Pattern analysis of genotype × environment interaction for striga resistance and grain yield in African sorghum trials

The parasitic weed Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. seriously limits sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] production in Sub-Saharan Africa. As an outbreeder, S. hermonthica is highly variable with an extraordinary capacity to adapt to different hosts and environments, thereby complicating resistance breeding. To study genotype x environment (G x E) interaction for striga resistance and grain yield, nine sorghum lines, 36 F₂ populations and five local checks were grown under striga infestation at two locations in both Mali and Kenya. Mean squares due to genotypes and G x E interaction were highly significant for both sorghum grain yield and area under striga severity progress curve(ASVPC, a measure of striga emergence and vigor throughout the season). For grain yield, the entry x location-within-country interaction explained most of the total G x E while for ASVPC, entry x country and entry x location-within-country interactions were equally important. Pattern analysis (classification and ordination techniques) was applied to the environment-standardized matrix of entry x environment means. The classification clearly distinguished Malian from Kenyan locations for ASVPC, but not for grain yield. Performance plots for different entry groups showed differing patterns of adaptation. The ordination biplot underlined the importance of entry x country interaction for ASVPC. The F₂ derived from the cross of the striga-resistant line Framida with the striga-tolerant cultivar Seredo was the superior entry for both grain yield and ASVPC, underlining the importance of combining resistance with tolerance in striga resistance breeding. The observed entry x country interaction for ASVPC may be due to the entries' different reactions to climatic conditions and putative differences in striga virulence in Mali and Kenya. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Dry matter and qualitative characteristics of alfalfa as affected by harvest times and soil water content

The best trade-off between quantity and quality in forage crops is one the most important targets of the agronomic research, since quantitative and qualitative traits are generally inversely correlated. With the aim of exploring the effect of harvest time (early and late), soil water content (irrigated and rainfed) and variety (Equipe, Europe and Midi) on duration, yield and quality of alfalfa, a four year trial was carried out in a Mediterranean environment. Early cut resulted in a reduction of forage yield (12%) with a faster reduction of longevity, but with a higher quality characteristics in terms of protein (20.2%) and fibre (23.1%) compared to the late cut (18.0 and 25.9%, respectively for protein and fibre). Dry treatment led to a limited reduction of yield and quality traits, suggesting alfalfa is a potential forage resource for the improvement of hilly areas of Mediterranean environment. The tested varieties show all a good regrowth capability allowing three, sometimes four, cut per year. The obtained results pointed out that the combination of early and late harvest times would allow a better distribution of the forage production between the months of June and September as well as a fair useful forage regrowth during the months of October and November.     

Genetic and non-genetic factors affecting germination and vitality in spring barley seed

Germination of eight spring barley varieties, grown in two years at eight different locations in State varietal trials in the Czech republic, was analysed. All the combinations were tested under optimal conditions for germination as recommended by ISTA and also at low temperatures (5 and 10°C), and underwater stress (- 2 and - 4 bar). Germination under low temperature and water stress was considered as a character of seed vitality. Varieties in nearly all experiments were a significant source of variation and their relative contribution to the total variation was higher for vitality (5.7–38.7%) than for germination (2.0–4.3%). However, the percentage of germination were not related to the percentage of vitality. The location in nearly all the experiments caused the greatest variation and the impact was greater for germination than for vitality. Provenance effects were different for germination and for vitality; grains harvested in the lowland had the highest germination values, but not the highest vitality values. The results should encourage breeding for seed vitality and some reconsideration of provenance effects on seed vitality.     

Cytogenetics and morphology of the pentaploid hybrid between Brassica napus and Orychophragmus violaceus and its progeny

A pentaploid hybrid plant (2n= 50, AACCO) between Brassica napus (AACC) and Orychophragmus violaceus (OO) showed matroclinous morphology and some patroclinous characters. Cloned progenies were mixoploid, consisting of various cells with 38–53 chromosomes, half of the cells with 50 chromosomes. The 50 chromosomes were mainly paired as 25 bivalents and segregated as 25:25 or 22:28; many other segregations were observed in some cells. Progenies produced by selfing had 38–47 chromosomes. Plants with 38 chromosomes were cytologically stable; in all other plants the chromosome number of individual cells varied between the genotype-specific maximum number and 38, indicating loss of chromosomes during mitosis. The mixoploid plants with 44 chromosomes mainly produced two kinds of mixoploid progenies with 44 and 41 chromosomes, respectively. All plants with 2n= 38 had the same morphology as the parental B. napus and were normal in fertility. These chromosome pairings and segregations in the pentaploid and its progeny support the hypothesis that O. violaceus is a natural polyploid species with a basic chromosome number of 3.     

Interspecific hybridization between Cicer arietinum and C. pinnatifidum

An interspecific hybrid between Cicer arietinum cv. GL 769 and a wild species C. pinnatifidum was obtained after emasculation, pollination and application of growth regulators. Ovules were cultured and embryos were later dissected to obtain hybrid plants. These plants were albinos and morphologically resembled C. pinnatifidum. Shrivelled seeds were also obtained in 2% of the crosses, which on germination gave rise to albino plants. These plants did not survive beyond 20 days. The hybrid nature of these plants was confirmed by esterase isozyme studies. Hybrid shoots obtained from germinating embryos were cultured on modified ML-6 medium with BAP 2 mg/1, IAA 0.5 mg/1, where they turned green after 3–4 weeks. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies on leaf sections from green hybrid shoots showed an improvement in the chloroplast structure, with better organized grana.     

Potential of marker-assisted selection in hemp genetic improvement

Summary The development and applications of molecular markers to hemp breeding are recent, dating back only to the mid-1990s. The main achievements in this field are reviewed. The analysis of Cannabis germplasm by RAPD, AFLP and microsatellites is discussed, with its consequence for the still debated species concept in Cannabis. DNA-based markers have also been exploited in the field of forensic science, in an attempt to discriminate licit from illicit crop. The main applications of the molecular markers to the breeding, however, have been achieved with the development of markers closely linked to the male sex and to some of the most relevant chemotypes. Active research is carried out by several groups in the field of identification and characterization of the genes involved in fiber quality and quantity, and in the determination of monoecy, another very important target of hemp breeding. Besides, markers associated to new, potentially useful chemotypes are being developed, for the marker-assisted breeding of pharmaceutical Cannabis.     

Natural abundance N in soil and litter across a nitrate-output gradient in New Hampshire

Stable isotopes of nitrogen are potentially a valuable tool for regional assessments of nitrogen saturation because they provide an integrated measure of the past nitrogen cycling history of a site. We measured δ¹⁵N of soil and litter, as well as net nitrification potential, at three sites across a nitrate-loss gradient in the White Mountains, New Hampshire to test the hypotheses: (1) that δ¹⁵N in soil and litter increase across a spatial gradient of nitrate loss; and (2) that δ¹⁵N in soil and litter is elevated when nitrification is elevated. δ¹⁵N was found not to vary significantly among the three sites. Patterns of leaf litter and forest floor δ¹⁵N, however, were strongly influenced by species composition in individual plots. Beech litter had significantly higher δ¹⁵N than yellow birch, sugar maple, and red maple. The conifer-dominated plots had significantly lower δ¹⁵N in both the organic soil horizons and in litter than did the hardwood-dominated plots. When we adjusted for spatial heterogeneity in mineral soil δ¹⁵N values by using an enrichment factor, δ¹⁵N_foliar − δ¹⁵N_Bs, in place of absolute soil δ¹⁵N values, a positive relationship was found with net nitrification for hardwoods. δ¹⁵N may also be a useful tool for evaluating species differences in nitrogen cycling and nitrogen uptake. The distinct pattern we observed of decreasing δ¹⁵N across the continuum from hardwood-dominated to conifer-dominated sites may suggest that local drivers (for example, nitrification rate) regulate the absolute value of foliar δ¹⁵N, while species-driven factors (e.g., timing and type of uptake) control the foliar δ¹⁵N value of one species relative to another in the same plot.     

The mutagenic effect of ethylene imine (EI) on the tomato

Air-dry tomato seeds were treated with an ethylene imine dilution series. Most sterile M₁-plants can be detected morphologically at an early stage. Few of the morphological deviants proved to be fertile. Both with regard to M₁ ^- and to M₂ ^- growing space the highest concentration leaving fertiles (0.25%) was the most efficient. At this dose the rate of mutation which can be scored on young M₂-plants, reached a value of 1.04 per M₂-family. A small shortage of M₂-families with 1 mutation is suggested by different tests. This may be due to penetrance heterogeneity. The spectrum of chlorophyll mutations changes with the EI concentration, a significantly smaller proportion of chlorodefectios (albinas, etc.) being found at higher concentrations.     

A genetic map of macadamia based on randomly amplified DNA fingerprinting (RAF) markers

The first genetic linkage map of macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia and M. tetraphylla) is presented. The map is based on 56 F₁ progeny of cultivars ‘Keauhou’ and ‘A16’. Eighty-four percent of the 382 markers analysed segregated as Mendelian loci. The two-way pseudo-testcross mapping strategy allowed construction of separate parental cultivar maps. Ninety bridging loci enabled merging of these maps to produce a detailed genetic map of macadamia, 1100 cm in length and spanning 70–80% of the genome. The combined map comprised 24 linkage groups with 265 framework markers: 259 markers from randomly amplified DNA fingerprinting (RAF), five random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and one sequence-tagged microsatellite site (STMS). The RAF marker system unexpectedly revealed 16 codominant markers, one of them a putative microsatellite locus and exhibiting four distinct alleles in the cross. This molecular study is the most comprehensive examination to date of genetic loci of macadamia, and is a major step towards developing marker-assisted selection for this crop. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.