Evaluation of genotypic variation in heat tolerance of tall fescue by functional traits

Tall fescue is an important cool season turfgrass. Summer high temperature negatively affects the performance of tall fescue in transitional and warm climate zones. To identify heat tolerant material, 120 tall fescue accessions from different regions of the world were collected and subjected to high temperature under the greenhouse and the growth chamber conditions. Average temperature was 43 °C in the greenhouse trial. Meanwhile, in the growth chamber trial there were 38/30 °C (day/night) and 25/16 °C for heat stress and control, respectively. Leaf water content, leaf dry weight, leaf fresh weight, growth rate (GR), turf quality (TQ), survival rate (SR), chlorophyll content (Chl), evapotranspiration rate (ET) and electrolyte leakage were determined. Significant effects of accessions, duration time and heat treatment on most characteristics were observed. Wild accessions exhibited higher variations in most of the studied traits than commercial cultivars. There were differences in GR and ET with greater variation coefficients than other traits between accessions, suggesting GR and ET could be effective indices for evaluating heat tolerance of tall fescue accessions. Three principal components in growth chamber trial and two principal components in greenhouse trial were extracted. Principal component analysis indicated that common PC1, correlated with TQ, SR and Chl, was named as “turf performance component”, which explained 43.17 % and 39.24 % of genetic variations in the greenhouse trial and the growth chamber trial, respectively. PC2 that defined as “growth potential component” could explain 23.26 % of total variability in the greenhouse trial and 20.36 % in the growth chamber trial. PC3 was named as “leaf water potential component”. Two regression models (F = 0.65 × F1 + 0.35 × F2) and (F = 0.54 × F1 + 0.28 × F2 + 0.18 × F3) were formulated by factor analysis to evaluate heat tolerance of tall fescue accessions in greenhouse and growth chamber trials, respectively. Accessions from subtropical monsoon climate zone generally exhibited better heat tolerance. In contrast, accessions from East Asia showed more heat sensitive. Finally, five accessions including PI 598574, PI 608787, PI 559374, Pure Gold and PI 527504 were selected as heat tolerant accessions for future tall fescue breeding.     

Evaluation of genetic diversity of Aegilops tauschii accessions using morphological characters

A collection of sixty-three accessions of Ae. tauschii belonging to different eco-geographical regions were used to evaluate its genetic diversity by 15 morphological characters. The data recorded were analyzed on all accessions using multivariate analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that first six principal components with eigenvalues more than 1 explained 77.2% of the variability amongst accessions. Through cluster analysis according to Euclidian distance and UPGMA method, accessions divided into three groups. Knowledge of genetic diversity in Aegilops species provides different levels of information which is important in the management of germplasm resources.     

Screening of diverse tall fescue population for salinity tolerance based on SSR marker-physiological trait association

Soil salinity is a notorious abiotic stress which constrains plant growth and limits crop productivity. Recent advances in phytogenetics especially the discovery of marker-trait association have facilitated the efficient selection of stress-tolerant crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) accessions growing under salt stress in order to identify salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive genotypes using physiological and molecular markers. The population consisted of 114 diverse tall fescue accessions which were assessed using 99 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and five functional physiological traits i.e., turf quality, leaf water content, chlorophyll content, relative growth rate, and evapotranspiration rate. Salinity stress induced great variations among the functional physiological traits and there were significant correlations among them. The population structure analysis revealed two distinct populations, while association mapping between the SSRs and phenotypic traits identified significant associations. In addition, the accessions that maintained relatively higher physiological traits had a significantly lower accumulation of Na⁺ and Cl^? in the roots compared to those whose functional traits declined. We identified six most salt-tolerant accessions due to their high values of physiological parameters and significantly low accumulation of Na⁺ and Cl^? in the roots. Similarly, we identified six accessions we considered to be most salt-sensitive as observed by high Na⁺ and Cl^? accumulation plus a decline in the physiological activities. Our findings are helpful to tall fescue breeders with a goal of producing tall fescue cultivars with enhanced salt tolerance.     

Genetic Diversity in Tall Fescue Ecotypes from Alabama I. Maturity, Morphological Traits, and Disease Reaction

There is a large hectarage of tall fescue in Alabama. Recognition of the deleterious effects of the endophytic fungus Acremonium coenophialum has resulted in substantial acceptance of new endophyte-free cultivars. Destruction of old pastures and the concomitant loss of potentially valuable adapted germplasm could be a valid cause for concern. The objectives of this study were to evaluate genetic variation for maturity and plant morphological traits, both among and within tall fescue cv. ‘Kentucky 31’ populations from 18 to 38 year-old pastures in Alabama. Ten populations of approximately 50 plants each were collected from old Alabama tall fescue pastures. Two pastures were sampled in each of five counties, representing the five major land use areas of the state. In 1990, spaced plants of all populations were evaluated at heading time for maturity, morphological, and disease traits at two locations in central Alabama. Endophyte infection level of the populations ranged from 2 to 100 %. Maturity was highly correlated with tiller length and flag leaf width and was used as a covariate for these traits in the analysis of variance. Leaf rust and net blotch ratings were negatively correlated. Significant variation among populations was observed for maturity and flag leaf dimensions, most variation being due to differences among source counties. Significant variation was observed within all populations for maturity and morphological traits, but only in seven populations for leaf rust. No within-population variation was detected for net blotch. The average precipitation for the month of May explained 81 % of the variation among populations for maturity. Age of the pasture sampled had a significant effect on tiller diameter (r²= 0.55), and latitude of the pasture sampled was the best individual predictor of leaf width (r²= 0.42). This study reveals that considerable genetic diversity, largely influenced by climatic conditions, exists among ‘Kentucky 31’ tall fescue ecotypes from Alabama.     

Variation among maize (Zea mays L.) accessions of Bendel State,Nigeria. Multivariate analysis of agronomic data

Summary Two multivariate techniques were used to characterize 30 maize accessions collected from three ecological zones of Bendel State, Nigeria. Differentiation of the 30 accessions into five distinct groups was achieved with the unweighted variable group method of the average linkage cluster analysis of 34 agronomic characters. Four of the taxonomic groups contained at least three accessions each, while a fifth group contained only one. The single accession contained in the fifth group was characterised by very early maturity, deeply pigmented leaves and ear husks and short statured plants. Clustering of the accessions into different phenetic groups followed substantially along geographical and traditionally trading routes. A few cases of overlapping of accessions from different geographical locations were obtained.Principal component analysis revealed that days to 50% tasseling and silking, number of nodes/plant, ear length, ear weight, leaf width, and kernel colour were the principal discriminatory characters that differentiated the accessions. Sixty-four percent of the total variation among the 34 characters were accounted for by the first five principal components while the first and second components accounted for 26 and 14 respectively.     

利用SSR标记分析橡胶草种质资源的遗传多样性

为了解橡胶草种质的遗传背景和遗传多样性,为今后橡胶草育种提供理论依据。利用23对SSR引物对96份橡胶草材料进行遗传多样性分析。结果显示,23对SSR引物通过扩增得到71个等位变异,等位变异范围2-6个,平均等位基因数为3.09个。通过聚类分析,俄罗斯材料和美国材料与新疆7个居群材料被分为2大类群,类群I包含所有俄罗斯和美国材料以及5份新疆野生材料,类群II包含其余新疆7个居群的材料;俄罗斯和美国材料同属于亚群A,平均遗传相似度为0.88,说明它们存在紧密的亲缘关系;新疆7个居群的材料被分为5个亚群,显示丰富的遗传多样性,而且相互之间存在复杂的遗传关系。本研究结果证明了SSR标记能够有效地用于橡胶草的遗传多样性研究,为以后的橡胶草种质收集和遗传育种提供重要依据。     

Identification of cultivars and accessions of Lolium, Festuca and Festulolium hybrids through the detection of simple sequence repeat polymorphism

Molecular diversity and genetic affinity in the Lolium/Festuca grass complex have been assessed using simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker technology. The genotypic set was derived from three accessions of perennial ryegrass, two cultivars of Italian ryegrass, two cultivars of meadow fescue, two cultivars of tall fescue and 10 accessions from different intergeneric hybrid (Festulolium) combinations. The majority of the genomic DNA‐derived SSR primer pairs from perennial ryegrass (LPSSR) and Italian ryegrass (LMSSR) produced clear, simple and distinctive amplification products from the majority of the genotypes. The efficiency of cross‐specific amplification for LPSSR markers varied from 38% in meadow fescue to 93% in two cultivars of Festulolium and from 57% in meadow fescue to 87% in Italian ryegrass for LMSSR markers. Of 40 amplified markers, 14 (35%) produced species‐difference alleles in the relation to cultivars used in the present study. Thirty‐five LPSSR locus‐derived alleles were found to be specific to Lolium species, four to meadow fescue and six to tall fescue. For LMSSR alleles, eight were specific to Lolium species and five were only associated with Italian ryegrass, and null alleles were detected for meadow fescue in all instances. These species‐difference markers could clearly identify different accessions of Festulolium. Cluster analysis separated the individual taxa and showed grouping of intergeneric hybrids based on genomic composition. The data distinguished between the species and reflected the known pedigree of the cultivars and the differences between the species. The dendrogram also distinguished between the Festulolium accessions and clearly demonstrated the relations between Festulolium hybrids and their parent species.     

64份苦荞种质资源农艺性状遗传多样性分析与综合评价

采用Shannon-Wienerˊs多样性指数、主成分分析、综合得分F值及聚类分析等方法对干旱地区64份苦荞种质资源的主要农艺性状进行了遗传多样性分析和综合评价。结果表明,单株粒重的遗传多样性指数最高,为13.630,主茎粗的变异系数最高,为30.6%;主成分分析将苦荞种质的11个农艺性状降维为累计贡献率达87.580%的6个主成分;综合得分F值与生育期、株高、主茎节数、千粒重和单株粒重等具有极显著的相关性,可作为苦荞种质资源综合评价的主要指标;根据综合得分F值和聚类分析结果筛选出7份具有不同育种目标选择潜力的优良材料。     

Genetic diversity in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) revealed by morphological and microsatellite (SSR) markers

The NPGS-USDA core collection with 85 accessions of red clover, an important forage species, is little described. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the diversity of a set of accessions from the core collection at the morphological and molecular level in order to extract some valuable accessions for Brazilian red clover breeding programs. Twenty-one morphological traits, collected in field and greenhouse in South Brazil, and seven SSR markers were used to describe 57 accessions from the U.S. core collection and one population cultivated in Southern Brazil. Variation between accessions was large for most of the 21 morphological traits. A cluster analysis based on the morphological traits revealed five distinct clusters that separated the populations according to flowering earliness, as already described, but also according to persistency, growth habit and dry matter productivity. Over seven SSR loci, the number of alleles averaged 11.1 alleles per locus. Genetic diversity measured with SSR markers was high, with a mean expected heterozygosity of 0.86. An analysis of molecular variance revealed that the largest proportion of variation (83.6%) resided at the within population level. Although the molecular markers also separated accessions into five clusters, there was no coincidence between the composition of groups found with morphological and molecular data. Use of genetic diversity in breeding programs requires to use the most promising populations, to combine positive traits such as persistency and forage yield, and probably to use within population variation to detect valuable genotypes that could be used as parents of synthetic varieties.     

我国小豆种质资源形态多样性鉴定与分类研究

对224份小豆种质资源的形态多样性进行了研究鉴定, 结果表明, 我国小豆种质资源具有丰富的形态多样性, 平均多样性指数为1.035, 高于国外材料(0.827)20.1%. 通过多变量的主成分分析, 第一主成分和第二主成分一共代表了小豆形态多样性的56%. 基于形态性状, 把224份小豆种质聚类并划分为三大组群, 第一组群, 生育期较长, 植株较     

Diversity evaluation of morphological traits and allicin content in garlic (Allium sativum L.) from China

China has a long history in garlic cultivation and is the biggest country of garlic production in the world. 375 accessions of garlic from 23 provinces and areas in China has been collected and preserved in national germplasm repository for vegetatively propagated vegetables in Beijing since 2002. However, the genetic background and diversity of garlic from China has not been well characterized. In this study, 212 of 375 accessions of garlic were evaluated based on 29 morphological traits and allicin content. Cluster, principal compound, principal ordinates, Shannon diversity index and Pearson correlation analysis were used. The results showed that the garlic clones from China had a widely diversity among all traits. Principal component analysis showed the cumulative proportion of the first eight components explained 71.35 % of total morphological variation in all accessions. Germplasm cluster analysis whether based on 29 morphological traits or bulb yield-related traits could distinguish all germplasm. All accessions were divided into two groups with bolting and non-bolting respectively, or into five subgroups with different traits based on 29 morphological traits. Principal coordinate analysis based on eight bulb related traits divided all accessions into 6 groups. Yield among the accessions ranged from 1.60 to 16.78 t/ha, and three accessions yielded above 15 t/ha. Pearson analysis suggested bulb yield was significantly positively correlated with bulb weight (r = 0.99), bulb diameter (r = 0.73), bulb height (r = 0.53), clove number (r = 0.52), leaf width (r = 0.52). Allicin content ranged from 0.81 to 3.01 %. Pseudostem diameter was found to be significantly positively correlated with allicin content but with the low correlation coefficient (r = 0.23). The result will obviously be helpful for breeder and researchers to comprehensively understand the genetic background of the collection and more easily select the target accessions, especially those with high yield and allicin content.     

山西普通菜豆初级核心种质农艺性状遗传多样性研究

本研究通过对152份山西省普通菜豆初级核心种质进行农艺性状鉴定及农艺性状多样性分析,旨在明确山西省普通菜豆种质资源的主要类型,各类型及性状的主要农艺性状特征及多样性特点。通过在田间进行农艺性状鉴定,同时利用表型数据,采用聚类分析、多样性分析和主成分分析法,确定了山西省普通菜豆种质资源的主要类型,各类型和各性状的农艺性状特征和多样性特点以及24个表型性状所属的主成分。结果表明山西普通菜豆初级核心种质可划分为5种类型。从各分组多样性来看,半蔓+蔓生-紫茎紫花型和蔓生-籽粒斑纹型多样性指数I最高,而直立型资源多样性指数I最低,从各性状多样性来看,质量性状多样性总体低于数量性状,但粒色则表现出明显丰富的多样性。通过主成分分析,将普通菜豆23个农艺性状归属为7个主成分,初步明确了各主成分代表的农艺性状;通过上述研究,明确了山西普通菜豆主要类型、多样性特征和各主成分代表的主要农艺性状,可为资源鉴定评价提供综合性状指标。     

Biodiversity in a germplasm collection of durum wheat

Summary Over 7,600 durum wheat accessions belonging to 22 country gene pools were evaluated in Syria, during the seasons 1985–86 through 1987–88 under semi-arid Mediterranean climatic conditions. Data on seven agronomic traits are presented to assess the distinctiveness and the phenotypic diversity of these pools. Univariate statistical analysis revealed differences among materials of diverse origins for all traits. Mean phenotypic diversity within countries was highest in the germplasm from India, lowest in that from Bulgaria. In a canonical variate analysis, the first three canonical variables explained 77.7% of the total variance. A cluster analysis was performed to supplement the generated information by the canonical analysis. The multivariate analyses evidenced the distinctiveness of the Ethiopian germplasm. The gene pools from Syria and Jordan, closely resembling each other, appeared separate from all others. A certain peculiarity was also shown by the germplasms from Greece, Morocco and France, while the remaining countries clustered into four groups. The results of the present evaluation could provide useful information for breeding activities, germplasm collection, and establishment of core collections. Evidence is presented that environment played a major role in creating the overall variation for the considered traits, although germplasm exchange seemed also an important factor.     

Phenotypic variation in local populations and cultivars of meadow fescue – potential for improving cultivars by utilizing wild germplasm

The utilization of gene bank accessions for breeding purposes is generally hampered by a lack of sufficient genetic and phenotypic characterization. Results are given here of a phenotypic analysis of 30 Norwegian local populations and 10 Nordic cultivars of meadow fescue, and a combined analysis of phenotypic data with previously published molecular data based on 95 amplified fragment length polymorphic markers. Seventeen phenological and morphological, and two derived characters, were assessed on 2264 individual plants. Previous molecular diversity analyses have shown that the Norwegian local populations can be divided into three groups based on a likely history of the introduction of the species into Norway. A similar pattern was evident from relationships between the mean phenotypic values of populations and cultivars. Such a combined phenotypic and genetic characterization of germplasm can facilitate the use of gene bank material in breeding, as breeders can use these data to select populations with extreme values of a field trait, along with markers which represent potential predictors of phenotypic value.     

籽用南瓜种质资源植物学性状多样性分析

分析了20份南瓜材料24个植物学性状的多样性,结果表明,中国南瓜、印度南瓜、美洲南瓜、裸仁南瓜和黑籽南瓜在皮壳质量、千粒重、根干质量、茎干质量、主茎长和果实性状上差异较大.主成分分析表明,种子长、种子宽、种子厚、皮壳质量、千粒重、子叶宽、茎干质量、主茎长、种仁质量、出仁率、种皮色、叶干质量和单瓜种子数是植物学多样性的主要指标.通过聚类分析,20份材料分为5个类群,与南瓜的传统分类基本一致,美洲南瓜与裸仁南瓜的亲缘关系最近,与印度南瓜和中国南瓜亲缘关系较远,与黑籽南瓜和华南大板最远.初步探讨了籽用南瓜的植物学多样性,筛选出1份优良的大白板型有壳籽用南瓜材料,并提出皮壳质量、千粒重、茎干质量、主茎长和单瓜种子数5个性状作为籽用南瓜资源植物学描述评价的代表性状,以期为籽用南瓜的育种奠定基础.     

Genetic diversity of wild coffee (Coffea arabica L.) using molecular markers

Genetic diversity was studied using RAPD markers among119 coffee (Coffea arabica L.) individuals representing 88 accessions derived from spontaneous and subspontaneous trees in Ethiopia, the primary centre of species diversity, six cultivars grown locally in Ethiopia, and two accessions derived from the genetic populations Typica and Bourbon, spread in the 18^th century, which gave rise to the most currently grown cultivars. Twenty-nine polymorphic fragments were used to calculate a similarity index and construct dendrograms. The Ethiopian material was separated from the Typica- and Bourbon-derived accessions and classified in four groups: one with most of the collected material from southwestern Ethiopia and three from southern and southeastern Ethiopia. Almost all detected diversity was found in the southwestern group while the southern and southeastern groups presented only 59% of identified markers. The genetic distances were low between the southwestern group and the southern and southeastern groups, and between the southwestern group and the Typica- and Bourbon-derived accessions. The cultivated coffee derived from the genetic populations Typica and Bourbon appeared little differentiated from wild coffee growing in the southwest. The results supported the hypothesis that southwestern Ethiopian coffee trees could have been introduced recently in the south and southeast. A separate analysis of the 80accessions classified in the southwestern group allowed identifying particular spontaneous- and subspontaneous-derived accessions and redundancies in the collected material from southwestern Ethiopia. RAPD markers did not detect any within-collection polymorphism except for two trees that were identified as off-types in the CATIE field genebank. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic structure and differentiation in hop (Humulus lupulus L.) as inferred from microsatellites

A set of 67 wild and cultivated hop accessions, representative of hop diversity, was genotyped with 29 SSR markers in order to investigate the population structure and genetic diversity among hop genotypes. A total of 314 alleles was detected, with an average of 10.8 alleles per locus and an average PIC content of 0.607. Model-based clustering placed the accessions into five germplasm groups. A distance-based tree showed good agreement with five germplasm groups, and additionally assigned accessions omitted from model-based analysis into two additional germplasm groups. The 67 hop accessions were thus subdivided in seven germplasm groups, with three corresponding to major breeding groups and four to wild hops. This finding is in accordance with two biogeographically separated hop germplasms (European and North American origin) and with the known history of the accessions. North American hop germplasm was partitioned into native and cultivated germplasm groups. European germplasm was divided into two groups of hop cultivars representing distinguishable European germplasms and three new groups of native hops, which were differentiated for the first time by this analysis. Admixture analysis showed shares of various ancestries in hop cultivars, mostly congruent with pedigree data, and the introgression of various ancestries in some native hops. The above results have so far given the most detailed insight to date into the population structure of hop diversity, which is important for its effective use in hop breeding.     

Geographical patterns of phenotypic diversity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> landraces of Côte d’Ivoire

The knowledge of agro-morphological diversity and the distribution pattern of variation among conserved accessions could be an invaluable aid in germplasm management and crop improvement strategies. In this study, the geographical pattern of morphological variation of 880 landrace rice (Oryza sativa (L.)) accessions in Côte d’Ivoire was evaluated for 13 agro-morphological characters. Shannon –weaver diversity index indicated an overall mean of 0.47 ± 0.07 in the collection, with the greatest diversity from derived Savanna and north-west (H′ = 0.52 and 0.50) while the west-central had the lowest diversity (H′ = 0.41). Canonical discriminant analysis showed that traits such as panicle length, grain size (weight and length), tillering ability, number of days to heading and maturity were the main discriminatory characteristics. Result of the phenotypic frequency shows that, the landraces from the north and north-western zones were mostly tall, early heading and maturity, compared to those from the west and west-central which were mainly dwarf to medium height, late heading and maturing. This differential distribution of landraces with height, heading and maturity period reflected the distribution pattern of different Oryza sativa landraces in Côte d’Ivoire, which could be useful in germplasm management and breeding programs.     

山西省冬小麦地方品种形态特征和生物学特性的遗传多样性分析

为了有效利用山西省冬小麦地方品种质资源,了解不同生态区的冬小麦地方品种在主要农艺性状上的遗传多样性,对551份山西省冬小麦地方品种的遗传多样性进行聚类与主成分分析。结果表明:16个质量性状和7个数量性状都存在着丰富的遗传多样性。对比2个冬麦区的小麦23个性状发现:芒形、幼苗习性、粒质和穗长4个性状的遗传多样性指数比其他性状高,遗传变异较丰富。其中,南部中熟麦区的芒形、抗倒伏性、穗长和小穗着生密度4个性状多样性指数较高,茎粗和整齐度多样性指数偏低;中部晚熟麦区的芒形、幼苗习性、穗长和千粒重4个性状多样性指数较高,株高、小穗着生密度、整齐度和叶姿多样指数偏低。根据材料间各性状的遗传差异,经聚类分析将材料分为5大类群,其中第Ⅳ类群属于矮杆、穗粒数多和千粒重高的丰产亲本材料。7个数量性状的主成分分析结果表明:前3个主成分累计贡献率达72.78%,第一主成分反映每穗小穗数和每穗粒数,第二主成分反映小穗着生密度,第三主成分反映千粒重。本研究对深入探索山西小麦地方品种的遗传多样性提供理论参考,并为小麦新品种选育提供优异的亲本材料。