Euphytica最新文献

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) has an important role in the global market, with consumption increasing steadily in the past decades. Adapted to multiple environments, a relevant question when investigating fruit quality attributes is the performance of different genotypes over multiple environmental conditions. In this study, we hypothesize that the use of environmental covariables (ECs) can improve the understanding of genotype-by-environment interaction and guide breeders’ decisions. To test it, we used twenty-four genotypes, evaluated across five harvest seasons (2018–2022) in four mega-environments in Florida (Citra FL, Central-North FL, Central FL and South FL), and investigated the impact of twenty-one environmental covariables on the phenotypic expression of five fruit quality traits (weight, total soluble solids, total titratable acidity, firmness, and size). Our contributions in this study are three: (I) first, we identified important temporal windows affecting the phenotypic plasticity for multiple traits; (II) using the environmental covariables, we draw attention on the importance of ECs that characterize the mega-environments and use such information in a mixed model framework to explain the genotype-by-environment interaction; and finally (III) we used linear regression (in the form of Finlay-Wilkinson regression) to estimate adaptability and stability metrics to select promising genotypes. Overall, these findings offer insights into the utility of environmental variables in explaining genotype stability and plasticity, thus, providing a framework to enhance predictive responses and optimize resource allocation in blueberry breeding.

Guar [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub] is a legume primarily grown for the guar gum in its endosperm, which is used in industrial, chemical, and food applications. Guar seed also contains protein, though this aspect of the crop has been much less studied. The high protein content makes it a good livestock feed source and the tender pods a nutritious vegetable for humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate seed protein content of diverse guar germplasm accessions sourced from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plat germplasm repository. A two-year field study was conducted at Chillicothe and Lubbock, Texas, in 2021 and 2022. Nitrogen combustion analysis was used to evaluate protein content on ground seed samples and data was analyzed using JMP Genomics ® 7 (SAS Institute, Inc.). Significant location X year X genotype interaction (P-value < 0.05) and main genotype effects (P-value < 0.05) were identified for seed protein content. Broad-sense heritability (H) for protein content was 80.7%, indicating that most variation was due to genetics and the trait is selectable in breeding. A total of 10 guar genotypes had 0.5% higher protein content, across all locations and years, than the check genotype ‘Santa Cruz’. These findings identify high seed protein guar lines that can be used as parents in guar breeding and contribute basic knowledge on factors affecting seed protein in the crop.

Bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia (L.) Willd.), one of the Near Eastern founder crops, is an annual cleistogamous legume domesticated during the Neolithic period. Originally used for human consumption, over time it was replaced by other pulses and downgraded to a fodder crop. When coupled with a small degree of cross hybridization, cleistogamy confers evolutive plasticity to the plant species. The aim of the present work consisted in setting up optimal conditions to overcome the existing cross hybridization barriers in V. ervilia. Genotypes of Turkish origin, characterized by an erect growth habit were crossed with Italian counterparts characterized by high seed production. A detailed cyto-histological analysis of flower development was undertaken to determine the optimal stage for emasculation and manual cross. Ninety-eight crosses were carried out and the hybrid nature of the putative F1 progenies was assessed by SSR (simple sequence repeat) DNA markers. Fifty-five seeds were obtained of which only five gave rise to hybrid plants. Among these, only three turned out to be fertile and two of which generated a consistent number of F2 seeds whose plants were assessed in greenhouse for seed production and plant growth habit. Most of the evaluated traits showed mean values of the F2 plants intermediate between the two initial parents, confirming that intraspecific hybridization is not only possible but also useful to exploit the diversity confined in different bitter vetch populations.

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress in agricultural production, as it hampers the growth and development of crop plants. Developing crop cultivars with salinity/salt tolerance is a major goal in many plant breeding programs. This study aimed to identify quantitative trait locus (QTL) that controls salt tolerance in the wild zombi pea (Vigna vexillata) accession “AusTRCF 322105.” For QTL analysis, a BC₁F₂ population resulting from the cross between salt-susceptible TVNu240 and TVNu240 × AusTRCF 322105 was used. A genetic linkage map was constructed for the BC₁F₂ population, consisting of 15 linkage groups and using 296 SNP markers. The map spanned 2889.9 cM in total length. Plant leaf wilt and plant survival were evaluated by subjecting the BC₁F₂ population to a hydroponic condition with 250 mM NaCl to assess salt tolerance at the seedling stage. QTL analysis revealed that two QTLs, qSaltol_3.1 and qSaltol_7.1, control both leaf wilt and plant survival. These two QTLs explained 23–27% and 11–15% of the trait variation. Exploration of the physical genome region revealed that qSaltol_3.1 is located near genes encoding methionine sulfoxide reductase and protein L-isoaspartate O-methyltransferase that are involved in oxidative stress resistance. In contrast, qSaltol_7.1 is located near genes encoding 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase, L-type lectin domain containing receptor kinase VII.1, lipoxygenase 3, CBS domain-containing protein 5, NAC25 protein, and asparagine synthetase (ASNS) that have been found to be associated with salt tolerance. Nonetheless, qSaltol_3.1 and qSaltol_7.1 are novel QTLs identified for salt tolerance in the zombi pea.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a common staple food widely cultivated and consumed globally. The increase in world population and slow genetic gain in rice production in the face of a rapidly evolving climate could cause food scarcity and decreased crop productivity. It is crucial to expedite the development and release of climate-resilient crop varieties through selective breeding and improvement to mitigate the impact of climate change. Speed breeding has emerged as a promising tool for rice breeding, offering the potential to accelerate the generation time. By streamlining the breeding process and reducing the time taken for each generation, speed breeding empowers breeders to screen for desired traits rapidly and efficiently, enhancing the selection and development of improved rice varieties to meet the growing global demand for food. This review focuses on the applications of speed breeding technology to accelerate rice breeding and further highlights the critical factors for speed breeding development in rice production, such as temperature, humidity, light, and genetic diversity. Understanding and optimizing these factors is vital in successfully implementing speed breeding technology in developing robust, high-yielding, and climate-resilient rice varieties for feeding the future.

Geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) are ornamental plants that are widely popular because of their abundant flowering, color variability, different flower patterns, and ease of cultivation. Genetic breeding of this species aims to reduce the plant size and flower color. The objective of this study was to carry out morphoagronomic characterization of parents and F₁ hybrids and to estimate the combined capacity and hybrid performance in the circulating diallel in F₂ geranium (Pelargonium sp.). We obtained 18 and 275 plants from the F₁ and F₂ generations, respectively. Characterization of the parental genotypes and F₁ and F₂ hybrids was performed based on the descriptors for Pelargonium. Parents and F₁ hybrids were grouped using the Tocher and UPGMA methods and diallel analyses in the F₂ generation. The F₁ hybrids G8, G11, and G17 exhibited color combinations suitable for commercialization and are promising for inclusion in breeding programs. The effects of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) were significant for these traits were also significant. The results showed the presence of both additive and non-additive genes. However, non-additive and dominant genes were predominant in most characteristics studied. Diallel analysis of the F₂ hybrids revealed that the best hybrid combinations for reducing plant height were 14 × 11, 14 × 13, and 15 × 12. Therefore, the implementation and use of diallel analysis were efficient in selecting superior parental genotypes and producing hybrids with high yields.

Yellow rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is one of the most important wheat diseases. Adult plant resistance (APR) genes have gained the attention of breeders and scientists because they show higher durability compared to major race-specific genes. Here, we determined the effect of the APR genes Yr18, Yr29 and Yr46 in North-West European field conditions against three currently important Pst races. We used three pairs of sibling wheat lines developed at CIMMYT, which consisted of a line with the functional resistance gene and a sibling with its non-functional allele. All APR genes showed significant effects against the Pst races Warrior and Warrior (–), and a race of the highly aggressive strain PstS2. The effects of Yr18 and Yr46 were especially substantial in slowing down disease progress. This effect was apparent in both Denmark, where susceptible controls reached 100 percent disease severity, and in United Kingdom where disease pressure was lower. We further validated field results by quantifying fungal biomass in leaf samples and by micro-phenotyping of samples collected during early disease development. Microscopic image analyses using deep learning allowed us to quantify separately the APR effects on leaf colonization and pustule formation. Our results show that the three APR genes can be used in breeding yellow rust resistant varieties of spring wheat to be grown in North-West European conditions, and that deep learning image analysis can be an effective method to quantify effects of APR on colonisation and pustule formation.