Spraying exogenous synthetic cytokinin 6‐benzyladenine following the waterlogging improves grain growth of waterlogged maize in the field

6‐Benzyladenine (6‐BA, a synthetic cytokinin) could improve the ability to resist adversity. However, very little attention has been given to its role in alleviating waterlogging damages on grain growth. A field experiment was performed to investigate effects of exogenous 6‐BA after waterlogging for 6 days at the third leaf stage (V3‐WL + 6‐BA) or the sixth leaf stage (V6‐WL + 6‐BA) on grain filling, and endogenous hormone of summer maize hybrids DengHai605 (DH605) and ZhengDan958 (ZD958), which were planted popularly in China. Exogenous 6‐BA alleviated waterlogging damages on grain filling by improving grain weight and volume, which was beneficial to yield increase. Grain yield of DH605 under V3‐WL + 6‐BA and V6‐WL + 6‐BA increased by 16% and 12%, respectively, compared with that of V3‐WL (waterlogging at the third leaf stage) and V6‐WL (waterlogging at the sixth leaf stage), while the corresponding values for ZD958 increased by 20% and 15%, respectively. Moreover, exogenous 6‐BA alleviated waterlogging damages on grain endogenous hormone content by increasing levels of endogenous indole‐3‐acetic acid, zeatin riboside, and gibberellic acid, and decreasing level of abscisic acid in grain of waterlogged summer maize during grain‐filling periods. Clearly, exogenous 6‐BA improved grain‐filling characteristics, and endogenous hormone, resulting in a significant yield increase of waterlogged summer maize.     

Pigeonpea improvement: An amalgam of breeding and genomic research

In the past five decades, constant research has been directed towards yield improvement in pigeonpea resulting in the deployment of several commercially acceptable cultivars in India. Though, the genesis of hybrid technology, the biggest breakthrough, enigma of stagnant productivity still remains unsolved. To sort this productivity disparity, genomic research along with conventional breeding was successfully initiated at ICRISAT. It endowed ample genomic resource providing insight in the pigeonpea genome combating production constraints in a precise and speedy manner. The availability of the draft genome sequence with a large‐scale marker resource, oriented the research towards trait mapping for flowering time, determinacy, fertility restoration, yield attributing traits and photo‐insensitivity. Defined core and mini‐core collection, still eased the pigeonpea breeding being accessible for existing genetic diversity and developing stress resistance. Modern genomic tools like next‐generation sequencing, genome‐wide selection helping in the appraisal of selection efficiency is leading towards next‐generation breeding, an awaited milestone in pigeonpea genetic enhancement. This paper emphasizes the ongoing genetic improvement in pigeonpea with an amalgam of conventional breeding as well as genomic research.     

Marker‐assisted introgression of rare allele of β‐carotene hydroxylase (crtRB1) gene into elite quality protein maize inbred for combining high lysine,tryptophan and provitamin A in maize

Vitamin A deficiency in humans is a widespread health problem. Quality protein maize (QPM) is a popular food rich in lysine and tryptophan, but poor in provitamin A (proA). Here, we report the improvement of an elite QPM inbred, HKI1128Q for proA using marker‐assisted introgression of crtRB1‐favourable allele. HKI1128 was one of the parental lines of three popular hybrids in India and was converted to QPM in our earlier programme. Severe segregation distortion for crtRB1 was observed in BC₁F₁, BC₂F₁ and BC₂F₂. Background selection by 100 SSRs revealed mean recovery of 91.07% recurrent parent genome varying from 88.78% to 93.88%. Across years, introgressed progenies possessed higher mean β‐carotene (BC: 9.22 µg/g), β‐cryptoxanthin (BCX: 3.05 µg/g) and provitamin A (proA: 10.75 µg/g) compared to HKI1128Q (BC: 2.26 µg/g, BCX: 2.26 µg/g and proA: 3.38 µg/g). High concentration of essential amino acids, viz. lysine (mean: 0.303%) and tryptophan (0.080%) in endosperm, was also retained. Multi‐year evaluation showed that introgressed progenies possessed similar grain yield (1,759–1,879 kg/ha) with HKI1128Q (1,778 kg/ha). Introgressed progenies with higher lysine, tryptophan and proA hold immense potential as donors and parents in developing biofortified hybrids.     

Development of a core set of KASP markers for assaying genetic diversity in Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis Makino

Single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are rapid, economical and reliable genotyping tools. Non‐heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. chinensis Makino) is now an economically important vegetable crop worldwide. In this study, 1,167 SNPs were evaluated for 7polymorphism among 70 representative non‐heading Chinese cabbage inbred lines using a Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) genotyping assay. On the basis of identified polymorphisms and the results of a principal component analysis, we selected 50 core SNPs that were balanced sufficiently to provide adequate information for genetic identification. The core SNPs were used for construction of a neighbour‐joining dendrogram that separated the 70 inbred lines into four main groups and several subgroups corresponding to Caixin, Heiyebaicai, Huangxinwu, Naibaicai, Taitsai, Pak‐choi, and Wutatsai. This categorization was superior to that achieved using a dataset of 479 polymorphic SNPs. To confirm the utility of the core SNP markers in genetic identification, we tested their stability and resolution using 162 commercial hybrid cultivars. The SNPs, which represent a cost‐effective, accurate marker set for germplasm analysis and cultivar identification, are suitable for molecular marker‐assisted breeding in non‐heading Chinese cabbage.     

Comparative analysis of different methods revealing the involvement of proteins during ageing of rice seeds

Seed longevity is a very important characteristic controlling seed quality. However, the mechanism underlying this characteristic is poorly understood. In this study, 'FH7185', a storable rice variety, the germination rate of which was 66.63%, much higher than the control after artificial ageing under relative humidity 88% and 42°C for 21 days. Different methods were applied to reveal the involvement of proteins during ageing of rice seeds. In total, 35 differential proteins were identified from 2D‐PAGE, and 3,719 proteins from iTRAQ analysis. A comparison of these two methods showed that not all protein types could be detected on the 2D‐PAGE gels, and the dynamic range was somewhat limited. So the comprehensive proteome map from the iTRAQ analysis was used to identify the quantitatively regulated proteins that played roles in seed longevity, and found that the most marked change was the increased abundance of many metabolic enzymes, especially the ones involved in α‐linolenic acid metabolism in the embryos during ageing. OsLOX2 and OsLOX3 had a negative effect on seed longevity, which were lower in FH7185 than the control. The dehydrogenase (LOC_Os07g44430) which played a major catalytic role in lipid peroxidation, also changed significantly during ageing. Therefore, OsLOX2, OsLOX3 and Loc_OS 07G44430 may be involved in the regulation of seed longevity with a synergistic effect.     

Marker‐assisted parentage analysis reveals high individual selfing rates in tetraploid red clover genotypes selected for seed yield

Seed yield is a major breeding target in tetraploid red clover. We investigated if marker‐assisted parentage analysis can identify progeny plants with two high seed‐yielding parents in tetraploid red clover and if this technique is more advantageous than traditional half‐sib selection. Parentage analysis was successfully performed on the progeny from the 10% highest seed‐yielding genotypes from a second‐cycle family selection trial: 16.0% of progeny were identified with a high seed‐yielding father. However, progeny plants with two high seed‐yielding parents did not produce more seeds than traditionally selected progeny (27.3 g vs. 30.7 g/plant, respectively). The 10% highest seed‐yielding genotypes displayed on average 2% self‐fertilization. Four genotypes were self‐fertile with individual selfing rates up to 20%. Our results discourage the use of marker‐assisted parentage analysis to improve seed yield in tetraploid red clover when the material has been preselected for seed yield. Breeders should be aware that intensive selection for seed yield in tetraploid red clover may inadvertently lead to selection for increased self‐fertility, which may increase inbreeding in the long term.     

A data transfer method for improving seed identification of maize (Zea mays) haploid breeding based on genetic similarity

Maize haploid breeding technology is able to identify haploid seeds non‐destructively, rapidly and at low cost with the help of Near‐infrared (NIR) spectral analysis. However, due to the hybridization of numerous parents and the low production rate of haploid, the haploid data collection becomes a burden for engineering this technology. Biologically, there are considerable similarities between the progeny of the same female parent and different male parents. Based on this advantage, similar spectral data can be transferred when the NIR technology is employed. A revised method of Transfer adaptive boost (TrAdaBoost) is proposed to improve identifying for the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) classifier. To avoid the negative transfer, a screening thresh is used to select out similar data, and the amount of these data are limited to join current training. The results show that the identification performances are improved significantly when the data amount is small. This method shows a high ability to make the seed identification more convenient for engineering maize haploid breeding.     

Male sterility in soybean: Occurrence,molecular basis and utilization

In plants, male sterility (MS) is a specific breeding target trait. With the advancements in agriculture, utilization of heterosis breeding in hybrid production through MS lines has become the main breeding tool of various cross‐pollinated and even self‐pollinated crops. Soybean is an essential source of oil and protein; however, the low yield is a major factor limiting its development. Soybean MS mainly comprises cytoplasmic‐nuclear MS and nuclear/genic MS (NMS/GMS), which can effectively utilize heterosis to improve soybean yield. This review outlines the recent research progress on the development of new genetically MS lines, exploring the underlying molecular mechanism of MS, identification and cloning of MS and fertility restoration genes, and the application of MS lines. We further discussed and prospected the future developmental scenario direction of the soybean MS, based on the previous studies of other crops sterility system. Moreover, this review also provides comprehensive information for better application of MS to soybean breeding programme.     

The Relationship Between Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Organic Matter Content of Sedentary Grazing Pastures in a Typical Steppe

In order to discuss the relationship between the characteristics of plant communities and the content of topsoil organic matter under the condition of two-season sedentary grazing, authors of this paper selected a Stipa krylovii steppe for research and studied the plant community characteristics and the topsoil organic matter content. The results showed that in the sedentary grazing area, the perennial plant species decreased, the annual plant species increased, and the topsoil organic matter content decreased. There were a negative correlation between plant biomass and topsoil organic matter content, and a positive correlation between total coverage and topsoil organic matter content. The change of plant community characteristics in the sedentary grazing area was related to the implementation of the system of transferring the pasture use rights to the herdsmen and controlled grazing.     

农牧交错区化肥减量施用对马铃薯产量、

马铃薯种植中超量和长期施用化肥已造成产量、品质和耐贮性下降,为了充分利用农牧交错区产生的有机肥,提高马铃薯产量、品质和耐贮性,实现马铃薯产业可持续发展,研究了化肥减量施用和增施有机肥对马铃薯产量、品质和耐贮性的影响。结果表明,化肥减量施用和增施有机肥提高了马铃薯品质和耐贮性。处理2（50%常规施肥量+4 m3有机肥）的产量、蛋白质、淀粉、干物质、可溶性糖和VC含量最高,较对照（CK）分别提高了1.67%、15.66%、13.58%、11.63%、31.91%和21.17%,贮藏期软腐病、干腐病、环腐病和晚疫病发病率较低,较对照（CK）分别降低了44.72%、45.61%、50.14%和39.39%。建议在农牧交错区采用处理2来提高马铃薯产量、品质和耐贮性,降低化肥用量和施肥成本。