Natural variation within the genus Beta and its possible use for breeding sugar beet: A review

Summary Sugar beet is a relatively young crop, which supposedly has a narrow genetic base. Natural variation occurring in primitive beet varieties and in wild Beta species has been used for breeding sugar beet. This paper reviews information on desirable characteristics in Beta germplasm and the attempts made for the introgression of such characters into commercial breeding material. After an introduction on the availability of germplasm and the possibilities of hybridisation, attention is focussed on the mating system (especially male sterility), on morphological and physiological characteristics, including yield and sugar content, and on resistances to diseases and pests.     

Beet mild yellowing virus resistance derived from wild and cultivated Beta germplasm

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris L.) has a relatively narrow genetic base and several programmes have sought to evaluate the potential for introducing novel traits from wild and cultivated Beta germplasm into the crop. In particular, resistance to important sugar beet diseases has been identified within individual Beta accessions. We report here the successful transfer of resistance to Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) from garden beet, fodder beet and leaf beet accessions to progeny populations in initial crosses with sugar beet. Twelve plant populations derived from different Beta accessions were inoculated with viruliferous aphids carrying BMYV and the virus content of individual plants subsequently quantified by an ELISA test. Seven populations were significantly more resistant than a control sugar beet cultivar (P ≤ 0.05). BMYV resistance was successfully inherited in BC₁ and BC₂ generations, suggesting that resistance could potentially be introgressed from these sources into elite sugar beet lines.     

Sources of resistance to diseases of sugar beet in related <Emphasis Type="Italic">Beta</Emphasis> germplasm: I. Foliar diseases

Resistance to four foliar diseases of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris), virus yellows caused by Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) and Beet yellows virus (BYV), powdery mildew (Erysiphe betae) and Cercospora leaf spot (Cercospora beticola), was assessed in up to 600 accessions of closely related wild and cultivated Beta species. Most accessions were from the Section Beta, a taxon containing types most closely related to, and sexually compatible with, sugar beet and therefore most valuable for use in crop improvement. Between 1–12% of accessions were highly resistant (resistance scores of 2 on an international standardised resistance scale of 1–9) to these diseases. These levels, however, underestimate the potential number of resistant sources available from this section as some accessions with intermediate mean resistance scores contained a significant proportion of highly resistant plants within segregating populations. Variation in resistance to all diseases except BYV was observed within the Section Beta. Much higher levels of resistance were observed, and more frequently, in more distantly related sections of the genus Beta. Accessions of the Section Corollinae were highly resistant to both viruses (>62% of accessions tested), but less so to Cercospora (15%) and they were very susceptible to powdery mildew. Section Procumbentes accessions were highly resistant to BMYV and Cercospora (100%) but less so to powdery mildew (50%) and BYV (20%). However, sexual incompatibility between these sections and sugar beet make utilisation of these sources impractical using conventional breeding methods.     

甜菜抗褐斑病种质资源的研究现状

甜菜抗褐斑病种质资源是甜菜种质资源中具有褐斑病抗性基因并且能稳定传递给子代的种质资源,是甜菜抗褐斑病育种工作的物质基础,也是农业可持续发展的战略资源。甜菜抗褐斑病种质资源研究的主要内容包括对甜菜品种的收集、鉴定与评价、保存、利用以及抗性遗传基因的克隆及利用。为了使人们更加清晰的了解甜菜抗褐斑病种质资源的研究状况。本文综述了甜菜抗褐斑病种质资源的收集、鉴定与评价、保存、利用及分子方面的研究,并对我国未来种质资源的研究作出展望。以期为以后甜菜抗褐斑病种质资源的研究提供方向。     

Variation in some agronomically important characters in a germplasm collection of beet (Beta vulgaris L.)

Summary A geographically representative selection of germplasm of Beta vulgaris, section Beta has been assessed for characteristics important in sugarbeet breeding, including downy mildew resistance, resistance to aphid colonisation and infection by the beet virus yellow complex. The occurrence of maintainer lines for cytoplasmic male-steriles was also investigated. Desirable qualities were found in some accessions, including nothern European wild vulgaris ssp. maritima and some old multigerm cultivars of fodder beets.     

Assessments of genetic diversity and anthracnose disease response among Zimbabwe sorghum germplasm

The USDA‐ARS National Plant Germplasm System maintains a Zimbabwe sorghum collection of 1235 accessions from different provinces. This germplasm has not been extensively employed in US breeding programmes due to the lack of phenotypic and genetic characterization. Therefore, 68 accessions from Zimbabwe were phenotyped, and evaluated for their anthracnose response for two consecutive years, and genetically characterized with 21 simple sequence repeat markers. Phenotypic analysis showed significant differences among accessions with plant height and panicle length being the most variable traits. Likewise, 25 accessions were anthracnose resistant, nine showed variable responses and 34 were susceptible. Genetic analysis identified 174 alleles with an average of 8.3 alleles and 11.8 genotypes per locus and a polymorphic information content of 0.60. These results reflect a moderate genetically diverse germplasm. Neighbour‐joining clustering analysis revealed that the majority of anthracnose‐resistant accessions showed high genetic relatedness; therefore, this germplasm might represent one to six new sources of resistances. Results presented herein show that the Zimbabwe collection contains valuable germplasm for breeding programmes and is an important source of anthracnose resistance.     

Molecular marker diversity and bacterial wilt resistance in wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum commersonii</Emphasis> accessions from Uruguay

Solanum commersonii is a wild tuber-bearing species native to Uruguay with high potential for use in potato breeding programs. Little is known about the genetic diversity within this wild species and the relationship with the resistance to the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. We studied 30 S. commersonii clonal accessions, 20 of which were collected from geographically different areas across the country, while the other ten were grown from seeds from a single plant. Resistance against R. solanacearum was tested and different levels of resistance were found, ranging from delayed wilting to asymptomatic reactions. The genetic variation and the relationships among individuals in this germplasm collection were studied by different molecular markers: Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) and Microsatellites or Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR). AFLP markers generated the largest number of total and polymorphic fragments per assay unit while SSR revealed the highest frequency of polymorphic bands (100%), followed by AFLP (96.2%) and RAPD (89.4%). In contrast, when comparing the number of different genetic profiles generated, the SSR markers exhibited the lowest discriminatory power. The clustering pattern obtained with the three marker systems showed a similar distribution of the S. commersonii germplasm revealing a high correlation between the three methods employed. All three dendrograms grouped most of the accessions into two main clusters, containing the same accessions regardless of the marker type. Bacterial wilt resistant accessions were present in both clusters. Accessions originated from different seeds of the same plant were grouped within one of the major clusters, and differed in the response to R. solanacearum revealing segregation of resistance. Furthermore, the distribution in two main clusters showed high correspondence with the geographical origin of the accessions, from the north and south of the country, and with the subspecies malmeanum and commersonii morphologically identified.     

The taxonomic characterisation of annual Beta germplasm in a genetic resources collection using RAPD markers

Summary Annual beets in the genus Beta section Beta represent an important genetic resource. Representative accessions of annual beets from a beet germplasm collection were analysed using RAPD to assess the patterns of variation and relationships among them. Using arbitrary primers, markers showing variation across accessions were identified. A dendrogram of similarity was produced using these molecular markers. All the accessions analysed were classified into three major groups corresponding to species or subspecies macrocarpa, adanensis and maritima. Macrocarpa was shown to be the most divergent group in this section. Using RAPD molecular markers, it was possible to ascribe an accession to one of three taxonomic groups and overcome much of the confusion encountered when morphological traits are used for identification. The group of maritima was found to be more polymorphic than either the group of macrocarpa or adanensis at both accession and subspecies levels.     

Sources of resistance to diseases of sugar beet in related Beta germplasm: II. Soil-borne diseases

Between 580 and 700 accessions of related cultivated and wild species of the genus Beta were assessed for resistance to four soil-borne diseases of sugar beet: two seedling damping-off diseases caused by the fungi Aphanomyces cochlioides and Pythium ultimum and two diseases of more mature plants, Rhizoctonia root and crown rot, caused by the fungus R. solani, and Rhizomania, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), a furovirus transmitted by the plasmodiophorid Polymyxa betae. Analysis of resistance data (assessed on an international standardised 1–9 scale of Resistance Scores) indicated that the highest levels of resistance ({RS} 2) to A. cochlioides and P. ultimum were to be found amongst accessions of the more distantly related sections Corollinae (93% of accessions tested) and Procumbentes (10%), respectively; although useful levels could also be found in the more closely related, and sexually compatible, section Beta (1–6%). Resistance to Rhizoctonia was also found in section Beta (5–7%), depending on whether field or glasshouse tests were used, but there was little evidence of generally high levels of resistance to Rhizomania among accessions of this section. None of the accessions of sections Corollinae and Procumbentes exhibited any notable resistance to Rhizoctonia. However, all sections Procumbentes and some sections Corollinae (4%) accessions were highly resistant to Rhizomania. Individuals with high levels of resistance to Rhizomania were identified from within some section Beta and Corollinae accessions, in which there was evidence of segregation.     

Penetrance of creeping-rootedness in clonal progenies of lucerne and observations on underground morphology of plants differing for this character

Elaeis oleifera or ‘caiaué’, a close relative of oil palm (E. guineensis), has some agronomic traits of great interest for the oil palm genetic breeding such as slow growth, oil quality (mostly unsaturated) and disease resistance. An analysis of a Brazilian oil palm germplasm collection was carried out using RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) markers with the objective of understanding the genetic variation of ‘caiaué’ accessions collected in the Amazon Forest in the last two decades. A sample of 175 accessions obtained along the Amazon River Basin was analyzed and compared to 17 accessions of oil palm from Africa. Ninety-six RAPD markers were used in the analysis, of which fourteen were shown to be specific to oil palm, while twelve were specific to ‘caiaué’. Results showed that the Brazilian ‘caiaué’ accessions studied have moderate levels of genetic diversity as compared to oil palm accessions. The data allowed the establishment of similarity groups for ‘caiaué’ accessions, which is useful for selecting parental plants for population breeding. Cluster analysis showed that, in general, genetic similarities are not correlated to geographical distances, but consistent with geographical dispersal along the Amazon River network. AMOVA showed that most of the genetic variation is found within populations, as expected for anallogamous and long-lived perennial species. The study provides important information to define strategies for future collection expeditions, for germplasm conservation and for the use of E. oleifera in breeding programs. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

甜菜花叶病及种质资源抗性的研究进展

甜菜花叶病是甜菜生产的世界性病害,可经多种蚜虫非持久性传播。花叶病毒侵染甜菜,嫩叶常出现脉间褪绿的明脉现象,发生皱缩;功能叶片会出现明暗相间的绿色斑驳,进而产生花叶,严重的发生坏死,给甜菜生产造成巨大损失。归纳了BtMV病原及种质资源抗性的研究概况,分析了BtMV病原生物学特性、病原基因组及编码蛋白结构功能,病原介体及病毒复制模式,以及BtMV侵染甜菜植株及叶片的结构与微观变化。总结了当前用于甜菜花叶病的检测方法和甜菜种质资源的花叶病抗性与抗病反应的研究进展。提出了当前甜菜抗花叶病需要深入开展的研究论题,并对甜菜抗花叶病分子机理和基因工程育种进行了展望。为该病的深入性研究,特别是基因工程育种提供参考。     

Molecular genetic evaluation of sorghum germplasm differing in response to fungal diseases: Rust (Puccinia purpurea) and anthracnose (Collectotrichum graminicola)

To evaluate genetic diversity in relation to rust and anthracnose disease response, ninety-six accessions were randomly selected from the core collection database of the Germplasm Research Information Network (GRIN) and characterized by a set of 40 SSR markers. The mean value of polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.8228. Two dendrograms were generated from the molecular genetic data and field morphological data, respectively. The genetic dendrogram demonstrates that the accessions can be classified into three main clades and nine subgroups. The branched subgroups correlated very well with the locations where the accessions were collected. Geographical origin of accessions had significant influences on genetic similarity of sorghum germplasm. Out of 96 accessions, only eight accessions were highly resistant to both rust and anthracnose. All the accessions from South Africa and Mali were highly resistant to anthracnose. The information from genetic classification would be useful for choosing parents to make crosses in sorghum breeding programs and classifying sorghum accessions in germplasm management.     

利用SRAP与SSR标记分析不同类型甜菜的遗传多样性

为选育优质甜菜新品种, 指导种质资源引进和利用, 为进行分子标记辅助选择育种提供科学依据, 采用SRAP和SSR两种分子标记方法相结合, 对甜菜单胚雄性不育系及保持系等49份材料进行遗传多样性分析。利用4个表型差异显著的甜菜品系对SRAP的64对引物组合及SSR的11对引物组合进行扩增, 分别筛选出有效引物组合11对和9对。SRAP的11对引物组合共产生199条扩增带, 其中有86条多态性带, 多态性带的比率平均为43.7%。SSR的9对引物共产生35条扩增带, 多态性比率为100%。全部材料的平均遗传距离为0.3860, 平均遗传相似系数为0.6795, 大约30%的材料遗传距离或遗传相似系数具显著或极显著差异。遗传相似系数平均值比较, 多胚四倍体品系0.7264＞单胚杂交组合0.7243＞国外品种0.7060＞多胚二倍体品系0.6908＞单胚品系0.6837。在遗传距离0.20处, 将49个甜菜材料划分为A、B、C、D 4个类群, D类群又分为4个亚类, 较好地显示了甜菜材料丰富的遗传多样性。表明不同甜菜品种具有相当高的异质性, 国外与国内材料的遗传基础存在一定差异, 但生产应用的甜菜品种间存在亲缘关系较近、遗传基础较窄的倾向。     

Molecular and morpho-physiological characterization of sea,ruderal and cultivated beets

Beta vulgaris genetic resources are essential for broadening genetic base of sugar beet and developing cultivars adapted to adverse environmental conditions. Wild beets (sea beets, B. vulgaris spp. maritima and their naturalized introgressions with cultivated beets known as ruderal beets) harbor substantial genetic diversity that could be useful for beet improvement. Here, we compared molecular and morpho-physiological traits of wild beets collected on the Adriatic coast of Italy with sugar beet using eight primer-pairs amplifying 194 polymorphic fragments and four root traits (glucose and fructose content in the root tip, root elongation rate, number of the of root tips, total root length and its distribution among diameters ranges). Genetic diversity was higher in the sea beet accession, which may be due to the highly variable selection pressures that occur in heterogeneous ecological niches, compared with the ruderal and cultivated beets. Sea and sugar beet accessions showed contrasting root patterns in response to sulfate deprivation: sugar beet showed an increase of reducing sugars in the root tips and higher root elongation rate, and the sea beet accession showed an increase in root tip number, total root length and fine root length (average diameter < 0.5 mm). The ruderal beet showed intermediary responses to sea and sugar beet accessions. AFLP and morpho-physiological cluster analyzes showed sea, ruderal and cultivated beets to be genetically distinct groups. The results of this study indicate variability in response to sulfate deprivation is present in undomesticated beets that could be deployed for sugar beet improvement.     

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm suitable for direct sowing under flooded soil surface

Summary Screening for rice germplasm which can establish seedling from flooded soil was conducted using 256 accessions of conserved germplasm from the International Rice Germplasm Center (IRGC) and 404 accessions from the International Network for Genetic Evaluation for Rice (INGER), IRRI. IRGC germplasm represented broad genetic diversity while INGER germplasm involved desirable agronomic characters. Seeds germinated for 2 d were planted at 25 mm depth in seedling trays. The trays were then submerged to a depth of 30–50 mm. Seedling establishment was evaluated by analyzing leaf development, seedling height, and percentage establishment 15 d after planting. Eight percent and 2% of IRGC and INGER germplasm, respectively, were identified statistically as superior to the control semidwarf IR varieties. Among the superior germplasm were those from Northeast India and Bangladesh which were adapted to deepwater and early summer rainfed lowland cultures. These could be utilized as parents in breeding programs which aim to develop varieties suitable for direct seeding technology (i.e., germinated seeds are sown under the surface of flooded soil).     

Identification of resistance to rust (Uromyces appendiculatus) and powdery mildew (Erysiphe diffusa) in Portuguese common bean germplasm

Portugal has a diverse common bean germplasm, which is still grown in farmers' fields. In this work, we searched for resistance to rust (Uromyces appendiculatus) and powdery mildew (Erysiphe diffusa) in a representative collection of the Portuguese common bean germplasm. Despite many accessions depicting intermediate levels of resistance when compared to the susceptible check, 24 and 13 accessions showed low levels of infection, in spite of a compatible interaction (disease severity (DS) values lower than 5% and infection type (IT) of 4), to rust and powdery mildew, respectively, indicative of partial resistance. Moreover, a resistant reaction was observed in 11 accessions when inoculated with powdery mildew (IT = 0–1) and in additional 11 accessions (one in common) when inoculated with rust (IT = 0–2). The levels of resistance found in this report anticipate great potential of the Portuguese national germplasm, recently reported as genetically closer to the Andean common bean gene pool, for disease resistance breeding of this important crop.     

甜菜抗丛根病育种研究进展

为了研究甜菜抗丛根病育种的抗性基因来源以及作用特点,笔者归纳了甜菜丛根病抗性的来源,包括Alba抗性源、Rizor和Holly抗性源、WB42抗性源、WB41和WB258抗性源以及R36抗性源,并介绍了5种甜菜丛根病的抗性基因特点。另外,对甜菜抗丛根病资源的育成方法进行了总结,包括回交、杂交和轮回选择。通过这些方法将携带抗丛根病资源的甜菜整合至适应性高的甜菜种质资源上,从而获得理想的抗性资源。针对甜菜抗丛根病育种过程中培育和选择甜菜丛根病抗性基因型的过程缓慢、费力且昂贵,以及具有抗性基因品种的抗性易被破坏的情况,现提出如下解决策略：（1）通过分子标记来选择理想的甜菜新品种;（2）不断鉴定新的抗性基因,并将其整合到甜菜的基因库中;（3）开发新抗源,通过鉴定其他基因座上与先前发现的抗性基因的等位基因,为释放具有足够抗性的品种提供机会。抗甜菜丛根病育种的下一个挑战将会是将新的抗性基因导入育种材料,并通过将不同基因座上的多个抗性基因聚合到育种系中进行组合,以最大限度地提高甜菜对丛根病的抗性水平。     

水稻核心种质表型性状遗传多样性分析及综合评价

种质资源是水稻遗传育种和解析复杂性状的重要基础,而对遗传多样评估有利于鉴定最优亲本组合以产生遗传变异最大的后代群体和促进不同资源的有利基因渗透到栽培品种。选用14个表型性状对美国农业部水稻核心种质中的6大洲
1 579份水稻种质, 分析与评价其遗传多样性和优良稻种资源,主要结果如下: (1)亚洲、非洲与大洋洲间遗传距离较远,且亚洲、非洲和大洋洲的水稻资源具有较丰富的表型遗传多样性,而不同性状的遗传多样性在洲际间表现不同;粒长宽比、碱消值、株高、粒宽、千粒重和淀粉含量等6个性状具有很高的表型遗传多样性。(2)采用主成分分析法和逐步回归分析法综合评判表明,越南的PI392768的综合性状表现最好,法国的PI281760综合性状表现最差,同时淀粉含量、抽穗期、株高、倒伏性、糙米色和颖壳色等6个性状可作为种质资源综合评价指标。在水稻育种中应注重利用具有丰富遗传多样性的种质资源,并在亲本选配时适当选择遗传距离较远且综合性状表现差异大的种质材料。     

Resistance in two Lycopersicon species to an Arkansas isolate of tomato spotted wilt virus

Summary Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was obtained from infected tomatoes in commercial fields in Arkansas in 1985. A greenhouse screening procedure for identifying tomatoes resistant to TSWV was established using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect infected plants. Symptom expression was variable and symptom expression was not reliable for identifying infected plants. Germplasm evaluated for resistance to one typical Arkansas isolate (85–9) of TSWV included: twenty cultivars and breeding lines of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill, 52 accessions of L. pimpinellifolium (Jusl.) Mill and 8 accessions of L. peruvianum (L.) Mill. All cultivated accessions and breeding lines evaluated were susceptible. Some individual plants in several accessions of L. pimpinellifolium were resistant and nearly all plants of the L. peruvianum accessions that were evaluated were resistant to isolate 85–9.Dept. of Plant Pathology     

Assessing the genetic diversity of Portuguese maize germplasm using microsatellite markers

A collection of Portuguese maize accessions representing a valuable source of genes for introduction into modern cultivars is stored at the Portuguese Plant Germplasm Bank (Banco Português de Germoplasma Vegetal—BPGV). To assess genetic diversity among inbreds, microsatellite analysis was carried out for 54 inbred lines representing the diversity of Portuguese dent and flint maize germplasm. Fifty American and other European elite inbreds were also analysed for comparison. Fifteen microsatellite loci distributed throughout the maize genome were chosen based on their repeat unit and base composition. A total of 80 alleles were detected with an average allele number of 5.33 per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values and observed genetic distances showed the existence of large variability among inbreds. Cluster analysis indicated that almost all of the inbreds could be distinguished from each other and Portuguese inbreds were present in all clusters formed. These associations were consistent with the known pedigree records of the inbreds, confirming a mixed origin of Portuguese materials. Comparative analysis of microsatellite diversity among groups was established according to important traits for both breeding and line identification. This revealed that, although most of the genetic diversity (>95%) was attributable to differences among inbreds of different groups, the existence of phenotypic differentiation in endosperm colour, kernel type and cob colour could be suggested for grouping. These findings support the joint use of molecular and morphological traits in management of the germplasm collection. In this study, SSR markers proved to be effective to characterise and identify maize inbred lines, and demonstrate associations among them. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.