Assessment of Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Barkworth & D. R. Dewey accessions using universal rice primers and molecular cytogenetics

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - The aim of this study was to make morphological and molecular characterization of tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum) accessions naturally found in...     

入侵植物假臭草和胜红蓟提取物的抑菌活性研究

假臭草和胜红蓟是我国南方常见的入侵植物,为了防治和利用其开发植物源抑菌剂,本试验采用牛津杯法检测了不同溶剂(70%乙醇、95%乙醇、石油醚和乙酸乙酯)提取物对28种病原微生物的抑菌活性,并评估了不同器官部位提取物的抑菌活性。结果表明,不同溶剂提取物抑菌活性有差异,假臭草70%乙醇提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)抑制活性最强,抑菌圈直径为26.28±0.75mm;胜红蓟95%乙醇提取物对腐生葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus epidermidi)抑制活性最好,抑菌圈直径为17.31±0.46 mm。此外,假臭草和胜红蓟70%乙醇不同部位提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)的抑菌作用表现为叶部提取物(22.31±0.34 mm和19.52±0.28 mm)茎部提取物(22.25±0.65 mm和12.75±0.45 mm)根部提取物(11.78±0.69 mm和9.05±0.53 mm)。假臭草提取物对12种细菌和1种真菌黑曲霉菌(Aspergillus niger)具有抑制效果;胜红蓟提取物对9种细菌具有抑制效果。本研究结果为进一步研发具有潜力的植物源抑菌剂奠定了理论基础。     

An exploration of wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica oleracea</Emphasis> L. germplasm in Northern Spain

An intense exploration of the Spanish Cantabrian coast for the presence or absence of wild Brassica oleracea L., yielded 24 new localities to be added to the 21 previously known. Of the resulting 45 localities, 22 correspond to Asturias, 11 to Cantabria and 12 to the Basque Country. Data on the habitat requirements of this plant have been annotated, the conservation status of each population has been estimated and seed samples have been collected for long-term preservation. As a whole, wild B. oleracea is not threatened in Northern Spain, but some populations and/or sub-populations are at risk either because of their small size or some detectable human impact.     

Univariate and multivariate analysis performed on bio-agronomical traits of Cucumis melo L. germplasm

A large collection of melon (Cucumis melo L.) germplasm has been established at the Section of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bari University (Italy). In the present work, data regarding the variation of 20 bio-agronomical traits recorded on entries and landraces collected in Albania and Apulia region (Southern Italy) are reported. The main objective of the study was to assess and describe, by means of univariate and multivariate analyses, the genetic diversity in the collection composed by genotypes classified in the Inodorus and Cantalupensis groups. The results obtained showed a large variation for all the traits examined. Furthermore, it was possible to identify valuable genotypes for future breeding programmes aimed at improving melon traits, particularly for the Inodorus group, which is an important crop in many Southern Italian sites. Genotypes of interest were especially selected for earliness and lateness, fruit shape, soluble solids content, storage time and fruit firmness.     

Delimitation of Amaranthus cruentus L. and Amaranthus caudatus L. using micromorphology and AFLP analysis: an application in germplasm identification

The ‘Morelos’ accessions of Amaranthus from Mexico demonstrate taxonomic ambiguity at the basic morphologic level. The main cause is the enormous morphological and genetic variation exhibited by the species in the genus. Although basic morphological criteria can be applied to herbarium specimens or germplasm collections for quick taxonomic identification, the morphological data alone can be misleading. To ascertain the taxonomic identity of the ‘Morelos’ accessions and their hypothesized species affiliation to Amaranthus caudatus or Amaranthus cruentus, we conducted a comparative analysis of phylogenetic relationships among these taxa/accessions using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and micromorphology methods. Based on AFLP data, all the controversial ‘Morelos’ accessions can be consistently placed into a single A. cruentus species clade, which is clearly separated from the A. caudatus species clade. The AFLP-based phylogenetic relationship of ‘Morelos’ and delimitation of A. cruentus and A. caudatus are further supported by micromorphology, showing that the combination of these techniques can provide more reliable data for germplasm identification than each method used alone.     

Genome size,ploidy levels,and development of novel SSR primer to evaluate genetic diversity of Corylopsis Siebold & Zucc. germplasm collections

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Corylopsis Seibold &amp; Zucc. is a genus of flowering shrubs with few cultivars and little information on genome size, ploidy levels, and genetic...     

Identification and selection of low-phosphate-tolerant germplasm in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is one of the major constraints to crop yield worldwide, and genotypes or cultivars with high phosphate use efficiency (PUE) sustain growth when exposed to phosphate stress. Therefore, it is imperative to develop the genotypes or cultivars with high PUE. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the PUE among 150 barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes. Two high-tolerant and -sensitive accessions were selected. These two candidate materials were used to investigate the differences among the root morphology characteristics, antioxidant enzyme activity, inorganic phosphate (Pi) content and gene expression of HvPT5 under P-deficiency and P-sufficiency conditions. The values of these parameters were higher in the low-P-tolerant genotype than in the sensitive one. In pot experiment 1, all genotypes showed a significant difference in low-P tolerance, with variety GN121 achieving the highest tolerance, and GN42 being most sensitive. The results of this study may provide elite genetic germplasms for future work on isolation of P-related genes, and the improvement of PUE in barley.

Abbreviations: PUE: phosphate use efficiency; CAT: catalase; POD: peroxidase; SOD: superoxide dismutase; DMSO: dimethyl sulphoxide; MDA: malondialdehyde; TOPSIS: technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution; MCDM/MADM: multi-criteria (or attribute) decision making     

Taxonomic status and geographic provenance of germplasm accessions in the Solanum nigrum L. complex: AFLP data

Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) were employed within the taxonomically difficult Solanum nigrum L. complex in order to characterize the genetic diversity present in a collection of the Gatersleben Genebank, to classify taxonomically unknown material, and to correlate the clustering of the examined accessions with their geographic origin. The results from AFLP analyses using two primer combinations on 44 entries from five species led to the detection of four major clusters, simultaneously uncovering significant differences in the levels of genetic diversity within or between species. S. americanumexhibited the highest infraspecific variation despite close geographic origins, simultaneously being placed in a clearly separated cluster in comparison to the other examined species of the complex. In addition, these other species showed even less interspecific variation than was found at the infraspecific level in S. americanum. In terms of taxonomy, the application of AFLPs helped in the classification of 13 black nightshade accessions formerly only listed as Solanum sp. This also was confirmed by morphological determination. Furthermore, one accession formerly classified as S. physalifolium var. nitidibaccatum i) clustered with AFLPs and ii) was identified morphologically as S. villosum. Contradictory classifications remain for two further entries from the same species, found within the S. nigrum cluster after AFLP analyses, while belonging to S. physalifolium var. nitidibaccatum according to herbarium specimen. Finally, as indicated by the information on provenance in geographically separated subclusters in S. americanum and partially in S. villosum, clues on the currently unknown origin of accessions from the genebank seem feasible by AFLP data.