Aluminium tolerance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) with monogenic inheritance pattern

The objectives of this study were to determine genetics of Al tolerance and whether the Al tolerance observed is governed by the same gene. The lines ‘L‐7903’ and ‘L‐4602’ have been developed through breeding programme as Al‐tolerant lines. These lines showed maximum root regrowth and minimum accumulation of Al and callose as compared to sensitive genotypes (‘BM‐4’ and ‘L‐4147’). Al tolerance in the parents, F₁, F₂ and backcross generations was estimated using the regrowth of the primary root after staining and scoring of fluorescent signals. The F₁ hybrids responded similarly to the tolerant parents, indicating dominance of Al tolerance over sensitivity. The segregation ratios obtained for Al tolerance and sensitivity in the F₂ and backcross generations were 3 : 1 and 1 : 1, respectively. Test of allelism confirmed the same gene was conferring Al tolerance in both genotypes (‘L‐7903’ and ‘L‐4602’) as the F₁ was also tolerant and no segregation of tolerant : sensitive was recorded. These results indicated that Al tolerance is a monogenic dominant trait that can be easily transferred to agronomic bases through backcross breeding technique.     

Identification of Rye Chromosomes Involved in Tolerance to Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus Disease in Wheat × Triticale Hybrids

Common wheat × hexaploid triticale hybrids were produced and evaluated for tolerance to barley yellow dwarf virus disease (BYD). The BYD tolerance expression varied with wheat × triticale combination. The selection for BYD tolerance increased the recovery of tolerant genotypes in the next generations. Homozygous tolerant and susceptible lines were obtained in advanced generations. The rye chromosomes 1R, 2R, and 4R with 7R were transmitted as disomic or monosomic, disomic, and double disomic substitution to the late generations of ‘Musala’ (common wheat) בMuskox 658’ (triticale), ‘Encruzilhada’ (common wheat) בNord Kivu’ (triticale) and ‘Encruzilhada’× 12th. International Triticale Screening Nursery 267 (12ITSN267) (triticale), respectively. A clear association was established between the 1R chromosome of the ‘Muskox 658’ triticale line and the tolerance to BYDV. Results suggest that the 2R chromosome may be involved in BYD tolerance of ‘Nord Kivu’ triticale line.     

Breeding for resistance to begomovirus in tropic-adapted tomato genotypes

Four tomato lines introgressed from Lycopersicon chilense were compared with the commercial F₁ hybrids ‘ARO 8479’ and ‘HA 3108’, which are tolerant to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, and the cv. ‘Campbell 28’ as a susceptible control. Resistance was evaluated by the use of grafted diseased scions as well as in a field trial where plants infected by viruliferous whiteflies and disease‐free plants were transplanted in paired rows. The new lines LD 3, LD 4, LD 5 and LD 6 showed no disease symptoms after grafting or in the field trial. Virus accumulation at 60 days after transplanting was low in the infected plants: 0.09, 0.60, 1.00 and 0.50 ng, respectively. No fruit‐set or yield losses were registered under the high temperature conditions prevalent in the trial, in which lines LD 5 and LD 6 were better adapted to tropical conditions. Viral DNA concentrations were over 1000 ng in the cvs.‘Campbell 28′,‘ARO 8479’ and ‘HA 3108’. The last two are considered tolerant as they were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, respectively, but achieved acceptable yields in the trial. By contrast, virus had a negative effect on fruit‐set, number of fruit per plant and total yield in the cv.‘Campbell 28’.     

Inheritance of tolerance to zinc deficiency in barley

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is often grown on alkaline zinc (Zn)‐deficient soils where reductions in yield and grain quality are frequently reported. Currently, the use of Zn‐based fertilizer along with Zn‐deficiency‐tolerant genotypes is considered the most thorough approach for cropping the Zn‐deficient soils; however, developing or breeding genotypes with higher Zn efficiency requires a good understanding of the inheritance of tolerance to Zn deficiency. This study was conducted to determine genetic control of this trait in barley. Two parental cultivars ('Skiff, moderately tolerant; and ‘Forrest’, sensitive), 185 F₂ plants, and 48 F₂‐derived F₃ families from this cross were screened to determine inheritance of tolerance to Zn deficiency using a visual score of deficiency symptoms. The segregation ratios observed indicated that greater tolerance to Zn deficiency in ‘Skiff compared with ‘Forrest’ at the seedling stage is controlled by a single gene with no dominance. The results also indicate that visual scores are useful for genetic analysis of tolerance to Zn deficiency.     

Differential Physio‐Biochemical Responses to Cold Stress of Cold‐Tolerant and Non‐Tolerant Grapes (Vitis L.) from China

There are many grape species exhibiting differences in cold tolerance in China. ‘Zuoshan1’ (Vitis amurensis Rupr. cv. Zuoshan1), one kind of the most cold tolerant grapes, can endure ?40 to ?50 °C, whereas, ‘Maoputao’ (Vitis quinqanguoari Rehd. cv. Maoputao) is sensitive to the cold stress. To understand the physiological mechanism, we investigated responses of both species to a range of decreasing temperatures under the controlled condition. The cold‐tolerant ‘Zuoshan1’ showed higher accumulation of abscisic acid than non‐tolerant ‘Maoputao’, which was correlated with a more dramatic increase in solutes including sugars, proteins at early stage of our detection. At latter stages, these solutes showed more decline in ‘Zuoshan1’. Meanwhile, earlier leaf yellowing and necrosis of ‘Zuoshan1’ were detected with concomitant decrease in the chlorophyll (Chl) content along with remarkable increase in electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde, which indicated that the earlier leaf senescence occurred to ‘Zuoshan1’. Based on the leaf morphology and parameter investigation, it was concluded that cold‐tolerant grape ‘Zuoshan1’ made quicker responses to the low temperature (LT), indicating it sensed the cold‐signal more strongly than the non‐tolerant grape ‘Maoputao’. Therefore the ability to take more active response to cold stress contributes to the higher tolerance in ‘Zuoshan1’.     

Absence of a genetic relationship between salt tolerance during seed germination and vegetative growth in tomato

Two approaches were used to determine the relationship between salt tolerance during seed germination and vegetative growth in tomato. First, F₄ progeny families of a cross between a breeding line, ‘UCT5’ (salt sensitive at all developmental stages), and a primitive cultivar, ‘PI 174263’ (salt tolerant during germination and vegetative growth), were evaluated in separate experiments for salt tolerance during germination and vegetative growth. There were significant differences among the F₄ families in both the rate of seed germination and the plant growth (dry matter production) under salt stress. There was, however, no significant correlation between the ability of seeds to germinate rapidly and the ability of plants to grow under salt stress. In the second approach, selection was made for rapid germination under salt stress in an F₂ population of the same cross and the selected progeny was evaluated for salt tolerance during both germination and vegetative growth. The results indicated that selection for salt tolerance during germination significantly improved germination performance under salt stress; a realized heritability estimate of 0.73 was obtained. Selection for salt tolerance during germination, however, did not affect plant salt tolerance during vegetative growth; there was no significant difference between the selected and unselected progeny based on either absolute or relative growth under salt stress. Obviously, in these genetic materials, salt tolerance during germination and vegetative growth are controlled by different mechanisms. Thus, to develop tomato cultivars with improved salt tolerance, selection protocols that include all critical developmental stages would be desirable.     

New Sources of Cucumber Mosaic Virus Tolerant Land Races of Cucumber Identified at the Centre of Origin (India)

Three land races of cucumber, ‘Srinagar Local-I, ‘Srinagar Local-II’, and ‘Paprola Local’, derived from the lower Himalayas were observed to be tolerant to cucumber mosaic virus. Tolerance was conferred by a single dominant gene in each variety. Tolerant genes present in ‘Srinagar Local-I’ and ‘Srinagar Local-II’ were allelic, whereas the tolerant gene present in ‘Paprola Local’ was non-allelic.     

A new phenotyping technique for screening for drought tolerance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Screening for drought tolerance is severely handicapped by the lack of a simple and reliable phenotyping technique. The objective of this study was to develop a new screening technique based on seedling survivability, drought tolerance score, root and shoot length, and fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots of lentil plants exposed to drought under hydroponic conditions. Its effectiveness was compared with two soil culture techniques. The hydroponic technique involved removing 15‐day‐old seedlings of 80 genotypes from the nutrient solution and exposing them to air for 5 h daily for 6 days. Three genotypes received from ICARDA, ‘ILL‐10700’, ‘ILL ‐ 10823’ and ‘FLIP‐96‐51’, showed maximum seedling survivability and minimum reduction in the growth parameters with a drought score of 0.0–0.2 indicating higher tolerance to drought stress, while Indian genotypes ‘JL‐3’, ‘E‐153’ and ‘VL‐507’ showed no seedling survivability and maximum reduction in growth parameters with a drought score of 4.0 indicating low drought tolerance. The results suggest that this new phenotyping technique is effective, rapid and easy for screening a large number of genotypes.     

Cytological analyses of hybrids and derivatives of hybrids between durum wheat and Thinopyrum bessarabicum,using multicolour fluorescent GISH*

The wheat progenitors and other wild relatives continue to be important sources of genes for agronomically desirable traits, which can be transferred into durum wheat (Triticum turgidum; 2n = 4x = 28; AABB genomes) cultivars via hybridization. Chromosome pairing in durum × alien species hybrids provides an understanding of genomic relationships, which is useful in planning alien gene introgression strategies. Two durum cultivars, ‘Lloyd’ and ‘Langdon’, were crossed with diploid wheatgrass, Thinopyrum bessarabicum (2n = 2x = 14; JJ), to synthesize F₁ hybrids (2n = 3x = 21; ABJ) with Ph1. ‘Langdon’ disomic substitution 5D(5B) was used as a female parent to produce F₁ hybrids without Ph1, which resulted in elevation of pairing between durum and grass chromosomes – an important feature from the breeding standpoint. The F₁ hybrids were backcrossed to respective parental cultivars and BC₁ progenies were raised. ‘Langdon’ 5D(5B) substitution × Th. bessarabicum F₁ hybrids were crossed with normal ‘Langdon’ to obtain BC₁ progeny. Chromosome pairing relationships were studied in F₁ hybrids and BC₁ progenies using both conventional staining and fluorescent genomic in situ hybridization (fl‐GISH) techniques. Multicolour fl‐GISH was standardized for characterizing the nature and specificity of chromosome pairing: A–B, A–J and B–J pairing. The A–J and B–J pairing will facilitate gene introgression in durum wheat. Multicolour fl‐GISH will help in characterizing alien chromosome segments captured in the durum complement and in their location in the A and/or B genome, thereby accelerating chromosome engineering research.     

Backcross introgression of plastomic factors controlling chilling tolerance into elite cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) germplasm: early generation recovery of recurrent parent phenotype

Environmental stresses such as chilling temperatures can decrease germination, emergence, flower and fruit development, marketable yield, and postharvest fruit storage longevity in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). While response to chilling injury in cucumber is controlled by simple plastidic (maternal) and nuclear (paternal) factors, no chilling tolerant U.S. processing varieties are commercially available. Furthermore, even though three single nucleotide polymorphic sites have been identified as plastid components associated with chilling tolerance in cucumber, it is not known how these factors interact with nuclear factors controlling economically important traits. Therefore, an experiment was designed to evaluate the rate of recovery of the chilling susceptible (cytoplasm) genotype during introgression backcrossing (IB), where it was used as a recurrent parent after the initial mating to a line possessing chilling tolerant cytoplasm (donor parent). Phenotypic yield and quality trait data were collected on processing type backcross progeny (BC_1–5 and BC₂S₃) derived from an initial ‘Chipper’ (tolerant) × line M 29 (susceptible) mating, and rate of progression to the recurrent parent was determined by simple sequence repeat marker and morphological trait analyses. Substantial degrees of the recurrent parent phenotype and nuclear genome were recovered by the BC₂ generation (P = 0.001), with nearly complete recovery of recurrent parental traits and its nuclear genome occurring by the BC₃. General combining ability (GCA) of derived BC₂S₃ lines was significant for yield, yield/plant, length (L), diameter (D), and L:D ratios. The BC₂S₃ line GCA and rate of progression towards the recurrent parent for economically important traits suggests that elite chilling tolerant cucumber germplasm can be developed rapidly through IB and marker genotyping.     

Evaluation of common wheat cultivars for tan spot resistance and chromosomal location of a resistance gene in the cultivar 'Salamouni'

A total of 50 wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were evaluated for resistance to tan spot, using Pyrenophora tritici‐repentis race 1 and race 5 isolates. The cultivars ‘Salamouni’, ‘Red Chief’, ‘Dashen’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Armada’ were resistant to isolate ASC1a (race 1), whereas 76% of the cultivars were susceptible. Chi‐squared analysis of the F₂ segregation data of hybrids between 20 monosomic lines of the wheat cultivar ‘Chinese Spring’ and the resistant cultivar ‘Salamouni’ revealed that tan spot resistance in ‘Salamouni’ was controlled by a single recessive gene located on chromosome 3A. This gene is designated tsn4. The resistant cultivars identified in this study are recommended for use in breeding programmes to improve tan spot resistance in common wheat.     

Evidence of a major genetic factor conditioning freezing sensitivity in winter wheat

The inheritance of freezing tolerance in F₂‐derived F₄ populations from all possible crosses of winter wheat cultivars ‘Kestrel’, ‘Eltan’, ‘Tiber’, ‘Froid’ and germplasm line Oregon Feed Wheat #5 (ORFW) was investigated. When frozen to a temperature equal to the LT₅₀ of the least freezing tolerant parent (ORFW), survival frequency distributions were skewed to greater survival in six of the 10 crosses, however, very few of the progeny from the four crosses to ORFW survived. The inheritance of this freezing sensitivity was investigated with freezing of F_2:4 populations from the crosses of ORFW to ‘Eltan’ or ‘Tiber’ to the LT₅₀ of the hardier parent. Very few of the F_2:4 populations survived as well as ‘Eltan’ or ‘Tiber’, indicating a small number of strongly dominant genetic factors in ORFW that conditioned freezing sensitivity. Molecular analysis indicated these factors were not spring‐type vernalization alleles.     

Relationship between heterosis and genetic divergence in 'Tongil'-type rice

Improving grain yield and quality of ‘Tongil’‐type rice (indica/japonica) continues to be a major breeding objective in Korea. In this study, genetic divergence among 13‘Tongil’‐type rice cultivars was evaluated and the relationship between genetic distance and hybrid performance in all possible nonreciprocal crosses between them assessed. The 78 F₁ hybrids together with the 13 parents were evaluated for eight traits of agronomic importance, including yield, in a replicated field trial. The 13 parents were examined for DNA polymorphism using 71 micro‐satellite or simple sequence repeats and 46 random decamer oligonucleotide primers. A total of 319 polymorphic variants were generated and, based on the polymorphism data, genetic distances (GDs) ranged from 0.021 to 0.437. Cluster analysis based on GDs revealed associations among cultivars which was in agreement with the pedigree data. Heterosis was observed in hybrids for most of the traits, and yield exhibited the highest heterosis among the eight traits examined. The correlation values of GDs with F₁ performance were mostly nonsignificant, except for yield, culm length and spikelets per panicle. The correlations of GDs with midparent and better‐parent heterosis were not significant enough to be of predictive value. These results indicate that GDs based on the microsatellite and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers may not be useful for predicting heterotic combinations in ‘Tongil’‐type rice and support the idea that the level of correlation between hybrid performance and genetic divergence is dependent on the germplasm used.     

Inheritance of resistance to Fusarium wilt (race 2) in chickpea

The inheritance of resistance to Fusarium wilt (race 2) of chickpea was studied in a set of three crosses, i.e. ‘WR315’בC104’ (resistant × susceptible), ‘WR315’בK850’ (resistant × tolerant) and ‘K850’בGW5/7’ (tolerant × tolerant) in order to investigate the number of genes involved, their complementation and to find out whether resistant segregants are possible in a cross between two tolerant cultivars. Tests of F₁, F₂ and F₃ generations of these crosses under controlled conditions at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India, indicated involvement of three loci (two recessive and one dominant alleles). The homozygous recessive form at the first two loci conferred resistance whereas susceptibility occurred when the first two loci were in the dominant form. A dominant allele at the third locus can complement the dominant alleles at the other two loci to confer tolerance. Occurrence of resistant segregants in a cross between two tolerant cultivars was observed.     

Genetics of tolerance to high concentrations of boron in Brassica rapa

The inheritance of tolerance to high concentrations of boron in Brassica rapa was studied in F₂ and F₃ segregating populations. The F₁ hybrids were produced from genotypes contrasting in their reaction to boron. The F₁ hybrids responded similarly to the tolerant parent indicating that boron tolerance was dominant trait. Segregation patterns for boron tolerance in F₂ populations and F₃ derived families were established by the measurements of primary root length and tissue boron concentrations. The segregation ratios were explained in terms of two major genes interacting in a dominant epistatic manner to govern tolerance. Evaluation of selected tolerant and susceptible F₃ families indicated that tolerant families produced significantly longer primary roots as compared to susceptible families.     

Rapid Screening for Aluminum Tolerance in Cereals by Use of the Chlorophyll Fluorescence Test

The effects of aluminum on the photosynthetic apparatus were examined in cereals grown in nutrient solutions (pH 4.5) at two Al levels (0 and 148 μM). The chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics results confirmed that the soft wheat ‘BHG’ cultivar has the potential for growth on acid soils while triticale cultivars ‘Niovi’ and ‘Dada’ appeared to be relatively tolerant. The percentage decrease in F_v/F_m of the less tolerant cultivars after Al-treatment indicated a decrease in the efficiency of the primary photochemistry of PS II, while the decrease in the ratio F_V/F_osuggested that exposure of the cultivars ‘Dio’ and ‘Appulo E’ to aluminum caused injury to the thylakoid structure. The percentage fluctuations of the ratio F_v/F_mwere shown to correlate very closely with the assessment of injury as evaluated by the relative top fresh weight. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence in vivo could be used to monitor injury caused by “Al-stress”, and thus they may serve as a rapid screening test for Al tolerance.     

Inheritance and chromosome location of Alp, a gene controlling aluminum tolerance in 'Dayton' barley

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major limiting factor in acid soils and more adequate genetic tolerance is needed to improve barley adaptation and production in affected regions. To study the inheritance and chromosome location of the Alp gene controlling Al tolerance in ‘Dayton’ barley the primary trisomics of sensitive ‘Shin Ebisu 16’ were crossed to ‘Dayton’. Parental, F₁ and F₂ seedlings were grown in nutrient solution containing 0.03, 0.06 and 0.09mM Al. and classified for tolerance by haematoxylin staining of the roots. In diploid F₂ progeny, Alp was inherited as a single gene, dominant at 0.06mM and recessive at 0.09 mM concentrations, as indicated by the 3:1 and 1:3 (tolerant: sensitive) segregation ratios, respectively. Segregation of the trisomic Frderived F₂ seedlings at 0.06mM Al deviated significantly from the 3:1 only for the triplo 4/‘Dayton’ cross. Data for this cross fit the expected trisomic ratios, indicating that the Alp gene is distally located from the centromere on chromosome 4. These results confirm that tolerance is simply inherited, but expression of tolerance is dependent on Al concentration and allele dose.     

Genetic analysis of resistance to green leafhopper, Nephotettix virescens (Distant), in three varieties of rice

The genetics of resistance to green leafhopper, Nephotettix virescens (Distant), in rice varieties ‘IR36’ and ‘Maddai Karuppan’ and breeding line ‘IR20965‐11‐3‐3’ was studied. The reactions of F₁ hybrids, F₂ populations and F₃ lines from the crosses of test varieties with the susceptible variety ‘TN1’ revealed that resistance in ‘IR36’ and ‘Maddai Karuppan’, is governed by single recessive genes while resistance in ‘IR20965‐11‐3‐3’ is controlled by a single dominant gene. Allele tests with the known genes for resistance to green leafhopper revealed that the recessive gene of ‘IR36’ is different from and inherited independently of Glh1, Glh2, Glh3, Glh4, Glh5, Glh8 and Glh9t. This gene is designated as glh10t. The recessive gene of ‘Maddai Karuppan’ and the dominant gene of ‘IR20965‐11‐3‐3’ are also non‐allelic to Glh1, Glh2, Glh3, Glh4, Glh5 and Glh8t. Thus, the dominant gene of IR20965‐11‐3‐3 is designated as Glh11t. The allelic relationships of the recessive gene of ‘Maddai Karuppan’ with glh8 and glh10t should be investigated.     

Oxidative stress indicators as selection tools for salt tolerance

Oxidative stress indicators, malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and chlorophyll retention, were tested as tools for salt‐tolerance screening in Chloris gayana (Kunth), a forage grass exhibiting inter‐ and intra‐cultivar variability in the response to salt stress. Three types of experimental system were compared, salt shock, gradual salt treatment and leaf segments floated on control and saline solutions. Results followed the same trend in the three systems, but leaf segments or gradually salinized plants are the most convenient. Lower mean MDA and higher mean chlorophyll content were found under salinity in cv. ‘Katambora’, which is considered, from previous field trials, to be more salt tolerant than cv. ‘Boma’. Nevertheless, chlorophyll content did not give consistent results in other tests and it is not recommended for selection purposes. Within cv. ‘Boma’, clones rating higher in a salt tolerance evaluation under greenhouse conditions had lower MDA content under salinity and lower mean MDA ratios between salt‐treated and control samples. The survival of 80‘Boma’ plants under increasing NaCl concentration was assessed and MDA was measured in the leaves of very plant before the final NaCl level was reached, to assess whether it was predictive of survival capability. MDA values were significantly lower in the group surviving longer, thus, a selection based on low MDA values would have enriched the original population with more tolerant individuals.     

Detection of chromosomes carrying genes for seed dormancy of wheat using the backcross reciprocal monosomic method

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat represents a major constraint to the production of high‐quality grain. Genetic variation for tolerance to PHS is associated with seed dormancy. The present study was initiated to detect homologous chromosome variation associated with seed dormancy genes in a PHS tolerant cultivar ‘Zenkojikomugi’ (Zen) and ‘Chinese Spring’ (CS) using the backcross reciprocal monosomic method. The most striking effect on variation in seed dormancy was associated with chromosome 3A, and followed by group 4 chromosomes. These chromosomes of Zen increased dormancy compared with the respective CS homologues. Chromosomes 2D and 7D of Zen, and 6A of CS seemed to contribute smaller positive effects on dormancy. Chromosomes 2A of CS and Zen, as well as 3B, were equally effective in enhancing dormancy. The chromosome 3 A factors were independent of the grain‐colour gene R‐A1 because Zen was found to carry the white‐grained R‐A1a allele, which was identical to that of CS, and there was no difference in dormancy between the reciprocal F₁ seeds.