Constructing a Core Collection for Maize (Zea mays L.) Landrace from Wuling Mountain Region in China

Based on the genetic clustering from 42 microsatellite （SSR） markers with a combination of their geographic origin and germplasm characteristics, 124 maize landraces from Wuling Mountain region in China were used for constructing a core collection. Four evaluating parameters for maize landrace core collection, including mean difference percentage （MD）, variance difference percentage （VD）, coincidence rate of range （CR）, and variable rate of coefficient of variation （VR）, were assessed With 20 quantitative traits. It was shown that genetic relationships among landraces in Wuling Mountain region had the tendency to associate with their geographic origins. The 124 landraces were clustered into 18 subgroups when the coefficient of genetic similarity （GS） is 0.28. Eighteen landraces, each of which was from one subgroup, were applied to construct the core collection with a sampling percentage of 15%. Comparison of the initial and core collection indicated that there existed no significant differences in most quantitative traits. An average of 6.3 and 6.5 alleles were detected in the initial and core collection, respectively. Mean polymorphism information content in the core collection （0.75） was higher than that in the initial one （0.72）. MD was lesser than 20% and CR was more than 80%. The results showed that the sampling strategy would be feasible for constructing the core collection that well represents the genetic diversity of the initial one.

Zircon U-Pb Age,Geochemical,and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf Isotopic Constraints on the Time Frame and Origin of Early Cretaceous Mafic Dykes in the Wuling Mountain Gravity Lineament,South China

In view of the importance of mafic dyke swarms and their contribution to current scientific problems relating to South China,herein,we present the findings of studies on twenty–five representative mafic dykes cropping out in Hunan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,within the southern Wuling Mountain gravity lineament,China.These results include new zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age,whole rock geochemical,Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic,and zircon Hf isotopic data for these dykes.The dykes formed between 131.5±1.2 and 121.6±1.1 Ma,and have typical doleritic textures.They fall into the alkaline and shoshonitic series,are enriched in light rare earth elements(LREE),some large ion lithophile elements(LILE;e.g.,Rb,Ba,and Sr),Th,U,and Pb,and are depleted in Nb,Ta,Hf,and Ti.Moreover,the dolerites have high initial 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios(0.7055–0.7057),negativeεNd(t)and zirconεHf(t)values(-14.8 to-11.9,-30.4 to-14.9),and relatively constant initial Pb isotopic ratios(that are EM1-like,16.77–16.94,15.43–15.47,and 36.84–36.92 for 206 Pb/204 Pb,207 Pb/204 Pb,and 208 Pb/204 Pb,respectively).These results indicate that the dykes were likely derived from magma generated through low-degree partial melting(1.0%–10%)of an EM1-like garnet–lherzolite mantle source.The parental magmas fractionated olivine,clinopyroxene,plagioclase,and Ti-bearing phases with negligible crustal contamination,during ascent and dyke emplacement.Several possible models have been proposed to explain the origin of Mesozoic magmatism along the Wuling Mountain gravity lineament.Herein we propose a reasonable model for the origin of these mafic dykes,involving the collision between the paleo-Pacific Plate and South China,which led to subsequent lithospheric extension and asthenosphere upwelling,resulting in partial melting the underlying mantle lithosphere in the Early Cretaceous,to form the parental magmas to the WMGL mafic dykes,as studied.