Genetic diversity of potato landraces from northwestern Argentina assessed with simple sequence repeats (SSRs)

Andean potato varieties are cultivated in the northwest of Argentina and constitute the most important staple food for the local farmers. The genetic diversity of 155 accessions conserved at the Genebank of Balcarce (INTA) was tested using four microsatellites. Three commercial potato varieties of Tuberosum group and one accession of Curtilobum group were used as outgroups. The presence of bands was scored for each microsatellite and for each accession and the data were analysed by principal coordinate analysis. The polymorphism information content was obtained for each molecular marker from banding patterns. Analysis of molecular variance was carried out with a variable number of accessions for each landrace, from different departments and sites within departments. More than one genotype was detected in the majority of the potato landraces. Some accessions within each landrace did not differentiate. AMOVA revealed that most of the genetic variation occurred among sites within departments and among local varieties. These findings are discussed considering the agricultural practices carried out in the Andean farming system.     

Diversity and distribution patterns of enset landraces in Sidama, Southern Ethiopia

Diversity and distribution of enset landraces (clones) were investigated in 300 randomly selected peasant households at ten different locations in the Sidama region of Ethiopia using presence-or-absence data. A total of 86 named landraces were recorded, making the region an area of remarkably high enset landrace diversity. A substantial fraction of the landraces had a restricted distribution range and low abundance while a number were moderately common with the remaining few being cosmopolitan. Regional distribution was positively correlated with local abundance, such that more widespread landraces were also typically more abundant (r = 0.78, p < .01). Landrace diversity was not evenly distributed throughout the region, the highest diversity being recorded in mountain areas (r = 0.71, p < .05). Farmers exchange planting materials extensively, resulting in a fairly high (up to 70%) coefficient of similarity among sites. Implications for the collection and conservation of enset genetic resources are discussed.     

Patterns of solanidine glycoalkaloid variation in four gene pools of the cultivated potato

Patterns of variation for the solanidine-based glycoalkaloids have been determined for tuber material of genebank accessions of landraces of the cultivated potato and three closely-related wild species. Total levels were low in the cultivated taxa investigated,S. phureja, S. stenotomum, and the tetraploidS. tuberosum in its two formsS. tuberosum ssp.tuberosum andS. tuberosum ssp.andigena. The only solanidine-based glycolkaloids found in the tubers investigated in this study were-solanine and-chaconine, with one additional related compound, dehydrocommersonine, found in tubers of an accession ofS. canasense. The ratio of chaconine : solanine differed markedly from a mean of 0.98 inS. phureja to 2.28 in ChileanS. tuberosum ssp.tuberosum. The chaconine : solanine ratio was relatively constant within these two taxa, reflecting their relatively narrow genetic bases, but was much more variable within the taxa regarded as ancestral,S. stenotomum andS. tuberosum ssp.andigena. The wild speciesS. sparsipilum has been implicated in the origin of the tetraploid potato,S. tuberosum, but there was no support for this from the patterns of variation in chaconine : solanine ratio. The cline of chaconine : solanine ratios in cultivated potatoes along the spine of S. America does not appear to relate to the influence of local wild species through introgression, but may instead reflect differing selective pressures acting in different parts of the native range of the cultivated potato.     

Diversity, distribution and management of yam landraces (Dioscorea spp.) in Southern Ethiopia

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is widely grown in many parts of Ethiopia and plays a vital role in local subsistence. Nevertheless, its diversity has not been studied in detail. A survey covering 339 farm households and eight districts was conducted in the major yam growing regions of Southern Ethiopia to investigate the diversity and distribution of yam landraces using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. A total of 37 named landraces were recorded, with a range from one to six (mean 2.9) on individual farms. Farmers’ decisions regarding the number and type of landraces maintained was influenced by tolerance of the landraces to drought, their maturity time and market demand. Most landraces had limited abundance and distribution, and only a few dominant landraces were widely grown. There was also variation amongst districts with respect to diversity, distribution and abundance of the landraces found. In the majority of the localities surveyed, farmers reported a decreasing trend in the number of landraces maintained on individual farms and in the overall yam production. Besides, in those limited areas where yam production is expanding, farmers are increasingly relying on a few selected landraces that mature early. Findings of this study suggest that local farmers in Wolayita and Gamo-Gofa zones maintain considerable yam diversity that remains to be further explored for sustainable utilization and conservation of the available genetic resources.     

Genetic relationships and diversity among Brazilian cultivars and landraces of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) revealed by AFLP markers

The genetic variation and relationships among 31 accessions of Phaseolus vulgaris L., and two representatives of Vigna unguiculata L., were evaluated by AFLP analysis. A total of 263 DNA fragments across all materials were scored using nine primer combinations, averaging 32 per primer. More than 95% of the amplification products showed polymorphism, indicating high variation at the DNA level among these accessions. Pair-wise genetic similarity (Jaccard's coefficient) ranged from 0.553 to 0.840, with a mean of 0.765. Twenty-three accessions (70%) clustered into three groups. A majority of the commercial cultivars (91%) clustered within a single group, whereas the landraces were distributed along all the variation. An apparent correlation with phaseolin types was detected. Results of this study suggest that Brazilian landraces truly represent the overall genetic variability of Phaseolus vulgaris, confirming the multiple origins of these materials, and their potential as a source of variation for breeding programs.     

Dynamics of mineral nitrogen in soils supporting potato crops

Following application of fertiliser-N to the seedbed of potato crops, concentrations of extracted mineral-N were up to 3 times greater than would be anticipated by calculation. The rates at which both NO ₃ ^– -N and NH ₄ ⁺ -N apparently appeared and disappeared in the soil solution were, at various times, also much greater than could be attributable to any transformations resulting from microbial activity. This suggests that the involvement of other factors in this phenomenon must be considered. The effect of certain physical parameters such as water movement, resulting from capillary action and evaporation from the soil surface, may be implicated. We suggest that soil microbes are not directly involved in the early fate of fertiliser-N, primarily due to C-limitation in arable soils. N dynamics in fertilised potato systems require further studies targeting the relationships between nutrient concentrations in soil solution and mass flow of soil water.     

Crossability relationships between the common potato, Solanum tuberosum spp. tuberosum, and its wild diploid relatives S. kurtzianum and S. ruiz-lealii

The common potato, Solanum tuberosum spp. tuberosum (tbr), is a tetraploid species with a narrow genetic base, but with a large number of related species that harbor great genetic diversity for numerous characters of agronomic interest. S. kurtzianum (ktz) and S. ruiz-lealii (rzl) are wild diploid relatives with potential resistance to adverse biotic and abiotic factors. To evaluate if this wild germplasm can be incorporated by conventional crosses into the tbr gene pool, pollen-pistil compatibility relations and seed set in interspecific crosses with tbr were investigated. In 4x tbr × 2x ktz crosses and the reciprocals, 89% and 52.2% of genotypic combinations (respectively) were compatible at the pollen-pistil level. Seeds were obtained from some genotypic combinations in both directions of the cross, suggesting that functional 2n gametes might be produced by particular ktz genotypes. In 2x rzl × 4x tbr crosses and their reciprocals, 35% and 11.7% (respectively) of the genotypic combinations were compatible at the pollen-pistil level, but no seeds were obtained. These results indicate that the reproductive isolation between 4x tbr and 2x ktz is incomplete, and that gene exchange between them is feasible. Moreover, further studies will have to be carried out with rzl to ascertain its crossability with 4x tbr.     

Increase of potato genetic resources in their center of diversity: the role of natural outcrossing and selection by the Andean farmer

Summary The Andean farmer conserves and maintains the existing genetic diversity of potato cultivars by means of clonal propagation of tubers. However, surveys of traditional farms showed that botanical seed propagation was used for disease elimination, stock rejuvenation and the creation of new cultivars. Electrophoretic surveys based on 542 tubers collected from 18 markets sampled in the Cusco area disclosed a total of 229 different cultivars from diploid, triploid and tetraploid forms of Solanum tuberosum L. These could be classified by isozyme cluster analysis into four major groups and six minor groups. However, they did not agree with groups based on flesh or skin color. It is therefore concluded that all genotypes belong to a single, large gene pool with considerable gene flow between cultivars of different groups. When the samples were grouped by the three most common tuber skin colors, namely red/pink (Q'ompis type), purple (Yana Imilla type), and yellowish/brown (Yuraq Kusi type), similar allozymes were observed in all three classes. The structure of the isozymic phenotypes within each group indicate that they may have been derived as segregants after outcrossing of diverse parental types. In order to provide further evidence for the origin of new types by hybridization, two segregating diploid progenies were generated by crossing purple by yellow skin types. In the resulting F₁, most of the tuber phenotypes observed in the Andean varieties were reproduced in these crosses. It can be concluded that the Andean potatoes form a large and plastic gene pool amplified and renovated by outcrossing followed in some cases by human selection of desirable phenotypes.     

Protein heterogeneity in European wheat landraces and obsolete cultivars: Additional information

The objective of this study was to determine the composition of high molecular weight glutenin subunits of landraces and obsolete cultivars. Altogether glutenin profiles of 67 European wheats were analyzed by sodiumdodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Nineteen of them were observed to be homogeneous, whereas 48 (71%) were heterogeneous in glutenin profiles. Heterogeneous accessions possessed from 2 to 9 different glutenin phenotypes. Seventeen high molecular weight (HMW)-glutenin subunits have been found, three belonged to Glu-1A, 11 to Glu-1B, and three to Glu-1D locus. The most frequented HMW-GS at the Glu-A1, Glu-B1, and Glu-D1 complex loci were 0, 7+9, and 2+12, respectively. However, allele low frequented in wheat such as 13+16, 20, 6, 7, 8, and 9 were observed also. Furthermore, other new alleles encoding HMW-GS at the locus Glu-1B with relative molecular weight 120 and 104 kDa have been found in one of the line of the Swedish cultivar Kotte. TheGlu-1 quality score in the examined accessions varied broadly with some lines reaching the maximum value of 10.     

Diversity in landraces of summer squash from Jordan

Summary Forty one half-sib families of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) landraces collected from Jordan were evaluated for 17 morphological and horticultural traits at the Agricultural Experimental Station in the Jordan Valley. A large diversity both within and among families was observed for many traits including plant growth, flowering and sex expression, colour of photosynthetic organs, fruit shape and fruit number per plant. Correlation coefficients were significant among many useful traits. The possible utilization of germplasm collections is discussed.     

The effect of autumn ridging and inter-row subsoiling on potato tuber yield and quality on a sandy soil in Denmark

Autumn ridging is a modified version of the ridge tillage system. Instead of setting up ridges during the growing season, they are established in autumn and left for the winter. Previous studies have documented positive effects of autumn ridging on potato yield and we hypothesized that subsoiling could enhance these effects. To determine the effect of autumn ridging and inter-row subsoiling on potato yield and quality a field experiment was conducted on sandy soil from 2001 to 2003. Autumn ridging resulted in an average total and marketable tuber yield of 25.6 and 9.2 t ha⁻¹, which was not significantly different from the average total and marketable yield of 25.6 and 8.9 t ha⁻¹ with ploughing. However, autumn ridging significantly reduced the incidence of black scurf from 2.5% to 2.2%. Inter-row subsoiling in the growing season significantly increased marketable potato tuber yield from 8.4 to 9.6 t ha⁻¹ and reduced the occurrence of malformed potatoes from 9.3% to 7.5%, irrespective of tillage treatment and irrigation level. There was no significant interaction between autumn ridging and subsoiling. The beneficial effect of subsoiling on marketable yield was driven by a 48.5% increase in the dry year of 2001. Subsoiling reduced the incidence of common scab from 7.8% to 6.9% when irrigation was reduced. It is concluded that at least three factors may modify the effects of subsoiling: Soil water status in the growing season, precipitation immediately before and after the subsoiling operation, and crop growth stage at the time of subsoiling.     

Analyses of the seed protein contents on the cultivated and wild buckwheat <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagopyrum esculentum</Emphasis> resources

The seed protein contents of 179 accessions belonging to ten species of genus Fagopyrum were determined by means of the Kjeldahl method. The results indicated that there are significant differences of seed protein content among different accessions within the same species. The average protein content of F. esculentum is 12.94%, ranging from 8.81–18.71%, and the protein content of Sibano is the highest, up to 18.71%, Gantian 1 the lowest with 8.81%. The average protein content of tartary buckwheat is 12.17%, with the range from 7.82–18.94%, and the protein content of cultivated tartary buckwheat Qianku 2 is the highest (18.59%), and that of Ganku 1 (7.82%) the lowest. Moreover, there are significant differences of seed protein content among different buckwheat species and between the different buckwheat types (between common buckwheat and tartary buckwheat, between the diploid and the tetraploid, between the cultivated and the wild, and between the big-achene group and the small-achene group). The average seed protein content of F. giganteum is the highest in all tested species, up to 17.81% with the range of 13.91–21.27%, and that of F. callianthum the lowest, only 8.31%. This study was financed by the Natural Science Foundation of China (30270852, 30471116), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-2004-0913), Guizhou Key International Cooperation Project (Qianke Hewai G Zi 2005#400108), Guizhou Oversea Talent Project (Qianren Xiangmu Zizhu Hetong 2004#02), and Key Project of Students in Guizhou Normal University (GNU-SP-2005-SJXY-A01)     

Diversity of Nordic Landrace Potatoes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum tuberosum</Emphasis> L.) Revealed by AFLPs and Morphological Characters

The management of genebank collections of cultivated potato is costly due to the need for in vitro maintenance and virus eradication. Therefore, it is important to set up conservation strategies, which prevent duplicates entering the collections. In this study, 32 Nordic potato landraces were studied for 57 morphological traits and analysed for amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Most landraces could be distinguished based on the morphological characters, except five accessions. Using five primer combinations to generate 114 reproducible AFLPs, of which 63 (55%) were polymorphic, the five morphologically indistinguishable accessions were placed into two groups with identical AFLP patterns, suggesting that some of the accessions were redundant for long-term preservation. The AFLP data showed that the Nordic collection of potato landraces is composed of genetically different clones, and morphological analysis revealed a wide range of variability. This variability seems to be distributed randomly over the Nordic region since the cluster analysis based on AFLPs and morphological traits revealed no grouping based on the country of origin. Principal component analysis suggests that fewer morphological traits than used in this study will be sufficient to discriminate between different genotypes of cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Future possibilities for rationalising potato collections are discussed.     

Seed protein diversity in Solanum melongena L. and its wild and weedy relatives

Seed protein profiles by SDS-PAGE were studied in 72 accessions ofSolanum melongena L. and its related taxa in subgenusLeptostemonum (Dunal) Bitter. Comparisons based onJaccard's similarity and UPGMA clustering revealed interrelationships broadly inconformity with the conventional taxonomic treatments. Thus,S. viarum Dunal (sectionAcanthophora Dunal), S.torvum Swartz (section Torva Nees) andS. sisymbriifolium Lam. (sectionCryptocarpum Dunal) were located on separate branches ofthe dendrogram while all taxa of section Melongena Dunal,except S. macrocarpon Dunal, wereclustered closer together. S.melongena, incanum and insanum,all members of the eggplant complex, were revealed to bear very high similaritywith each other. Most of their accessions had identical band patterns supportingthe contention that these represent an interbreeding complex with limitedgenetic differentiation.     

Evaluation of genetic diversity of bread wheat landraces from Pakistan by AFLP and implications for a future collection strategy

We used amplified-fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) markers to evaluate genetic variation in a set of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces and improved materials. Landraces collected from different geographic and agro-ecological zones in Pakistan in 1987, 1989 and 1991 were separated into two groups based on their geographic origins: northern (Himalaya) and south-western (Balochistan) Pakistan. Six AFLP primer combinations detected 453 AFLP markers in the 43 landrace accessions and four high-yield varieties (HYVs). Of these, 225 (49.67%) were rare (shared with < 5% of all accessions). Among these rare alleles, 23 (10.22%) were common in the Himalaya (shared with > 10% of accessions collected there) but were not found in Balochistan. We conclude that there is a higher probability of collecting rare alleles at overall, but which are in contrast locally common ones in the Himalayan region. Gene diversity was 0.17 in the Himalayan group and 0.15 in the Balochistan group. Considerable genetic variability was found in both groups. Accessions from different agro-ecological zones were indistinguishable by cluster analysis, indicating intensive seed trading within the country. Cluster analysis indicated that the landraces and the HYVs are genetically distinct; suggesting that genetic erosion of wheat landraces has been unlikely taken in place. This study provides an example of how analysis of existing materials and data, can serve as a basis for future collection planning and conservation policies.     

Case studies on breeding systems and its consequences for germplasm conservation: 3. Electrophoretic mobility of phaseolins in wild populations of Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus L.) in the Central Valley of Costa Rica

We studied the variation in the electrophoretic mobility of phaseolins of 202 individual seeds from thirty-eight wild populations of Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. We found four main polypeptides or banding regions with molecular weights which ranged from 21.5 to 31 kDaltons. Two of these peptides were polymorphic, and their combination resulted in four distinct genotypes. The frequency of the different genotypes varies among populations, but two of them, namely B¹¹C¹¹, B²²C²², were found in most of the populations studied (37 out of 38 populations examined). Overall, there was a lack of heterozygotes among the individuals examined, which strongly suggests that there is gametic disequilibrium for the encoding regions involved in the synthesis of these polypeptides. When we arranged the populations into eight groups according to their proximity and phenology, we found that the distribution of the peptides was also variable among them. The possible association between the distribution of the patterns of electrophoretic mobility observed and climatic factors, such as mean annual rainfall, mean annual temperature and mean annual relative humidity is discussed.     

Comparative Analysis of Genetic Diversity in Two Tunisian Collections of Fig Cultivars Based on Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and Inter Simple Sequence Repeats Fingerprints

This study characterized the genetic diversity of 18 Tunisian fig cultivars using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR). Both random and ISSR primers tested generated a total of 116 RAPD and 47 ISSR markers. Considerable genetic variation was observed among fig cultivars sampled from two regional Tunisian collections with an average diversity of 4.57. RAPD and ISSR banding patterns and genetic distances values reflected the high level of diversity among the collections and lower variability between the two collections. The correlation between the RAPD and ISSR similarity matrices computed for the 153 pairwise comparisons among the 18 varieties was lower and significant. An analysis of molecular variance showed that 92% of the total genetic diversity resided within collections, whereas only 8% between collections. The results indicated that in the local fig germ plasm the information provided by RAPD and ISSR is not analogous, most likely as a consequence of the fact that the two classes of markers explore, at least in part, different portions of the genome.     

Control of pitch pine seed germination and initial growth exerted by leaf litters and polyphenolic compounds

We investigated the influence of three concentrations of water extracts of three leaf litter species (pitch pine, huckleberry and white oak) and a mixture of all litters on the germination of pitch pine seeds and initial seedling growth in a microcosm experiment. All three plant species are important components of the pine barrens ecosystems in New Jersey, where it has been seen that pine seedling recruitment occurs only after stand replacing fire or in disturbed sites, where surface organic soil horizons and leaf litter have been removed. Leaf litter extracts did not influence seed germination, but significantly reduced seedling growth at high concentrations. There was little difference between the leaf litter species in growth suppression. As charcoal is a natural residue on the forest floor following fire, its influence on growth suppression was examined; it has been shown to immobilize polyphenols. Charcoal removed the inhibitory effect of leaf litter extracts and allowed the fertilizer effect of nutrients leached from the leaves to enhance seedling growth, particularly at the higher concentration of litter extract used. Responses to litter extracts were compared to four pure phenolic compounds, catchecol, p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and tannic acid. None of these compounds suppressed pine seedling growth, suggesting that these phenolics are not allelopathic to pine seedlings. The results are discussed in the context of fire as a driving factor in these oligotrophic and seasonally dry ecosystems and the interactions between nutrient supply and allelopathic chemistry of different leaf litters.