Yield Formation in Modern and Old Oat Cultivars under High and Low Nitrogen Regimes

Contribution of nitrogen (N) and plant breeding to yield formation of oats ( Avena sativa L.) was evaluated with two years'field experiments. These consisted of four Finnish oat cultivars released between 1935 and 1988 and one breeding line. Three rates of N application were used (0, 90, and 120 kg N ha⁻¹) and 19 morpho-physiological traits, including maturity class, plant structure and plant stand structure, were assessed.
The modern cultivar out-yielded the old one under low and high N, indicating that return of old varieties into cultivation under low-input conditions is unlikely to be feasible. An oat ideotype for low productivity conditions must be characterized. Furthermore, N contributed more than oat breeding to several traits studies. However, in some cases N appeared to affect the traits measured in a negative manner. Use of N increased production of both above-ground vegetative biomass and panicle weight without changing HI significantly. However, plant breeding slightly reduced the production of vegetative phytomass and increased the grain: straw ratio by 10 %. Moreover, genetic gains in shortening straw length, increasing lodging resistance, and improving BYDV tolerance were partly lost when high rates of N application were used. The contribution of N and oat breeding to other morpho-physiological traits is discussed.     

Utilization of Intervarietal Chromosome Substitutions in Breeding Winter Wheat

Using monosomic lines of wheat cultivars ‘Palur’ and ‘Compal’ as recipient parents as well as disomic substitution lines of chromosomes 5A and 5D of the wheat cv. ‘Atlas 66’, F₃-populations and BC₁′- to BC₃′-populations with limited and free recombination of the 20 and 21 parental chromosomes, respectively, were realized and tested in field trials in comparison to the corresponding recipient cvs. ‘Palur’ and ‘Compal’. F₃- and BC'-populations with the homozygous chromosomes 5A and 5D of the wheat cv. ‘Atlas 66’ expressed higher and more stable grain protein values than the comparable populations with free recombination of the same chromosomes. The grain protein content of populations with limited recombination was significantly increased compared with the recipient cultivars. Some advantages of using intervarietal substitutions in wheat breeding are discussed.     

A male-fertile Lycopersicon esculentum × Solanum lycopersicoides hybrid enables direct backcrossing to tomato at the diploid level

Solanum lycopersicoides Dun. is a wild nightshade native to Chile and Peru that possesses many traits of potential interest to tomato breeders, including environmental stress tolerance, resistances to disease and insect pests, and certain fruit quality characteristics. Sexual and somatic hybrids with the cultivated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) are readily obtained, yet have a strong tendency towards male-sterility combined with unilateral incompatibility, barriers that have deterred breeding efforts in the past. We report herein the synthesis of a partially male-fertile F₁ hybrid by sexual crosses between tomato and a recently collected population of S. lycopersicoides. Over 280 BC₁ plants were obtained by directed backcrossing to tomato at the diploid level, of which 58 were sufficiently fertile to permit selfing or additional backcrosses. The transmission of S. lycopersicoides genetic markers into a uniform L. esculentum background was confirmed with 24 isozyme or morphological loci on 11 of the 12 alien chromosomes. Potentially useful tolerance to gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) was demonstrated by inoculation of stem cuttings with mycelial plugs: at 6 days post-inoculation, the intergeneric hybrid showed little evidence of disease progression and the length of stem lesions averaged only one third that of susceptible controls. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

南方稻区早籼区试品种产量分析及育种刍议

通过对“六五”至“八五”期间南方稻区早籼区论资料分析表明，南方稻区早籼育种取得了明显进展，产量水平大约每5年提高4％～6％。产量水平得以提高的主要因素是每穗粒数和粒重的增加。但优质品种产量水平偏低，其主要原因是粒重偏低。     

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of wheat gliadins: the use of a moving boundary for improved resolution

Summary The process of the separation of gliadin proteins of wheat, using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was studied in detail. It was shown that electrophoresis is a dynamic process during which the pH of the gel changes together with the potassium ion concentration. The most positive effect on the separation of the gliadins was generated by a moving front, which is a boundary between regions with a low concentration of K⁺ ions and a low pH, and region with a high concentration of K⁺ ions and a high pH, after optimization of the concentrations of the cations and anions in the electrode solutions. The finding was exploited for the development of an extremely simple electrophoresis system, in which buffers were not needed for obtaining a high resolution. The system was further improved by applying a stacking gel. The advantages of this system are discussed. This new approach may be useful for improving electrophoresis systems for other applications.     

Breeding Panicum maximum in Brazil. 1. Genetic resources,modes of reproduction and breeding procedures

Summary Apomixis is widely distributed among tropical forage grasses, and has long been merely regarded as an impediment to breeding. Panicum maximum is presented as the first opportunity for Brazilian geneticists to develop and test original breeding schemes adapted to an apomictic species.A large and representative germplasm of P. maximum has been introduced and is currently being evaluated. Basic knowledges on biology and reproduction are also available, which demonstrate an easy manipulation of apomixis and sexuality. Several limiting traits have already been detected during evaluation, which justify breeding attempts. An ideal scheme is given to transfer new qualities to already selected varieties.     

Inheritance of tree and fruit characters in progenies from crosses of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars

Summary Approximately 1000 seedlings from 20 combinations crossed in 1979, 1980 and 1981 (Theiler-Hedtrich 1985a) were tested for several characters: fruit set (yield), fruit size, fruit colour, formation of abscission layer and bleeding after fruit removal from fruit stalks, bacterial canker resistance, flowering and harvesting time. From progeny of crosses with Stella as pollinator, 56% (Vittoria × Stella) and 46% (Schüttler × Stella) of the seedlings were self-compatible, of which 14 were high yielding with good fruit size and quality. From the data recorded it can be concluded:fruit set is a recessive character; only 5 to 20% of very good yielding seedlings were obtained in different progeny, even if the parental plants were both very good croppers.Fruit juice and skin colour was in most progenies ‘black’ even if they were from combinations with ‘white’ varieties, e.g., Merton Glory or Schüttler. Only from the combination Schiittler (‘white’) × Stella (‘black’), 50% of the seedlings were ‘white’; Stella therefore is heterozygous for the character of fruit juice and skin colour.Fruit size is evenly distributed in progeny with respect to the fruit size of their parent plants.Abscission layer formation and non-bleeding is a genetically complex character. In combinations where both parent plants formed fruits with complete abscission layers and which were not bleeding after fruit removal from the stalk, this character was inherited only to 50% (Vittoria × Schüttler) or 85% (Vittoria × Frühe von der Weid) in the progeny. For the genetical control of this character further studies are necessary.Bacterial canker susceptibility was evenly distributed in seedlings from all combinations even if the highly resistant cv. Vittoria was used as one parent plant, thereby not confirming the expected results of a higher proportion of resistant seedlings from combinations with Vittoria.Flowering and harvest time of the seedlings from different combinations was within the range of the parent plants. Only in the combination of Vittoria × Stella (mid-to late-ripening season) one seedling out of 99 was found to form ripe fruits two weeks earlier than the parental plants. From the seedlings tested 40 have been chosen for further evaluation or genetical studies.     

参与式植物育种与可持续利用生物多样性--以广西玉米为例

遗传多样性是植物育种的基础,但“遗传侵蚀”现象十分严重。以长期技术供给为主要任务而形成的自上而下的农业研究和推广与需求相脱节,它在新的农村经济社会条件下已不适应。通过对广西玉米育种机构研究人员、科研管理人员及县、乡(镇)、村有关指导农业生产的管理干部和技术员进行访谈,对玉米种植的社区农户进行了深入的调查。运用系统科学的方法对广西玉米遗传多样性降低的影响因素进行分析得出结论和对策,同时通过《玉米种质遗传多样性与农民参与式育种研究》项目在广西实施为案例,进行调查和分析,以促进新的研究理念的形成。     

水稻白叶枯病抗性基因的聚合及其遗传效应

以全生育期抗水稻白叶枯病的早粳Ｇ３８为抗源供体，以成株期抗性的晚粳品种秀水１１为轮回亲本，通过连续回交转育出全生育期抗白叶枯病的晚粳品系Ｄ６０１、Ｄ６０２和Ｄ６０３。遗传研究表明，３个晚粳品系都聚合了来自双亲的ｘａ－５和Ｘａ－３抗性基因，聚合的抗性基因可能具有抗性累加效应，其抗性水平和抗扩展能力强于双亲，抗谱宽于秀水１１。同时评价了３个晚粳稻抗病品系对我甸白叶枯病病原型的抗性及主要农艺性状。认为Ｄ     

棉花产量与品质改进新对策

世界经济形势对棉花作为主导的纺织纤维来源提出了挑战.过去10年中,世界棉花的丰产性育种进展不大,棉农种植棉花的收益较低,棉花生产效益不稳.从目前单产水平的这种停滞状态可看出在多年的育种进程中,棉花从种植到成熟过程中产量组分所受到的生理限制.就改进产量的育种对策而言,注重产量组分比之注重衣分或铃数更为重要,此外应注重的是棉株的生理特性,如种子的含油量.而在产量处于徘徊的这段时期,经济的竞争使世界纺纱与纺织技术加速改进,以满足棉纤维品质的需求.在棉纤维加工过程中,短绒(12.7mm及以下绒长)的问题往往是造成棉纱拉力降低,尤其是对气流纺织技术.随着乌斯特公司"高级纤维信息系统"R的问世,已可以在对棉纤维长度分类时直接对棉短绒含量进行测定.本文的目的是讨论如何在保持现有纤维品质的前提下,采用新的技术与对策进一步提高产量.