A Germplasm Resource Repository:The Book Review of Illustrated Flora of Food Crops and Their Wild Related Plants in China

Illustrated Flora of Food Crops and Their Wild Related Plants in China systematically examines the botanical and morphological characteristics of China's major food crops,such as rice,wheat,corn,sweet potato,potato,mung bean,and buckwheat.Featuring more than 5000 color photos and 200 line drawings,it offers a comparative study that highlights the kinship and internal connections between cultivated and wild species.The book is an invaluable resource for breeders,offering a comprehensive morphological and genetic database that aids in the development of high-yielding,high-quality,and disease-resistant crop varieties.

Crop wild relatives of Kazakhstani Tien Shan:Flora,vegetation,resources

This paper presents the results of the field study on species composition,geographical distribution,phytocoenotic diversity and resources of crop wild relatives(CWR) in Kazakhstan’s ranges of the Tien Shan Mountains.Taxa of not only cultivated genera of crops are taken into account,but also a wider range of species of high socio-economic importance,including medicinal,fodder,essential oil and other species.List of CWR includes 289 species belonging to 39 families and 145 genera.Among them,9 species listed in the Red Data book of Kazakhstan:Pistacia vera,Rheum wittrockii,Armeniaca vulgaris,Malus sieversii,Allium pskemense,Allochrusa gypsophilloides,Sorbus sibirica,Vitis vinifera and Artemisia cina.The highest plant diversity is recorded in intermountain plains and river valleys where meadow vegetation forms a high abundance of forage and resource plants.The diversity of wild fruit plants is concentrated in gallery forests.CWR of cereals are confined to dry steppe slopes in low piedmont belt.The populations of almond,pistachio,plum and cherry were recorded at dry slopes of low mountain belt.The estimation of the raw material base for 13 resource plants is given.Only Rumex tianschanicus,Berberis sphaerocarpa are recommended for industrial harvesting;for local pharmacy chain-Mentha longifolia,Origanum vulgare,O.vulgare subsp.gracile,Ziziphora clinopodioides,Hypericum scabrum,Hypericum perforatum,and five Rosa species.

Biodiversity Assessment of Sugar Beet Species and Its Wild Relatives:Linking Ecological Data with New Genetic Approaches

The value of crop wild relatives has long been acknowledged and this wild resource has been used to improve crop performance with clear economic benefits. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) is the most economically valuable crop species in the order Caryophyllales, B. vulgaris subsp. maritima being the ancestor of the cultivated beets. The wild species of the genus Beta s.l. are commonly found in coastal areas of Europe and Mediterranean Region, where a rich genetic heritage still exists. Broadening the genetic base of sugar beet by introgression with wild relatives is a growing need regarding the maintenance of ecologically important traits. Since wild relatives have adapted to specific habitats, they constitute an important source of novel traits for the beet breeding pool. So, we conducted a broader research project aiming to delimit taxa and identify priority locations to establish genetic reserves of the wild Beta species occurring in Portugal (Western Iberian Peninsula). The aim of this study was: 1) to identify and characterize the main habitats of these wild Beta species;and 2) to present a review of some genetic tools available for future application in sugar beet breeding. In this review, we have focused on EcoTILLING as a molecular tool to assess DNA polymerphisms in wild populations of Beta and identify candidate genes related to drought and salt tolerance, as well as addressed some issues related to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies as a new molecular tool to assess adaptive genetic variation on the wild relatives of sugar beet.

Orphan Crops and their Wild Relatives in the Genomic Era

More than half of the calories consumed by humans are provided by three major cereal crops(rice,maize,and wheat).Orphan crops are usually well adapted to low-input agricultural conditions,and they not only play vital roles in local areas but can also contribute to food and nutritional needs worldwide.Interestingly,many wild relatives of orphan crops are important weeds of major crops.Although orphan crops and their wild relatives have received little attentions from researchers for many years,genomic studies have recently been performed on these plants.Here,we provide an overview of genomic studies on orphan crops,with a focus on orphan cereals and their wild relatives.The genomes of at least 12 orphan cereals and/or their wild relatives have been sequenced.In addition to genomic benefits for orphan crop breeding,we discuss the potential ways for mutual utilization of genomic data from major crops,orphan crops,and their wild relatives(including weeds)and provide perspectives on genetic improvement of both orphan and major crops(including de novo domestication of orphan crops)in the coming genomic era.

Water stress resilient cereal crops:Lessons from wild relatives

Cereal crops are significant contributors to global diets.As climate change disrupts weather patterns and wreaks havoc on crops,the need for generating stress-resilient,high-yielding varieties is more urgent than ever.One extremely promising avenue in this regard is to exploit the tremendous genetic diversity expressed by the wild ancestors of current day crop species.These crop wild relatives thrive in a range of environments and accordingly often harbor an array of traits that allow them to do so.The identification and introgression of these traits into our staple cereal crops can lessen yield losses in stressful environments.In the last decades,a surge in extreme drought and flooding events have severely impacted cereal crop production.Climate models predict a persistence of this trend,thus reinforcing the need for research on water stress resilience.Here we review:(i)how water stress(drought and flooding)impacts crop performance;and(ii)how identification of tolerance traits and mechanisms from wild relatives of the main cereal crops,that is,rice,maize,wheat,and barley,can lead to improved survival and sustained yields in these crops under water stress conditions.

Increasing yield potential of hybrid rice through molecular breedingIncreasing yield potential of hybrid rice through molecular breeding

Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world population. The utilization of the wild abortive cytoplasmic male sterility （CMS） in 1970s has significantly raised rice yield potential. But the world＇s annual rice production will have to increase 70 percent over the next 30 years, to keep up with the demends of the growing population.

玉米野生近缘种属研究利用进展

作物的近缘野生种质遗传多样性是作物遗传育种家应对气候变化、虫害和病害等胁迫的不可或缺资源.玉米(Zea mays)的野生近缘种属主要指玉蜀黍属中的大刍草种和摩擦禾属(Tripsacum L.),它们蕴涵着栽培玉米不具有的耐盐、耐冷和抗病虫等优良特性,对扩大玉米种质的遗传基础和改进目前生产运用的玉米杂交种的特异性状具有重大意义.本文对大刍草和摩擦禾种质资源的系统分化、植物生态地理学属性、可杂交性和居群间的基因流动、基因组学数据、重要性状的基因定位克隆及育种应用进行了系统论述,并对未来如何高效保存与利用这些遗传资源、发掘新基因和高效种质创新利用进行了展望,旨在为玉米近缘野生资源多样性的了解和利用远缘杂交进行玉米遗传改良提供参考.

A chromosome-scale genome assembly of Dasypyrum villosum provides insights into its application as a broad-spectrum disease resistance resource for wheat improvement

Dasypyrum villosum is one of the most valuable gene resources in wheat improvement,especially for disease resistance.The mining of favorable genes from D.villosum is frustrated by the lack of a whole genome sequence.In this study,we generated a doubled-haploid line,91C43^(DH),using microspore culture and obtained a 4.05-GB high-quality,chromosome-scale genome assembly for D.villosum.The assembly contains39727 high-confidence genes,and 85.31% of the sequences are repetitive.Two reciprocal translocation events were detected,and 7VS-4VL is a unique translocation in D.villosum.The prolamin seed storage protein-coding genes were found to be duplicated;in particular,the genes encoding low-molecular-weight glutenin at the Glu-V3 locus were significantly expanded.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)analysis indicated that,after Blumeria graminearum f.sp tritici(Bgt)inoculation,there were more upregulated genes involved in the pattern-triggered immunity and effector-triggered immunity defense pathways in D.villosum than in Triticum urartu.MNase hypersensitive sequencing(MH-seq)identified two Bgt-inducible MH sites(MHSs),one in the promoter and one in the 3'terminal region of the powdery mildew resistance(Pm)gene NLR1-V.Each site had two subpeaks and they were termed MHS1(MHS1.1/1.2)and MHS2(MHS2.1/2.2).Bgt-inducible MHS2.2 was uniquely present in D.villosum,and MHS1.1 was more inducible in D.villosum than in wheat,suggesting that MHSs may be critical for regulation of NLR1-V expression and plant defense.In summary,this study provides a valuable genome resource for functional genomics studies and wheat-D.villosum introgression breeding.The identified regulatory mechanisms may also be exploited to develop new strategies for enhancing Pm resistance by optimizing gene expression in wheat.