Seed yield and its components of indeterminate and determinate lines in recombinant inbred lines of soybean

The present study was conducted to evaluate the benefits of indeterminate growth habit in breeding to improve yield potential of Japanese soybean varieties, which exclusively have determinate growth habit. Two populations of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from crosses between determinate Japanese cultivars and indeterminate US cultivars were grown in Akita and Kyoto, and seed weight per plant (SW) and its components were compared between indeterminate and determinate RILs. The difference of SW between the two growth habits in RILs varied depending on maturation time. The SW of early indeterminate lines was significantly higher than that of early determinate ones in Akita, but not in Kyoto. Among yield components, the number of seeds per pod was constantly larger in indeterminate lines than that in determinate ones irrespective of maturation time. The number of seeds per plant and the number of pods per plant of the indeterminate lines were greater than those of the determinate lines in early maturation in Akita. These results suggest that the indeterminate growth habit is an advantageous characteristic in breeding for high yield of early maturing soybean varieties in the Tohoku region.     

Dough properties and bread-making quality-related characteristics of Yumechikara near-isogenic wheat lines carrying different Glu-B3 alleles

We investigated the relationships of three allelic variations in Glu-B3 (ab, g, and h) with dough properties and bread-making quality-related characteristics using near-isogenic lines (NILs) of ‘Yumechikara’ that commonly carry Glu-A1a, Glu-B1b, Glu-D1d, Glu-A3f, Glu-B3ab and Glu-D3a. Measurement of peak time (PT) in a 2-g mixograph indicated that Glu-B3g was the most effective for a strong dough property, followed by Glu-B3ab, with Glu-B3h being the least effective. The results of measurement of mixing time during bread-making were similar to those for PTs, i.e., the lines carrying Glu-B3g showed the longest mixing time, followed by those of Glu-B3ab, and those of Glu-B3h showed the shortest mixing time. Since two parameters of bread-making quality, loaf volume (LV) and specific loaf volume (SLV), were affected by flour protein contents in all groups of the Glu-B3 genotype, we compared the effects of the three Glu-B3 alleles on those parameters using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to remove the effect of protein content. The results indicated that the Glu-B3h group showed the largest SLV, followed by the Glu-B3ab group, and the Glu-B3g group showed the smallest SLV. These results suggest that the introduction of Glu-B3h into ‘Yumechikara’ makes it possible to breed varieties with good bread-making quality-related characteristics.     

A case of Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) with Hepatozoon felis parasitemia

We herein present clinical findings of an Iriomote cat with Hepatozoon felis parasitemia. A male Iriomote cat was captured for ecological analyses three times from January 2010 to January 2011. Although this cat did not show any hematological abnormalities at the time of the first capture, H. felis parasitemia and increased serum creatine kinase levels were detected at the second and third captures. H. felis infection was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, and amplified 18S ribosomal RNA gene fragments were 100% identical to those of H. felis in leopard cats in Korea. Although the virulence of H. felis in this cat was suggested to be low, this is the first report of an H. felis-infected Iriomote cat with parasitemia.     

Correction to: First detection of two potyviruses,uraria mosaic virus and passiflora foetida virus Y,from passionfruit in Japan

Journal of General Plant Pathology -     

Analysis of yield-attributing traits for high-yielding wheat lines in southwestern Japan

Development of wheat cultivars that achieve high yields despite the short growing season is essential for increasing wheat production in southwestern Japan. The objectives of this study were to assess the genetic progress in grain yield and to clarify yield-attributing traits of high-yielding wheat lines in southwestern Japan. We conducted field experiments for two growing seasons (2012–2013 and 2013–2014) using three commercial wheat cultivars (Shiroganekomugi, Chikugoizumi, and Iwainodaichi) and four high-yielding wheat lines including Hakei W1380 developed in southwestern Japan. In an ancillary field experiment, we compared a commercial cultivar, Shiroganekomugi, and a high-yielding line, Hakei W1380, in the 2014–2015 season. Across the two seasons, grain yield of high-yielding lines was generally higher than commercial cultivars. Hakei W1380 achieved the highest grain yield across the two seasons, and successfully produced more than 900 g m^?2 in the 2013–2014 season. Correlation analysis showed that recent yield progress of wheat lines in southwestern Japan was derived from enhanced biomass production and grain number m^?2. Larger numbers of grains m^?2 in high-yielding lines than in commercial cultivars were associated with higher crop growth rate at the pre-anthesis stage, and therefore higher spike dry weight m^?2 at anthesis. Genotypic differences in crop growth rate from jointing to anthesis resulted mainly from differences in leaf area index. These results indicate that further improvements in grain yield in southwestern Japan could be achieved by increasing the amount of radiation intercepted at the pre-anthesis stage and grain number m^?2.     

THE PATH OF CARBON IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS. XXVI. UPTAKE AND TRANSPORT OF METHYLGLUCOPYRANOSIDE THROUGHOUT PLANTS

¹⁴Carbon methyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (¹⁴C-MeG) was applied to roots and shoots of Beta vulgaris L. and the label was tracked as it was transported and assimilated, primarily as a plant nutrient. Foliar application resulted in 6.7% of the ¹⁴C-MeG absorbed within 15 min of the solution drying into leaves. Roots in liquid medium with dissolved ¹⁴C-MeG absorbed approximately 97% of the ¹⁴C-label in 22 h. Whether fed in the light or dark, 40% of the ¹⁴C-MeG that was applied appeared in the cellulose fraction, incorporated completely intact. Rapid incorporation of ¹⁴C-MeG into the insoluble fraction with few ¹⁴C-labeled metabolites found in the soluble fraction were observed. In contrast to roots, a higher percentage of ¹⁴C-MeG was incorporated into starch and lipids of shoots.     

QTL analysis of black rot resistance in cabbage using newly developed EST-SNP markers

One hundred sixty-one EST-SNP markers were newly developed for analysis of QTLs for resistance to black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris by determining EST sequences of a resistant line obtained from cabbage ‘Early Fuji’ and a susceptible broccoli line. A linkage map consisting of nine linkage groups was constructed with a total of 209 markers, including these new SNP markers and previously reported DNA markers. F₂ plants grown in a field for 1 month were inoculated by spraying bacteria of race 1, and disease severity of each plant was recorded. Three QTLs, i.e., QTL-1, QTL-2, and QTL-3, were detected on linkage group C2, C4 and C5, respectively. QTL-1, which showed the highest LOD score and additive effect, was again detected in another F₂ population used the next year, suggesting QTL-1 to be a major QTL. QTL-2 and QTL-3 could be minor QTLs influenced by environmental factors. The genomic region harboring QTL-1 showed synteny with a region from 5.3 to 7.4 Mb from the short arm end of chromosome 5 of Arabidopsis thaliana, which is rich in TIR-NBS-LRR family genes. The identified SNP markers in QTL-1 are considered to be useful in marker-assisted selection for black rot resistance in Brassica oleracea lines.     

Immunomodulatory Properties of Highly Viscous Polysaccharide Extract from the Gagome Alga (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Kjellmaniella crassifolia</Emphasis>)

Marine brown algae are rich in sulfated polysaccharides, which have the ability to form gels and viscous solution. Sulfated polysaccharides exhibit many biological activities; however, little is known whether the viscoelastic property in the polysaccharide extract is correlated with biological activities. We examined the immunomodulatory properties of highly viscous polysaccharide extract (HVPE) from Gagome Kjellmaniella crassifolia in a murine model, and the effects were compared with those of a less viscous polysaccharide extract (LVPE). HVPE or LVPE (10, 30, and 100 mg/kg/day) were orally administered to C57BL/6 mice for 14 days. Secretions of cytokine and IgA in Con A-stimulated spleen and Peyer’s patch (PP) cells and phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages was determined. IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-6, and IgA secretions showed high levels in spleen cell cultures from mice administered HVPE, whereas these effects were diminished in the LVPE-administered mice. The phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages was enhanced by the continuous oral administration of HVPE, and these effects were higher than those of LVPE. Furthermore, an increase in IgA secretion by administration of HVPE was observed in Con A-stimulated PP cells. These results suggest that the polysaccharide extract from K. crassifolia has immunomodulatory activities, which depend on the viscosity.     

Recent progress in drought and salt tolerance studies in Brassica crops

Water deficit imposed by either drought or salinity brings about severe growth retardation and yield loss of crops. Since Brassica crops are important contributors to total oilseed production, it is urgently needed to develop tolerant cultivars to ensure yields under such adverse conditions. There are various physiochemical mechanisms for dealing with drought and salinity in plants at different developmental stages. Accordingly, different indicators of tolerance to drought or salinity at the germination, seedling, flowering and mature stages have been developed and used for germplasm screening and selection in breeding practices. Classical genetic and modern genomic approaches coupled with precise phenotyping have boosted the unravelling of genes and metabolic pathways conferring drought or salt tolerance in crops. QTL mapping of drought and salt tolerance has provided several dozen target QTLs in Brassica and the closely related Arabidopsis. Many drought- or salt-tolerant genes have also been isolated, some of which have been confirmed to have great potential for genetic improvement of plant tolerance. It has been suggested that molecular breeding approaches, such as marker-assisted selection and gene transformation, that will enhance oil product security under a changing climate be integrated in the development of drought- and salt-tolerant Brassica crops.     

Optimization of mate selection based on genotypic information with overlapping generations

The objective of this study was to develop a method to optimize the selection and mating decisions based on genotypic information with overlapping generations by applying mate selection algorithm. In this study, differential evolution algorithm was used to optimize numbers of mating between genotypes and the optimal numbers of males and females selected from each genotype over planning horizon. This method assumed a single biallelic QTL ( Q and q ) and was applied to a simple situation in a herd of pigs as an example. Four dominance degrees of gene: recessive, additive, complete-dominance and over-dominance were considered. For all dominance degrees, the frequency of the favourable allele in males selected for replacement increased rapidly. In contrast, the frequency of favourable allele in females selected for replacement increased more gradually. The superiorities in cumulative discounted performance (CDP) when the initial allele frequency was 0.5 over a case when the frequency was 0.05 over the planning horizon were greatly affected by dominance degrees. The CDP superiorities ranged from 24% for an over-dominant QTL to 91% for a recessive QTL.