Potato Breeding at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station and the Scottish Crop Research Institute: 1920–2008

Seventy-two potato cultivars have been bred at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station and the Scottish Crop Research Institute since 1920. The original genetic base contained resistance to wart disease and to viruses, but not comprehensive resistance to all strains. Introgression of resistance genes from the wild and cultivated potato species of Latin America started for late blight in 1932, for viruses in 1941 and for potato cyst nematodes in 1952. Just seven of the 219 wild tuber-bearing species recognized by Hawkes in 1990 feature in the pedigrees of our cultivars, with Solanum demissum for blight resistance in 58, S. vernei for nematode resistance in 19 and S. microdontum for Potato virus Y resistance in 15, the other four species being S. multidissectum, S. commersonii, S. maglia and S. acaule. Resistance to other fungal and bacterial diseases has been mainly due to chance rather than deliberate breeding. From 1970, selection for yield and quality included processing quality, and despite lack of commercial success, prospects remain good for cultivars resistant to sweetening during cold storage. Since 1990 prebreeding has combined desirable traits through efficient recurrent selection based on progeny testing and provided parents for the commercially funded breeding of finished cultivars. Only one cultivar is a Neotuberosum–Tuberosum hybrid, whereas 15 cultivars have the H1 gene for resistance to Globodera rostochiensis introgressed from group Andigena. Long-day Phureja cultivars are finding a market niche for their flavour attributes. Breeding strategies and methods are critically reviewed from a genetic viewpoint.     

利用HMW-GS全缺失突变体快速构建Glu-1位点近等渗入系

小麦高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基(highmolecular weight glutenin subunit, HMW-GS)由Glu-A1、Glu-B1、Glu-D1位点中含有的复等位基因编码,评价和优化Glu-1位点组合是认识与改良HMW-GS表达与功能的重要途径。本研究创制了以小偃81为背景的HMW-GS基因完全缺失突变体DLGlu1。将DLGlu1与加拿大优质强筋小麦品种Glenlea杂交,结合后代幼胚培养与分子标记辅助选择技术,在BC₃F₃种子中快速鉴定出来自Glenlea的Glu-A1a、Glu-B1al和Glu-D1d位点不同组合的7种渗入系材料,可进一步发展成一套完整的Glu-1位点有差异的近等渗入系。本研究表明,DLGlu1可用于Glu-1位点近等渗入系的快速创制,对Glu-1位点功能研究和改良具有重要价值。     

Molecular analysis of introgression lines from Cucumis hystrix Chakr. to C. sativus L

Two stable introgression lines (ILs), IL56 and IL73 with fourteen chromosomes, derived from a cross between the wild relative Cucumis hystrix Chakr. (2n = 24) and the cultivated cucumber “beijingjietou” (Cucumis sativus L., 2n = 14) were characterized using SSR and AFLP markers. Twenty-three SSR primers were used to detect the introgression from C. hystrix to C. sativus, and one locus at 210 bp was revealed and assigned to introgressive fragment of C. hystrix genome in IL56. Substantial genomic changes in these two lines were detected by AFLP analysis with thirty different primer combinations. C. hystrix-specific bands, novel bands for the two parents and deleted bands in C. sativus were observed. One hundred and forty-seven polymorphic bands were observed, but only four and five introgressed bands were found in IL56 and IL73, respectively. Although representing only a small proportion of the C. hystrix genome, these two introgression lines with downy mildew and fusarium wilt resistance will be valuable to resistant genetics and breeding.     

大豆导入系群体芽期耐低温位点的基因型分析及QTL定位

利用美国大豆品种Clark (供体亲本)与主栽品种红丰11 (轮回亲本)所构建的回交导入系,经过严格的芽期耐低温筛选鉴定,得到46个在芽期耐低温性状上明显超过轮回亲本的导入系个体。利用这套选择群体结合随机对照群体和基因型分析,通过基于遗传搭车原理的卡方分析和单向方差分析方法,检测到分布于大豆10个连锁群的14个与大豆芽期耐低温相关的QTL。其中卡方分析检测到12个供体片段的超导入位点,对芽期耐低温性状表现为正效应。方差分析检测到5个位点,也表现为正效应,且其中Satt237、SOYPRP1和Satt540 3个位点是两种方法共同检测到的,应视为与耐低温直接相关的QTL。本研究旨在创建大豆芽期耐低温分子育种的检测方法平台,为大豆芽期耐低温研究提供有用的分子标记。     

川麦42遗传背景中人工合成小麦导入位点的SSR标记检测

硬粒小麦和节节麦是六倍体普通小麦的二级基因源,六倍体人工合成小麦遗传变异丰富、蕴藏着丰富的抗性基因,可供现代小麦改良利用。利用人工合成小麦基因资源与四川小麦杂交、回交,已育成了高产、优质、抗病小麦新品种“川麦42”。本文利用217对微卫星（SSR）引物检测“川麦42”遗传背景中人工合成小麦的导入位点,发现24个位点来源于人工合成小麦,占所用引物数的11.06%,远小于理论值25%。川麦42遗传背景中人工合成小麦导入位点在A、B和D染色体组分布频率不均衡,D组>B组>A组;人工合成小麦导入位点在川麦42各染色体间差异也很大,在1B、2B和5A染色体上分布较集中、片段较长,而在1A等11条染色体上则无导入位点;表明人工合成小麦的遗传位点并不按孟德尔遗传规律传至后代,人工选择压力导致遗传位点很大的偏分离行为。     

Spontaneous gene flow and population structure in wild and cultivated chicory, Cichorium intybus L.

Spontaneous gene flow between wild and cultivated chicory, Cichorium intybus L., may have implications for the genetic structure and evolution of populations and varieties. One aspect of this crop-wild gene flow is the dispersal of transgenes from genetically modified varieties, e.g. gene flow from GM chicory to natural chicory could have unwanted consequences. With the purpose to identify and quantify crop-wild gene flow in chicory, we analysed introgression in 19 wild chicory populations and 16 accessions of chicory varieties and landraces distributed across Northern, Central and Mediterranean Europe. The analysis used 281 AFLP markers and 75 SSAP markers giving a total of 356 polymorphic markers. Results from model based assignments with the program STRUCTURE indicated many incidents of recent gene flow. Gene flow was observed both between cultivars and wild populations, between landraces and wild populations, between different wild populations as well as between cultivars. Population structure visualized by distance-based clustering showed a North–South geographical structuring of the wild populations, and a general grouping of the cultivars corresponding to known origin. The results indicated, however, that the structuring between the two groups of wild and cultivated types was weak. As crop and wild recipients are genetically close and genes are transferred between the two types rather frequently, focus on mitigating crop-wild gene flow should be increased, before transgenic varieties are cultivated openly.     

转基因小麦目标基因通过花粉漂流的可能性研究

以去雄小麦为受体，在10m范围内小麦花粉可在任何方向发生有效漂移（使受体结实），花粉的最远有效漂移距离可达80m，以不去雄的小麦、柱穗山羊草和卵穗山羊草为受体时，在距花粉源1m的范围内，小麦间的异交率最高为0.24%、小麦与柱穗山羊草和卵穗山羊草间的异交率分别为0.25%和0，花粉的最远有效漂移距离可达20m。依照欧盟的标准，非转基因小麦即使与转基因品种相邻种植，其产品中的转基因成分也不会超标，在麦类近缘野生植物的起源中心及主要分布区，释放转基因小麦要特别慎重。     

Introgression of crown rust resistance from diploid oat Avena strigosa into hexaploid cultivated oat A. sativa by two methods: direct crosses and through an initial 2x·4x synthetic hexaploid

New sources of resistance to crown rust, Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae (Eriks.), the major fungal disease of cultivated oat, Avena sativa L. (2n = 6x = 42), are constantly needed due to frequent, rapid shifts in the virulence pattern of the pathogen. Crown rust resistance identified in the diploid oat A. strigosa (Schreb.) (2n = 2x = 14) accession CI6954SP was transferred into cultivated oat using two methods: direct cross of the diploid to a hexaploid cultivar facilitated by embryo rescue, and initial cross of the diploid to a wild tetraploid oat to make a synthetic hexaploid for subsequent crossing to a hexaploid cultivar. Two tetraploids, a crown rust resistant A. murphyi (Ladiz.) accession P12 and a susceptible A. insularis (Ladiz.) accession INS-1, were used in the 2x·4x crosses. Resistant backcross-derived lines were recovered by both methods. Although the 2x·4x synthetic method did not require the laborious discovery and rescue of an infrequent initial hybrid embryo of the direct cross, the direct cross method provided more rapid backcross recovery of plants with high fertility, full transmission of resistance, and desired plant and seed phenotypes. A suppressor effect, present initially but segregating in backcrosses, appeared to come from the CI6954SP donor and is the same as, or analogous to, suppression by an oat line with the crown rust resistance gene Pc38. No resistance from A. murphyi P12 was detected in advanced generations when it was introduced either as a component of a synthetic hexaploid or in direct crosses to A. sativa, indicating suppression of its resistance in interploidy combinations. That the dominant resistance gene transferred from CI6954SP and a gene Pc94 introgressed earlier from a different A. strigosa accession may be the same or quite similar to one another is indicated by their in-common specificity to suppression of resistance expression, susceptibility to a newly recovered rust isolate, and close linkage to the molecular marker SCAR94-2. The introgressed resistance genes from the different sources, even if the same, may have different cultivar genomic introgression sites, which would allow tests of dosage effects on resistance expression.     

Genetic Variation Among Portuguese Landraces of ‘Arrancada’ Wheat and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum petropavlovskyi</Emphasis> by AFLP-based Assessment

Portuguese wheat landraces, ‘Arrancada’ were collected from the Aveiro region, Portugal before the 1950s. We found in eight accessions of `Arrancada' hexaploid wheat with the long glume phenotype. We assessed the comparative genetic diversity among Portuguese `Arrancada' wheat and Triticum petropavlovskyi Udacz. et Migusch. using AFLP assays and discuss the origin of long glumed `Arrancada' wheat. With the four primer pairs a total of 4885 visible bands were scored corresponding to 99 AFLP markers as putative loci, of which 55 markers (54%) were polymorphic. UPGMA clustering and PCO grouping showed that long glumed ‘Arrancada’ wheat and T. petropavlovskyi were genetically diverse. Long glumed ‘Arrancada’ hexaploid wheat separated into two clusters (groups) in both the UPGMA dendrogram and in PCO analysis. Four long glumed accessions fell in the cluster of tetraploid wheat. A similar argument could be made for another four accessions which belong to the cluster of hexaploid wheat. The substantial level of genetic variation indicated that long glumed ‘Arrancada’ wheat and T. petropavlovskyi originated independently. It is most likely that the P-gene of long glumed ‘Arrancada’ hexaploid wheat was introduced from T. turgidum ssp. polonicum (L.) Thell. to T. aestivum via natural introgression or breeding. We suggest that the long glumed ‘Arrancada’ hexaploid wheat did not originate from T. aestivum through spontaneous mutation at the P locus     

Hybridisation with introduced chukars (Alectoris chukar) threatens the gene pool integrity of native rock (A. graeca) and red-legged (A. rufa) partridge populations

The decline of over-hunted red-legged (Alectoris rufa) and rock (A. graeca) partridge populations has been contrasted with massive releases of captive-reared birds, often hybrids with non-indigenous A. chukar. Released interspecific hybrids raise the risks of introgressive hybridisation, and can contribute to further depress the fitness of native populations. Aiming to assess the extent of hybridisation, we genotyped the mtDNA control-region and eight nuclear microsatellites in 671 red-legged, rock and chukar partridges and hybrids, identified by phenotypic traits. Results reveal a diffuse occurrence of hybridisation: (1) 39 samples (6.2%) show mtDNA haplotypes discordant with their phenotypes, indicating red-legged and chukar mtDNA introgression in native rock partridges; (2) admixture analyses of the microsatellite genotypes identified 32 additional rock partridges (5.1%) hybridised mainly with chukars. We analysed also 39 samples collected from a presumed natural red-legged x rock partridge hybrid zone in the French Alps. Surprisingly, 28% birds showed typical chukar mtDNAs, indicating hybridisation with introduced chukars or hybrids. This hybrid zone led to an introgression cline of chukar alleles into neighbouring Alpine rock partridges detectable up to 100 km, which was shorter than expected by neutral genetic theory, and that suggested natural selection against hybrids. These findings indicate that introgressive hybridisation may disrupt local adaptations in natural red-legged partridge and rock partridge populations, and call for strict control of farming and restocking operations.