Line X Tester Analysis of Estimating Heterosis and Combining Ability in F_1 Generation of Sunflower

The present research was conducted in Line X tester analysis for estimating combining ability and heterotic effects,restorers malesterile(CMS) crossed with seven tester lines 3x7 21 F_1 hybrids of sunflower were further used to estimate their general combining ability(GCS),specific combining ability(SCA) and heterosis effects on main traits of sunflower during 2009.For this study,seven lines of sunflower were tested with three testers 7x3 of sunflower to obtain twenty one F_1 genotypes from Line X tester mating design.It was concluded from present study that among the lines,0505 Cms-6,Peshawer-93 Cms-11,Peshawar-93 Cms-12 were the best general combiners to play the vital role in flowering,maturity,plant height,head diameter,seed index,grain per head and 100-grain yield per plant.While RHP-53,RHP-42,RHP-46 were also the best combiners for all the traits.However,hybrid 54CMS-1 x RHP-42 showed best specific combiners,while Peshawer-93 exhibited good specific combiners for grain yield per plant,the hybrids,plant height,head diameter,seed index,grain per head and grain yield per plant,respectively.Significant differences among the tested sunflower genotypes with regard to mean values of all the investigated traits were determined.The analysis of variance of combining abilities and the analysis of genetic variance components confirmed the non-additive component.

Developing an efficient CRISPR-dCas9-TVderived transcriptional activation system to create three novel cotton germplasm materials

Dear Editor,With the development of CRISPR-Cas technology,an RNAguided CRISPR activation system has been developed in plants,in which a dead Cas9(dCas9)nuclease is fused to transcriptional activators to regulate the transcription of endogenous genes(Li et al.,2017;Liu et al.,2017;Manghwar et al.,2020;Ming et al.,2020;Pan et al.,2021).Precise upregulation of gene transcription is emerging as a promising approach for functional genomics research,molecular breeding,and germplasm innovation.However,there have been no reports on the use of the CRISPR-dCas9 transcriptional activation system in cotton.

High-density Linkage Map of Cultivated Allotetraploid Cotton Based on SSR, TRAP, SRAP and AFLP Markers

A high-density linkage map was constructed for an F2 population derived from an Interspecific cross of cultivated allotetraploid species between Gossypium hirsutum L. and G. barbadense L. A total of 186 F2 individuals from the Interspecific cross of ＂CRI 36 × Hal 7124＂ were genotyped at I 252 polymorphic loci Including a novel marker system, target region amplification polymorphism （TRAP）. The map consists of 1 097 markers, including 697 simple se- quence repeats （SSRs）, 171 TRAPs, 129 sequence-related amplified polymorphisms, 98 amplified fragment length polymorphisms, and two morphological markers, and spanned 4 536.7 cM with an average genetic distance of 4.1 cM per marker. Using 45 duplicated SSR loci among chromosomes, 11 of the 13 pairs of homologous chromosomes were Identified In tetraploid cotton. This map will provide an essential resource for high resolution mapping of quantitative trait loci and molecular breeding in cotton.

Molecular Cloning and Function Analysis of Two SQUAMOSA-Like MADS-Box Genes From Gossypium hirsutum L.

The MADS-box genes encode a large family of transcription factors having diverse roles in plant development. The SQUAMOSA （SQUA）/APETALA1 （AP1）/FRUITFULL （FUL） subfamily genes are essential regulators of floral transition and floral organ identity. Here we cloned two MADS-box genes, GhMADS22 and GhMADS23, belonging to the SQUA/AP1/FUL subgroup from Gossypium hirsutum L. Phylogenetic analysis and sequence alignment showed that GhMAD$22 and GhMADS23 belonged to the euFUL and euAP1 subclades, respectively. The two genes both had eight exons and seven introns from the start codon to the stop codon according to the alignment between the obtained cDNA sequence and the Gossypium raimondii L. genome sequence. Expression profile analysis showed that GhMADS22 and GhMADS23 were highly expressed in developing shoot apices, bracts, and sepals. Gibberellic acid promoted GhMADS22 and GhMADS23 expression in the shoot apex. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines overexpressing 35S：：GhMADS22 had abnormal flowers and bolted earlier than wild type under long-day conditions （16 h light/8 h dark）. Moreover, GhMADS22 over- expression delayed floral organ senescence and abscission and it could also respond to abscisic acid. In summary, GhMADS22 may have functions in promoting flowering, improving resistance and delaying senescence for cotton and thus it may be a candidate target for promoting early-maturation in cotton breeding.

Selection and Characterization of a Novel Photoperiod-Sensitive Male Sterile Line in Upland Cotton

Upland cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） shows strong heterosis. However, heterosis is not widely utilized owing to the high cost of hybrid seed production. Creation of a photoperiod-sensitive genetic male sterile line could substantially reduce the cost of hybrid seed production in upland cotton. Such a mutant with virescent marker was found by space mutation in near-earth orbit and its traits had been stable after 4 years of selection in Anyang and Sanya, China. This mutant was fertile with an 11-12.5 h photoperiod when the temperature was higher than 21.5 ℃ and was sterile with a 13-14.5 h photoperiod. Genetic analysis indicated that both traits were controlled by a single recessive gene or two closely linked genes. Also, the cytological observations and transcriptome profiling analysis showed that the degradation of pollen grain cytoplasm should be the primary reason why the mutant line were male sterile under long-day conditions.

Identification and Profiling of Known and Novel Fiber MicroRNAs during the Secondary Wall Thickening Stage in Cotton(Gossypium hirsutum) via High-Throughput Sequencing

Upland cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） is an allotetraploid species originated from interspecific hybridization between AA-genome diploid （G. arboretum） and DD-genome diploid （G. raimondii） （Wendel et al., 1992）. Cotton fibers are single-celled trichomes that emerge from the ovule epidermal cells. Indexed by the number of days post-anthesis （dpa）, fiber morphogenesis includes four distinct but overlapping steps： initiation （0-3 dpa）, elongation （3-20 dpa）, secondary cell wall thickening （15-45 dpa） and maturation （40-60 dpa） （Yang et al., 2008, Du et al., 2013）. The efficiency and duration of each morphogenesis stage is important to the quality attributes of the mature fiber. Cell elongation is critical for fiber length, whereas secondary cell wall thickening is important for fiber fineness and strength （Meinert and Delmer, 1977）.