Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution最新文献

The improvement of lentil productivity and resilience to climate change require the deployment of breeding approaches and sustainable agronomic practices. Germplasm from the Mediterranean region could be an important source of useful traits for lentil breeding programs. Additionally, no-tillage could also contribute to maintaining lentil productivity in drought-prone environments. However, there are few investigations on breeding for adaptation to no-tillage in lentil, as this practice can create growing conditions that differ from those under conventional tillage. The main objectives of this study were to assess the phenotypic diversity of a lentil collection in different environments and to select promising accessions that can be used in lentil breeding programs. A Mediterranean lentil collection of 119 accessions was evaluated in Morocco (under no-till and conventional tillage) and in Turkey (during two growing seasons) under rainfed conditions. There was significant phenotypic variation among accessions for traits assessed. In addition, significant genotype-by-environment interaction effects were observed for grain yield and time to flowering. Moroccan landraces were the earliest to flower compared to landraces from Italy, Turkey, and Greece. Greek landraces displayed the highest mean values of hundred-seed weight. Landraces outperformed advanced lines in low-yielding environment (Turkey in 2022 season) in which higher yield was recorded in Turkish landraces, followed by Moroccan landraces. The high-yielding accessions identified in different environments could be used as donors in breeding programs.

Sponge gourd [Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem.] is one of the minor important cultivated vegetable and medicinal plant in the family cucurbitaceae. The present investigation was undertaken to study the multivariate analysis in 40 sponge gourd genotypes for 32 different parameters. The parameters like fruit yield/plant, fruit yield/plot, fruit yield/hectare, number of seeds per fruit, and vitamin C content found to have high heritability along with high selection gain, which implies that these traits are governed by additive gene effects and are more suitable for efficient selection for further breeding programme. Principle component analysis and biplot analysis showed that how these traits associated to each other. The genotypes were classified into three main clusters based on the results of the cluster analysis; more number of genotypes were present in cluster II (17) followed by cluster I (13) and III (10). The results from the Multi-Trait Genotype–Ideotype Distance Index (MGIDI) indicated that the genotypes, G6, G24, G11, G22, G16, and G33 selected for yield and yield attributes, on the other hand the genotypes, G29, G5, G15, G18, G17, and G36 were identified for quality traits, which provides valuable insights into identifying potential high yield and nutritional rich genotypes, which can be further used as a parent in hybridization programme to improve quality traits.

Berberis species serve as an alternate host of the aecial phase of many rust diseases causing pathogens including wheat stem rust (WSR), wheat yellow rust (WYR) and oat stem rust (OSR). Barberry, as an alternate host, has recently gained attention due to the emergence of new races after genetic recombination during the aecial stage on barberry. Different Berberis species also serve as a seasonal bridge for stem and stripe rust pathogen in Pakistan and neighbouring countries. The aim of this study was to identify the role of Berberis species and to examine the genetic diversity of rust on Berberis spp. at species and formae speciales levels collected from different geographical areas of Pakistan using molecular and morphological techniques. Initially, PCR based approach was applied using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to investigate the presence of WSR, WYR, and OSR in 95 aecial samples grown under natural conditions. Based on aecial growth and spore morphology, rust was divided into 2 groups i.e., localized (Puccina graminis) and systematic (Puccina arrhenatheri). For molecular study, DNA was extracted from infected leaf aecial lesion using different methods (CTAB, SDS and Kit) to avoid degradation. Positive control (DNA) of WSR, WYR and OSR were first screened using SSR markers and then Kits extracted DNA were successfully amplified by species and formae speciales specific SSR markers. In total, 25 of 46 SSR markers were found to be useful for the screening of selected rusts collected from barberry. SSR analysis revealed 3 Berberis species namely Berberis balochistanica, Berberis pachyacantha and Berberis lycium as alternate hosts of WSR, while B. lycium was also identified as an alternate host of OSR. Additionally, no barberry was found as an alternate host of stripe rust in natural conditions. This study also showed the specificity of SSR markers at species and formae speciales level. The result of present study indicated that spore morphology and aecium appearance on leaf of barberry is an imperative tool to screen rust diversity. In conclusion, this study confirms that barberry serves as an alternate host for only stem rust in Pakistan. This study just focused on aecial stage, so in future relationship of all stages like survival of urediniospores, teliospore germination and basidiospore production and initiation of pycnial stage on Berberis should be studied.

Halophytes are plants that thrive under saline conditions, presenting a viable solution for food security in arid regions. This study evaluates the growth, biomass production, and phytoremediation potential of two halophytic forage species, Ochthochloa compressa and Aeluropus lagopoides, under salinity levels from the Cholistan Desert, Pakistan and would be used for genetic resources. A hydroponic experiment was conducted using Hoagland's solution (1979) in an experimental setting. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and a completely randomized design. The results indicate a negative correlation between increased salinity and various growth parameters, including the number of leaves, dry weight, membrane stability index, relative leaf water content, chlorophyll content, potassium (K) uptake, net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency. Conversely, sodium content showed a positive correlation in both species. The highest negative correlation was observed in K + ions (− 0.962), while Na + exhibited a strong positive correlation (0.948) in O. compressa. The coefficient of determination (R²) of the model was 0.899 while the adjusted R² was 0.892 with the standard error of the estimate being 2.012 for fresh biomass against the stress. The Stepwise Linear Regression Model for both species shows the significant values of the selected variables. Number of leaves and transpiration rate are main factors for fresh biomass production, where R² value given by the model was 0.899 while the adjusted R² was 0.892 with the standard error of the estimate being 2.012 for fresh biomass against the stress in O. compressa. These findings reveal that both species are inherently halophytic, would be utilized for biomass production and phytoremediation in arid environments.

Current research explores adult plant resistance (APR) to brown rust (leaf rust) in diverse bread wheat genotypes using morphological traits as indicators. Leaf rust disease was induced, and various parameters, including Area Under the Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC), Final Disease Severity % (FDS), and Coefficient of Infection (CI), were assessed, along with yield-related traits like Plant Height (PH), Peduncle Length (PL), Spikelets per Spike (SPS), Number of Grains per Spike (NGPS), Thousand-Grains Weight (TGW) and Grain Yield per Plant (GYP). The study reveals varying levels of resistance among genotypes. Genotypes G3, G5, G6, G7, G12, G15, G16, G19, G21, G22, G25, G26, G27, and G30 demonstrated strong resistance, with low values for FDS, AUDPC and CI. In contrast, Genotypes G1, G8, G18 and G28 were highly susceptible, exhibiting high values for these parameters, categorizing them as “S” (Susceptible). Correlation analysis unveiled strong positive associations between AUDPC and both FDS and CI, indicating increased disease severity with rising AUDPC values. Positive correlations were also found among yield-related traits. Conversely, yield and yield-related traits showed weak, non-significant and negative correlations with disease-related parameters. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) highlighted three significant Principal Components (PCs), with the first two (F1 and F2) explaining 73.74% of data variability. Furthermore, genotype clustering indicated varying genetic similarity levels. These findings offer valuable insights for genotype selection and breeding strategies, contributing to enhanced brown rust resistance in wheat.

This study reports the first discovery of Rinodina moziana, a previously unrecorded lichen species in Pakistan, identified during a field survey in the Malakand division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Detailed morphological, chemical and internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-based phylogenetic analyses confirmed the species’ identity, marking it as Rinodina moziana (lichenized Ascomycota). This result greatly increases the known distribution of R. moziana and emphasizes the region’s unexplored lichen diversity. The discovery contributes to the growing body of knowledge on Pakistan’s biodiversity, highlighting the importance of continued lichenological research for conservation and environmental monitoring efforts in the country. This finding enhances our knowledge of the local flora, underscores the ecological richness of Pakistan’s subtropical broadleaf forests, and highlights the need for further exploration and conservation of lichen species in the area. The discovery also provides a baseline for future research on the biogeographical patterns and environmental factors influencing lichen distribution in South Asia.

Confectionary sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has gained popularity due to its utilization in roasting as snacks, poultry, bird food, and bakery products. However, seed quality of confectionary sunflower differs from non-oil seed types. In the present study, 71 sunflower accessions were selected for the evaluation of seed quality traits. Significant genetic variability was observed for traits such as 100-seed mass and seed length, as indicated by high genotypic coefficients of variability. Genotypic correlation analysis revealed a positive association between 100-seed mass and seed size, protein content, and oleic acid content. Path coefficient analysis based on genotypic and phenotypic correlations suggested that accessions with high sugar content may be selected to develop superior germplasm for confectionary products. Biplot analysis was conducted to identify suitable accessions with favorable confectionary traits. Accessions ‘Hybrid 100’, ‘GOR101’, and ‘Odesskijj112’ exhibited high sugar content, while ‘Yawn’ demonstrated comparatively higher oleic acid content. Accessions ‘Vinimik 6931’ and ‘HA 305’ displayed high 100-seed mass, while seed length was greater in accessions ‘Comet’ and H. × multiflorous. Combining ability analysis were performed to assess the breeding value of accessions. ‘Comet’ exhibited the highest general combining ability (GCA) effects for seed yield per plant, head diameter and 100-achene mass; while ‘G.OR.104’ had positive GCA for achene yield per plant but negative combining ability for other traits. ‘Tenissiei’ displayed positive GCA for all traits. Among the testers, accession ‘Universal’ showed positive GCA for seed yield per plant, while ‘HA-292’ exhibited positive GCA for head diameter. The accessions with higher values for confectionary traits and positive general combining ability effects for yield related traits may be further exploited in confectionary sunflower breeding programs as parents.

Artemisia haussknechtii is a valuable medicinal plant native to Iran, belonging to the Artemisia genus. This study aims to evaluate the essential compounds of 17 populations of A. haussknechtii collected from the central and western regions of Iran between 2021 and 2022. The content and composition of the essential oil (EO) of these populations, the climatic and edaphic characteristics of the habitats were evaluated in this study. The results showed that the essential oil content (EOC) of the populations ranged from 0.21–0.83%. The essential oils of the populations contained various compounds, including 1/8-cineole (9.32–33.96%), borneol (6.11–22.19%), camphor (2.03–28.06%), valerianol (1.89–20.53%), lavandulyl acetate (1.04–11.43%), caryophyllene oxide (0–8.23%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (0–10.07%), spathulenol (0–7.22%), terpinen-4-ol acetate (0–7.76%), linalool (0–15.87%), α-terpineol (0–8.18%), and limonene (0–9.03%). In general, the EO of the populations contained monoterpene hydrocarbons (3.79–18.06%), oxygenated monoterpenes (55.13–77.93%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (2.83–31.85%), and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (0.49–6.89%). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) revealed that the populations of A. haussknechtii were classified into distinct groups according to their essential oil compositions. This suggests that both environmental and genetic factors play a significant role in shaping the phytochemical makeup of these populations. In general, further research can help identify different chemotypes of this species with medicinal and food potential.

Sugar beet is an important agricultural crop product that has been produced and consumed worldwide since the eighteenth century and can adapt to various climatic and soil conditions. The two fundamental building blocks of any crop improvement program are germplasm resources, which contain genetic diversity and phenotypic expression of desired traits. In this study, a total of 58 sugar beet genotypes including 12 from Turkey, 4 from India, 12 from the United States of America, 16 from Iran, 12 from England and Beta vulgaris L. subsp. maritima L. Arcang. as wild species were characterized using 15 inter-primer binding site (iPBS) markers that produced intense and polymorphic bands in the germplasm library. Using these 15 iPBS markers, 102 polymorphic bands were produced and the average number of polymorphic bands was determined as 6.8. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged between 0.58 and 0.83, and the average PIC value was found to be 0.70. It was determined that the most genetically different genotypes were PI 590697-US11 and PI 171508-TR8, with a distance of 0.73. Clustering algorithms Unweighted Pair Group Method Algorithm (UPGMA) and Principal Coordinate Algorithm (PCoA) confirmed that genotypes are an important factor in clustering, and STRUCTURE analysis divided sugar beet gene resources into six populations. Also, the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that there was 8% variance among populations and 92% variance within populations. This is the first study to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of sugar beet germplasm using the iPBS-retrotransposon marker system. The results of this research emphasized that iPBS markers are very successful and effective in examining the genetic diversity of sugar beet germplasm. The results obtained in this study provide a theoretical basis for future selection and breeding of superior sugar beet germplasm sources.

Hops (Humulus lupulus L., Cannabaceae) is a dioecious perennial climbing plant with its economic significance lying in the female inflorescences known as cones. Hop plays a crucial role in beer production, imparting bitterness, flavor, aroma and antimicrobial protection. Moreover, hops’ bioactive components offer health-promoting effects. In Chile, hops were likely introduced by German settlers around 1850 and have thrived in favorable local agroclimatic conditions. The country’s hop production has experienced steady growth in recent years, driven by the burgeoning national craft beer industry. The demand for novel and local hop genotypes has emerged to enhance the value of local beer production. Recently discovered hop ecotypes in Southern Chile exhibited distinct morphological differences and, through the utilization of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based techniques, revealed clearly a unique genotype differing from the screened European cultivars. The genetic analysis, employing a highly polymorphic single amplification product, proved to be a powerful tool for characterizing the feral hops and supports further investigations. The identified genetic variability within previously unexplored Chilean hop germplasm, particularly when compared to European cultivars, offers valuable insights that can foster the development of distinctive and innovative beers.