A phenotypic diversity analysis of foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.) landraces of Chinese origin

A total of 23 381 foxtail millet landraces of Chinese origin were analysed for seven qualitative traits and four quantitative traits. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index was used to estimate the phenotypic diversity of each characteristic on the basis of administrative provinces and ecogeographical regions. Hierarchical analysis of variance indicated that most of the variation was due to differences among characteristics. Only the diversity indices for leaf color of seedlings, starch composition and 1000-grain weight showed significant differences among regions. In relative terms, a greater genetic divergence was found in some provinces of southern China, where foxtail millet is not a major crop.     

Geographical variation of nuclear genome RFLPs and genetic differentiation in foxtail millet, Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.

Sixteen RFLP loci in 62 landraces were assayed to study geneticdifferentiation in foxtail millet, Setariaitalica (L.) P. Beauv. Among 52 bands, 47 werepolymorphic among foxtail millet landraces. A dendrogram constructedbased on RFLPs was divided into five major clusters (clusterI–V). Clusters I and II contained strains mainly from EastAsia. Cluster III consisted of strains from subtropical and tropicalregions in Asia such as Nansei Islands of Japan, Taiwan and thePhilippines and India and cluster IV consisted of some strains fromEast Asia, a strain from Nepal and a strain from Myanmar. Cluster Vcontained strains from central and western regions of Eurasia such asAfghanstan, Central Asia and Europe. Chinese landraces wereclassified into four clusters. These results indicate that foxtailmillet landraces have differentiated genetically between differentregions and that Chinese landraces were highly variable.     

Beitrag zur Morphologie der Infloreszenzen vonSetaria italica (L.) Beauv.

Zusammenfassung Es werden verschiedene Infloreszenzformen vonSetaria italica (L.) Beauv. vergleichend morphologisch untersucht. Wie der Vergleich mit der Wildsippe,Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. zeigt, ist die Entwicklung zur Kulturart mit verschiedenen progressiven Veränderungen im reproduktiven Bereich des Verzweigungssystems verbunden. Dabei führt die zunehmende Förderung der Infloreszenzhauptachse sowie der Partialinfloreszenzen zu einer Vergrößerung und verstärkten Gliederung der Gesamtinfloreszenz. Daneben werden auch regressive Entwicklungstendenzen sichtbar, die in einer zunchmenden Reduktion des Basis- und Spitzenbereichs der Infloreszenz zum Ausdruck kommen. Die stärkste morphologische Ableitung haben Formen mit einer dichotom verzweigten Infloreszenz erfahren. Die Ausprägung der Infloreszenzmerkmale zeigt eine starke Umweltabhängigkeit.

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Contribution to the morphology of the inflorescences ofSetaria italica (L.) Beauv.

Summary The morphology of different types of inflorescences were investigated in Setaria italica (L.) Beauv. The comparison with the wild species,Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv., shows that the evolution towards the cultivated species is combined with different progressive changes in the reproductive part of the ramification system. Thereby the increasing promotion of the main axis of the inflorescence as well as the partial inflorescences leads to an enlargement and increased articulation of the whole inflorescence. Besides regressive developmental tendencies are also observed, as expressed by increasing reduction of the basis and the top of inflorescence. The greatest deviation is seen in the form with dichotomous branched inflorescences. The characters of the inflorescences depend greatly on the environmental conditions.

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Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.

Setaria italica (L.) Beauv. . Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv., . , . , . . .

     

Volatile Profiles of 13 Foxtail Millet Commercial Cultivars (Setaria italica Beauv.) from China

The volatile components from 13 commercially valuable foxtail millets from China were investigated by means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry combined with simultaneous distillation extraction. A total of 52 volatile compounds were identified in all of the samples: 19 aldehydes, 5 alcohols, 10 ketones, 9 hydrocarbons, 6 benzene derivatives, and 3 others. Here, 23 common constituents were found in all samples. Aldehydes were the predominant volatile components in various cultivars. The importance of each volatile was assessed on the basis of odor thresholds and odor activity values (OAVs). Here, 35 volatile compounds were described using aroma character, and 24 volatile compounds were found to be odor‐active compounds. Another 11 common constituents were found in all samples. The components with the highest OAVs in most cultivars were (E )‐2‐nonenal and (E,E )‐2,4‐decadienal. Most of the other aldehydes also had high OAVs. Some of the ketones, alcohols, benzene derivatives, and other compounds were found to contain an odor‐active compound in several cultivars of foxtail millet. Principal component analysis was employed to evaluate the differences among cultivars. The results demonstrated that the volatile profile based on the OAVs of aroma compounds enabled good differentiation of most cultivars.     

Foxtail millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria italica</Emphasis> (L.) P. Beauv.) in Mazandaran/Northern Iran

Foxtail millet, Setaria italica is still cultivated in Mazandaran (N-Iran). It is used for the preparation of local food and for feeding cage-birds. The cultivated race is convar. moharia, formerly widely grown from Europe to SW Asia. The newly found material allows conclusion with respect to evolution and distribution of this old crop.

不同生态区骨干谷子品种表型鉴定与遗传分析

骨干谷子品种对谷子产业发展发挥了重要的作用,为了解其优异性状遗传基础及利用价值,选用来源于不同生态区的12个骨干谷子品种,进行表型鉴定和遗传差异分析.结果表明,12个来源于不同生态区的骨干品种在株高、穗长、穗粗、穗下节间长、单穗重、生育期以及黄色素含量等方面差异较大.79对SSR多态性标记共检测到258个多态性变异位点...     

Genetic Variation of Blast Resistance in Foxtail Millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria italica</Emphasis> (L.) P. Beauv.) and its Geographic Distribution

To clarify the geographic variation and isolate specificity in blast resistance, 20 cultivars of foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.) originating from Eurasia were examined for their resistance using 11 Japanese Setaria isolates of blast fungus. Cultivars from the countries east of Pakistan generally showed resistance to most of the 11 fungus isolates, whereas those from the countries west of Afghanistan indicated higher susceptibility. The origin of this geographical regularity was discussed in relation to the deficiency or specificity of relevant resistance gene(s). No identical reaction pattern was observed among cultivars, indicating their highly distinctive isolate specificity. The virulence of isolates was also diverse, since only 2 out of 10 virulent isolates were identical for their reaction patterns. Preliminary genetic analysis of blast resistance to four fungus isolates suggests that they are governed by more than two dominant genes.     

谷子硫解酶基因家族鉴定及表达模式分析

硫解酶(thiolase)是脂肪酸代谢的关键酶,在植物次生代谢合成、生长发育以及抵抗非生物胁迫中均发挥重要作用.为探究谷子硫解酶基因家族的基本特征,本研究利用生物信息学方法,对谷子硫解酶基因家族成员进行了鉴定,对蛋白理化性质及系统进化、基因结构、染色体位置、启动子、基因进化进行了分析;采用转录组测序进行了根、茎、叶、穗...     

Genetic diversity and origin of North American green foxtail [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria viridis</Emphasis> (L.) Beauv.] accessions

Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv. and its domesticated form, S. italica (L.) P. Beauv., have been developed over the past few years as model systems for C₄ photosynthesis and for the analysis of bioenergy traits. S. viridis is native to Eurasia, but is now a ubiquitous weed. An analysis of the population structure of a set of 232 S. viridis lines, mostly from North America but also comprising some accessions from around the world, using 11 SSR markers, showed that S. viridis populations in the US largely separate by latitude and/or climatic zone. S. viridis populations from the Northern US and Canada (north of 44°N) group with accessions from Western Europe, while populations in the Mid and Southern US predominantly group with accessions from Turkey and Iran. We hypothesize that S. viridis in the US was most likely introduced from Europe, and that introductions were competitive only in regions that had climatic conditions that were similar to those in the regions of origins. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that Canadian S. viridis lines were fast cycling and undersized when grown in the Mid-Western and Southern US compared to their morphology in their native environment. A comparison of the population structure obtained with 11 SSR markers and ~40,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a common set of S. viridis germplasm showed that both methods essentially yielded the same groupings, although admixture was identified at a higher frequency in the SNP analysis. Small numbers of SSR markers can thus be used effectively to discern the population structure in this inbreeding species.     

Patterns of morpho-phenological and genetic variation of Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P.Beauv. complex in Tunisia

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - The genus&nbsp;Brachypodium&nbsp;is generally considered taxonomically difficult because of the high levels of phenotypic variation and frequent...     

Structure-activity relationship studies of benzoxazinones and related compounds. Phytotoxicity on Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv

Echinochloa crus-galli (E. crus-galli; barnyardgrass) is a weed widely distributed. It constitutes a serious weed problem in 42 countries and has been found in at least 27 more. It is the world's main weed of rice affecting up to 36 crops worldwide. Several biotypes of this plant, with resistance to herbicides with different modes of action have evolved. In our ongoing studies regarding the potential application of benzoxazinones and their soil degradation products for weed control, a complete structure-activity relationships (SARs) study was made by using barnyardgrass as the target plant. Compounds used in this study were previously tested on a wide variety of standard target species (STS), and they include natural allelochemicals 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-4-hydroxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIBOA-Glc), 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIMBOA), and 2,4-dihydroxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIBOA), together with some degradation derivatives found in wheat crop soil and some synthetic analogues. Their phytotoxicity on E. crus-galli is discussed and compared with the results obtained from previous screening. This work constitutes the next step in the search for natural herbicide models based on benzoxazinones and their degradation products. The most active compounds were the degradation product 2-aminophenol (APH) and the synthetic analogue 4-hydroxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (D-DIBOA). Their activities confirm the direction proposed in our previous SAR study, which establishes D-DIBOA to be the best lead for natural herbicide model development with benzoxazinone structure.     

基于RNA-seq的谷子萌芽期抗旱相关基因挖掘与分析

为了明确响应干旱胁迫的关键基因,解析谷子抗旱机制,本研究以谷子抗旱品种山西2010和干旱敏感品种K359*M4-1为材料,应用RNA-seq技术对两个品种干旱胁迫前后萌发期种子进行转录组测定。结果表明,在山西2010和K359*M4-1中分别鉴定出2 300个和3 652个差异表达基因(DEG),包括编码类锌诱导的促进因子、类萌发素蛋白、蛋白磷酸化酶、转运蛋白、胚胎发育晚期丰富蛋白(LEA)、转录因子、过氧化物酶等基因。通过对鉴定到的DEG进行GO和KEGG代谢途径富集分析,发现山西2010和K359*M4-1中的DEG分别富集在52个和21个生物学过程。KEGG 富集分析发现,DEG主要富集在淀粉和蔗糖代谢, 植物激素信号转导,光合作用-天线蛋白,苯丙素生物合成,角质、亚氨酸和蜡生物合成,次生代谢物生物合成等途径。本研究结果为挖掘谷子抗旱关键基因、解析谷子抗旱机制奠定了基础。     

A minute P application contributes to a better establishment of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) seedling in P deficient soils

Many soils of the semi-arid tropics are deficient in P, and under such adverse conditions, the establishment of pearl millet seedlings is a critical step to achieve satisfactory crop stands. Phosphorus fertilizer is expensive for small holder farmers and is only applied at low rates, insufficient to give satisfactory crop stands. Methods are needed to enhance productivity at low rates of application. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a minute application of P at early seedling stage, equivalent to 125–500 g P/ha, would enhance the plant establishment under P-limiting conditions. We measured the minimum application of P needed to elicit a response of different genotypes. Pot experiments were conducted with pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) hybrids to measure the response to P placed close to the root system, 5 days after sowing (DAS), compared with a non-limiting P control (DAP). The placement treatments were 0, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 mg soluble P per seedling, applied as KH₂PO₄ solution. The localized placement of P increased biomass in all three soils tested. In one soil, plant biomass at 1000 μL (1 mg P) reached about 50% of the non limited control. If applied later than 19 DAS the placement had no effect on the plant biomass. Hybrid ICMP 451-P8 was more responsive than hybrid 81B-P6. Placement to 20 inbred lines of pearl millet increased biomass by an average of 105% compared with no placement with large genotypic variation. Although this work was not intended to be a way of applying P fertilizer to pearl millet under field conditions, it showed that applying minute amount of P to pearl millet seedling (equivalent to 125–500 g P/ha) enhanced their establishment and led to improved growth for at least 5–6 weeks after sowing. Further work is in progress to develop a feasible technology for field crops based on the results of this study.     

Salt Stress Induces Accumulation of γ–Aminobutyric Acid in Germinated Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica L.)

Effects of NaCl treatments on sprout length, the contents of soluble protein, free amino acids, and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and on glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) activity in germinated foxtail millet were investigated, and the regulating effects of exogenous Ca²⁺, along with lanthanum chloride (LaCl₃, a specific inhibitor of the Ca²⁺ pathway) and ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA, a chelator of Ca²⁺) under salt stress, on GABA accumulation in germinated millet were examined in this paper. The results showed that NaCl treatments caused a decrease in sprout length of millet. Low concentration of NaCl treatments increased soluble protein content, but high concentration decreased soluble protein content. The level of free amino acids, GAD activity, and GABA content increased significantly under NaCl stress. Exogenous Ca²⁺ application under NaCl stress further increased GAD activity and GABA content; the optimal concentration of Ca²⁺ for GAD activity and GABA accumulation was 5.0mM under 100mM NaCl for 48 hr, at which GABA content was 31.92 mg/100 g, a 1.41‐fold increase as compared with that in seeds under NaCl stress (22.64 mg/100 g). GAD activity and GABA accumulation in germinated millet decreased when treated with LaCl₃ or EGTA under NaCl stress. Our results suggest that salt stress combined with Ca²⁺ treatment may be used for preparation of millet with higher GABA content, which can be used as a natural resource for functional foods.     

Changes in the diversity and geographic distribution of cultivated millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) varieties in Niger between 1976 and 2003

Changes in the diversity of landraces in centres of diversity of cultivated plants need to be assessed in order to monitor and conserve agrobioversity—a key-element of sustainable agriculture. This notably applies in tropical areas where factors such as increased populations, climate change and shifts in cropping systems are hypothesized to cause varietal erosion. To assess varietal erosion of staple crops in a country subjected to various anthropogenic and natural environmental changes, we carried out a study based on a comparison of the diversity of pearl millet and sorghum varieties collected in 79 villages spanning the entire cereal-growing zone of Niger over a 26 year period (1976–2003). For these two crops, the number, name and type of varieties according to important traits for farmers were considered at different spatial scales (country, region, village) at the two collection dates. The results confirmed the high diversity of millet and sorghum varieties in Niger. No erosion of varietal diversity was noted on a national scale during the period covered. Some changes were observed but were limited to the geographical distribution of certain varieties. This highlights that farmers’ management can preserve the diversity of millet and sorghum varieties in Niger despite recurrent and severe drought periods and major social changes. It also indicates that rainfed cereal cropping systems in Niger should remain to be based on millet and sorghum, while reinforcing farmers’ seed systems.     

Development of EST-SSR in foxtail millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria italica</Emphasis>)

The development of EST-SSR in foxtail millet (Setaria italica) for polymorphism and transferability study was reported here. From 1213 EST sequences, 30 SSRs were obtained and primers were designed for 26 SSRs. Among them, four pairs of SSR primers amplified polymorphic products in 12 foxtail millet cultivars and one accession of Setaria viridis, a wild relative of foxtail millet, with 10 alleles detected for the four loci and 2.5 alleles per locus. In addition, ten SSR markers could be transferred to other nine Gramineae species. The putative functions of 11 ESTs containing polymorphic and transferable SSRs were also identified.     

Simultaneous determination of kaempferol and quercetin in Heteropogon Contortus (L.) Beauv. by validated high-performance thin layer chromatography

Presently, the fingerprint analysis of kaempferol and quercetin has been developed simultaneously via High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) from leaves, stem, and inflorescence of Heteropogon contortus. The HPTLC method for kaempferol and quercetin was optimized with the elution of toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid (7:3:0.5 v/v) as a mobile phase. The fingerprint analysis of kaempferol and quercetin was developed at R_f values of 0.39 and 0.24, respectively, and densitometric evaluation was done at 254 nm. The linear regression data for the calibration curve of both the compounds show a good linear relationship in the concentration range of 2–12 nanogram spot^?1. The suggested method has been validated in terms of limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy. Present results show that maximum amount of kaempferol and quercetin is found in leaf extracts (35.80 and 17.01 milligram/gram of dry weight, respectively) of H. contortus.     

Effect of Zn application on its uptake,distribution and concentration of Fe and Cu in finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.]

Zinc (Zn) malnutrition can be alleviated by increasing the dietary Zn intake through Zn biofortification of edible crops. Agronomic and genetic biofortification has been suggested as better option to increase the dietary Zn. In this study, we show considerable genetic variability for seed Zn concentration in six leading finger millet genotypes. External application of Zn resulted in improved Zn concentration in different plant parts; in particular there was significant increase in seed Zn concentration in all genotypes. Though genotypes GPU28 and INDAF5 showed differences in root and shoot Zn at vegetative stage but at reproductive stage there was no significant difference. Apart from that, Zn application increased the seed iron (Fe) concentration with no or minimal effect on copper (Cu) concentration.