材之一,但生产中的早薹问题导致其成药期质量下降,已成为制约当地当归产业发展的最大瓶颈。为了筛选出适宜在当地种植的最佳当归品种和种苗,以岷归系列品种为试材,采用二因素随机区组设计,研究了不同当归品种及其种苗规格对成药期当归质量和经济收益的影响。结果表明,选择移栽单株鲜重约0.7 g、主根长7.1 cm、侧根数少于0.2条/株的岷归4号种苗,是最适宜获得当归主要农艺性状较优、早薹率低、抗病性较强、产量及经济收益高的种植方案。应用该种苗种植时,当归单株鲜根重最重,为69.3 g;鲜根折合产量最高,为11 800.0 kg/hm2;经济纯收益最高,为67 600.0元/hm2;产投比最优,为21.1元/元。建议在定西地区及类似区立地条件下,优先选择岷归4号小种苗。