Genetic Diversity and Correlation Analysis of Main Botanical Traits of Chili Pepper Genetic Resources

A total of 398 chili pepper germplasms were used as test materials and genetic diversity and correlation analysis were performed on 17 botanical traits. The results of diversity analysis showed that the diversity indexes of the 17 botanical traits ranged from 0.15 to 5.97 with the average value of 4.12. The data distributions of 11 quantitative traits were more dispersed than qualitative traits. The average value of eoefficient of variation was 36.90% and the variation ranges were one to six times larger than the average value. The results of correlation analysis showed that plant height had significantly positive correlations with plant breadth, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, the frrst flower node and carpopodium length. The In＇st flower node was significantly negatively correlated with fruit length, fruit width, flesh thickness and weight per fruit and signifieantly positively correlated with plant height and plant breadth. The flesh thickness was significantly positively correlated with leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, fruit length, fruit width and carpopodium length. The weight per fruit was significantly positively correlated with leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, fruit length, fruit width, carpopodium length and flesh thickness. Materials with low first flower node, moderate plant height and width and large fruit should be selected for the breeding of early-maturing and high-yield chili pepper varieties. The genetic distances between chili pepper traits were calculated based on the genotypic values of the 11 quantitative traits. The genetic distances between different traits ranged from 14.26 to 32.99. The 11 quantitative traits were divided into seven groups when the rescaled distance was ten, which further clarified the relationships between different traits. The research results laid a solid foundation for the new variety breeding of chili pepper.

Current Situations of Competitive Scientific Research Projects for Agri-scientific Research Institutions: A Case Study of Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences

This paper collected and arranged competitive scientific research projects undertaken by Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences in 2003-2014. Through statistical analysis on quantity of projects,funded amount,age of person responsible,professional title of person responsible,academic degree of person responsible,research object,it discussed relevant characteristics and rules. Finally,it came up with pertinent measures and recommendations,in the hope of providing services for decision-making and scientific and technological management.

Construction and Establishment of Sci-tech Platform for Agricultural Scientific Research Institutions: A Case Study of Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences

Taking Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute( TCGRI) of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences( CATAS) as an example,this paper discussed current situation of construction of sci-tech platform,analyzed existing problems,and finally came up with pertinent recommendations.

Genomics of crop plant genetic resources

Plant genetic resources collection and utilization had made a huge impact in balancing the genetic diversity of the existing crop plant species and their application in genome based studies had also increased widely. Primarily studies were based on model species, although it now enhances the transferability of information to crops and related species. With the tremendous outbreak of new high-throughput technologies like next-generation sequencing (NGS) and reduction in their costs are bringing many more plants within the range of genome and transcriptome level analysis. The completion of reference genome sequences for many important crops and the ability to perform high-throughput resequencing are providing opportunities for improving our understanding of the crop plant genetic resources to accelerate crop improvement. The future of crop improvement will be centred on comparisons of individual crop plant genomes, and some of the best opportunities may lie in using combinations of new genetic mapping strategies and evolutionary analyses to direct and optimize the discovery and use of genetic variation. Here I review the importance of crop plant genetic resources and insights that have been emerged in recent years.

Genetic Diversity in ex-situ Conserved Lens culinaris for Botanical Descriptors, Biochemical and Molecular Markers and Identification of Landraces from Indigenous Genetic Resources of Pakistan

Lentil, one of the oldest legumes was investigated for diversity based on botanical descriptors, total seed proteins, isozymes and random amplified polymorphic DNA （RAPD） markers. About one fourth of accessions were heterogeneous for botanical descriptors and a seed protein profile. The germplasm collected from the province of Baluchiatan revealed the prevalence of indigenous landraces as high diversity was observed for all of the techniques. Diversity explored through various techniques revealed validity irrespective of the sample size or geographic pattem, RAPD being the best choice for investigating both inter- and intra-acceaaion variation in lentil. Although all of the techniques were able to resolve genetic diversity in lentil, isozymea and seed proteins gave low levels of genetic diversity, suggesting that more investigation into isozymea of specific proteins is required. RAPD is the best option for determining inter- and intra-acceaaion variation, and will be required to extend germplaama and primers to continue the study of botanical descriptors.

Genetic variation of Laminaria japonica (Phaeophyta) populations in China as revealed by RAPD markers

For the population genetics analysis of the naturally grown brown seaweed Laminaria japonica （Laminariales,Phaeophyta） sampled from Dalian,Yantai,Weihai,Rongcheng and Qingdao in China,ten primers were employed to produce 88 bands as revealed by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA （RAPD） markers,and all these bands were polymorphic.According to these band patterns,there were 94 distinct phenotypes occurred in 100 samples indicating the high heterozygosity of this kelp.Dalian population samples showed the highest percentage of polymorphism （71.67%）,and also the higher diversity estimated on the basis of the Shannon’s index （8.498）,suggesting that this population could be chosen as the best resource for genetic breeding.The highest diversity of Yantai population possibly resulted from the introduction of L.longissima used for interspecific cross breeding with L.japonica cultivated in China.From Dalian southwards to Qingdao,the genetic variation of the five populations became less with a decrease in latitude,possibly due to the natural selection especially of high temperature.The genetic distance （Φ ST values） of the five populations was a little significantly correlated with the geographical distance （r=0.496） at P =0.05 by Mantel’s test.Weihai,Rongcheng and Yantai populations were closely grouped genetically together by Neighbor-joining cluster analysis probably in that the dispersal of the kelp by propagules more easily occurring in the range of relatively short distance.The analysis of molecular variance （AMOVA） also demonstrated that the relatively higher variation occurred among populations （71.49%） at an extremely significant level （P 0.000 1）.All these evidence showed that there was a relatively distinct genetic differentiation among the sampled kelp populations,and L.japonica grown in China was also rather heterozygous in heredity.

Genetic Diversity of Maize Populations Developed by Two Kinds of Recurrent Selection Methods Investigated with SSR Markers

Two cycles of biparental mass selection （MS） and one cycle of half-sib-S3 family combining selection （HS-S3） for yield were carried out in 2 synthetic maize populations P4C0 and P5C0 synchronously. The genetic diversity of 8 maize populations, including both the basic populations and their developed populations, were evaluated by 30 SSR primers. On the 30 SSR loci, a total of 184 alleles had been detected in these populations. At each locus, the number of alleles varied from 2 to 14, with an average of 6.13. The number and ratio of polymorphic loci in both the basic populations were higher than those of their developed populations, respectively. There was nearly no difference after MS but decreased after HS-S3 in both the basic populations in the mean gene heterozygosity. The mean genetic distance changed slightly after MS but decreased in a bigger degree after HS-S3 in both the basic populations. Analyses on the distribution of genetic distances showed that the ranges of the genetic distance were wider after MS and most of the genetic distances in populations developed by HS-S3 were smaller than those in both the basic populations. The number of genotypes increased after MS but decreased after HS-S3 in both the basic populations. The genetic diversity of intra-population was much more than genetic diversity of inter-population in both the basic populations. All these indexes demonstrated that the genetic diversity of populations after MS was similar to their basic populations, and the genetic diversity was maintained during MS, whereas the genetic diversity of populations decreased after HS-S3. This result indicated that heterogeneity between some of the individuals in the developed populations increased after MS, whereas the populations become more homozygotic after HS-S3.

Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of Chinese yak breeds (Bos grunniens) using microsatellite markers

Nine Chinese yak breeds （Maiwa, Tianzhu White, Qinghai Plateau, Sibu, Zhongdian, Pali, Tibetan High Mountain, Jiulong, and Xinjiang） and Gayal were analyzed by means of 16 microsatellite markers to determine the level of genetic variation within populations, genetic relationship between populations, and population structure for each breed. A total of 206 microsatellite alleles were observed. Mean F-statistics （0.056） for 9 yak breeds indicated that 94.4% of the genetic variation was observed within yak breeds and 5.6% of the genetic variation existed amongst breeds. The Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree was constructed based on Nei＇s standard genetic distances and two clusters were obtained. The Gayal separated from the yaks far away and formed one cluster and 9 yak breeds were grouped together. The analysis of population structure for 9 yak breeds and the Gayal showed that they resulted in four clusters; one cluster includes yaks from Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, one cluster combines Zhongdian, Maiwa, and Tianzhu White, and Jiulong and Xinjiang come into the third cluster. Pali was mainly in the first cluster （90%）, Jiulong was mainly in the second cluster （87.1%）, Zhongdian was primarily in the third cluster （83%）, and the other yak breeds were distributed in two to three clusters. The Gayal was positively left in the fourth cluster （99.3%）.

Genetic Polymorphism of Wx Gene and Its Correlation with Main Grain Quality Characteristics in Rice

The allelic variation of the Wx gene in 50 non-glutinous rice varieties （lines） was analyzed by using the microsatellite marker RM190 [for （CT）n simple sequence repeat （SSR）] and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence（CAPS） marker 484/W2R-ACCⅠ[for G/T single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP）]. Six homozygous （CT）n types, namely （CT）20, （CT）19, （CT）18, （CT）17, （CT）16, （CT）14, （CT）11 and （CT）10, and a heterozygous genotype （CT）11/（CT）18 were detected for RM190, of which （CT）11 and （CT）18 were predominant. Two homozygous Wx genotypes （G/G and T/T） and one heterozygous （G/T） were detected using 484/W2R-ACC Ⅰ. Most of the materials with a RM190 of （CT）11 were G/G for SNP of 484/W2R-ACC Ⅰ, while T/T for SNP was predominantly appeared in materials with （CT）18. The materials tested could be grouped into 10 categories using the two markers together. Results indicated that 59.3% variance of amylose content was attributed to the polymorphism of Wx gene revealed by RM190, while 56.1% and 24.6% of the variances in amylose content and gel consistency were respectively to the polymorphism of Wx gene revealed by 484/W2R-ACC Ⅰ. Furthermore, with both SSR and CAPS markers, 72.4% of the variance in amylose content could be explained. In addition, the application prospects of the two markers in breeding were also discussed.

Heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations of litter uniformity and litter size in Large White sows

Litter uniformity, which is usually represented by within-litter weight coefficient of variation at birth （CVB）, could influence litter performance of sows and the profitability of pig enterprises. The objective of this study was to characterize CVB and its effect on other reproductive traits in Large White sows. Genetic parameters and genetic correlation of the reproductive traits, including CVB, within-litter weight coefficient of variation at three weeks （CVT）, total number born （TNB）, number born alive （NBA）, number born dead （NBD）, gestation length （GL）, piglet mortality at birth （Mo）, piglet mortality at three weeks （M3）, total litter weight at birth （TLW0）, and total litter weight at three weeks （TLW3） were estimated for 2 032 Large White litters. The effects of parity and classified litter size on CVB, CVT, TNB, NBA, NBD, GL, M0, M3, TLW0, and TLW3 were also estimated. The heritabilities of these reproductive traits ranged from 0.06 to 0.17, with the lowest heritability for CVB and the highest heritability for TLW0. Phenotypic and genetic correlations between these reproductive traits were low to highly positive and negative （ranging from -0.03 to 0.93, and -0.53 to 0.93, respectively）. The genetic correlations between TNB and CVB, and between M0 and CVB were 0.32 and 0.29, respectively. In addition, CVB was significantly influenced by parity and litter size class （P〈0.05）. All the results suggest that piglet uniformity should be maintained in pig production practices and pig breeding programs.

Construction of a Genetic Linkage Map of Mango Based on SRAP, AFLP and ISSR Markers

A hybrid Ft population was obtained by crossing between mango cultivars ＇ Jinhuang＇ and ＇ Guifei＇. Among the hybrid population, 98 F1 plants were selected as the mapping population. The molecular genetic map of mango was constructed by linkage analysis by SRAP, AFLP and ISSR markers using Joinmap4. 0 software. The genetic linkage map consisted of 33 linkage groups, with a total genetic distance of 1 561.1 cM. Moreover, the genetic linkage map involved 245 polymorphic markers, including 149 SRAP markers, 90 AFLP markers and 6 ISSR markers, with an average genetic distance of 6.37 cM. This study laid a founda- tion for further investigation of the important agronomic traits of mango.

A genetic adaptive pattern-low hemoglobin concentration in the himalayan highlanders

Mean hemoglobin(Hb) concentration of about 3 500 subjects derived from 17 studies of Himalayan highlanders(Tibetans, Sherpas, and Ladakhis) was compared with lowlanders(Chinese Han, Indian Tamils) lived in the Himalayas, and European climbers during Everest expeditions as well as Andean natives. The results found that Hb concentration in Himalayan highlanders was systemically lower than those reported for Andean natives and lowland immigrants. These comparative data demonstrated that a healthy native population may successfully reside at high altitude without a significant elevation in Hb, and the lower Hb levels of Himalayan highlanders than those of migrated lowlanders and Andean natives are an example of favourable adaptation over the generations. In addition, excessive polycythemia has frequently been used as a marker of chronic mountain sickness(CMS). Altitude populations who have a higher Hb concentration also have a higher incidence of CMS. The low Hb in Himalayans suggested as showing adaptation over many generations in Tibetan stock. Recent work in Tibet, suggested that Tibetans there may have adapted to high altitude as a result of evolutionary pressure selecting for genes which give an advantage at altitude. All of the population genomic and statistical analysis indicated that EPAS1 and EGLN1 are mostly likely responsible for high altitude adaptation and closely related to low Hb concentration in Tibetans. These data supported the hypothesis that Himalayan highlanders have evolved a genetically different erythropoietic response to chronic hypoxia by virtue of their much longer exposure to high altitude.

Genetic Relationship and Structure Analysis of Root Growth Angle for Improvement of Drought Avoidance in Early and Mid-Early Maturing Rice Genotypes

Deeper rooting 1(Dro1)and Deeper rooting 2(Dro2)are the QTLs that contribute considerably to root growth angle assisting in deeper rooting of rice plant.In the present study,a set of 348 genotypes were shortlisted from rice germplasm based on root angle study.Screening results of the germplasm lines under drought stress identified 25 drought tolerant donor lines based on leaf rolling,leaf drying,spikelet fertility and single plant yield.A panel containing 101 genotypes was constituted based on screening results and genotyped using Dro1 and Dro2 markers.Structure software categorized the genotypes into four sub-populations with different fixation index values for root growth angle.The clustering analysis and principal coordinate analysis could differentiate the genotypes with or without deeper rooting trait.The dendrogram constructed based on the molecular screening for deep rooting QTLs showed clear distinction between the rainfed upland cultivars and irrigated genotypes.Eleven genotypes,namely Dular,Tepiboro,Surjamukhi,Bamawpyan,N22,Dinorado,Karni,Kusuma,Bowdel,Lalsankari and Laxmikajal,possessed both the QTLs,whereas 67 genotypes possessed only Dro1.The average angle of Dro positive genotypes ranged from 82.7°to 89.7°.These genotypes possessing the deeper rooting QTLs can be taken as donor lines to be used in marker-assisted breeding programs.

Microsatellite analysis of variation among wild, domesticated, and genetically improved populations of blunt snout bream （Megalobrama amblycephala）

In the present study, the genetic diversity of one selected strain （Pujiang No. 1）, two domesticated populations （GA and HX） and four wild populations （LZ, YN, SS and JL） of blunt snout bream （Megalobrama amblycephala） was analyzed using 17 microsatellite markers. The results showed that an average of 4.88-7.65 number of alleles （A）; an average of 3.20-5.33 effective alleles （Ne）; average observed beterozygosity （Ho） of 0.6985-0.9044; average expected beterozygosity （He） of 0.6501--0.7805; and the average polymorphism information content （PIC） at 0.5706-0.7226. Pairwise FST value between populations ranged from 0.0307-0.1451, and Nei＇s standard genetic distance between populations was 0.0938-0.4524. The expected heterozygosities in the domesticated populations （GA and HX） were significantly lower than those found in three wild populations （LZ, SS and JL）, but no difference was detected when compared with the wild YN population. Likewise, no difference was found between the four wild populations or two domesticated populations. The expected heterozygosity in Pujiang No. 1 was higher than the two domesticated populations and lower than the four wild populations. Regarding pairwise Fsr value between populations, permutation test P-values were significant between the GA, HX and PJ populations, but not between the four wild populations. These results showed that the expected beterozygosity in the selected strain of blunt snout bream, after seven generations of selective breeding, was lower than that of wild populations, but this strain retains higher levels of genetic diversity than domesticated populations. The genetic differences and differentiation amongst wild populations, domesticated populations and the genetically improved strain of blunt snout bream will provide important conservation criteria and guide the utilization of germplasm resources.

Genetic Variation of EPAS1 Gene in Tibetan Pigs and Three Low-Altitude Pig Breeds in China

Endothelial PAS domain protein 1（EPAS1）, also called hypoxia-inducible factor-2, is a key regulatory factor of hypoxic responses and plays an essential role in high-altitude adaptation in mammalian species. In this study, polymorphisms of EPAS1 were detected in 217 individuals from 2 Tibetan pig populations and 3 low-altitude pig breeds by DNA pooling, PCR-SSCP, PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing methods. A total of 14 synonymous polymorphisms were identified in the coding region. The analysis suggested that SNP1（G963A）, SNP7（C1632T）, SNP10（G1929A） and SNP11（G1947A） showed potential association with high-altitude environment because of their particular variation patterns in Tibetan pigs. Linkage disequilibrium（LD） of these SNPs was analyzed. One common LD block including 5 SNPs clustering in exon 12 was identified in all studied pig populations. Haplotype H1（AGGTC） in LD block was dominant in Tibetan pigs（76.6 and 74.2% in Linzhi（LZ） and Chayu（CY） pigs, respectively） and segregated at higher frequency than that in low-altitude pig breeds（52.3, 58.7 and 56.2% in Wuzhishan（WZS）, Min（M） and Laiwu（LW） pigs, respectively）, indicating that H1 may relate to adaptation to high altitude in Tibetan pigs. These findings raise hope that EPAS1 gene can be a candidate gene that involved in adaptation of high altitude in Tibetan pigs.

Genetic Variation in Triticum turgidum L. ssp. turgidum Landraces from China Assessed by EST-SSR Markers

It was helpful for the wheat improvement to evaluate the genetic resources of Triticum turgidum L. ssp. turgidum landraces. In this study, 68 turgidum landraces accessions, belonging to four geographic populations in China, were investigated by using EST-SSR markers. A total of 63 alleles were detected on 22 EST-SSR loci, and the number of alleles on each locus ranged from 1 to 5, with an average of 2.9. The results of the analysis of molecular variance （AMOVA） indicated that 92.5% of the total variations was attributed to the genetic variations within population, whereas only 7.5% variations among populations. Although the four populations had similar genetic diversity parameters, Sichuan population was yet distinguished from other populations when comparing the population samples in pairs. Significant correlations were detected by the statistic analysis among six genetic diversity parameters among each other. The selection difference between heterozygosty and homozygosty was also observed among different EST-SSR locus. The genetic similarity （GS） ranged from 0.18 to 0.98, with the mean of 0.72, and all accessions could be clustered into 7 groups. The dendrogram suggested that the genetic relationships among turgidum accessions evaluated by EST-SSR markers were unrelated to their geographic distributions. These results implied that turgidum landraces from China had the unique characters of genetic diversity.

Genetic Diversity of Wild Rice Species in Yunnan Province of China

Yunnan Province of China is one of the important centers for origin and evolution of cultivated rice worldwide. Wild rice is the ancestor of the cultivated rice. Many elite traits of wild rice have widened the genetic basis in cultivated rice. However, many populations of wild rice species have disappeared in the past few years. Therefore, the current status of wild rice resources should be updated and the genetic diversity of wild rice species should be examined for further germplasm preservation and utilization. Our investigations showed that the number of natural wild rice populations declined sharply in Yunnan Province during the past few years due to various reasons. Fortunately, one population of Oryza rufipogon, three of O officinalis and ten of O. granulata have been newly found in different ecological sites, which were confirmed by inter-simple sequence repeat （ISSR） marker analysis in this study. ISSR analysis and investigation of some important traits of nutritional values indicated that the genetic diversity of the currently existing wild rice resources in Yunnan is still rich. The demonstration of genetic diversity of wild rice by a combined use of geographical distribution, morphological traits, nutrition contents and ISSR markers would be helpful for the conservation and exploration of these important wild rice resources.

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.

Phylogenetic Relationships of the Genus Paramesotriton(Caudata: Salamandridae) with the Description of a New Species from Qixiling Nature Reserve, Jiangxi, Southeastern China and a Key to the species

The matrilineal genealogy of the genus Paramesotriton is hypothesized based on DNA sequences from mitochondrial NADH subunit two （ND2） and its flanking tRNAs （tRN^Arp and a partial tRNA^Ala）. The genealogy identifies a highly divergent, unnamed lineage from Qixiling Nature Reserve, Jiangxi, China and places it as the sister taxon of P. chinensis. The newly discovered population differs from other congeners by several features of external morphology including having large clusters of dark brown conical warts on the dorsum of the head, lateral surface of the body and dorsolateral ridges. Its intermittent dorsal vertebral ridge is the same color as other parts of the dorsum and tail narrows gradually from the base to the tip. Further, the new population differs from all congeners by an uncorrected P-distance of more than 9.38% in ND2. Consequently, we describe the new species of Asian warty newt （Salamandridae） as Paramesotriton qixilingensis sp. nov.

Huangshan population of Chinese Zacco platypus （Teleostei, Cyprinidae） harbors diverse matrilines and high genetic diversity

Six main mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA） lineages have been described in minnow （Zacco platypus） samples obtained from northern, western and southern China Perdices et al. （2004） predicted that further sampling of other tributaries might discover more lineages of this species. In this study, we collected 26 Zacco platypus individuals in the Huangshan area of eastern China and determined the cytochrome b （cytb） sequence variations. Combined with reported data in GenBank, we identified ten matrilines （Zacco A-J） in a total of 169 samples, with relatively high molecular divergence found among them. The Huangshan population had the greatest genetic variation among all sampled regions and hosted six of the ten matrilines. Our results highlight the significance of the Huangshan area for the conservation of Zacco platypus.