Characterization of wheat monogenic lines with known Sr genes and wheat cultivars for resistance to three new races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici in China

Wheat stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici(Pgt), is a potentially devastating fungal disease of wheat worldwide. The present study was to evaluate the resistance of 42 wheat monogenic lines with known stem rust resistance(Sr) genes and 69 wheat cultivars to three new Pgt races(34C0MRGQM, 34C3MKGQM, and 34C6MTGSM)identified from aeciospores at the seedling and adult-plant stages. The phenotyping results revealed that monogenic lines harboring resistance genes Sr9e, Sr17, Sr21, Sr22, Sr26, Sr30, Sr31, Sr33, Sr35, Sr36, Sr37, Sr38, Sr47, SrTmp,and SrTt3 were effectively resistant to all three Pgt races at the seedling and adult-plant stages. In contrast, monogenic lines containing Sr5, Sr6, Sr7b, Sr9a, Sr9d, Sr9f, Sr9g, Sr9b, Sr16, Sr24, Sr28, and Sr39 were highly susceptible to these races at both seedling and adult-plant stages. The other lines with Sr8a, Sr10, Sr11, Sr13, Sr14, Sr15, Sr18, Sr20,Sr19, Sr23, Sr25, Sr27, Sr29, Sr32, and Sr34, displayed variable levels of resistance to one or two of the tested races.Seedling infection types(ITs) and adult-plant infection responses(IRs) indicated that 41(59.4%) of the wheat cultivars showed high resistance to all the three races. Molecular marker analysis showed that four wheat culitvars likely carried Sr2, 20 wheat culitvars likely carried Sr31, 9 wheat culitvars likely carried Sr38, and none of the cultivars carried Sr24,Sr25, and Sr26. Our results provide a scientific basis for rational utilization of the tested Sr genes and wheat cultivars against these novel Pgt races.

Cell Wall Fixation,Translocation,and Vacuolar Detoxification of Cadmium Contribute to Differential Grain Cadmium Accumulation in Two Rice Cultivars

Cadmium(Cd)toxicity in rice is a major concern for human health and the environment,as it can accumulate in rice grains when grown in Cd-contaminated soils.To mitigate the risk of Cd toxicity,it is crucial to cultivate rice varieties with low grain Cd accumulation.In the summers of 2021 and 2022,we conducted Cd analysis on two rice cultivars,Tianyouhuazhan(TYHZ)and Xiushui 14,grown in fields with varying Cd pollution levels.These cultivars were also subjected to hydroponic treatment with or without 1μmol/L Cd for 7 d to assess Cd accumulation,nitric oxide(NO)production。

Yield and Nutritive Values of Semi- and Non-Fall Dormant Alfalfa Cultivars under Late-Cutting Schedule in California’s Central Valley

California is one of the major alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) forage-producing states in the U.S, but its production area has decreased significantly in the last couple of decades. Selection of cultivars with high yield and nutritive value under late-cutting schedule strategy may help identify cultivars that growers can use to maximize yield while maintaining area for sustainable alfalfa production, but there is little information on this strategy. A field study was conducted to determine cumulative dry matter (DM) and nutritive values of 20 semi- and non-fall dormant (FD) ratings (FD 7 and FD 8 - 10, respectively) cultivars under 35-day cut in California’s Central Valley in 2020-2022. Seasonal cumulative DM yields ranged from 6.8 in 2020 to 37.0 Mg·ha−1 in 2021. Four FD 8 - 9 cultivars were the highest yielding with 3-yrs avg. DM greater than the lowest yielding lines by 46%. FD 7 cultivar “715RR” produced the highest crude protein (CP: 240 g·Kg−1) while FD 8 cultivar “HVX840RR” resulted in the highest neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD: 484 g·Kg−1, 7% greater than the top yielding cultivars) but with DM yield intermediate. Yields and NDFD correlated positively but weakly indicating some semi- and non-FD cultivars performing similarly. These results suggest that selecting high yielding cultivars under 35-day cutting schedule strategy can be used as a tool to help growers to maximize yield while achieving good quality forages for sustainable alfalfa production in California’s Central Valley.

Canine Myofascial Kinetic Lines: A Descriptive Dissection Study Including Related Function and Locomotion and Comparison of the Human and Equine Myofascial Kinetic Lines

Aim: This dissection study was conducted to verify if the Myofascial kinetic lines, outlined in detail in humans and recently documented in horses, were present in dogs. These dynamic lines present rows of interconnected muscles, myofascia and other fascia structures, which influence the biomechanics of the spine and limbs. Methods: Forty-two dogs of different breeds and genders were dissected, imaged, and videoed. Results: Similar kinetic lines were verified in the dog, as described in humans and horses, and additionally, three new branches of the lines were discovered. The kinetic lines described were three superficial lines: Dorsal, Ventral, and Lateral, which all started in the hindlimb and ended in the temporal and occipital regions. These lines act respectively in spinal extension, flexion, and lateral flexion. Three profound lines, which started in the tail and ended in the head. The Deep Dorsal Line followed the transversospinal myofascia. The Deep Ventral Line showed an additional start deep in the medial hind limb, continued in the hypaxial myofascia, and enveloped all the viscera. Also, the Deep Lateral Line started in the hindlimb but parted along the trunk in the deep lateral myofascial structures. Two helical lines crossed the midline two or three times and served to rotate the spine. The Functional Line established a sling from the axilla to the contralateral stifle and presented a new ipsilateral branch. The Spiral Line connected the head and the ipsilateral tarsus and additionally presented a new straight branch. The four front limb lines describe their motion: the Front Limb Protraction and Retraction, Adduction, and Abduction Lines. Conclusion: The canine lines mirrored the equine and human lines with exceptions due to differences in anatomy, foot posture, lumbosacral flexibility, and their biomechanical constitution as predator versus prey animals. Additionally, three new canine branches were verified and described.

Increasing root-lower characteristics improves drought tolerance in cotton cultivars at the seedling stage

Drought is an important abiotic stress factor in cotton production.The root system architecture(RSA)of cotton shows high plasticity which can alleviate drought-related stress under drought stress(DS)conditions;however,this alleviation is cultivar dependent.Therefore,this study estimated the genetic variability of RSA in cotton under DS.Using the paper-based growth system,we assessed the RSA variability in 80 cotton cultivars at the seedling stage,with 0 and10%polyethylene glycol 6000(PEG6000)as the control(CK)and DS treatment,respectively.An analysis of 23 aboveground and root traits in the 80 cotton cultivars revealed different responses to DS.On the 10th day after DS treatment,the degree of variation in the RSA traits under DS(5–55%)was greater than that of CK(5–49%).The 80 cultivars were divided into drought-tolerant cultivars(group 1),intermediate drought-tolerant cultivars(group 2),and drought-sensitive cultivars(group 3)based on their comprehensive evaluation values of drought resistance.Under DS,the root lengthlower,root area-lower,root volume-lower,and root length density-lower were significantly reduced by 63,71,76,and 4%in the drought-sensitive cultivars compared to CK.Notably,the drought-tolerant cultivars maintained their root lengthlower,root area-lower,root volume-lower,and root length density–lower attributes.Compared to CK,the root diameter(0–2 mm)-lower increased by 21%in group 1 but decreased by 3 and 64%in groups 2 and 3,respectively,under DS.Additionally,the drought-tolerant cultivars displayed a plastic response under DS that was characterized by an increase in the root-lower characteristics.Drought resistance was positively correlated with the root area-lower and root length density-lower.Overall,the RSA of the different cotton cultivars varied greatly under DS.Therefore,important root traits,such as the root-lower traits,provide great insights for exploring whether drought-tolerant cotton cultivars can effectively withstand adverse environments.

Analysis on Genetic Diversity of 40 Flowering Cherry Cultivars and Construction of Molecular ID Based on SSR Markers

Studying on the genetic diversity and genetic relationship of flowering cherry cultivars is extremely important for germplasm conservation, cultivar identification and breeding. Flowering cherry is widely cultivated as an important woody ornamental plant in worldwide, especially Japan, China. However, owning to the morphological similarity, many cultivars are distinguished hardly in non-flowering season. Here, we evaluated the genetic diversity and genetic relationship of 40 flowering cherry cultivars, which are mainly cultivated in China. We selected 13 polymorphicprimers to amplify to allele fragments with fluorescent-labeled capillary electrophoresis technology. The population structure analysis results show that these cultivars could be divided into 4 subpopulations. At the population level, Na and Ne were 6.062, 4.326, respectively. Ho and He were 0.458 and 0.670, respectively. The Shannon’s information index (I) was 1.417. The Pop3, which originated from P. serrulata, had the highest Ho, He, and I among the 4 subpopulations. AMOVA showed that only 4% of genetic variation came from populations, the 39% variation came from individuals and 57% (p < 0.05) came from intra-individuals. 5 polymorphic SSR primers were selected to construct molecular ID code system of these cultivars. This analysis on the genetic diversity and relationship of the 40 flowering cherry cultivars will help to insight into the genetic background, relationship of these flowering cherry cultivars and promote to identify similar cultivars.

Effect of Different Mulch Materials on Yield and Nutrition Profile of Common Capsicum (Capsicum annuum) Cultivars in Bangladesh

Capsicum is a nutritious vegetable and its cultivation in farms is getting popular in Bangladesh. Although many efforts have lain to explore better yielding and nutritionally rich cultivars with suitable modern cultivation techniques but still have to find the desired outcome. Thus, it’s necessary to conduct further research to identify the high-yielding and nutritious capsicum cultivars in Bangladesh. An experiment was conducted from July 2021 to June 2022 at the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training on Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN) research field with three cultivars of capsicum: B0 = California Wonder, B1 = BARI Misti Morich-1 and B2 = BARI Misti Morich-2 and three mulching: T0 = No mulching, T1 = Water hyacinth, T2 = Poly Mulching in randomized complete block design with three replications to identify better quality capsicum cultivar and suitable mulching material. Among cultivars the BARI Misti Morich-2 (B2) showed increased agronomic parameters like number of branches and effective branches per plant, leaves length and width, consequently yield and yield contributing traits were also enhanced like fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and yield per plant (25.97%, 4.54%, 3.64% and 21.43%, respectively). Poly Mulching (T2) increased agronomic traits, yield traits and yield (0.61 kg) than BARI Misti Morich-1 (T1). The combined effect of B2T2 increased the number of branches per plant, effective branches per plant, leaves length and breadth by 40%, 90%, 15.57% and 26.22%, respectively, hence resulting in an increased yield of 20%. BARI Misti Morich-2 cultivar showed an increase in Fe, Zn and Vitamin-C content of 26.24% and 23.10%, 8.82% and 5.14%, and 6.03% and 5.74% than B0 and B1 cultivars, respectively. Therefore, BARI Misti Morich-2 exhibited the improved agronomic, yield and nutritional traits of capsicum under poly mulching among other cultivars in Bangladesh.

Derivative Spectroscopy and its Application at Detecting the Weak Emission/Absorption Lines

The development of spectroscopic survey telescopes like Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope(LAMOST),Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment and Sloan Digital Sky Survey has opened up unprecedented opportunities for stellar classification.Specific types of stars,such as early-type emission-line stars and those with stellar winds,can be distinguished by the profiles of their spectral lines.In this paper,we introduce a method based on derivative spectroscopy(DS)designed to detect signals within complex backgrounds and provide a preliminary estimation of curve profiles.This method exhibits a unique advantage in identifying weak signals and unusual spectral line profiles when compared to other popular line detection methods.We validated our approach using synthesis spectra,demonstrating that DS can detect emission signals three times fainter than Gaussian fitting.Furthermore,we applied our method to 579,680 co-added spectra from LAMOST Medium-Resolution Spectroscopic Survey,identifying 16,629 spectra with emission peaks around the Hαline from 10,963 stars.These spectra were classified into three distinct morphological groups,resulting in nine subclasses as follows.(1)Emission peak above the pseudo-continuum line(single peak,double peaks,emission peak situated within an absorption line,P Cygni profile,Inverse P Cygni profile);(2)Emission peak below the pseudo-continuum line(sharp emission peak,double absorption peaks,emission peak shifted to one side of the absorption line);(3)Emission peak between the pseudo-continuum line.

Study on Germplasm Resources of Peach Cultivars

[Objectives]To study the germplasm resources of excellent peach cultivars.[Methods]Five peach cultivars were introduced,in-cluding‘Jinxiu’peach,‘Jinxiang’peach,‘Chunxiao’peach,‘Hujingmilu’peach and‘018 nectarine’peach.Then,these five cultivars were used to study the biological characteristics of peach trees,namely,as phenology,fruit quality,heat resistance,cold resistance and other resistance.[Results]Five cultivars of peach plants grew fast and robust,among which‘018 nectarine’had very crisp fruit,‘Jinxiu’,‘Jinxiang’,‘Chunxiao’and‘Hujingmilu’had very sweet fruitꎻthe peach trees of these five cultivars have good water resistance,heat resist-ance and cold resistance.[Conclusions]The results of this study can not only provide a reference for the introduction of peach trees,but also provide a practical basis for the large-scale planting of peach trees.

Characterization of the infectivity of an Indonesian Zika virus strain in mammalian cell lines

Objective:To characterize the infection patterns and growth characteristics of the Zika virus(ZIKV)strain JMB-185 from Indonesia in various mammalian cell lines.Methods:ZIKV was grown in human(A549,HEK293,HepG2,Huh7,Jurkat,and THP-1)and non-human mammalian(RAW264.7,Vero,and Vero76)cell lines.Viral replication kinetics were measured using plaque assay,while intra-and extracellular viral RNA concentrations were assessed using RT-PCR.Flow cytometry was used to quantify the infected cells and cell viability was measured using an MTT assay.The ability of ZIKV to infect cell lines was visualized using a fluorescence immunostaining assay.Results:This ZIKV strain preferentially infected the lung,kidney,and liver cell lines A549,HEK293,Huh7,Vero,and Vero76,but not the immune cells Jurkat,RAW264.7,and THP-1.By contrast,the ZIKV showed no sign of infection in HepG2 cells,while maintaining viral titer over 3 days post-infection,with no infection recorded in immunostaining,no increase in viral RNA,and no indication of cell deterioration.Conclusions:The Indonesian ZIKV strain has a similar infection profile as other strains,except for its poor infectivity on HepG2 cells.Information on the growth characteristics of Indonesia ZIKV will help expand our understanding of the biology of ZIKV which will be useful for various applications including antiviral discovery.

Detection of wheat seedling lines in the complex environment via deep learning

Wheat seedling line detection is critical for precision agriculture and automatic guidance in early wheat field operation. Aiming at the complex wheat field environment, a method of detecting wheat seedling lines based on deep learning was proposed in this study. Firstly, a rotated bounding box was created to improve the YOLOv3 model to predict the approximate position of the wheat seedling line;Then, according to the rotated bounding region obtained by the model, the wheat seedling line was detected by fitting the extracted center points. Finally, a comprehensive evaluation method combining angle error and distance error was proposed to evaluate the accuracy of the extracted crop line. By testing images of wheat seedlings in different environments, the results showed that the mean angle error and distance error respectively reached 0.75° and 10.84 pixels while the mean running time was 63.83 ms for a 1920×1080 pixels image. And compared to the original model the improved algorithm model improved the mAP value by 13.2%. The angle error and the distance error of the improved algorithm model were reduced by 51.4% and 39.7%, respectively. The method proposed in this study can accurately detect the wheat seedling lines at different stages and it is also suitable for the environments with weeds, shadow, bright light, and dark light. At the same time, it has a certain adaptability to wheat seedling images with a yaw angle in the shooting process. The research results could provide a reference for the automatic guidance of early wheat field machinery.

Co-variability Between the Broad Absorption Lines and Narrow Absorption Lines

We investigate the relationship between the variability of broad absorption lines(BALs)or narrow absorption lines(NALs)and that of continuum using a data set of two-epoch SDSS spectra containing 134 C IV NAL-BAL pairs.Our analysis reveals an anti-correlation between the fractional equivalent width(EW)variations in NALs(or BALs)and the fractional flux variations of the continuum,with Spearman rank correlation coefficients of r=-0.47(p=1E-08)and r=-0.58(p=1E-13),respectively.In addition,we find a positive correlation between the fractional EW variations in NALs and BALs(r=0.72,p=1E-22),and derive a regression equation ΔEW_(NAL)/<EW_(NAL)>=0.803ΔEW_(BAL)/<EW_(BAL)>+0.008,with an intrinsic scatter of 0.14.These results suggest that the variability in the ionizing continuum may play a significant role in the observed changes in C IV NALs and BALs,supporting the idea of photoionization-driven variability.The co-variability between C IV NALs and BALs may imply that they originate from outflows with similar physical conditions.

GATA binding protein 2 mediated ankyrin repeat domain containing 26 high expression in myeloid-derived cell lines

BACKGROUND Thrombocytopenia 2,an autosomal dominant inherited disease characterized by moderate thrombocytopenia,predisposition to myeloid malignancies and normal platelet size and function,can be caused by 5’-untranslated region(UTR)point mutations in ankyrin repeat domain containing 26(ANKRD26).Runt related transcription factor 1(RUNX1)and friend leukemia integration 1(FLI1)have been identified as negative regulators of ANKRD26.However,the positive regulators of ANKRD26 are still unknown.AIM To prove the positive regulatory effect of GATA binding protein 2(GATA2)on ANKRD26 transcription.METHODS Human induced pluripotent stem cells derived from bone marrow(hiPSC-BM)INTRODUCTION Ankyrin repeat domain containing protein 26(ANKRD26)acts as a regulator of adipogenesis and is involved in the regulation of feeding behavior[1-3].The ANKRD26 gene is located on chromosome 10 and shares regions of homology with the primate-specific gene family POTE.According to the Human Protein Atlas database,the ANKRD26 protein is localized to the Golgi apparatus and vesicles,and its expression can be detected in nearly all human tissues[4].Moreover,UniProt annotation revealed that ANKRD26 is localized in the centrosome and contains coiled-coil domains formed by spectrin helices and ankyrin repeats[5,6].The most common disease related to ANKRD26 is thrombocytopenia 2(THC2),which is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disease characterized by lifelong mild-to-moderate thrombocytopenia and mild bleeding[7-9].Caused by the variants in the 5’-untranslated region(UTR)of ANKRD26,THC2 is defined by a decrease in the number of platelets in circulating blood and results in increased bleeding and decreased clotting ability[8,10].Due to the point mutations that occur in the 5’-UTR of ANKRD26,its negative transcription factors(TFs),Runt related transcription factor 1(RUNX1)and friend leukemia integration 1(FLI1),lose their repression effect[11].The persistent expression of ANKRD26 increases the activity of the mitogen activated protein kinase and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 signaling pathways,which are potentially involved in the regulation of thrombopoietin-dependent signaling and further impair proplatelet formation by megakaryocytes(MKs)[11].However,the positive regulators of ANKRD26,which might be associated with THC2 pathology,are still unknown.

Optimizing the transplanting window for higher productivity of short and medium duration rice cultivars in Punjab,India using CERES-Rice model

The CERES-Rice(V4.7.5)model was used to identify the optimum transplanting window for higher productivity of rice in Indian Punjab.The model was first sensitized for 11 genetic coefficients and then these values were used for calibrating and validating the model for rice cultivars.The Normalized Root Mean Square Error was in excellent range(<10%)for all the parameters—the coefficient of determination(R2)for CVS.PR126 and PR127 for days taken to anthesis and maturity were 0.94 and 0.89−0.96,respectively while grain yield and LAI(leaf area index)were 0.89−0.98 and 0.87−0.89,respectively.The optimum transplanting window of 24−30 June for PR126 and 20−26 June for PR127 simulated the grain yield/LAI ranging from 8,425−8,473 kg·ha^(−1)/4.23−4.24 for PR126 and 8,298−8,356 kg·ha^(−1)/4.20−4.21 for PR127.The early transplantation of rice cultivars on 7th June resulted in the lowest yield/LAI of 6,702 kg·ha^(−1)/3.8 for PR126 and 6,865 kg·ha^(−1)/3.9 for PR127.The deviation for the grain yield and HI(harvest index)of PR126 was between−14.2%to+8.2%and−15.1%to+10.5%,respectively,and of PR127 varied between−11.2%to+8.1%and−14.2%to+10.6%,respectively.The decline in the yield/HI from the average was observed during early transplantation in 2^(nd)week of June(before the 15^(th)of June for PR126 and the 13^(th)of June for PR127)as well as late transplantation in the 1st week of July(after 11^(th)July for PR126 and 6^(th)July for PR127)for rice cultivars.The negative effect on yield and HI of both varieties during early and late transplantation could be due to unfavorable climatic conditions.

基于Hessian矩阵的改进EDlines输电线识别算法

随着电力网络的飞速发展,采用无人机搭载高清摄像头来进行输电线巡检已成常态。为提高巡检的实时性和准确性,本研究提出了一种基于Hessian矩阵的改进EDlines输电线识别算法。首先,通过伽马变换对输电线图像进行预处理,利用Hessian矩阵特征值和特征向量以求取像素点主方向和主曲率,并获得输电线主体轮廓,从而摒弃了传统方法中梯度计算锚点和像素方向的繁琐步骤。接着,在主体轮廓基础上连接锚点以得到潜在直线线段像素链,并运用随机抽样一致性(RANSAC)算法来进行线段拟合。最后,根据直线间的距离和角度,迭代拟合以得到最终的输电线。实验结果表明,该方法能应对多种复杂环境下的输电线识别任务,抗干扰能力强,误检率显著降低,为高空输电线巡检提供了可靠的技术支持,具有重要的工程应用价值。

New 4-imino-4H-Chromeno[2,3-d]Pyrimidin-3(5H)-Amine: Synthesis, Cytotoxic Effects on Tumoral Cell Lines and in Silico ADMET Properties

The synthesis of new 4-imino-4H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-3(5H)-amine in four steps including one step under microwave dielectric heating is reported. The structural identity of the synthesized compounds was established according to their spectroscopic analysis, such as FT-IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. These new compounds were tested for their antiproliferative activities on seven representative human tumoral cell lines (Huh7 D12, Caco2, MDA-MB231, MDA-MB468, HCT116, PC3 and MCF7) and also on fibroblasts. Among them, only the compounds 6c showed micromolar cytotoxic activity on tumor cell lines (1.8 50 50 > 25 μM). Finally, in silico ADMET studies ware performed to investigate the possibility of using of the identified compound 6c as potential anti-tumor compound.

Magnetic Field Curves and Magnetic Equipotential Surfaces around Crossing Electrical Wires Replacing Classical Magnetic Field Lines

This article is based on a recent model specifically defining magnetic field values around electrical wires. With this model, calculations of field around parallel wires were obtained. Now, this model is extended with the new concept of magnetic equipotential surface to magnetic field curves around crossing wires. Cases of single, double, and triple wires are described. Subsequent article will be conducted for more general scenarios where wires are neither infinite nor parallel.

Study on the Design Scheme of Vehicle Flow Lines in Unilateral Agglomerative Open Service Area

In recent years,with the introduction of the strategy to strengthen the country’s transportation infrastructure and the continuous implementation of new economic development models such as integrating transportation with tourism,various open service areas integrating highway service areas with local tourism have emerged nationwide.Examples include the Yangcheng Lake service area in Jiangsu and the Lengshui service area in Chongqing.This paper focuses on the design example of the Dazu Stone Carving service area on the Chongqing section of the Yurong Expressway,comprehensively considering factors such as construction scale,terrain conditions,and local urban planning.It analyzes and studies the traffic flow design of unilateral agglomerative open service areas around two vehicle traffic conversion links:between the main expressway and the service area,and between the service area and local roads.The aim is to provide a case study reference for similar projects.

Pedigree analysis of 220 almond genotypes reveals two world mainstream breeding lines based on only three different cultivars

Loss of genetic variability is an increasing challenge in tree breeding programs due to the repeated use of a reduced number of founder genotypes.However,in almond,little is known about the genetic variability in current breeding stocks,although several cases of inbreeding depression have been reported.To gain insights into the genetic structure in modern breeding programs worldwide,marker-verified pedigree data of 220 almond cultivars and breeding selections were analyzed.Inbreeding coefficients,pairwise relatedness,and genetic contribution were calculated for these genotypes.The results reveal two mainstream breeding lines based on three cultivars:“Tuono”,“Cristomorto”,and“Nonpareil”.Descendants from“Tuono”or“Cristomorto”number 76(sharing 34 descendants),while“Nonpareil”has 71 descendants.The mean inbreeding coefficient of the analyzed genotypes was 0.041,with 14 genotypes presenting a high inbreeding coefficient,over 0.250.Breeding programs from France,the USA,and Spain showed inbreeding coefficients of 0.075,0.070,and 0.037,respectively.According to their genetic contribution,modern cultivars from Israel,France,the USA,Spain,and Australia trace back to a maximum of six main founding genotypes.Among the group of 65 genotypes carrying the S f allele for self-compatibility,the mean relatedness coefficient was 0.125,with“Tuono”as the main founding genotype(24.7%of total genetic contribution).The results broaden our understanding about the tendencies followed in almond breeding over the last 50 years and will have a large impact into breeding decision-making process worldwide.Increasing current genetic variability is required in almond breeding programs to assure genetic gain and continuing breeding progress.

Skim resequencing finely maps the downy mildew resistance loci RPF2 and RPF3 in spinach cultivars whale and Lazio

Commercial production of spinach(Spinacia oleracea L.)is centered in California and Arizona in the US,where downy mildew caused by Peronospora effusa is the most destructive disease.Nineteen typical races of P.effusa have been reported to infect spinach,with 16 identified after 1990.The regular appearance of new pathogen races breaks the resistance gene introgressed in spinach.We attempted to map and delineate the RPF2 locus at a finer resolution,identify linked single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)markers,and report candidate downy mildew resistance(R)genes.Progeny populations segregating for RPF2 locus derived from resistant differential cultivar Lazio were infected using race 5 of P.effusa and were used to study for genetic transmission and mapping analysis in this study.Association analysis performed with low coverage whole genome resequencing-generated SNP markers mapped the RPF2 locus between 0.47 to 1.46 Mb of chromosome 3 with peak SNP(Chr3_1,221,009)showing a LOD value of 61.6 in the GLM model in TASSEL,which was within 1.08 Kb from Spo12821,a gene that encodes CC-NBS-LRR plant disease resistance protein.In addition,a combined analysis of progeny panels of Lazio and Whale segregating for RPF2 and RPF3 loci delineated the resistance section in chromosome 3 between 1.18–1.23 and 1.75–1.76 Mb.This study provides valuable information on the RPF2 resistance region in the spinach cultivar Lazio compared to RPF3 loci in the cultivar Whale.The RPF2 and RPF3 specific SNP markers,plus the resistant genes reported here,could add value to breeding efforts to develop downy mildew resistant cultivars in the future.