Genetic diversity of some surviving on-farm Italian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces

This study was undertaken to estimate the level of variation among and within 33 local populations belonging to seven Italian common bean landraces, by analysing the polymorphism of seed storage proteins, simple sequence repeat (SSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) molecular markers. The nutritional seed quality of the landraces studied was also investigated. Results showed that the landraces retain a considerable level of heterogeneity. Use of both biochemical and molecular approaches provided a picture of the genetic diversity of each landrace. Cluster analyses based on Nei's genetic distances and Jaccard's similarity index as defined by SSR and AFLP markers, respectively, showed that all populations clustered into two groups corresponding to the Andean and the Mesoamerican gene pools. Knowledge of the genetic structure of a landrace is fundamental in elaborating strategies, which involve the local farmers, allowing us to improve and, at the same time, safeguard the genetic integrity of landrace genetic resources.     

Genetic variation among lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) landraces from Southeast Turkey

The molecular characterization of cultivated plant genepools is of foremost importance for germplasm utilization in plant breeding. However, no comprehensive genetic fingerprinting of Turkish lentil landraces existed so far. To overcome this gap, 38 lentil landraces from southeast Turkey, together with six commercial varieties, were molecularly characterized using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) molecular markers. The ISSR analysis, performed with 14 primers, yielded 105 polymorphic bands and the AFLP analysis, carried out with six primer combinations, amplified 119 polymorphic fragments. Even though the AFLP produced more bands per primer combinations, the ISSR detected more polymorphisms. Unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means dendrograms based on Jaccard similarities obtained from three data sets: (i) ISSR, (ii) AFLP and (iii) combined ISSR and AFLP data, were similar and separated the landraces into two main groups. Turkish lentil landraces exhibited considerable genetic diversity. One landrace from Karacadag/Diyarbakir region was significantly different from the rest of the germplasm analysed. Jaccard distances highlighted sharp differences among landraces over short geographic distances. The knowledge of regional differentiation has practical utility in the management of germplasm and in breeding programmes.     

河北水稻地方种质品质多样性分析

为了揭示河北水稻地方种质资源品质性状遗传多样性,采用多样性指数、主成分分析、聚类分析等方法对收集的109份河北水稻地方种质15个品质性状进行了遗传多样性评价。结果表明：河北水稻地方种质存在丰富的遗传多样性。15个品质性状平均变异系数为23.03%,平均多样性指数为1.92。垩白粒率、垩白度、粒长、蛋白质含量、米饭硬度5个性状多样性指数大于2,表明这些河北水稻地方种质在这些性状上遗传变异丰富。根据主成分分析,15个品质性状可归纳成为4个主成分因子,其累积贡献率包含了15个变量83.04％的信息。米饭食味、直链淀粉含量、精米率、垩白度是影响河北水稻地方种质品质的主要因素。采用4个主成分因子欧式距离聚类分析结果表明,在遗传距离D=16.5处,可以将109份地方种质分为4类,但不同来源的河北地方水稻种质交错分布聚类。本研究为河北地方水稻种质的利用提供了科学依据。     

Potential loss of unique genetic diversity in tomato landraces by genetic colonization of modern cultivars at a non-center of origin

We report the genetic diversity of tomato landraces from Myanmar, with reference to worldwide tomato accessions. Ten simple sequence repeat markers were screened and used to create diversity profiles of tomato germplasm. A total of 133 alleles were amplified from the germplasm investigated; alleles specific to landraces from Myanmar were also observed. Higher genetic diversity for the Myanmar landraces highlighted the broad genetic base of tomato germplasm. Principal component analysis showed that most of the Myanmar landraces were divergent from other accessions. The different approaches used to analyse landrace diversity documented the broader genetic base of germplasm from Myanmar, which is a non‐center of origin for tomato. Genetic diversity in the landraces may be attributable to diverse production systems used by different ethnic groups in Myanmar, ranging from natural hydroponics in eastern areas, to slash‐and‐burn fields in mountain areas and shifting cultivation in many parts of the country. The availability of uniform and high‐yielding cultivars/hybrids threatens the valuable landraces in Myanmar. We emphasize the need to evaluate tomato germplasm from Myanmar for different traits and sustainable use with simultaneous conservation.     

Landraces: A review of definitions and classifications

The first reference to landraces as genetic resources dates from 1890. Some 20 years later the first definitions of a landrace were published. In the period 1909–1952 several definitions of the term landrace have been presented. No definitions were discovered in articles published in the period 1953–1974. The reason could be that after the Second World War attention of plant breeders and others was focussed on making instant progress. New definitions have been presented since 1974. Genetically related landraces form a landrace group. Synonyms of the term landrace and landrace group as cited in the literature are also given. The classification of types of landraces given by Mayr in 1934 had been discussed and an amended classification provided, paying attention to contamination caused by seed change. As a landrace has a complex and indefinable nature an all-embracing definition cannot be given. However, I suggest the following: an autochthonous landrace is a variety with a high capacity to tolerate biotic and abiotic stress, resulting in a high yield stability and an intermediate yield level under a low input agricultural system. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Performance and Variability of Local Barley Landraces in Near-Eastern Environments

Homozygous lines from six Syrian and two Jordanian landrace populations were tested under highly productive growing conditions in Tel Hadia (1982/83), under drought stress in Breda (1983/84), and under dryland salinity stress in Hegla (1982/83/84) in Syria. Mean grain yield levels ranged between 260 kg/ha and 4850 kg/ha. Under drought and salinity stress, the majority of the landrace lines out-yielded the best cheeks significantly. In Tel Hadia the check cultivars mostly outyielded the landrace lines, but not always significantly. In all environments the harvest index of the landrace lines was near the optimum for barley. They expressed intermediate plant height and time to flowering, high lodging susceptibility under favorable growing conditions, high protein content, and a wide range of yield component combinations. In the stress environments highly significant genetic variation among the landrace lines was found. The heritabilities for gram yield were high in these trials. The correlations between performance under stress and under favorable growing conditions were poor. Therefore, the largest gains for variety improvement for the Syrian steppe area are expected from direct selection under stress conditions. Unique responses in proline accumulation and germination patterns in saline solution indicated specific adaptation in this material. These landraces, thus, are a useful source of breeding material, which also widens the genetic base of the present breeding program.     

Farmers' seed management practices open up new base populations for pearl millet breeding in a semi-arid zone of India

Farmers in western Rajasthan (north‐west India) produce and maintain their landrace populations of pearl millet through their own distinct seed management practices. The objective of this study was to characterize morphological and agronomic variability of different traits between and within three farmers' populations using quantitative‐genetic parameters. Populations examined were a typical landrace and two modified landraces, which were generated through farmer introgression of modern varieties with different levels of subsequent selection. From these three populations, 100 random full‐sib progenies were evaluated in field trials at two locations in western Rajasthan over two years. Significant genetic variation existed within the three populations. Estimates of heritability were moderate to high for all observed traits. Predicted selection response for grain yield across environments was 1.6% for the typical landrace and 2.2% for both the modified landraces. Results suggest that the introgression of modern varieties into landraces had increased the genetic diversity. Therefore, farmers' current breeding activities could open up new resources for plant breeding programmes aiming at plant improvement for the semiarid zones of India.     

Root Phenotyping For Drought Tolerance in Bean Landraces From Calabria (Italy)

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is cultivated throughout Latin America and Africa, and for the European community, in Italy and Spain, areas are mainly subjected to drought stress which is predict to worsen by regional climatic models. The aims of this work were to identify the drought‐tolerant and drought‐sensitive bean landraces using drought tolerance and phenotypic plasticity indexes and to dissect the root morphological and 2D‐architecture traits related to drought tolerance. Thirty‐one landraces from diverse gene pools and areas of the Calabria region (South Italy), with different habits and morphological traits, were screened for drought tolerance in a hydroponic system. Root phenotyping was conducted by image analysis. Drought tolerance screening identified two landraces as drought tolerant and sensitive, respectively. Under drought stress, the drought‐tolerant landrace exhibited several interesting root traits such as a higher root length, surface area and, above all, the fineness of the whole root systems and, with emphasis, of the higher order roots. Drought stress induced plastic root responses in both bean landraces but with contrasting patterns. The drought‐tolerant landrace exhibited a dimorphic‐rooted strategy, which could be included in future utility for bean breeding programmes in drought‐prone environments.     

Performance of landraces, exotic elite populations and their crosses in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in drought and non-drought conditions

The crop cultivars targeted for drought prone areas need to combine drought tolerance and high yield. The present study was conducted to assess the performance of three selected pearl millet landraces, four exotic elite populations and their 12 crosses. They were evaluated for yield, yield components and a drought susceptibility index that was calculated using yield data from drought and non‐drought environments. In the non‐drought season, the exotic populations had significantly higher grain yield than landraces. However, in the severe drought season, the landraces produced significantly greater biomass, grain and stover yields than elite populations. There was a strong relation between panicle size and ability to produce panicles and delay in flowering under severe stress. The biomass and stover yield of crosses was significantly better than parental populations under both drought stress and near‐optimum conditions. The elite populations were most sensitive to drought while crosses were as drought tolerant as landraces because they combined larger panicle size of exotics and lesser delay in flowering of landraces. The results indicated that it is possible to combine drought adaptation with high yield potential through hybridization between adapted landraces and elite genetic materials.     

Spanish barley landraces outperform modern cultivars at low‐productivity sites

Barley landraces from the western Mediterranean area have not been thoroughly exploited by modern breeding. This study aims at assessing the agronomic value of a core collection of lines derived from landraces of Spanish origin and to compare them with sets of successful old and modern cultivars. The agronomic performance of a set of 175 barley genotypes, comprising 159 landrace‐derived lines and 26 cultivars, was evaluated in a series of 10 field trials, carried out over 3 years and several locations. The most relevant trait of the landraces was higher grain yield at low production sites than cultivars, which may be related with better ability to fill the grain under stressful conditions. On the other hand, lateness, excessive plant height and lodging were negative traits frequently found in the landraces. Large genotype‐by‐environment interaction (GEI) for grain yield was detected, related partly with differences between germplasm groups, probably indicating local adaptation. GEI was also associated with the interaction of heading time and powdery mildew resistance with temperature.     

Line selection for exploiting durum wheat (T. turgidum L. var. durum) local landraces in modern variety development program

Summary Pure line selection for grain yield applied within four durum wheat local landraces (Triticum turgidum L. var durum) was studied in an effort to determine: (i) the agronomic performance of selected line mixtures (bulks) and their value as potential new cultivars, (ii) the effectiveness of pure line selection for grain yield within local landraces and (iii) the correlated selection response of yield components and kernel quality traits. Four local durum wheat landraces were used. Two of them, Mytilini-1 and Mytilini-2 are still cropped in some rural areas of the island Mytilini whereas the other two, Limnos and Mavragani are maintained in the Greek Gene Bank. Following their preliminary evaluation for agronomic performance under current growing conditions, 100 individual plants from each landrace were randomly selected. Selected plants (pure lines) were field evaluated head to row during 1997–98 and 1998–99 growing seasons. Based on grain yield performance, bidirectional selection, high vs low, was practised within each landrace. Thus the five higher yielding lines and their corresponding lower ones from each landrace were identified. Selected lines, with no further progeny testing, were pooled using a balanced seed composite to form the high yielding five line bulk and its respective low counterpart. The resulting 16 bulks (eight high and eight low) along with their four source landraces and two commercial varieties, Mexicalli and Simmeto, used as checks, entered field testing for agronomic performance in two and one location during 1999–00 and 2000–01 growing seasons respectively. Data for grain yield and yield components (1000 kernel weight, number of kernels, and productive tillers) along with kernel quality data (protein content and vitreous) were recorded. Data for grain yield indicated that the landraces studied seemed to be line mixtures, as expected, since they responded to bidirectional phenotypic pure line selection. The high yielding bulks were of interesting agronomic performance, equivalent to or significantly better than that of the commercial checks and are worth further testing as potential cultivars. Selected high bulks of Mytilini 2 landrace significantly outyielded both the source landrace and the commercial checks maintaining the high protein content of the source landrace, which was significantly higher than checks. This performance provides evidence that the within landraces selection of lines combining high grain yield with high protein content seems to be feasible. In conclusion, evidence is presented that genetic variability seems to be available within the landraces studied which could be worth using in breeding programs. Furthermore the simple pure line selection breeding effort undertaken seemed to be effective in developing line bulks with promising performance and worth further testing as potential cultivars.     

Diversity and population structure of black soybean landraces originating from Tanba and neighboring regions

Black soybean landraces that had been cultivated in Tanba region and the neighboring regions and conserved black soybean landraces, including those from other regions in Japan, were used in this study. The polymorphisms of 78 SSR markers in nuclear DNA and 6 SSRs in chloroplast DNA were analyzed in the black soybean landrace populations. The result of phylogenic analysis revealed that the black soybeans can be classified into six clades. The landraces originating from Tanba region were classed into first and second clades, and two chloroplast genotypes were found in the population of black soybeans from the Tanba region. Genotype A chloroplast was predominantly identified in major populations of the Tanba, while genotype B was widely distributed in the black soybean population. Population structure analysis in the Japanese black soybean accessions inferred there are six groups. The black soybean landrace from the Tanba region was classified into three groups, mainly corresponding to the distance-based phylogenic results. The two groups were probably derived from different ancestors with Type A and B chloroplast genomes, respectively, whereas the other group showed both types of chloroplast genome. The admixture situations suggested that the landraces in the main group have been widely cultivated in Tanba region, while the landraces that belong to other groups were cultivated in localized area. Several phenotypes were compared among genotype groups, dividing into two sub-groups: founder sub-group and admixed sub-group. Phenotypic differences were observed between founder landraces in group 1 and group 3. On the other hand, landraces in admixture landraces in group 1 and group 2 segregated for several traits, while founder landraces in group 1 were stabled for each trait. These observations suggest that gene flow events have occurred between different founder landraces.     

Utility of pearl millet landraces in breeding dual-purpose hybrids for arid zone environments of India

In pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.), single cross hybrids based largely on exotic germplasm, have found very limited adoption in drought-prone arid regions mainly due to their inadequate adaptation to prevalent extremely harsh agro-climatic conditions. This study tested the hypothesis that the use of restorer parents derived from adapted landrace germplasm could be an alternative strategy in developing suitable hybrids for arid regions. Forty inbred restorer lines developed from two phenotypically diverse landraces were used to develop hybrids evaluated in this study for their performance in five typical arid zone environments between 2003 and 2007. Inbred lines from both landrace populations differed significantly in their combining ability for biomass, harvest index and grain and stover yields. A larger proportion of experimental hybrids, based on selected inbred lines, significantly outperformed the commercial checks for grain and stover yields. Increase in grain and stover yields was achieved primarily due to their higher biomass productivity, with no decline in harvest index. Choice of landrace determined the relative grain and stover productivity of their hybrids. Phenotypic differences observed in parental landraces in tillering and panicle length were also visible in their respective hybrids, indicating that characteristics of landrace parental populations were transmitted in their hybrids.     

Spanish onion landraces (Allium cepa L.) as sources of germplasm for breeding calçots: a morphological and molecular survey

Calçots are the immature floral stems of second-year resprouts of the ‘Blanca Tardana de Lleida’ (BTL) onion landrace, and to date, breeding has used only a few populations. So, we aimed to increase our knowledge of the variability of BTL and to explore its characteristics and genetic dissimilarity with other varieties that might be used in calçot breeding programs. We analyzed the agronomic and morphological traits of four populations of BTL, two synthetic varieties of BTL, 20 prestigious Spanish landraces, and 4 exotic onion landraces. Furthermore, we used three combinations of AFLP primers and seven microsatellites to analyze their genetic background. The Spanish landraces (including BTL) shared a large part of their genetic background, which showed considerable variability (heterozygosity around 0.5). Morphological traits also had high variability, so multiple breeding strategies can be used, ranging from intravarietal selection to crossings between populations to take advantage of the heterosis, both for the bulb and for the calçot improvement.     

Analysis of Vietnamese rice germplasm provides an insight into Japonica rice differentiation

Genetic differentiation among landraces of rice in northern Vietnam that lie in the centre of genetic diversity of Asian cultivated rice was analysed using DNA markers, and morphological and physiological traits to obtain an insight into the genetic differentiation of Asian rice. Principle coordinate analysis, based on nuclear RFLP data, divided Vietnamese rice varieties into three groups, designated A, B and C. Chloroplast DNA variation discriminated group A, which corresponded to the Indica rice varieties, from both groups B and C, which corresponded to the Japonica rice varieties. Physiological characteristics for Indica‐Japonica and tropical‐temperate Japonica discrimination suggested groups A and B consisted of typical Indica and Japonica varieties, respectively, while the characteristics of group C were distinct from those of the other two groups. This suggests that the genetic differences between groups B and C represent a new aspect of genetic variation that has not been previously reported in Japonica rice. Groups C and B corresponded with upland and lowland rice, respectively. Eight marker loci were associated with upland‐lowland differentiation in Japonica rice. Highlighted chromosomal regions might have been selected during the history of cultivation under different cultural conditions, and thus contain genes related to adaptation.     

Indirect Selection for Root Development of White Clover and Implications for Drought Tolerance

Improving white clover drought tolerance by selecting for more developed roots is controversial, labour‐consuming and complicated by the adventitious root system. This study aimed at assessing: (i) the value of thicker stolons as an indirect selection criterion for increasing root development, (ii) the relationship between root development and drought tolerance, and (iii) the consistency of population response for root and shoot traits between swards derived from seedlings or stolon cuttings. Thick‐ and thin‐stolon populations obtained by one cycle of divergent phenotypic selection within one ladino landrace, and one ladino natural population, were evaluated in metal containers (0.55 m × 0.12 m × 0.75 m deep) in a 1‐year experiment including vegetative material (seedling or stolon cutting) and drought stress (absent or present) as additional factors. Aerial dry weight (DW) was also assessed across two summer harvests under irrigated and rainfed field conditions for the thick‐stolon selection, two breeding populations selected from the same landrace regardless of stolon thickness, and the drought‐tolerant ladino ‘Brown Loam Synthetic no. 2’. The thick‐stolon selection had greater root DW (+21 %) than the thin‐stolon selection besides thicker stolons (+23 %). The natural population combined thinnest stolons with lowest root DW. Differences between populations were consistent across vegetative material. Primary and adventitious root systems did not differ for root DW in deeper soil horizons (>23 cm), above‐ground biomass and its reduction due to drought stress. Root DW increased under stress, particularly in deeper horizons. Aerial DW variation among populations evened up or narrowed much under stress, with no cross‐over interaction leading to an advantage of thick‐stolon material or ‘Brown‐Loam Synthetic no. 2’.     

Drought Responses of Two Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc.) Landraces Collected from a Dry and a Humid Area of Africa

Drought adaptation strategies of two bambara groundnut landraces, Uniswa Red and S19‐3, collected from contrasting environments in Africa, were compared. Our objectives were to investigate the relative significance of effective stomatal control induced by the abscisic acid (ABA) signalling and osmotic adjustment in regulating plant water relations in general for this legume species. The ABA concentration [ABA] in the leaf increased linearly with declining relative leaf water content, and there were significantly higher [ABA] in Uniswa Red compared with S19‐3 at the final harvest in the drought‐stressed plants. Estimated by a linear‐plateau model, S19‐3 initiated the reduction in transpiration at a significantly lower soil water threshold (FTSW = 0.50 ± 0.024) than Uniswa Red (FTSW = 0.69 ± 0.023) indicating that the latter was more sensitive in reducing plant water use in response to soil drying. A similar trend was found for stomatal closure during soil drying, although the soil water thresholds at which relative stomatal conductance (g_s) started to decline were not significantly different between the two landraces. By an early closure of stomata and hence an early reduction in transpiration rate during soil drying, Uniswa Red could be defined as a ‘water‐saver’ such that it maintains leaf water status to a great extent of soil water deficit. This strategy is important for survival during intermittent drought. While S19‐3 could be defined as a ‘water‐spender’ with a late closure of stomata, hence a late declining of transpiration rate during soil drying allowed the landrace to maximize its water use despite giving up its leaf water relations. Such drought response together with a fast phenological development of S19‐3 indicates that the landrace is capable of escaping from terminal drought while maximizing its water use and productivity when soil water is available.     

Diversity in starch, protein and mineral composition of sorghum landrace accessions from Ethiopia

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important food crop in arid and semi-arid tropics where it is grown mainly due to its drought tolerance. In Ethiopia, sorghum is grown in different agro-ecological zones primarily for food. Landraces are widely cultivated in the region due to their adaptation to the growing conditions and other characteristics such as food quality, quantity, and quality of by-products. The objective of this research was to determine the genetic variation in protein, mineral composition, total starch and its components in sorghum landraces collected from the western regions of Ethiopia. Sorghum whole grains were analyzed for crude protein, total starch and its components, and mineral profile (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, zinc, and sodium). The analysis of variance showed significant differences among the sorghum landraces in nutritional composition. There was highly significant correlation between phosphorus and magnesium, and between zinc and phosphorus and protein which indicated that some interaction existed in absorption and translocation between minerals and protein content. The genetic variation found among the sorghum landrace accessions in chemical composition can be exploited in the breeding program.     

低氮胁迫下三峡库区玉米地方品种的苗期植株形态及生理效应

以10个来自三峡库区的玉米地方品种为材料,通过盆栽实验和设置低氮胁迫处理,研究低氮胁迫下玉米地方品种的苗期植株形态和生理效应.结果表明,低氮胁迫对玉米地方品种幼苗植株形态和生理有不同程度的不利影响,不同玉米地方品种的耐低氮特性存在明显差异.不同地方品种的同一植株性状和同一地方品种的不同植株性状的耐低氮胁迫指数存在差异.侧根数、叶面积、根体积和植株干重可作为玉米地方品种耐低氮种质筛选的形态指标,硝酸还原酶活性和丙二醛含量可作为耐低氮种质筛选的生理指标.此外,三峡库区玉米地方品种中有较丰富的耐低氮种质可供玉米育种利用.     

黑龙江省大豆遗传结构及遗传多样性分析

利用22个表型性状和60个微卫星(simple sequence repeat, SSR)位点对黑龙江省140份代表性种质(78份地方品种和62份育成品种)进行分析, 根据UPGMA (unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean)和Model-base对SSR数据进行遗传结构划分。结果表明, 参试品种可分为2大类群, 第II类群的各项多样性指标均高于第I类群, 2个类群遗传距离为0.2427;PCO结果显示这2个类群分布在不同区域, 这与地理来源和育成年代密切有关。依据品种类型分为育成品种和地方品种两组, 后者的各项多样性指标均高于前者, 两组间的遗传距离为0.1131。依据表型数据的PCO分析表明, 分布区域与品种类型有关, 与SSR结构分类的结果吻合度低, 两组品种主要在3个主成分的6个表型性状上有所不同。它们不是2个相对独立的遗传群体, 根据分子标记和表型分类各有特点;建议在种质遗传多样性研究中将分子数据和表型数据结合起来。