Application of near-infrared spectroscopy for fast germplasm analysis and classification in multi-environment using intact-seed peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.)

Peanut is a worldwide oilseed crop and the need to assess germplasm in a non-destructive manner is important for seed nutritional breeding.In this study,Near Infrared Spectroscopy(NIRS)was applied to rapidly assess germplasm variability from whole seed of 699 samples,field-collected and assembled in four genetic and environmentbased sets:one set of 300 varieties of a core-collection and three sets of 133 genotypes of an interspecific population,evaluated in three environments in a large spatial scale of two countries,Mbalmayo and Bafia in Cameroon and Nioro in Senegal,under rainfed conditions.NIR elemental spectra were gathered on six subsets of seeds of each sample,after three rotation scans,with a spectral resolution of 16 cm-1over the spectral range of867 nm to 2530 nm.Spectra were then processed by principal component analysis(PCA)coupled with Partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA).As results,a huge variability was found between varieties and genotypes for all NIR wavelength within and between environments.The magnitude of genetic variation was particularly observed at 11 relevant wavelengths such as 1723 nm,usually related to oil content and fatty acid composition.PCA yielded the most chemical attributes in three significant PCs(i.e.,eigenvalues>10),which together captured 93%of the total variation,revealing genetic and environment structure of varieties and genotypes into four clusters,corresponding to the four samples sets.The pattern of genetic variability of the interspecific population covers,remarkably half of spectrum of the core-collection,turning out to be the largest.Interestingly,a PLS-DA model was developed and a strong accuracy of 99.6%was achieved for the four sets,aiming to classify each seed sample according to environment origin.The confusion matrix achieved for the two sets of Bafia and Nioro showed 100%of instances classified correctly with 100%at both sensitivity and specificity,confirming that their seed quality was different from each other and all other samples.Overall,NIRS chemometrics is useful to assess and distinguish seeds from different environments and highlights the value of the interspecific population and core-collection,as a source of nutritional diversity,to support the breeding efforts.

Selection criteria of MPOB-Angola germplasm collection for yield improvement of the oil palm

Oil palm germplasm collected from Angola,Africa in 1991 were subjected to genetic variability potential studies.The collection was planted in the form of open-pollinated families as trials at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board(MPOB)Kluang Research Station,Johor,Malaysia,in 1994.Dura palms from 52 families and tenera palms from 44 families of MPOB-Angola were evaluated for their bunch yield and bunch quality components.The objectives of this study were to determine the genetic variability among the families and performance of MPOB-Angola germplasm for yield improvement.The analysis of variance(ANOVA)revealed highly significant differences between the dura and tenera families for most of the traits,suggesting the presence of high genetic variability,which is essential for breeding programmes.Among the duras,family AGO 02.02 displayed the best yield performance,with a high fresh fruit bunch,oil yield and total economic product at 240.40,29.46 and 37.93 kg palm^(-1)year^(-1),respectively.As for the teneras,family AGO 03.04 recorded the highest FFB yield and oil yield at 249.25 and 45.22 kg palm^(-1)year^(-1),respectively.Besides that,several families with big fruit sizes or producing a mean fruit weight of 14-17 g were also identified.Both dura and tenera from AGO 01.01 recorded the highest oil to bunch(O/B)of 17.76%and 28.65%,respectively.These findings will facilitate the selection of palms from the MPOB-Angola germplasm for future breeding programmes.

Correction:Identification of SSR markers linked to the abscission of cotton boll traits and mining germplasm in Cotton

Correction:J Cotton Res 7,20(2024)https://doi.org/10.1186/s42397-024-00180-3 Following publication of the original article(Shui et al.2024),the author found 5 errors in the published article.1.One of the author’s name has been corrected from Gou Chunping to Guo Chunping.2.The reference(Zhao SQ.2016)in Table 2 has been updated to:Zhao SQ.Analysis on the major gene and multigene mixed inheritance and QTL mapping for early maturity traits in upland cotton.Chin Acad Agric Sci.2016.https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.201600501.(in Chinese with English abstract).3.In’Results’part,’Phenotype analysis of 238 cotton boll abscission among cotton accessions’paragraph,the phenotype analysis of AR1 ranging from 19.27%–63.79%,which was wrongly written as 19.27%-63.97%.4.The‘2018KRL’is modified to‘2018KEL’in Table 1.

Screening and identification of salt tolerance soybean varieties and germplasms

Soil salinization is a globally prevalent abiotic environmental stress.The imbalance of ions caused by high concentrations of sodium chloride results in a 40%reduction in soybean yield.Soybean,as an important crop for soil quality improvement,necessitates the identification of salt-tolerant varieties and germplasms to effectively utilize and enhance saline-alkali land.In this study,we assessed the salt tolerance of 435 soybean varieties and germplasms during the seedling stage.Among them,Qihuang34,You2104,Hongzhudou,Pamanheidou,and Osage exhibited grade 1 salt tolerance rates surpassing other tested materials.Furthermore,Hongzhudou and Qihuang34 demonstrated higher salt tolerance during germination and emergence stages based on their elevated rates of emergence,salt tolerance index,chlorophyll content,and shoot fresh weights.Overall findings provide valuable resources for molecular breeding efforts aimed at developing salt-tolerant soybean varieties suitable for cultivation in saline-alkali soils.

Extent and Structure of Phenotypic Variability in Solenostemon rotundifolius Germplasm from Ghana and Burkina Faso

Solenostemon rotundifolius is a species belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It is currently one of the minor plants of high socio-economic interest. One of the limitations to promoting this species in Burkina Faso is the lack of varieties that meet consumers’ demands. Implementing a breeding program is an important step toward achieving this goal. Such a program is based on the variability of agronomical traits of interest within evaluated germplasm. This study aimed to assess the level of two germplasms variability of S. rotundifolius from Ghana and Burkina Faso for traits related to vegetative development, cycle, and yield. Agromorphological characterization of 174 accessions, including 116 from Ghana and 58 from Burkina Faso was carried out in Randomised Complete Block Design with three replications. The characterization was made on the basis of fifteen (15) quantitative traits related to the canopy and leaf size, the cycle, and the yield. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences between accessions within each germplasm for all the evaluated traits. The analysis of the structuration of this agromorphological variability allowed organizing the accessions into different groups. These results could lead to the identification of accessions within each germplasm for breeding purposes or future research on genotype-environment interactions.

Resequencing of sweetpotato germplasm resources reveals key loci associated with multiple agronomic traits

Sweetpotato is an important crop that exhibits hexaploidy and high heterozygosity,which limits gene mining for important agronomic traits.Here,314 sweetpotato germplasm resources were deeply resequenced,and 4599509 SNPs and 846654 InDels were generated,among which 196124 SNPs were nonsynonymous and 9690 InDels were frameshifted.Based on the Indels,genome-wide marker primers were designed,and 3219 of 40366 primer pairs were selected to construct the core InDel marker set.The molecular ID of 104 sweetpotato samples verified the availability of these primers.The sweetpotato population structures were then assessed through multiple approaches using SNPs,and diverse approaches demonstrated that population stratification was not obvious for most Chinese germplasm resources.As many as 20 important agronomic traits were evaluated,and a genome-wide association study was conducted on these traits.A total of 19 high-confidence loci were detected in both models.These loci included several candidate genes,such as IbMYB1,IbZEP1,and IbYABBY1,which might be involved in anthocyanin metabolism,carotenoid metabolism,and leaf morphogenesis,respectively.Among them,IbZEP1 and IbYABBY1 were first reported in sweetpotato.The variants in the promoter and the expression levels of IbZEP1 were significantly correlated with f lesh color(orange or not orange)in sweetpotato.The expression levels of IbYABBY1 were also correlated with leaf shape.These results will assist in genetic and breeding studies in sweetpotato.

Assessing genetic variation in Gossypium barbadense L.germplasm based on fibre characters

Background Gossypium barbadense L.has specific fibre in terms of its length,strength,and fineness,and known as extra-long staple(ELS) cotton,Sea–Island cotton,or Egyptian cotton.Narrow genetic base with less genetic variability is observed in G.barbadense germplasm.Hence,this study was aimed to evaluate the genetic variability present in 108 germplasm accessions of G.barbadense and to identify the superior genotypes based on the fibre traits.Results We evaluated 108 accessions for five fibre quality traits along with three checks in augmented block design.All fibre traits showed significant differences among genotypes,indicating that there is genetic potential for improvement.Fibre strength and micronaire(MIC) showed high phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation.High heritability combined with high genetic advance as percentage of mean(GAM) was recorded for fibre length,strength,and micronaire.Fibre strength and fibre length were significantly correlated with each other,while both showed negative correlation with micronaire.Principal component analysis and Biplot analysis showed that uniformity index discriminated all the genotypes in higher level,while fibre length and strength were medium in discrimination power.Biplot revealed genotypes DB 16,EC959191,GSB 39,ARBB 20,5746U,EA 203,and EA 201 were genetically diverse.Hierarchal cluster analysis based on unweighted paired group method using arithmetic average(UPGMA) grouped the genotypes into four clusters,with each cluster consisting of 4,18,48,and 38 genotypes,respectively.Conclusion Among the genotypes,34 for fibre length(> 35 mm),18 for fibre strength(> 40.4 g·tex^(-1)) and 66 for micronaire(3.7-4.2,A grade) were identified as potential accessions based on their superiority.The superior fibre genotypes identified in this study are potential lines for the ELS cotton breeding program.

Genome-wide association mapping in a sweet cherry germplasm collection(Prunus avium L.)reveals candidate genes for fruit quality traits

In sweet cherry(Prunus avium L.),large variability exists for various traits related to fruit quality.There is a need to discover the genetic architecture of these traits in order to enhance the efficiency of breeding strategies for consumer and producer demands.With this objective,a germplasm collection consisting of 116 sweet cherry accessions was evaluated for 23 agronomic fruit quality traits over 2-6 years,and characterized using a genotyping-by-sequencing approach.The SNP coverage collected was used to conduct a genome-wide association study using two multilocus models and three reference genomes.We identified numerous SNP-trait associations for global fruit size(weight,width,and thickness),fruit cracking,fruit firmness,and stone size,and we pinpointed several candidate genes involved in phytohormone,calcium,and cell wall metabolisms.Finally,we conducted a precise literature review focusing on the genetic architecture of fruit quality traits in sweet cherry to compare our results with potential colocalizations of marker-trait associations.This study brings new knowledge of the genetic control of important agronomic traits related to fruit quality,and to the development of marker-assisted selection strategies targeted towards the facilitation of breeding efforts.

Generating colorful carrot germplasm through metabolic engineering of betalains pigments

Betalains are tyrosine-derived plant pigments exclusively found in the Caryophyllales order and some higher fungi and generally classified into two groups:red-violet betacyanins and yellow-orange betaxanthins.Betalains attract great scientific and economic interest because of their relatively simple biosynthesis pathway,attractive colors and health-promoting properties.Co-expressing two core genes BvCYP76AD1 and BvDODA1 with or without a glycosyltransferase gene MjcDOPA5GT allowed the engineering of carrot(an important taproot vegetable)to produce a palette of unique colors.The highest total betalains content,943.2μg·g^(−1) DW,was obtained in carrot taproot transformed with p35S:RUBY which produces all of the necessary enzymes for betalains synthesis.Root-specific production of betalains slightly relieved tyrosine consumption revealing the possible bottleneck in betalains production.Furthermore,a unique volcano-like phenotype in carrot taproot cross-section was created by vascular cambium-specific production of betalains.The betalains-fortified carrot in this study is thus anticipated to be used as functional vegetable and colorful carrot germplasm in breeding to promote health.

Synthetical Evaluation on the Qualitative and Quantitative Resistance of Rice Germplasms to Magnaporthe oryzae

[Objectives]This study was conducted to screen out rice resources resistant to rice blast(Magnaporthe oryzae).[Methods]The qualitative and quantitative resistance of 1659 rice resources from 45 countries and regions to rice blast were evaluated by disease nursery in upland condition and the test of the spectrum to rice blast isolates.[Results]There were 292 entries which accounted for 17.6%showed high blast resistance(0 and 1 disease scale),68 entries(counted for 4.1%)showed resistance to blast(3 disease scale);and the number of the entries showed intermediate resistance,intermediate susceptible and susceptible were 208(with the corresponding percentage of 12.5%),471(28.4%),620(37.4%)respectively.Among the tested entries,27 entries including BG1222,BL122,BTX,IR37704-131-2-3-2,and LEBONNET had showed broad-spectrum blast resistance with the resistance frequency of higher than 90%,Quantitative resistance evaluation was conducted on some key resources,and 14 entries,of which are BR27,DRAGO,IR100,QINLIUAI、SERIBU GANTANG,YUEXIANGZHAN and so on,showed good quantitative resistances,and 8 entries had higher quantitative resistances than IR36.[Conclusions]This study provides important blast resistance resources for the local rice breeding program and has a significant value for the discovery of new blast resistance genes and its application in the blast resistance breeding.

Protection and Utilization of Chinese Giant Salamander Germplasm Resources

Chinese giant salamander(Andrias davidianus)is salamander germplasm resource that only distributed in China.It is the material basis of the evolution principle research,genetic research and artificial breeding.Since the 1990s,overharvesting,water pollution and habitat changes have seriously destroyed the germplasm resources of A.davidianus,their population density has decreased since then.Strengthening the protection and rational utilization of A.davidianus germplasm resources are key factors in impacting the healthy,stable and sustainable development of A.davidianus industry.Under the above background,we discussed the current problems with the protection for A.davidianus germplasm resources,put forward suggestions for the conservation of A.davidianus germplasm resources.It is expected to provide a reference to effective protection for A.davidianus germplasm resources,and provide a scientific foundation for further studies,so as to promote the high-quality development of related industry.

Evaluation and Exploration of Citrus Germplasm Resources in the Origin of Shatangju(Citrus flamea Hort.ex Tseng Shiyueju)

[Objectives]To protect the local rare citrus germplasm resources and further develop and cultivate new citrus varieties.[Methods]The germplasm resources of Shatangju(Citrus flamea Hort.Ex Tseng Shiyueju)in Sihui City of Guangdong Province and other 8 citrus varieties from the same origin were evaluated.The appearance characteristics of tree shape,the length and thickness of shoot at each shoot stage,the appearance characteristics of leaves and the fruit quality of each variety were investigated.[Results]Through the comparison of various citrus varieties grafted with sour mandarin,the results showed that the overall advantages of the length and thickness of the shoots of Shatang tangerine in summer and autumn were more prominent,which was conducive to fruit setting.The sprouting time of the three shoots of each variety was different,and there were sporadic sprouting phenomena in different seasons,so the growth was different,and the length and thickness of the shoots were different in different seasons.There were significant differences in shoot length and diameter among different varieties in the same season.The coefficient of variation of Shatangju's leaves was low,and the traits were stable;leaf shape,leaf base shape,leaf margin and other indicators among the three shoots of the same variety and the differences among the same shoots of different varieties were compared.All varieties had strong flavor,separately sweet and sour,sweet and sweet taste.Shatangju has many segments,orange pericarp,rough texture,easy peeling,and high oblate fruit shape.The orange pericarp was favored by the participants,while the rough and thick peel was not favored by the participants.[Conclusions]Based on the improvement of local varieties,it is recommended to improve the smoothness of pericarp,reducing the thickness of pericarp and improving the flavor of fruit will be conducive to increasing sales.In the cultivation process of various quality resources,especially in the period of fruit growth and development,the plan of nutrition and fertilization should be formulated according to the rules of fruit growth and development,the rules of yield formation and the rules of quality composition,so as to establish the integrated nutrient management system of various varieties.

Study on Present Status of Plant Germplasm Resources Conservation and Countermeasures

Plant germplasm resources is the material foundation and key point for agricultural production, crop breeding and bioengineering. China is one of the centers for the origin of the cultivated plants worldwide, as well as one of the countries with most abundant plant resources and the highest biodiversity. Strengthening research in the conservation and utilization of plant germplasm resources is of significant value and importance. In this study, the present status of conservation, utilization, and existing problems of plant germplasm resources in China and around the world were reviewed; further, through analyzing measures taken by global countries for plant germplasm resources protection, countermeasures for plant germplasm resources conservation in China were also presented from three aspects, namely, collection and conservation, information network construction and national legislation and policies.

Collection and Preservation of Cashew Germplasms Resources Research Progress in China

The cashew tree is a typical tropical nut tree species in China, and the collection, identification and innovated utilization of excellent cashew germplasm resources are of great significance to increase the income of farmers and agricultural benefits in the tropical area of China. This study summarized the major advances on cashew germplasm resources in China, analyzed the major research progress and existing problems from the aspects of the collection and evaluation, resistances, genetic diversity of cashew germplasm resources, and put forward the work ideas to analyze the construction of core germplasm bank and the genetic stability of the major biological characteristics of cashew germplasm resources, which were of important significance for the improvement of the cultivar classification and resource evaluation system of cashew germplasm resources in China.

AFLP Fingerprinting Analysis of Elite Hevea brasiliensis Germplasm

There are more than 6 000 clones of Hema brasiliensis Mull. Ary germplasm in the germplasm garden of Chinese National Key Biotechnology Laboratory for Tropical Crops and some of them are elite germplasm demonstrated by production and previous studies. AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) fingerprinting analysis was performed on 25 clones (15 of Wickham clones and 10 of Amazon wild clones which possess phenotypes with high-yielding,/Iow-yielding, cold-tolerance/cold-sensitivity, oidium-resistance/oidium-sensitivity, tapping panel dryness (TPD) /healthy) respectively through a 377 DNA sequencer (P. E. Corp.) and PAGE electrophoresis results were analyzed by using GeneScan(TM) and Genotype(TM) Analysis software (P. E. Corp. The fragment profiles of different clones were obtained. Five hundred and eighteen fragments were generated by two primer combinations screened from 64 primer combinations and 511 fragments appeared to be polymorphic (98.6%). Genetic distance ranged from 0.25 to 0.81 between clones and ranged from 0.07 to 0.17 within RRIM600 clone. A specific 320 bp fragment of the oidium-resistant clones was found through genotype analysis. These results showed that AFLP fingerprints were highly reproducible and powerful and can be widely used in germplasm identification and genetic diversity analysis of Hema brasiliensis. In addition, based on the AFLP data, cluster analysis was performed. Cluster results showed that all the clones studied were almost clustered into a group one by one.

Documentation Concordance,Sharing and Utilization of Tea Germplasm Resources in Yunnan

In this paper,the research achievements and progress of Yunnan tea germplasm resource in past sixty years are systematically reviewed from the following aspects：exploration,collecting,conservation,protection,identification,evaluation and shared utilization.Simultaneously,the current problems and the suggestions about subsequent development of tea germplasm resources in Yunnan were discussed,including superior and rare germplasm collection,tea genetic diversity research,biotechnology utilization in tea germplasm innovation,super gene exploration and function,the construction of utilization platform,biological base of species and population conservation.

Variation and Probability Grading of Fruit Firmness in Peach Germplasm Resource

Objective The aim was to provide basis for further studies on fruit firmness in peach fruits and the standardization and standardization of peach germplasm resource. [ Method] The analysis of fruit firmness of peach germplasm resource was based on the improved firmness measurement, and the probability grading of characteristics was carried out on peach fruit firmness. [Result] The coefficient of variation of peach fruit firmness with skin was less than that of fruit firmness without skin; the fruit firmness with skin and fruit firmness without skin were both fitted the normal distribution; the probability grading of characteristics were divided into five series based on four points of （X-1. 281 8s）, （X-0. 524 6s）, （X＋0. 524 6s） and （X＋1.281 8s）, so that the probability of 1 -5 were 10%, 20%, 40%, 20% and 10%. [Conclusion] There was more abundant genetic basis in fruit firmness, which held a potential for greater choice.

Research on Background and Utilization of Germplasm Resources in Maize

[Objective] The research aimed at introducing the background and utilization of germplasm resources in maize.[Method] The research progress on genetic background and utilization of maize germplasm resources was comprehensively reviewed in this paper,including maize heterotic groups and heterotic patterns,their flexible application in breeding and the utilization of various types of original materials.[Result] The results show that germplasm resource is the premise and basis for maize breeding.In-depth understanding and a reasonable selection of germplasm resources can significantly improve the breeding efficiency and speed up the breeding process.At the same time,it is considered that the selection and construction of original materials in maize breeding can not be limited to the heterotic groups and heterotic patterns,but has to be used reasonablely according to different types of germplasm resources and individual breeding objective and idea as well.[Conclusion] This study had broadened the idea and provided inspiration for the maize breeding practice in China.

SSR-based Analysis on the Genetic Relationship of 21 Maize Germplasms in Guizhou Province

To reveal the genetic diversity of maize germplasm resources in Guizhou Province, we screened 20 pairs of SSR primers out of 100 pairs tested for amplify-ing the al eles in 21 shares of maize germplasm col ected there. Total y 85 al eles were identified from the experimental materials, and each primer pair amplified 2-9 al eles, with an average of 4.25. The polymorphism information content （PIC） values varied from 0.19 to 0.74, with an average of 0.50. The clustering analysis by UPG-MA indicated that the genetic distance among the tested lines was 0.22-0.63, with an average of 0.43. This provided the theoretical foundations for establishing the finger print chromatogram of maize, further for exploring and utilizing maize germplasms Guizhou Province.

ISSR Analysis of Genetic Relationship of Germplasm Resource in Prunus mume Sibe. et Zucc

Using ISSR technique to analyze the diversity and genetic relationship of germplasm resources in 39 Prunus mume Sibe. et Zucc., the result showed that 10 primers were screened with high resolution from 51 primers, 120 fragments were amplified, of which 98 were polymorphic loci, accounting for 81.67% of total. Tested materials were divided into 3 classes, as was fundamentally accorded with the traditional classification base on horticulture. There was no obvious difference in geographic relationship among the clustering results.