Analysis of genetic diversity and differentiation of artificial populations of yellowhorn(Xanthoceras sorbifolium) in China using ISSR markers

Yellowhorn （Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge） is a drought-tolerant tree in the family Sapindaceae that is native to northeastern China. Its remarkably oil-rich seeds are a reliable biodiesel source. An inter simple sequence repeat （ISSR） analysis showed genetic variation among four artificial populations in China： two in Inner Mongolia （IM）, one in Liaoning （LN）, and one in Shandong （SD）. The average percentage of polymorphic loci was 81.25 % for these four populations. The Forest Farm in SD showed the highest number of effective alleles （Ne）, Shannon index （I）, and expected heterozygosity （He）, i.e., 1.598, 0.470, and 0.325, respectively, but the lowest number of alleles （Na） as 1.600. Based on an analysis of molecular variance, 23 % of the total genetic variation was found among populations, and 77 % within populations. A principal coordinate analysis revealed two groups （Group 1： Lindonglinchang, Jianping Agriculture Research Station and Forest Farm; Group 2： Jinjilinchang）. Understanding the genetic diversity among artificial yellowhorn populations in China, detected using ISSRs, will be useful for yellowhorn conservation and improvement. Additional arti-ficial and natural populations need to be included in the future for a country-wide perspective.

Patterns of species dominance, diversity and dispersion in ‘Khasi hill sal' forest ecosystem in northeast India

Background： The ＇Khasi hill sal＇ forest ecosystem in Meghalaya, India represents the easternmost limit of sal distribution. We tested if tree diversity and compositional heterogeneity of this ecosystem was higher than other sal-dominated forests due to moister environment. Methods： Vegetation was sampled in 11 transects of 10 m width and up to 500 m length covering 5.2 ha area. All stems ≥10 cm girth at breast height were enumerated. Results： We found a pattern of mixed dominance of Shored robusta （sal） and Schima wollichii and co-dominance of Pinus kesiyo and Careya arborea. The Shannon＇s diversity index （H＇） was 3.395 nats. This value is remarkably high and competitive to that of moist sal forests of eastern Himalayan foothills and sal-dominated forests of Tripura. A high value of H＇ was manifested by： a） high species richness （S = 123）, b） good equitability （70.6%）, c） ＇fair＇ resource apportionment, and d） abundance of rare species （84% species with less than one per cent of total individuals, 67% species with two or less individuals ha-1 and 59% species with one or less individuals ha-1）. The compositional heterogeneity was ＇fair＇ （Whittaker＇sβw = 3.15）. The presence of Fagaceae with six species commanding 4.3% of importance value （IVl） and of a pine （P. kesiya） in sal forest was remarkable. As many as 58 species showed ＇low density （〈 10 individuals ha-1）, uniform dispersion＇, five species achieved ＇higher density （〉 10 individuals ha-l）, uniform dispersion＇ and six of the top 10 species were ＇clumped＇. The forest showed an exponential demographic curve illustrating ＇good＇ regeneration of an expanding community. Vertical stratification was simple with a poor canopy and fair subcanopy, which together with low basal area （15.65 m2 . ha-1 for individuals ≥ 10 cm gbh） indicated logging of mature sal trees in the past. Conclusions： The ＇Khasi hill sal＇ forest ecosystem is richer in alpha and beta diversity than most sal-dominated forests, but past logging has reduced basal area. Selective removal of small timber and firewood, slash-and-burn agriculture and recurrent burning of forest floor are the principal anthropogenic factors controlling forest structure and regeneration of species.

Association analysis of fiber quality traits and exploration of elite alleles in Upland cotton cultivars/accessions(Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Exploring the elite al eles and germplasm acces-sions related to fiber quality traits wil accelerate the breeding of cotton for fiber quality improvement. In this study, 99 Gossypium hirsutum L. accessions with diverse origins were used to perform association analysis of fiber quality traits using 97 polymorphic microsatel ite marker primer pairs. A total of 107 significant marker-trait associations were detected for three fiber quality traits under three different environments, with 70 detected in two or three environments and 37 detected in only one environment. Among the 70 significant marker-trait associations, 52.86% were reported previously, implying that these are stable loci for target traits. Furthermore, we detected a large number of elite al eles associated simulta-neously with two or three traits. These elite al eles were mainly from accessions col ected in China, introduced to China from the United States, or rare al eles with a frequency of less than＆amp;nbsp;5%. No one cultivar contained more than half of the elite al eles, but 10 accessions were col ected from China and the two introduced from the United States did contain more than half of these al eles. Therefore, there is great potential for mining elite al eles from germplasm accessions for use in fiber quality improvement in modern cotton breeding.

Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of peanut cultivars and breeding lines from China,India and the US using simple sequence repeat markers

Cultivated peanut is grown worldwide as rich- source of oil and protein. A broad genetic base is needed for cultivar improvement. The objectives of this study were to develop highly informative simple sequence repeat （SSR） markers and to assess the genetic diversity and popuJation structure of peanut cultivars and breeding lines from different breeding programs in China, India and the US. A total of 111 SSR markers were selected for this study, resulting in a total of 472 alleles. The mean values of gene diversity and polymorphic information content （PIC） were 0.480 and o.429, respectively. Country-wise analysis revealed that alleles per locus in three countries were similar. The mean gene diversity in the US, China and India was 0.363, o.489 and 0.47 with an average PIC of 0.323, 0.43 and o.412, respectively. Genetic analysis using the STRUCTURE divided these peanut lines into two populations （P1, P2）, which was consistent with the dendro- gram based on genetic distance （G1, G2） and the clustering of principal component analysis. The groupings were related to peanut market types and the geographic origin with a few admixtures. The results could be used by breeding programs to assess the genetic diversity of breeding materials to broaden the genetic base and for molecular genetics studies.