Estimating gene action,combining ability and heterosis for grain yield and agronomic traits in extra-early maturing yellow maize single-crosses under three agro-ecologies of Ghana

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crop produced in Ghana. However, yield of the crop is generally low, producing just about 1.7 t/ha. The low yield is attributed to continuous use of local/unimproved varieties. Generally, hybrid varieties have proven to out-yield the local/unimproved varieties due to improved vigour. Development of hybrid varieties depend on good understanding of combining ability and inheritance of important quantitative traits such as grain yield (GY). 45 half-diallel crosses generated from 10 extra-early maturing yellow inbred lines were evaluated in 2015 under rain-fed conditions. The objectives were to determine the genetic control, breeding value and estimate heritability for GY and agronomic traits of the inbred lines under contrasting growing environments in Ghana. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) were important in the inheritance of GY and agronomic traits of the inbred lines. However, GCA was more important than SCA across environments to suggest that additive gene action was more important than non-additive gene action in the inheritance of GY and agronomic traits in the inbred lines. High broad-sense heritability, for GY and other agronomic traits indicated preponderance of additive gene action in trait expression, thus, selection based on phenotypic expression could be feasible. Inbred lines P1, P4 and P8 were good combiners for high GY. The genotype, P4 × P8, was identified as the ideal and most yielding single-cross hybrid across research environments and should be further tested on-farm before commercialization.     

Identification and validation of root length QTLs for water stress resistance in hexaploid wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Titicum aestivum</Emphasis> L.)

Thorough understanding of the genetic mechanisms governing drought adaptive traits can facilitate drought resistance improvement. This study was conducted to identify chromosome regions harbouring QTLs contributing for water stress resistance in wheat. A RIL mapping population derived from a cross between W7984 (Synthetic) and Opata 85 was phenotyped for root length and root dry weight under water stress and non-stress growing conditions. ANOVA showed highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) variation among the RILs for both traits. Root length and root dry weight showed positive and significant (p ≤ 0.01) phenotypic correlation. Broad sense heritability was 86% for root length under stress and 65% for root dry weight under non-stress conditions. A total of eight root length and five root dry weight QTLs were identified under both water conditions. Root length QTLs Qrln.uwa.1BL, Qrln.uwa.2DS, Qrln.uwa.5AL and Qrln.uwa.6AL combined explained 43% of phenotypic variation under non-stress condition. Opata was the source of favourable alleles for root length QTLs under non-stress condition except for Qrln.uwa.6AL. Four stress specific root length QTLs, Qrls.uwa.1AS, Qrls.uwa.3AL, Qrls.uwa.7BL.1 and Qrls.uwa.7BL.2 jointly explained 47% of phenotypic variation. Synthetic wheat contributed favourable alleles for Qrls.uwa.1AS and Qrls.uwa.3AL. Two stable root dry weight QTLs on chromosomes 4AL and 5AL were consistently found in both water conditions. Three validation populations were developed by crossing cultivars Lang, Yitpi, and Chara with Synthetic W7984 to transfer two of the QTLs identified under stress condition. The F_2.3 and F_3.4 validation lines were phenotyped under the same level of water stress as RILs to examine the effect of these QTLs. There were 13.5 and 14.5% increases in average root length due to the inheritance of Qrls.uwa.1AS and Qrls.uwa.3AL, respectively. The result indicated that closely linked SSR markers Xbarc148 (Qrls.uwa.1AS) and Xgwm391 (Qrls.uwa.3AL) can be incorporated into MAS for water stress improvement in wheat.     

Use of genomic and phenotypic selection in lines for prediction of testcrosses in maize II: grain yield and plant traits

Plant breeders have been trying to predict the performance of hybrids based on their parental performance. One application of molecular markers is its use in selection. The objectives were to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) and verify its congruence in maize lines and in their testcrosses and verify the possibility to select testcrosses from the predicted means of the lines by using information from markers. Two-hundred and fifty six lines and the testcrosses of these lines with two testers were evaluated in six environments, considering grain yield, plant lodging, days to anthesis and silking, anthesis-silking interval, plant and ear height and ear placement. QTL were mapped in the lines and in testcrosses and the predicted means of the lines were computed based on QTL effects and in all markers of the genome. The congruence of QTL detected in the lines and testcrosses were small for all traits. The correlations between the predicted means of the lines and the phenotypic means of the testcrosses ranged from low for grain yield to moderate for cycle and stature traits. The highest coincidences of the lines and selected testcrosses were observed for cycle and stature traits and the lowest for grain yield. Even by using molecular markers information, it is only possible to predict the testcrosses performance from the lines information to less complex traits and with reduced dominance effect. For complex traits and with pronounced dominance effect, information of markers must be obtained directly in the testcrosses, so they can be used for selection.     

Genome-wide detection of genetic loci associated with soybean aphid resistance in soybean germplasm PI 603712

Soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) has become one of the major pests of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in North America since 2000. At least four biotypes of soybean aphid have been confirmed in the United States. Genetic characterization of new sources of soybean aphid resistance will facilitate the expansion of soybean gene pool for soybean aphid resistance and thus will help to develop soybean aphid resistant cultivars. To characterize the genetic basis of soybean aphid resistance in PI 603712, a newly identified resistant germplasm line, 142 F₂ plants derived from the cross ‘Roberts’ × PI 603712 and their parents were evaluated for soybean aphid resistance in the greenhouse, and were genotyped with BARCSoySNP6K Illumina Infinium II BeadChip. A genome-wide molecular linkage map was constructed with 1495 polymorphic SNP markers. QTL analysis revealed that PI 603712 possessed two major loci associated with soybean aphid resistance, located on chromosome 7 and 16, respectively. The locus on chromosome 7 was dominantly expressed and positioned about one Mega-base-pair distant from the previously identified resistance locus Rag1. The locus on chromosome 16 was positioned near the previously identified resistance locus Rag3 and expressed partially dominance or additive effect. Interestingly, two minor loci were also detected on chromosomes 13 and 17 but the alleles from PI 603712 decreased the resistance. In developing soybean aphid resistant cultivars through marker-assisted selection, an appropriate combination of resistance loci should be selected when PI 603712 is used as a donor parent of resistance.     

Flavan-3-ols and procyanidins in grape seeds: biodiversity and relationships among wild and cultivated vines

Flavan-3-ol monomers and polymers composition of seeds from wild (17) and autochthonous (8) Vitis vinifera grapes growing in northern Tunisia were evaluated. Wild grape seeds were spherical with a small beak and relatively a high seed/berry ratio (~ 18.1%w/w). Local cultivars developed pyriform-shaped seeds with a well-developed beak representing on average 2.2% of total weight of the berry. Flavanol concentrations ranged between 40.9 and 67.5 mg/g FW in seeds from wild accessions and between 48.9 and 96.7 mg/g FW in seeds from cultivated grapes. Differences between accessions were highly significant (p < 0.01) and seeds from cultivar ‘Boukhasla’ showed the highest polyphenols content. Among flavan-3-ol monomers, (+)-catechin was predominant for all ecotypes and generally their abundance was: (+)-catechin (Cat) > (?)-epicatechin (Ec) > (?)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate (EcG). The Cat/Ec ratio was approximately 1.7 for wild grapes while it was about 2.5 for cultivated grapes. Procyanidins in wild seeds differed from cultivated ones by a lower mDP and higher proportions of galloylated derivatives, likely to affect fruit bitterness and astringency. (?)-epicatechin was the main extension subunit in grape seed procyanidins, reaching on average 52% in wild and 58% in cultivated seeds. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on seeds morphometry and procyanidin profile indicated close proximity between some wild and cultivated grapes suggesting that some cultivars derived from ancestral events of local domestication or cross hybridization with native wild plants.     

Development and application of a molecular marker for TMV resistance based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis> gene in tobacco (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Nicotiana tabacum</Emphasis>)

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) caused serious loss in yield and quality of tobacco every year. It is a long-term goal to improve the tobacco resistance against TMV by tobacco breeding. N gene was the firstly reported TMV-resistant gene, which showed resistance against all Tobamoviruses except the Ob stain and belonged to the toll-interleukin-1 receptor/nucleotide-binding site/leucine-rich repeat class of plant resistance (R) genes. At present, N gene had already been widely used in tobacco conventional breeding, but there is rare available molecular maker used in marker-assisted selection of TMV resistance. In this study, we designed a pair of primers that specific amplify N gene fragment based on the sequence of N gene intron III, named N-marker. Then, we identified TMV resistance by two selecting methods, PCR with N-marker and inoculated with the TMV-C strain. Results from the two method showed that (1) 13 varieties among 67 tobacco varieties displayed hypersensitive reaction when inoculated with the TMV-C strain, also contained N gene fragments screened by PCR with N-marker; (2) 105 strains of 200 BC1 strains showed resistance against TMV when inoculated with TMV-C strain, meanwhile, 103 of the 105 strains contained N gene fragment verified by PCR with N-marker. Therefore, the N-marker is reliable for high throughput screening of germplasm resources and tobacco breeding materials in selection of N-mediated TMV resistance. Our study not only developed a molecular marker for tobacco breeding, but also identified new germplasm resources that are resistant to TMV.     

QTL mapping and analysis of epistatic interactions for grain yield and yield-related traits in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum turgidum</Emphasis> L. var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">durum</Emphasis>

A quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of grain yield and yield-related traits was performed on 93 durum wheat recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross UC1113 × Kofa. The mapping population and parental lines were analyzed considering 19 traits assessed in different Argentine environments, namely grain yield, heading date, flowering time, plant height, biomass per plant, and spikelet number per ear, among others. A total of 224 QTL with logarithm of odds ratio (LOD) ≥ 3 and 47 additional QTL with LOD > 2.0 were detected. These QTL were clustered in 35 regions with overlapping QTL, and 12 genomic regions were associated with only one phenotypic trait. The regions with the highest number of multi-trait and stable QTL were 3BS.1, 3BS.2, 2BS.1, 1BL.1, 3AL.1, 1AS, and 4AL.3. The effects of epistatic QTL and QTL × environment interactions were also analyzed. QTL putatively located at major gene loci (Rht, Vrn, Eps, and Ppd) as well as additional major/minor QTL involved in the complex genetic basis of yield-related traits expressed in Argentine environments were identified. Interestingly, the 3AL.1 region was found to increase yield without altering grain quality or crop phenology.     

Induced expression of selected plant defence related genes in pot azalea, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhododendron simsii</Emphasis> hybrid

A set of putative marker genes to study plant defense responses against Polyphagotarsonemus latus, a key pest in the production of Rhododendron simsii hybrids, was selected and validated. Genes belonged to the biosynthetic pathway of phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA) (RsLOX, RsAOS, RsAOC, RsOPR3 and RsJMT) and salicylic acid (SA) (RsPAL and RsICS). Furthermore, RsPPO, a putative marker gene for oxidative stress response was successfully cloned from R. simsii. A CTAB-based extraction protocol was optimized to assure excellent RNA quality for subsequent RT-qPCR analysis. The RT-qPCR protocol was extensively tested and RsRG7 and RsRG14 were selected as reference genes from a geNorm pilot study. Validation of the marker genes was done after application with elicitors [methyl jasmonate (MeJA), coronatine, β-aminobutyric acid and acibenzolar-Smethyl] or wounding. Both 100 μM MeJA and 0.1 μM coronatine had a significant effect on the expression of all marker genes. Foliar application of MeJA on the shoots resulted in a significantly earlier response when compared to root application and subsequent sampling of the shoots. Expression patterns after MeJA treatment were generally the same in six R. simsii genotypes: ‘Nordlicht’, ‘Elien’, ‘Aiko Pink’, ‘Michelle Marie’, ‘Mevrouw Gerard Kint’ and ‘Sachsenstern’. Wounding resulted in the same expression patterns as MeJA treatment except for RsJMT. None of the genotypes showed a significant induction of the latter gene 6 h upon wounding. Findings of these experiments indicated that the tolerant genotype ‘Elien’ has low basal expression levels of RsPPO. This might be the first step towards the breeding of mite-tolerant genotypes.     

Evaluation of potato clones for their adaptation to medium altitude conditions in the tropics

Potato is one of the most important crops in the world, including in the tropics. Potato requires low temperatures or cool climate for optimum tuber yield, which in the tropics, can be obtained mostly in high altitude growing areas. The limitation of land availability for potato production in highland areas of some tropical countries has steered the recent development of potato production to medium altitude areas. The objective of our study is to identify potato accessions with promising levels of heat resistance in laboratory and with good adaptation to medium altitude in the field. We used in vitro assay to screen a number of potato clones with possible resistance to heat stress on the basis literature and database of the International Potato Center, supplemented with the collection of Bogor Agricultural University. We then continued with verification of selected clones using field test in high altitude (1300 m above sea level) and medium altitude (700 m above sea level) areas. Our result showed that there is considerable variation of S. tuberosum for their adaptation to medium altitude areas in the tropics that can be exploited in breeding programs. We identified one genotype PKHT 2013-06 that was superior for its ability to produce tubers under extreme conditions. Thus, it might be very suitable to be used in a breeding program to develop tolerant varieties of potato to medium altitude areas in the tropics.     

Two reported cytotypes of the emergent orchid model species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erycina pusilla</Emphasis> are two different species

Each species is characterized by a specific set of chromosomes, which is described as the chromosome portrait or karyotype. In general, such a karyotype is the same for all individuals in the population. An exception to that rule has recently been found in the orchid Erycina pusilla, which has been reported to have two cytotypes with chromosome numbers of 2n = 10 and 2n = 12. Here, we examined the karyotypes of the two cytotypes and found differences in arm ratios and heterochromatin patterns as well as in the presence of satellite chromosomes and in the number and location of rDNA and telomeric repeat sites. These differences are extensive and would have required multiple chromosome rearrangements to generate the differences between the two karyotypes. We also found that F1 hybrids between the parents with the two different chromosome numbers resulted in sterile offspring, in accordance with our previous findings. The combination of hybrid sterility and extensively rearranged chromosomes supports the hypothesis that these two reported cytotypes are, in fact, two different species.