Genome-wide Association Analysis of Maize Flowering Traits

Flowering regulation is important for maize to adapt to a variety of environments as well as associated with high yield.In this study,the genetic mechanism of three flowering traits of 310 maize inbred lines with rich genetic background was investigated in three years at three different environments such as days to tasseling(DTT),days to silking(DTS)and days to pollen shedding(DTP).Based on mean performance,the longest flowering time was observed in Zhanyi(2018),whereas the shortest in Shizong(2019).The coefficient of variance depicted the range from 3.62%to 9.06%for three flowering traits under all environments.Therefore,we have integrated these flowering traits corresponding to SNP molecular markers for genome-wide association study(GWAS).Results showed that 22 SNPs markers were significantly associated with DTT according to physical position and average linkage disequilibrium(LD)decay distance,and a total of 234 candidate genes were identified near these significantly associated SNP markers.Moreover,KEGG and GO analysis showed that these genes were enriched in the regulation of the physiological pathways for flowering.In more details,16 genes involved in development of floral organs are more worthy of our attention in future studies.

Mixing trait-based corn(Zea mays L.)cultivars increases yield through pollination synchronization and increased cross-fertilization

Abiotic stress such as high temperature at flowering is one of many conditions reducing yield of corn(Zea mays L.).Mixing corn cultivars with diverse functional traits increases within-crop diversity and provides a potential means of mitigating yield losses under stress conditions.We conducted a three-year field study to investigate the effects of cultivar mixtures on kernel setting rate,pollen sources,and yield.This study consisted of six treatments,including two high temperature-tolerant(HTT)monocrops of WK702 and DH701,two high temperature-sensitive(HTS)monocrops of DH605 and DH662,and two HTT–HTS mixtures of WK702-DH605 and DH701-DH662.The anthesis–silking interval(ASI)was 0.9–1.6 days shorter in mixtures than in monocrops.Kernel setting rate was increased in mixtures(86.4%–88.7%)compared with those in monocrops(74.7%–84.1%)as a result of synchrony and complementarity of pollination.Grain yields of the HTT–HTS mixtures increased by 13.3%–18.7%,equivalent to 1169 to1605 kg ha^(-1),in comparison with HTS corn monocrops.The results of SSR markers showed that crossfertilization percentage in corn cultivar mixtures ranged from 29.3%to 47.8%,partially explaining yield improvement.Land equivalent ratio(LER)was 1.12 for corn mixtures and the partial land equivalent ratio(e.g.,>0.5)showed the complementary benefits in corn mixtures.The results indicated that mixing corn cultivars with diverse flowering and drought-tolerance traits increased yields via pollination synchrony.

Convergent relationships between flower economics and hydraulic traits across aquatic and terrestrial herbaceous plants

Maintaining open flowers is critical for successful pollination and depends on long-term water and carbon balance.Yet the relationship between how flower hydraulic traits are coordinated in different habitats is poorly understood.Here,we hypothesize that the coordination and trade-offs between floral hydraulics and economics traits are independent of environmental conditions.To test this hypothesis,we investigated a total of 27 flower economics and hydraulic traits in six aquatic and six terrestrial herbaceous species grown in a tropical botanical garden.We found that although there were a few significant differences,most flower hydraulics and economics traits did not differ significantly between aquatic and terrestrial herbaceous plants.Both flower mass per area and floral longevity were significantly positively correlated with the time required for drying full-hydrated flowers to 70%relative water content.Flower dry matter content was strongly and positively related to drought tolerance of the flowers as indicated by flower water potential at the turgor loss point.In addition,there was a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and the construction cost of a flower across species.Our results show that flowers of aquatic and terrestrial plants follow the same economics spectrum pattern.These results suggest a convergent flower economics design across terrestrial and aquatic plants,providing new insights into the mechanisms by which floral organs adapt to aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

QTL effects and epistatic interaction for flowering time and branch number in a soybean mapping population of Japanese×Chinese cultivars

Flowering time and branching type are important agronomic traits related to the adaptability and yield of soybean. Molecular bases for major flowering time or maturity loci, E1 to E4, have been identified. However, more flowering time genes in cultivars with different genetic backgrounds are needed to be mapped and cloned for a better understanding of flowering time regulation in soybean. In this study, we developed a population of Japanese cultivar（Toyomusume）×Chinese cultivar（Suinong 10） to map novel quantitative trait locus（QTL） for flowering time and branch number. A genetic linkage map of a F_2 population was constructed using 1 306 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphism（SNP） markers using Illumina Soy SNP8 ki Select Bead Chip containing 7 189（SNPs）. Two major QTLs at E1 and E9, and two minor QTLs at a novel locus, qFT2_1 and at E3 region were mapped. Using other sets of F_2 populations and their derived progenies, the existence of a novel QTL of qFT2_1 was verified. qBR6_1, the major QTL for branch number was mapped to the proximate to the E1 gene, inferring that E1 gene or neighboring genetic factor is significantly contributing to the branch number.

Dynamic Changes in Endogenous Hormones in Rhododen- dron simsii Floral Organs

This study was conducted to investigate the dynamic changes of several hormones in Rhododendron simsii floral organs to provide theoretical basis for controlling its flowering period. A R. simsii variety ＂Purple Crane＂ was selected as the experimental material, and its flower organs were sampled at nine floral developmental stages to measure the contents of gibberellic acid-3 （GA3 ）, abscisic acid （ABA）, indole-3-acetic acid （IAA）, and zeatin riboside （ZR） through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The results showed that the content of ZR was highest at full flowering stage; IAA and GA3 contents were higher than other stages in the process of flower bud differentiation and flowering. ABA played an important role in the regulation of flower bud formation. The results will provide theoretical references for exploring the regulation of plant hormones towards Rhododendron flower traits and breeding new varieties.

The flowerpiercers interactions with a community of high Andean plants

Background:Flowerpiercers(Diglossa)are traditionally considered as“parasites”of the pollination processes,as they can access the nectar without entering in contact with the reproductive structures of the plants.Nevertheless,the effect of flowerpiercers seems to vary according to their behavior and the flower’s traits.So,in this work,we aimed to explore the floral characteristics that may determine the susceptibility to robbing and pollen transport by flowerpierc-ers.Also,we identified the potential types of interactions and studied interaction network properties.Methods:We collected the information of 16 ornithophilic plants regarding their floral traits and robbing frequency.Also,we captured 4 species of flowerpiercers and evaluated pollen transport(frequency and loads).We tested the correlation between floral traits,robbing frequency,and pollen transportation.Later,we used these variables in a cluster and principal component analyses to identify the potential types of interactions.Finally,we analyzed and com-pared the structure of the plants-flowerpiercers interaction network.Results:Nectar production significantly influenced both nectar robbing and pollen transportation.While the corolla length was only correlated to the robbing susceptibility.Also,we found that particular flowerpiercers species trans-ported higher loads of some plant pollen,which can be related to the differences in behavior and morphometric traits.We proposed the classification of five different types of plant-flowerpiercer interactions,that showed differ-ent potential mutualist or antagonist relations based on the affectation of nectar robbing and the service of pollen transportation.The interaction networks consisted of 49 links,with 2.4 links per species,and presented indicators of a medium to high resilience,stability,and resistance(nestedness,connectance,and robustness).Also,the network presented medium to low specialization and substantial niche overlap.Conclusions:The ecological role of the flowerpiercers goes beyond its classic assignation as“parasites”as they can actively transport pollen of several Andean plants,affecting its evolutionary history and the stability of the systems.

Inheritance of the Number of Ovules per Ovary and Selection of Cacao Genotypes

We have characterized the number of ovules per ovary (NoOV) in cacao plants originated from crossing the clones CCN 51 and TSH 1188 (segregating progeny) and determined the heritability of this characteristic in order to select plants with higher NoOV in this progeny. The NoOV was calculated as the average of 10 flowers per plant and ranged from 44.8 to 58.6 between the six clones (two parents and four clones belonging to their genealogy). In the progeny (n = 209 plants) the NoOV averaged 54.3 (range 44.1 to 67.8). The NoOV was distributed uniformly among the progeny indicating that this trait is conditioned by polygenes. Its heritability was estimated at 67.7%. The 32 plants with NoOV similar or superior to the genitor CCN 51 (highest amount among clones) were selected for use in the genetic improvement program. We showed that this population is suitable for genetic mapping, molecular marker identification and selection of superior cacao genotypes.

Polyploidization and sexual dimorphism of floral traits in a subdioecious population of Dasiphora glabra

Aims Sexual dimorphism is a common trait in plants with sex separation,which could influence female and male functions differently.In a subdioecious population of Dasiphora glabra on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,we investigated sexual dimorphism of floral traits and their effects on pollinator visitation,pollen flow and seed production.We also examined differences in genome size of hermaphroditic and dioecious plants.Methods We examined sexual dimorphism in flower number,flower size,and pollen and ovule production in a subdioecious population of D.glabra.We compared pollinator visitation,pollen dispersal and seed production between sexes.We also examined the genome size of three sex morphs using flow cytometry.Important Findings The number of hermaphroditic plants was significantly more than that of male and female plants,and dioecious plants accounted for ca.40%in the study population.Hermaphroditic plants produced significantly more flowers than male and female plants.Flower size of male flowers was significantly larger than that of female and hermaphroditic flowers.Male flowers did not produce more pollen grains than hermaphroditic flowers,but female flowers produced more ovules than hermaphroditic flowers.Flies were the most frequent flower visitors and preferred large flowers,but their movements between flowers did not show any preference to large flowers.Simulated pollen flows suggested that effective pollen transfer was generally low for both hermaphroditic and male flowers,corresponding to the low seed set of naturally pollinated flowers.DNA contents of male and female plants were ca.four times than those of hermaphroditic plants.These results suggest male and female individuals have undergone polyploidy events and thus are not compatible with hermaphroditic individuals.Sexual dimorphism in floral traits in relation to pollination of dioecious plants might show an advantage in female and male functions,but this advantage is masked largely by low effectiveness of pollen transfer.