Analysis of QTLs for Flag Leaf Shape and Its Response to Elevated CO_2 in Rice(Oryza sativa)

To understand the responses of flag leaf shape in rice to elevated CO2 environment and their genetic characteristics, quantitative trait loci （QTLs） for flag leaf shape in rice were mapped onto the molecular marker linkage map of chromosome segment substitution lines （CSSLs） derived from a cross between a japonica variety Asominori and an indica variety IR24 under free air carbon dioxide enrichment （FACE, 200 μmol/mol above current levels） and current CO2 concentration （Ambient, about 370 μmol/mol）. Three flag-leaf traits, flag-leaf length （LL）, width （LW） and the ratio of LL to LW （RLW）, were estimated for each CSSL and their parental varieties. The differences in LL, LW and RLW between parents and in LL and LW within IR24 between FACE and Ambient were significant at 1% level. The continuous distributions and transgressive segregations of LL, LW and RLW were also observed in CSSL population, showing that the three traits were quantitatively inherited under both FACE and Ambient. A total of 16 QTLs for the three traits were detected on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 11 with LOD （Log10-1ikelihood ratio） scores ranging from 3.0 to 6.7. Among them, four QTLs （qLL-6＊, qLL-8＊ qLW-4＊ and qRLW-6＊） were commonly detected under both FACE and Ambient. Therefore, based on the different responses to elevated CO2 in comparison with current CO2 level, it can be suggested that the expressions of several QTLs associated with flag-leaf shape in rice could be induced by the high CO2 level.

Changes induced by osmotic stress in the morphology, biochemistry, physiology, anatomy and stomatal parameters of almond species(Prunus L. spp.) grown in vitro

We investigated the influence of different levels of osmotic stress on growth and development in selected wild almond species （eight Prunus spp.） grown in vitro. The study, while endorsing the efficacy of in vitro screening of auxiliary buds of wild almond for osmotic stress tolerance, showed species variability in its response to osmotic stress. Osmotic stress reduced growth and development of all the species. How-ever, the putative tolerant Prunus spp. showed better performance than the putative susceptible genotypes. On average there was an 80% de-crease in shoot dry weight at -1.2 MPa. Reduction in shoot weight was more common in osmotic stress-susceptible species in the section labeled‘Euamygdalus’. The tolerant Prunus species produced smaller changes in biochemical responses than the sensitive cultivars for malondialdehyde content, catalase activity, relative permeability of protoplast membranes, and net photosynthetic rate. The tolerant species maintained cell integrity better than drought sensitive species. Wild almond species in the section labeled ‘Spartioides’ （Prunus arabica （Olivier） Neikle, Prunus glauca＆amp;nbsp;（Browicz） A.E. Murray, Prunus scoparia Spach） and ‘Lycioides’ （Pru-nus lycioides Spach, Prunus reuteri Bossi. et Bushe） were best adapted to osmotic stress. Increase in chlorophyll concentration and leaf thickness under high osmotic stress can be considered as preliminary selection parameters for osmotic stress tolerance in Prunus spp. The study con-firmed the efficacy of the in vitro method for screening of large number of genotypes for osmotic stress tolerance in wild almond species.

Population Structure Analysis and Genome-Wide Association Study of Tea(Camellia sinensis(L.)Kuntze)Germplasm in Qiannan,China,Based on SLAF-Seq Technology

Duyun Maojian tea is a famous tea in China.In this study,the specific-locus amplified fragment(SLAF)sequencing method was used to analyze the population structure and conduct a genome-wide association study(GWAS)of 2 leaf traits of 123 tea plants in Qiannan,China.A total of 462,019 SLAF tags and 11,362,041 single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)loci were obtained.The results of phylogenetic tree analysis,cluster analysis,and principal component analysis showed that 123 tea germplasms were clustered into three groups,and the heterozygosity rates for Groups I,II,and II were 0.206,0.224,and 0.34,respectively.Generally,tea germplasms in a production area are clustered in a group,indicating that tea germplasms in different production areas have certain genetic diversity.The traditional Duyun Maojian tea core production areas,TS and DC-SJ,are clustered into Group I and Group II respectively,while the ZY production area is relatively independent in Group III.Furthermore,based on GWAS analysis,11 candidate genes related to leaf apex and 7 candidate genes related to leaf shape were obtained.This study clarified the genetic relationship among eight Duyun Maojian tea production areas and obtained candidate genes related to leaf apex and leaf shape development.The results showed that population structure and candidate genes are an effective basis for the breeding of Duyun Maojian tea germplasm.