Evaluation of dry matter production and yield in early-sown wheat using near-isogenic lines for the vernalization locus Vrn-D1

ABSTRACT

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield is predicted to decrease in the future because of an increase in air temperature globally. To clarify the effects of the vernalization response gene in wheat to warmer winters, we compared dry matter production and grain yield between spring wheat ‘Asakazekomugi’ and its winter-type near-isogenic line (NIL) carrying different alleles of the vernalization response gene Vrn-D1 under early-, standard-, and late-sowing conditions. Under early-sowing conditions, dry matter production of the NIL carrying the winter allele of Vrn-D1, named Asa (Vrn-D1b), exceeded that of ‘Asakazekomugi’ from mid-March (after stem elongation in Asa (Vrn-D1b)) when the temperatures rose. Tiller number and leaf area index under early-sowing conditions were consistently higher in Asa (Vrn-D1b) than in ‘Asakazekomugi’ from mid-March onward. It was suggested that the early-sown ‘Asakazekomugi’ could not effectively absorb solar radiation to produce dry matter because of the acceleration of stem elongation caused by the Vrn-D1 gene during the cold season. The grain yield of Asa (Vrn-D1b) with early sowing was higher than with standard sowing. In contrast, the grain yield of ‘Asakazekomugi’ was lower in the early-sown crop than in the crop sown at the standard date. These results suggested that the higher grain yield of Asa (Vrn-D1b) than that of ‘Asakazekomugi’ under early-sown conditions could be due to Asa (Vrn-D1b) maintaining high dry matter production after the jointing stage by suppressing acceleration of growth caused by warm conditions after sowing.     

水稻穗芽相关性状的QTL定位

利用305个株系组成的源自籼稻品种中156和谷梅2号的重组自交系群体进行了水稻穗芽性状的QTL检测和遗传效应分析。以穗芽指数及相关指标作为穗芽性状的表型值,采用QTL Mapper 1.01统计软件进行QTL定位和上位性分析,共检测到控制穗芽指数的3个加性效应QTL,分别位于第2、9、11染色体上;控制穗芽速率的加性效应QTL 3个,分别位于第1、3、6染色体上;控制穗穗芽率的加性效应QTL 3个,分别位于第1、9、10染色体上;控制粒穗芽的加性效应QTL 2个,分别位于第9、11染色体上。还检测到3对影响穗芽指数的加性×加性上位性互作效应QTL;3对控制穗芽速率的上位性QTL和3对控制粒穗芽率的上位性QTL。     

Construction of SSR Linkage Map and Analysis of QTLs for Rolled Leaf in Japonica Rice

Genetic analysis of rolled leaf is important to rice ideotype breeding. To detect loci controlling rolled leaf of japonica restorer lines, SSR marker genotypes and phenotypes of flag leaf rolling index (LRI) were investigated in Xiushui 79 (P1, a japonica rice variety), C Bao (P2, a japonica restorer line) and 254 recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross between P1 and P2 , and in two environments. A genetic map of this cross was constructed, QTLs for LRI were detected and their interactions with environments were analyzed. Among 818 pairs of SSR primers, 90 primers showed polymorphism between P1 and P2, and 12 markers showed highly significant correlation with LRI in both environments based on single marker regression analysis. The genetic map containing 74 information loci has a total distance of 744.6 cM, with an average of 10.1 cM between two adjacent loci. Three QTLs (qRL-1, qRL-7 and qRL-8-1) were detected with two softwares: WinQTLCart 2.5 and QTLNetwork2.0. qRL-8-1 was a new locus, accounting for 15.5% and 12.8% of phenotypic variations in the two environments, respectively. The phenotypic variation explained by additive effect was 6.6%. No interaction was found between qRL-8-1 genotype and environments.     

粳稻SSR连锁图谱的构建及恢复系卷叶性状QTL分析

  调查了粳稻品种秀水79 (P1)与粳稻恢复系C堡 (P2)及其衍生的254个重组自交系的SSR标记基因型和两个环境下主茎剑叶卷曲度,构建了该组合的SSR标记连锁图谱并分析了剑叶卷曲度QTL及其与环境的互作。在检测的818对SSR引物中,有90对引物在P1与P2之间扩增出多态性条带。单标记回归分析显示有12个标记在两个环境下均显示与剑叶卷曲度呈极显著相关。74个信息位点构成的连锁图谱全长744.6 cM,位点间平均图距10.1 cM。利用两种分析软件 WinQTLcart 2.5和QTLNetwork 2.0共同检测到3个QTL (qRL 1、qRL 7和qRL 8 1),其中qRL 8 1是新发现的,在两个环境下贡献率分别为15.5%和12.8%,加性贡献率为6.6%,且与环境不存在互作。     

Identifying physiological traits associated with improved drought resistance in winter wheat

The association of specific target traits for drought resistance (early flowering, high accumulation of stem water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) reserves, presence of awns and high green flag-leaf area persistence) with yield performance under late-season drought was analyzed utilizing two doubled-haploid (DH) populations derived from crosses between Beaver × Soissons and Rialto × Spark in two seasons 2000/2001 and 2001/2002. The aim was to quantify associations between target traits and yield responses to drought, and to prioritize traits for drought resistance. Flowering time variation had a neutral effect on the absolute yield loss under drought, suggesting there may be a trade-off between water-saving behaviour in the shorter pre-flowering period with early flowering and a reduced capacity to access water associated with a smaller rooting system. The presence of awns also had a neutral effect on yield loss under drought amongst lines of the Beaver × Soissons population. The potential advantages of awns for increasing water-use efficiency and sensible heat transfer responsible for a cooler canopy appeared to be of less significance under moderate droughts in the UK than under severe droughts in other regions worldwide. The value of large stem soluble carbohydrate reserves for drought environments alone could not be confirmed in the UK environment. Stem WSC was positively associated with grain yield under both irrigation and drought. The genetic trait which showed the clearest correlation with the ability to maintain yield under drought was green flag-leaf area persistence. Averaged across years, the positive phenotypic correlation of this trait with yield under drought amongst DH lines of the Beaver × Soissons population (r = 0.49; p ≤ 0.001) indicated the potential use of this trait as a selection criterion for yield under drought. It is suggested that screens for this trait including marker-assisted selection would have value in future breeding programmes aimed at improving yields in high yielding, rainfed environments, but where drought can also be a problem, such as the UK.     

Effects of partial root-zone drying on yield,tuber size and water use efficiency in potato under field conditions

Water resources are limited for irrigation worldwide; therefore, there is a need for water-saving irrigation practices to be explored. Partial root-zone drying (PRD) is a new water-saving irrigation strategy being tested in many crop species. Experiments were conducted in potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Folva) under open field conditions in 2004 and under a mobile rainout shelter in 2005. Two subsurface irrigation treatments were studied: full irrigation (FI) receiving 100% of evaporative demands, 50.1 and 201 mm of irrigation water in the 2 years, to keep it close to field capacity; and PRD, which received 21.7 and 140 mm of irrigation in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Due to rain in 2004, the PRD treatment was imposed over a short period only during the late tuber filling and maturing stages. In 2005, the PRD treatment was imposed during the whole period of tuber filling and tuber maturation. The PRD treatment was shifted from one side to the other side of potato plants every 5–10 days. Especially in 2005 it was apparent that stomatal conductance was generally lower in the PRD than in the FI plants, whereas leaf water potential tended to be lower in only a few instances. During the treatment period, plants were harvested five times, and no significant difference was found between the treatments in leaf area index, top dry mass and tuber yield. At final harvest, tubers were graded based on size into four classes C₁–C₄, of which the yield of the important marketable class (C₂) was significantly higher (20%) in the PRD than in the FI treatment. Compared with FI, the PRD treatment saved 30% of irrigation water while maintaining tuber yield, leading to a 61% increase of irrigation water use efficiency. The limited data of 2004 support these results. In summary, PRD is a promising water-saving irrigation strategy for potato production in areas with limited water resources.