Genotypic variation of resistance to southern stem rot of Jerusalem artichoke caused by Sclerotium rolfsii

Southern stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is a significant problem of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) production in Thailand. Resistant varieties are not available. The objective of this study was to investigate genetic variability of Jerusalem artichoke genotypes for resistance to stem rot caused by S. rolfsii. Ninety-one Jerusalem artichoke genotypes were evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Traits evaluated included disease score, lesion length, days to permanent wilting, plant height, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight index. Number of days from inoculation until permanent wilting was the only trait with statistically significant differences among genotypes. Based on this trait, genotypes were categorized into two distinct groups: resistant and susceptible. Genotypes that consistently expressed relative resistance to S. rolfsii included HEL 280, HEL 278, HEL 293 and JA 98. These genotypes may be useful to plant breeders as sources of germplasm for incorporating resistance to S. rolfsii into Jerusalem artichoke.     

Root distribution patterns of peanut genotypes with different drought resistance levels under early‐season drought stress

Drought severely limits crop yield of peanut. Yet cultivars with enhanced root development enable the exploration of a greater volume of soil for water and nutrients, helping the plant survive. Root distribution patterns of three genotypes (ICGV 98305, ICGV 98324 and Tifton‐8) were compared when grown in well‐watered rhizoboxes and when grown in rhizoboxes where an early‐season drought was imposed using rain‐exclusion shelters. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications, and the experiment was conducted during two seasons at the Field Crop Research Station of Khon Kaen University, in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The root system of ICGV 98305, when grown under drought, had a significantly higher root length in the 30–110 cm deep soil layers and less roots in the 0–30 cm soil layers when under drought than when grown under well‐watered conditions. Roots of Tifton‐8 had the largest reductions in root length in upper soil layer and reduced in most soil layers. Tifton‐8 grown under drought was smaller than under well‐watered control for all root traits, showing negative response to drought. The peanut genotypes with high root traits in deeper soil layer under early‐season drought might contribute to drought avoidance mechanism.     

Chlorophyll Stability is an Indicator of Drought Tolerance in Peanut

Chlorophyll stability during drought might be a promising criterion for selection for drought resistance in peanut. The study describes two field trials conducted at Khon Kaen University, Thailand which investigate genotype × drought interactions in a wide range of peanut germplasm in general and assess the relationship between chlorophyll stability and genotypic performance in particular, under drought. Two field experiments (during 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 dry seasons) were conducted in a split plot design with three water regimes [field capacity, 2/3 available water (AW) and 1/3 AW] as main, and 12 peanut genotypes as subtreatments, replicated four times. Observations on total dry matter (TDM), chlorophyll density (ChlD) (chlorophyll content per unit leaf area), chlorophyll content (chlorophyll content per plant) and SPAD chlorophyll meter readings (SCMR) were recorded at 30, 60 and 90 days after emergence. Transpiration (T) and transpiration efficiency (TE) were computed using the data on amount of water input and TDM. Drought stress significantly reduced TDM, T and chlorophyll content across genotypes but significantly increased TE and ChlD in peanut. However, there were significant differences among genotypes for TE and chlorophyll parameters. The genotype × drought interaction effects for chlorophyll characters (content and density) were not significant suggesting a strong genetic effect. The correlation coefficients between TDM and chlorophyll content (r = 0.51, P = 0.01 to r = 0.91, P = 0.01) and between TE and ChlD (r = 0.46, P = 0.05 to r = 0.77, P = 0.01) were positive and significant. These findings suggest that chlorophyll parameters are strongly linked with drought tolerance in peanut. There were highly significant and positive relationships between ChlD and SCMR (r = 0.67, P = 0.01 to r = 0.93, P = 0.01), between SCMR and TE (r = 0.41, P = 0.05 to r = 0.80, P = 0.01) suggesting that SCMR could be used as a tool for rapid assessment of relative chlorophyll status in peanut genotypes as well as for the indirect selection of drought tolerance in peanut.     

Association of root, specific leaf area and SPAD chlorophyll meter reading to water use efficiency of peanut under different available soil water

Drought is the major abiotic constraint affecting peanut productivity and quality worldwide. There is a pressing need to improve the water use efficiency (WUE) of rain-fed peanut production. Breeding varieties with higher water use efficiency is seen as providing part of the solution. The objectives of this work were to (i) evaluate genetic variation in WUE, harvest index, root dry weight, specific leaf area (SLA) and SPAD chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR) among peanut genotypes in response to different available soil water levels and (ii) assess the relevance of root dry weight, SLA and SCMR to WUE in peanut under receding soil moisture levels. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted in the dry and rainy seasons in 2002/2003. The 11 peanut genotypes (ICGV 98300, ICGV 98303, ICGV 98305, ICGV 98308, ICGV 98324, ICGV 98330, ICGV 98348, ICGV 98353, Tainan 9, KK 60-3 and Tifton-8) and three soil moisture levels [field capacity (FC), 2/3 available soil water (AW) and 1/3 AW] were laid out in a factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with six replications. At 37, 67, and 97 day after sowing (DAS), data were recorded for SLA and SCMR. Root dry weight, harvest index (HI) and WUE were recorded at harvest. Drought reduced WUE, root dry weight and HI. Across both seasons, Tifton-8 and ICGV 98300 had high WUE and also had large root systems under drought conditions. ICGV 98324 and Tifton-8 had low SLA and high SCMR under stressed and non-stressed condition. Under drought conditions, ICGV 98324 had high HI and Tifton-8 had low HI. Root dry weight had a greater contribution to WUE under well-watered and mild drought (2/3 AW). Under severe drought (1/3 AW), SLA showed a more important contribution to WUE than the other traits. Traits that were associated to high WUE under drought conditions were different among different peanut genotypes. ICGV 98300 maintained high root dry weight under 2/3 AW and ICGV 98324 maintained low SLA and high SCMR under 1/3 AW. Tifton-8 had both large root systems and low SLA associated with high WUE.     

Association of root dry weight and transpiration efficiency of peanut genotypes under early season drought

Root characters have been well established as drought resistance traits in peanut. However, the relationships of root characters with transpiration efficiency (TE) have not been well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between root traits and TE under early season drought. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted during February-May 2004 and November 2004-March 2005 at the Field Crop Research Station of Khon Kaen University, in Khon Kaen province of Thailand. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used with 2 factorial set-up with four replications. Factor A consisted of two water regimes, i.e. irrigated control (FC) and 1/3 available soil water (1/3 AW) from emergence to 40 days after emergence followed by adequate water supply, and factor B comprised of 11 peanut genotypes. Data were recorded for specific leaf area (SLA) and SPAD chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR) at 40 and 60 days after emergence (DAE) and TE and root dry weight (RDW) at harvest. Early season drought increased SCMR, TE and RDW but it reduced SLA. Strong and more consistent variation for TE were observed among 11 peanut genotypes across seasons. Across both seasons, ICGV 98300, KK 60-3 and Tifton-8 had high TE and also had large root systems under drought conditions. KK 60-3 and Tifton-8 had low SLA and high SCMR under early season drought conditions. Root dry weight had a contribution to TE under well-watered and drought conditions, especially under drought condition. SCMR and SLA had smaller contributions to TE under well-watered and ESD conditions. From this study it was apparent that root dry weight was an important trait for TE under early season drought.     

Variations in morphological and agronomic traits among Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) accessions

Jerusalem artichoke is a diversely-utilized crop. Selection for high yield, inulin content and other economically important traits are useful for improving this crop. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate genetic variability for qualitative and quantitative traits among Jerusalem artichoke accessions and to identify different groups of accessions using morphological and agronomic traits. Seventy-nine accessions were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with two replications in the late rainy season 2008, the early rainy season 2009 and the late rainy season 2009 at Khon Kaen University agronomy farm, Thailand. Morphological and agronomic characteristics were evaluated for genetic variations. High variations were found among Jerusalem artichoke accessions for qualitative and quantitative characters, and selection for these characters is possible. High variations were observed for tuber width, number of tubers/plant, biomass, fresh tuber yield and tuber size. Correlation coefficient between fresh tuber yield and tuber size was positive and significant (0.58, P ≤ 0.01). Improvement of tuber size is a means to improve yield and tuber quality. Based on morphological and agronomic characteristics, Jerusalem artichoke accessions were clustered into four distinct groups (R² = 0.88). These groups may be used as parental material to generate progenies for further improvement of this crop. This information will enable breeders to make informed decisions about possible heterotic groups for their breeding programs and germplasm conservation.     

Inoculation with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sclerotium rolfsii</Emphasis>, cause of stem rot in Jerusalem artichoke,under field conditions

Stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is an important problem of Jerusalem artichoke, and breeding of Jerusalem artichoke for resistance to stem rot requires effective screening methods. The objective of this study was to compare methods for inoculating Jerusalem artichoke with S. rolfsii under field conditions. A 4 × 2 × 3 factorial in a randomized complete block with four replications was used in two environments characterized by different rates of fertilizer application (recommended rate and low rate) in the rainy season. The factors included four Jerusalem artichoke varieties (HEL280, HEL278, HEL256 and JA49), two levels of wounding (wounded and not wounded) and three methods of inoculation. The inoculation methods consisted of: 1) non-inoculated natural infection; 2) attaching one colonized sorghum seed at the crown of plants (single sorghum seed method); and 3) spreading 30 g m^?2 of colonized sorghum seeds (broadcast inoculation method). Jerusalem artichoke varieties and inoculation methods were significantly different for disease incidence, whereas the difference between wounded and non wounded treatments was not significant. Significant interactions were found between the variety and wounding method, the variety and inoculation method, wounding method and inoculation method, and inoculation method and environments. Natural infection resulted in the lowest disease incidence (32.2 %), whereas the single sorghum seed and the broadcast inoculation methods had a high disease incidence (79.0 % and 77.3 % respectively) and were not signnificantly different from each other. Broadcast inoculation did not allow differentiation of Jerusalem artichoke varieties for disease incidence, whereas single seed inoculation could better identify the differences among Jerusalem artichoke varieties.     

DROUGHT STRESS: Physiological Basis for Genotypic Variation in Tolerance to and Recovery from Pre‐flowering Drought in Peanut

Drought during the pre‐flowering stage can increase yield of peanut. There is limited information on genotypic variation for tolerance to and recovery from pre‐flowering drought (PFD) and more importantly the physiological traits underlying genotypic variation. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of moisture stress during the pre‐flowering phase on pod yield and to understand some of the physiological responses underlying genotypic variation in response to and recovery from PFD. A glasshouse and field experiments were conducted at Khon Kaen University, Thailand. The glasshouse experiment was a randomized complete block design consisting of two watering regimes, i.e. fully‐irrigated control and 1/3 available soil water from emergence to 40 days after emergence followed by adequate water supply, and 12 peanut genotypes. The field experiment was a split‐plot design with two watering regimes as main‐plots, and 12 peanut genotypes as sub‐plots. Measurements of N₂ fixation, leaf area (LA) were made in both experiments. In addition, root growth was measured in the glasshouse experiment. Imposition of PFD followed by recovery resulted in an average increase in yield of 24 % (range from 10 % to 57 %) and 12 % (range from 2 % to 51 %) in the field and glasshouse experiments, respectively. Significant genotypic variation for N₂ fixation, LA and root growth was also observed after recovery. The study revealed that recovery growth following release of PFD had a stronger influence on final yield than tolerance to water deficits during the PFD. A combination of N₂ fixation, LA and root growth accounted for a major portion of the genotypic variation in yield (r = 0.68–0.93) suggesting that these traits could be used as selection criteria for identifying genotypes with rapid recovery from PFD. A combined analysis of glasshouse and field experiments showed that LA and N₂ fixation during the recovery had low genotype × environment interaction indicating potential for using these traits for selecting genotypes in peanut improvement programs.     

Association of seedling and adult plant resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sclerotium rolfsii</Emphasis> in Jerusalem artichoke (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Helianthus tuberosus</Emphasis> L<Emphasis Type="Italic">.</Emphasis>) under field conditions

Stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is an important problem for Jerusalem artichoke production. Host plant resistance is the most promising method to control disease. If resistant genotypes can be identified in seedlings and this resistance is closely related to resistance at maturity, the evaluation of disease resistance in adult plants could be curtailed or omitted, increasing the speed and efficiency of screening. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between resistance to S. rolfsii in Jerusalem artichoke in seedling and in adult stages under field conditions. Field experiments were set up in different soil fertility environments in the rainy season during July to October 2014. In each environment, 10 varieties of Jerusalem artichoke with differences in resistance to S. rolfsii were planted and inoculated either 15 or 45 days after transplanting. Higher disease incidence was observed on adult plant stage, but disease severity was similar for both plant stages. The correlations between seedling and adult responses were positive and significant for disease incidence, area under disease progress curve and severity index. Screening for resistance to S. rolfsii in Jerusalem artichoke can be carried out on seedlings, thus improving the efficiency of selection.     

Genotypic variability and genotype by environment interactions for inulin content of Jerusalem artichoke germplasm

Genetic variations in germplasm and genotype × environment interaction (G × E) are important for crop improvement. The objectives were to explore genetic variation in Jerusalem artichoke germplasm and to evaluate G × E interaction for inulin content. Seventy-nine accessions of Jerusalem artichoke were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with two replications for three seasons. Significant variation in inulin content (55.3–74.0% dry weight) was observed and the genotypes with high inulin content could be identified although there was intermediate G × E interaction. Genotypes were also significantly different for days to maturity, fresh tuber yield, biomass and harvest index and G × E interactions for these traits were also significant. The correlation between inulin content and days to maturity was not significant (r = −0.20), whereas inulin content and fresh tuber yield were significantly associated (r = 0.22). JA 37 and CN 52867 are promising for high yield and inulin content.