Genetic analysis of morphological index and its related taxonomic traits for classification of indica

The Cheng index distinguishes indica andjaponica rice based on six taxonomic traits.This index has been widely used for classifi- cation of indica and japonica varieties in China.In this study,a double haploid(DH)popula-tion derived from anther culture of ZYQ8/JX17 F,a typical inter-subspecies hybrid,was used to investigate the six taxonomictraits,i.e.leaf hairiness(LH),color of hullwhen heading(CHH),hairiness of hull(HH),length of the first and second panicle internode(LPI),length/width of grain(L/W),andphenol reaction(PH).The morphological in- dex(MI)was also calculated.Based on themolecular linkage map constructed from this

Genetic Relation Analysis on Ramie[Boehmeria nivea(L.)Gaud.]Inbred Lines by SRAP Markers

The objective of this article is to reveal the variations of ramie inbred lines in DNA level and discuss their molecular background to provide a theoretical basis for ramie cross breeding. In the present study, the genetic relationships among 33 inbred line accessions and two wild types that originated from China and Brazil were estimated using sequence-related amplified polymorphism （SRAP） markers. The results showed that 33 out of 81 primer combinations turned out to be polymorphic and 332 polymorphism bands were obtained. On the basis of the appearance of the markers, the genetic relationships were analyzed using unweighted pair-group method of arithmetic average cluster analysis （UPGMA）, and the genetic Jaccard similarity coefficients were calculated. The inbred-lines originating from China and Brazil formed a cluster suggesting a possibility that the Brazilian cultivars could have developed from cultivars introduced from China. Within ramie inbred-lines, the groupings also indicated that the greatest genetic relationship among cultivars was correlated to the region of origin of cultivars. The results provided the evidence that SRAP was an efficient approach, suitable for taxonomic analysis of ramie inbred lines, To the authors＇ knowledge, this is the first application of SRAP marker on the systematics of ramie inbred lines.

Environmental exposure to cadmium but not lead is associated with decreased semen quality parameters:quality regionalism of sperm properties

Environmental factors may negatively contribute to a progressive worsening of semen quality,and differences in semen quality may result from different environmental exposures(regional differences)or lifestyle differences.Heavy metals are factors with a confirmed negative influence on male fertility.Among them,lead and cadmium are commonly found in human surroundings.Thus,we analyzed semen parameters(according to the World Health Organization 2010 recommendations)and semen lead and cadmium concentrations in 188 men from two different regions in Poland,a typical agricultural area and an industrial area,in couples that had been diagnosed with infertility.The assays were performed using flameless electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.In the statistical analysis,regional comparisons and then taxonomic comparisons based on three parameters(age,semen concentration,and sperm morphology)were applied.We showed that more cadmium than lead accumulated in semen,a higher cadmium concentration was observed in semen obtained from men from the agricultural region,and better semen quality and lower cadmium concentrations were found in the semen of men from the industrial,more polluted region.We thus showed an existing regionalism in the sperm quality properties.However,semen parameters such as morphology and progressive and nonprogressive motility followed the same trends,regardless of the patient’s age,region,or class.We could conclude that the environment has a minor impact on sperm morphology and progressive and nonprogressive motility and that other existing factors could have an indirect influence on semen quality.