Flowering Date Research Articles

NITROGEN FERTILIZER APPLICATION TIME EFFECT ON THE SENESCENCE AND GRAIN YIELD OF DURUM WHEAT (TRITICUM DURUM DESF.)

The experiment progressed to evaluate the effects of time nitrogen fertilizer application on the senescence of durum wheat and its association with grain yield and its components. The experimental treatments, set up in a split-plot design, used five durum wheat cultivars (Adnham, Grecale, Duma, Sardar, Svevo) as the main plots, and the time nitrogen fertilizer application (100% tillering, 100% stem elongation, and 50% tillering + 50% stem elongation stages) under two locations in Northern Iraqi conditions. The results of this study indicated that late senescence cultivars (Grecale and Svevo) produced the highest flowering date (123.89 and 123.61 days), number of spikes/m2 (267.2 and 265.6 spikes), number of grains/10 spikes (330.5 and 323.6 grains), grain yield g/m2 (532.2 and 511.6 g), and harvest index% (38.72% and 39.86%). Moreover, the time of nitrogen fertilizer application at the tillering stage (early application) influenced most of the studied traits. Finally, extending photosynthesis capacity during the grain-filling phases by delaying the rate of senescence could be a better approach to improving the grain yield of wheat cultivars.

Agromorphological evaluation of six varieties of Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] in the Zinder region (Niger)

Cowpea is the main food leguminous plant grown in Niger. It is mainly cultivated for its protein-rich haulms and seeds and for its ability to improve soil fertility through its symbiosis with atmospheric nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The present study evaluated genetic variability among six cowpea varieties for yield, yield related and phenology traits in the Zinder region. The experiment was conducted at the experimental area of André Salifou University in Zinder. An experimental device composed of three completely random blocks was used. The six varieties (four local and two improved) of cowpea were evaluated based on 24 quantitative agronomic and morphological characters according to IBPGR descriptors. The comparison of the means and the PCA revealed significant differences between the varieties in almost all the traits tested, with substantial phenotypic variations. IT98 was the most productive variety, with an average yield of 385.50 kg/ha. It also recorded the earliest flowering (38.41 days after sowing) and maturity (55 days after sowing) dates. BlAr gave the highest 100-Seed weight with an average value of 29.21g. CDSb and BTAr were the tallest plants at 40.44 and 40.26 cm respectively. The completed PCA indicates that the first two axes expressed 78,7% of the total variability whereby PC1 and PC2 highly contributed to the total variation at 54.76% and 23.94, respectively. Thus, IT98 may be a good candidate to be considered in Niger struggle to fight food shortage and face nutrition challenges, especially for the Zinder region due to abiotic constraints.

Proximate cues of flowering in a subtropical rain forest

AbstractPlants have evolved mechanisms to track seasonal variation in environmental resources, enabling them to time key life‐history events to appropriate seasons. While the proximate cues for flowering initiation are well documented in the temperate region, it is still unclear what the flowering cues are in the tropics, especially in the subtropics. Our study compared first flowering dates (FFDs) predicted by eight hypothesized proximate cues concerning photoperiod, mean and directional changes in solar irradiance and warm/cool temperature, and rainfall with flowering dates observed over 19 years of weekly monitoring for 16 species in a subtropical rain forest. We observed considerable interannual variation in the median FFDs for the study species, ranging from 21 to 101 days. The early‐spring flowering species tended to have greater interannual variation in FFDs than the summer flowering species. For 13 study species, temperature cues best explained interannual variation in FFDs. Cool temperatures in the previous fall/winter and warm temperatures in the current spring (or previous summer) might trigger the onset of flowering in these 13 species. Cues associated with photoperiod and irradiance also predicted interannual variation in FFDs with small root mean square error (<1.5 census intervals) for 12 species but generally had higher prediction errors than temperature‐related cues. Cues associated with seasonal variation in rainfall failed to predict flowering times in any species. Our results suggest that future changes in temperature may alter flowering times for most species in subtropical forests, leading to changes in ecosystem processes and biosphere feedback to the climate system.Abstract in Chinese is available with online material.

Sex-dependent phenological responses to climate vary across species' ranges.

Anthropogenic climate change has significantly altered the flowering times (i.e., phenology) of plants worldwide, affecting their reproduction, survival, and interactions. Recent studies utilizing herbarium specimens have uncovered significant intra- and inter-specific variation in flowering phenology and its response to changes in climate but have mostly been limited to animal-pollinated species. Thus, despite their economic and ecological importance, variation in phenological responses to climate remain largely unexplored among and within wind-pollinated dioecious species and across their sexes. Using both herbarium specimens and volunteer observations of cottonwood (Populus) species, we examined how phenological sensitivity to climate varies across species, their ranges, sexes, and phenophases. The timing of flowering varied significantly across and within species, as did their sensitivity to spring temperature. In particular, male flowering generally happened earlier in the season and was more sensitive to warming than female flowering. Further, the onset of flowering was more sensitive to changes in temperature than leaf out. Increased temporal gaps between male and female flowering time and between the first open flower date and leaf out date were predicted for the future under two climate change scenarios. These shifts will impact the efficacy of sexual reproduction and gene flow among species. Our study demonstrates significant inter- and intra-specific variation in phenology and its responses to environmental cues, across species' ranges, phenophases, and sex, in wind-pollinated species. These variations need to be considered to predict accurately the effects of climate change and assess their ecological and evolutionary consequences.

Effect of Foliar Spraying with Triacontanol and Iron Sulfate on the Growth and Flowering of Zinnia

The experiment was carried out during the spring season 2022 in the nursery of the Diyala Agriculture Directorate, to study the effect of foliar spraying with Triacontanol and iron on the growth and flowering of the zinnia plant -1, and denoted by Tr0, Tr5, Tr10, and Tr15 respectively, the research was carried out as a factorial experiment (4 × 4) according to the Randomized Compelet Block Design (RCBD), the research steps began by planting seeds in cork dishes containing peat moss On 3/14/2022, one seed was planted in each eye. The results of the experiment were summarized as follows: The foliar spraying with Triacontanol led to a significant superiority in all studied traits, as the concentration exceeded 15 mg.L-1 by recording the best results for the characteristic of plant height (24.71 cm), number of leaves (29.80 leaves. plant-1), and number of branches (7.80 branch. Plant-1), flowering time (21.00 days), inflorescence diameter (99.13 mm), and foliar spraying with iron sulfate led to a signficant superiority in all studied traits, as the concentration exceeded 0.4 g.l-1 by recording the best results for the plant height trait (26.79 cm).), the number of leaves (26.30 leaves.plant-1), the number of branches (7.22 branches.plant-1), the flowering date (23.76 days), and the diameter of the inflorescence (80.01 mm), while the interaction between the foliar spraying with Triacontanol and iron sulfate 1ed to superiority Signficant in all studied traits, as concentration treatment 15 mg.L-1 and 0.4 g.L-1 excelled by recording the best results for the characteristic of plant height (30.35 cm), number of leaves (30.90 leaves. plant-1), and number of branches (8.00 branches). Plant-1), flowering time (18.00 days), and inflorescence diameter (110.00 mm).

Adding a diversity of legumes to a crop decision-support system: Maintaining satisfactory accuracy while keeping the model simple

In a context of economic and environmental concerns in agriculture, legumes appear to be suitable alternative crops to diversify current cropping systems and reduce their dependence on synthetic nitrogen (N) fertiliser and protein from imported soya bean. However, legume-based cropping systems may increase N losses through nitrate leaching if the N available from legumes does not coincide with subsequent crop requirements. To help agricultural advisers manage N in these systems, we adapted the decision-support system Syst’N®, designed to assess N losses in cropping systems, to simulate three annual and one perennial legume crops: pea, faba bean, soya bean and lucerne. To this end, we adapted and simplified existing submodels of legume functioning to include them in Syst’N, to keep the latter simple. We adapted the submodels “BNF” (i.e. biological N fixation) from the STICS model and “dormancy” from the CropSyst model. We also added the ability to enter the flowering date to improve predictions (improvement in N fixation’s rRMSE from 57% to 41% and EF from 0.57 to 0.77). The equations and associated parameter set developed for the four legume crops yielded satisfying predictions of crop biomass (rMBE = 9%, EF = 0.82, rRMSE = 39%) and N content (rMBE = 5%, EF = 0.76, rRMSE = 37%). These performances support the philosophy of Syst’N® that requires minimising the number of additional parameters for users when representing new crops or processes.

Mining novel genomic regions and candidate genes of heading and flowering dates in bread wheat by SNP- and haplotype-based GWAS.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01422-z.

Developmental Characteristics of <i>Sorbus</i> (Rosaceae) Species under Introduction in the Republic of Karelia

Abstract—For twelve years, 14 species of the genus Sorbus L. are growing of in the Botanical Garden of Petrozavodsk State University (South Karelia). They are characterized by a variety of ornamental features – the leaf shape and dissection, flowers, autumn coloring of leaves and fruits. The studied species have different geographical origin: Sorbus americana Marshall and S. decora (Sarg.) C.K. Schneid. are native to North America, S. aria (L.) Grantz, S. mougeotii Soy.-Will. et Godr., S. sudetica (Tausch) Dluff, Nees et Schauer, S. intermedia (Ehrh.) Pers., S. bristoliensis Wilmott, S. × thuringiaca (Ilse ex Nyman) Schonach. – to Europe, S. eburnea McAll., S. koehneana C.K. Schneid., S. amurensis Koehne., S. cashmiriana Hedl., S. sambucifolia (Cham. et Schltdl.) M. Roem – to East Asia, and S. caucasica Zinserl. – to Central Asia. The studied plants have been grown from seeds received in 2010–2015 from the botanical gardens of Russia and abroad. 14 species flowered and fruited for the first time in 2021–2022. Annual shoots of all studied species fully mature by the end of the season. Botanical gardens located at different latitudes provide with data on the cultivated Sorbus species, so it is possible to compare the duration of ontogenetic stages and the dates of the main phenological phases, and to draw preliminary conclusions on the influence of climatic factors on the ontogenetic and seasonal development of plants. The dates of the beginning of the spring vegetation from the middle taiga to Ufa and Stavropol vary by three weeks, and the end of shoot growth – by two months. Along latitudinal gradient from Stavropol to Apatity, the first flowering date varies from the middle of May to the end of July. In the northern regions, the growing season of most of the studied species is shorter than in the southern. A species-specific sequence of seasonal development was revealed: early onset of phenophases in S. sambucifolia, and the latest in S. caucasica, S. bristoliensis, S. eburnea, S. × thuringiaca. According to the first results of a comprehensive assessment of adaptation and viability, all studied Sorbus species are promising as urban greening plants and suitable for further cultivation in southern Karelia.

Effect of vernalization period on growth and yield of broccoli

The experiment was conducted in the fields of the research station (B) of the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences - University of Baghdad Al-Jadriya in the autumn season of 2022-2021 to study the effect of vermicompost and the vernalization period on the growth and yield of broccoli, The experiment included two factors, the first: fertilizing with organic fertilizer vermicompost (M) with four concentrations (M0) without adding fertilizer, (M1) 0.5 tons of 1 ton.dunams-1, (M2) 1 ton.dunams-1, (M3) 1.5 ton.dunams-1 and the second factor: vernalization period factor (V including V0) without exposure to cold, (4) (V1 days exposed to cold, V2) 8 days exposed to cold, (V3) 12 days exposed to cold and at a temperature of 5°C ±1.The experiment was conducted as a factorial experiment according to the randomized complete block design (R.C.B.D) with three replicates and 16 treatments for each replicate, to be 48 experimental units whose averages were compared using the L.S.D test at a probability level of 0.05. The results were as follows: The treatment without sequencing significantly excelled in the traits of plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, leaf area, dry weight and leaf content of chlorophyll, While the vermicompost treatment significantly excelled at 12 days in the traits of the flowering date of 50% of the flowering curd of the plants and it reached (81.92) days and the number of days to harvest 50% of the curds was (107.33) days and the number of days to complete the harvesting process was 117.92) days. The curd diameter was (18.41) cm, and the number of secondary curd was 5.04 curd. Plant -1, the main curd yield was 20.45 (ton ha-1), and the total yield was 28.70 (ton ha-1). Keywords: growth, yield, broccoli

Phenological, morphological and genetic characterization of local grapevine (Vitis labrusca L.) genotypes grown in the Black Sea Region in Northern Turkey

Vitis labrusca has become widely naturalized in the Black Sea region of Northern Turkey. The aim of this work was to evaluate the morphological, phenological, and genetic characteristics of V. labrusca accessions grown in the Black Sea region during the last three growing seasons. Local genotypes were described according to the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) ampelographic descriptor, including shoot length (cm), mature leaf size, bunch length and width, berry length and width, berry weight, number of berries, Total Soluble Solids (TTS) and titratable acidity. Additionally, phenological data, including bud burst, flowering, veraison and harvest date, were recorded. The accessions were characterized at the molecular level, and genetic relationships were assessed by means of Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. Using 6 ISSR primers, seventy-seven bands were obtained, of which 69 were polymorphic with a mean polymorphic rate of 88.68%. These ISSR primers produced polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranging from 0.48 to 0.5. The genetic similarity ranged from 0.08 to 0.83 among the genotypes. According to the dendrogram based on the ISSR analysis, Accessions 8 and 5 were genetically related, with a coefficient of similarity of 0.83, while Accession 3 was the most distantly related genotype, with a coefficient of similarity of 0.08. These results demonstrated that ISSR markers can be used for genetic diversity analysis among V. labrusca genotypes. Our results also described characteristics of new V. labrusca genotypes that could be valuable for future Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) and grapevine breeding.
 Key words: Diversity, foxy species, Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat markers (ISSRs), Breeding, polymorphism

Maladaptive plastic responses of flowering time to geothermal heating.

Phenotypic plasticity might increase fitness if the conditions under which it evolved remain unaltered, but becomes maladaptive if the environment no longer provides reliable cues for subsequent conditions. In seasonal environments, timing of reproduction can respond plastically to spring temperature, maximizing the benefits of a long season while minimizing the exposure to unfavorable cold temperatures. However, if the relationship between early spring temperatures and later conditions changes, the optimal response might change. In geothermally heated ecosystems, the plastic response of flowering time to springtime soil temperature that has evolved in unheated areas is likely to be non-optimal, because soil temperatures are higher and decoupled from air temperatures in heated areas. We therefore expect natural selection to favor a lower plasticity and a delayed flowering in these areas. Using observational data along a natural geothermal warming gradient, we tested the hypothesis that selection on flowering time depends on soil temperature and favors later flowering on warmer soils in the perennial Cerastium fontanum. In both study years, plants growing in warmer soils began flowering earlier than plants growing in colder soils, suggesting that first flowering date (FFD) responds plastically to soil temperature. In one of the two study years, selection favored earlier flowering in colder soils but later flowering in warmer soils, suggesting that the current level of plastic advance of FFD on warmer soils may be maladaptive in some years. Our results illustrate the advantages of using natural experiments, such as geothermal ecosystems, to examine selection in environments that recently have undergone major changes. Such knowledge is essential to understand and predict both ecological and evolutionary responses to climate warming.

Phenological development of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) in New Zealand in response to different climate change scenarios

Climate predictions for New Zealand for the coming decades suggest rising temperatures (+0.7–3 °C), increased diurnal temperature and variable precipitation patterns that differ around the country and with seasons. The most common pattern of annual precipitation indicates the largest increases in the west of the South Island and the largest decreases in the east of the North Island and coastal Marlborough. The phenophases of subterranean clover were estimated and quantified using a thermal time-based model under different climate scenarios based on greenhouse gases and aerosol pathways over the 21st century, known as the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), at two periods (mid and end of the century). The estimated flowering (R3) and post- flowering (R6-R11) date change showed a consistent trend across all districts. The largest date advances (≥ 5 days) were predicted for the three current latest flowering districts (Mackenzie, Queenstown and Central Otago). A reduction of the plant’s life cycle, for both ‘Early’ and ‘Late’ maturity cultivars may have undesired consequences for forage yield so genetic material with later flowering dates may be useful. Adaptation strategies to mitigate the future warming effects include using ‘Late’ flowering cultivars and greater use of supplementary feed through summer dry conditions.

Heterosis and Mixed Genetic Analysis of Flowering Traits in Cross Breeding of Day-Neutral Chrysanthemum (Asteraceae)

Day-neutral multiflora chrysanthemums can flower throughout the year without being influenced by daylength and have great application value in gardens. Studying heterosis and the genetic basis of important traits in day-neutral chrysanthemums can accelerate the breeding of new cultivars. In this research, a genetic population was constructed by crossing 135 F1 hybrid progeny from the day-neutral chrysanthemum ‘82-81-19’ (female parent) and the late-flowering chrysanthemum ‘388Q-76’ (male parent). Six traits, including abnormal (crown) bud, plant height, plant crown width, budding date, full flowering date, and number of petal layers, were selected for inheritance and heterosis analyses, and a single-generation major gene plus polygene mixed inheritance model was used to perform mixed inheritance analysis on these traits. The results indicated that the six traits were widely segregated in the F1 population, with the coefficient of variation (CV) ranging from 30% to 84%. The phenomena of heterosis and extra-parent segregation existed generally in F1 progeny, and the ratio of heterosis value of mid-parents (RHm) for the six traits was 45.5%, 2%, 2%, 6%, 6%, and −0.3%, respectively. The mixed genetic analysis showed that the abnormal (crown) bud and budding date were fitted to the B-3 model and controlled by two pairs of additive major genes. The plant height and plant crown width were fitted to the A-0 model, and no major gene was detected. The full flowering date was fitted to the A-1 model and was controlled by one pair of major genes. The number of petal layers was fitted to the B-1 model and controlled by two pairs of additive–dominant major genes. The heritabilities of major genes for abnormal bud, budding date, full flowering date, and the number of petal layers were 1.0, 0.9871, 0.7240, and 0.5612, respectively, indicating that these traits were less affected by environmental factors. Using a percentile scoring method, eight day-neutral chrysanthemum genotypes were selected from the hybrid progeny.

Selecting the superior late-leafing genotypes of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) using morphological and pomological evaluations

BackgroundLate-spring frost is one of the major factors limiting and reducing yield of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) in temperate regions, including Iran. Therefore, in the present study, seedling-originated genotypes of walnut were investigated to identify late-leafing genotypes with high-quality kernels for direct cultivation in orchards or as parents in breeding programs. In the first step, the variation of the selected trees was investigated in terms of traits related to phenology, vegetation, and fruit. In the second step, late-leafing trees were identified and their traits related to kernel quality were investigated to identify superior genotypes.ResultsStrong variabilities were exhibited among the studied genotypes based on the traits recorded. The genotypes showed high variation based on dates of leafing, full male flowering date, and full female flowering date, including very early, early, moderate, and late. After recording the leafing date, 21 late-leaf genotypes were identified and evaluated to select the superiors among them in terms of kernel quantity and quality. Among them, the values of nut-related traits ranged as follows: nut length: 30.12–49.74 mm, nut width: 29.31–37.17 mm, nut weight: 8.77–16.47 g, and shell thickness: 1.15–2.25 mm. The values of kernel-related traits ranged as follows: kernel length: 22.35–35.73 mm, kernel width: 21.79–29.03 mm, kernel weight: 3.22–8.17 g, and kernel percentage: 35.08–53.95%.ConclusionsAccording to the ideal values and situations of commercial characteristics of walnut, twelve promising late-leafing genotypes (No. 9, 13, 32, 33, 72, 77, 78, 82, 83, 86, 92, and 98) were identified and are recommended for cultivation in orchards.

FLOWERING LOCUS T homologue in reblooming bearded iris (Iris spp.) plays a role in accelerating flowering and reblooming

Reblooming bearded iris (Iris spp.) could have two floral initiations and thus two blooming seasons annually. The previous transcriptome profiling has identified a homologue of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) as a candidate key gene of reblooming. To further verify its functions in the second floral initiation, the homologue of FT was isolated from the leaves of blooming stems in the flowering stage, named as IgFT, and was functionally characterized. The full-length coding sequence of IgFT was 528bp and encoded 175 amino acids. IgFT in the rebloomers was expressed on a significantly higher level in the second floral initiation stage than that of the first one, but it was scarcely expressed in the floral initiation stage of the once-bloomers, indicating its possible role in reblooming. Moreover, the subcellular location showed that IgFT was mainly located in nucleus. When IgFT was ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis, the five transgenic lines flowered 8.5 d earlier than wild type on average under long-day condition, suggesting it to be a flowering promoter. Moreover, the transgenic lines had more than one basal inflorescences with different flowering date. This phenotype was similar to the reblooming characteristic in bearded iris, namely the in-sequence blooming of different stems from the same rhizome, further supporting the involvement of IgFT in the second floral initiation. Uncovering the functions of IgFT in reblooming could help to investigate the reblooming regulatory network in bearded iris, thereby providing important information for the future molecular breeding of rebloomers.

DETERMINATION OF THE YIELD AND QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME STRAWBERRY VARIETIES GROWED IN THE OPEN FIELD OF YAHYALI (KAYSERI) ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

This study was carried out to determine the performance of 6 different day-neutral varieties (Albion, Monterey, Portola, Sweet Ann, Kabarla and San Andreas) and 1 local genotype in open field in the ecological conditions of Yahyalı (Kayseri/Türkiye) in the 2021-2022 growing season. In the research, the first flowering date of the varieties was 19 March (local genotype) and 27 March (Portola), the harvest start date was 19 May (Kabarla) and 25 May (Albion), the end of harvest date was August 17 (local genotype) and 20 September (San Andreas). The harvest period was determined between 87 days (local genotype) and 122 days (Kabarla). In the experiment, the highest fruit weight and fruit firmness were determined in Sweet Ann variety with 11.74 g and 0.75 kg-force, respectively. It was determined that the total soluble solid (TSS) content amount in the cultivars varied between 6.16% (Sweet Ann) - 13.16 (local genotype), titratable acid content ranged between 0.48% (Sweet Ann) - 0.77 (San Andreas), pH value varied between 3.23 (San Andreas) - 4.03 (local genotype). While the highest lightness (L) fruits were obtained from Portola variety (31.09) in the experiment, the color intensity (chroma) varied between 31.22 (Albion) and 40.75 (Portola), the color angle value (hº) ranged between 38.61 (Albion) and 50.34 (Monterey and Portola). As a result, in Yahyalı (Kayseri) ecological conditions, in terms of yield and fruit quality characteristics such as fruit weight, color, firmness and TSS amount, Albion variety was found to be suitable, and then Sweet Ann and Kabarla varieties were important.

A Farmer’s Approach to Detecting Photoperiod Sensitivity in Rice (Oryza sativa ssp. indica) Landraces

Most indigenous rice landraces are sensitive to photoperiod during short day seasons, and this sensitivity is more pronounced in indica than in japonica landraces. Attempts to identify photoperiod sensitive (PPS) cultivars based on the life history stages of the rice plant, and several models and indices based on phenology and day length have not been precise, and in some cases yield counterfactual inferences. Following the empirical method of traditional Asian rice farmers, the author has developed a robust index, based on the sowing and flowering dates of a large number of landraces grown in different seasons from 2020 to 2023, to contradistinguish PPS from photoperiod insensitive cultivars. Unlike other indices and models of photoperiod sensitivity, the index does not require the presumed duration of different life history stages of the rice plant but relies only on the flowering dates and the number of days till flowering of a rice cultivar sown on different dates to consistently identify photoperiod sensitive cultivars.

Temperature Changes Affected Spring Phenology and Fruit Quality of Apples Grown in High-Latitude Region of South Korea

Climate change has had a significant impact on apple phenology and fruit quality worldwide. Similarly, a decline in fruit quality has been observed in major apple-producing areas of Korea. It is predicted that the ideal cultivation areas for apples would need to shift toward higher latitudes due to these changes. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess the influence of climate change on apple cultivated in a higher-latitude region. To achieve this goal, we investigated the flowering and harvest times of apples. Additionally, we measured fruit weight, soluble solid content, and titratable acidity over a period of 20 years in a higher-latitude region in Korea. Subsequently, we examined the relationship between temperature, phenology, and fruit quality through the use of linear regression and correlation analysis methods. The 20-year meteorological data revealed a consistent rise in temperatures. Consistent with this trend, we found a significant advancement in budbreak and flowering dates for the two major apple cultivars grown in a higher latitude in Korea. Furthermore, the increase in temperatures has positively influenced fruit quality, indicating that climate change has an impact not only on phenology, but also on the quality of apples in Korea. Considering the projected gradual increase in temperature, our findings strongly support that higher-latitude regions in Korea have the potential to become optimal locations for apple cultivation.

Genome-wide genotyping data renew knowledge on genetic diversity of a worldwide alfalfa collection and give insights on genetic control of phenology traits.

China's and Europe's dependence on imported protein is a threat to the food self-sufficiency of these regions. It could be solved by growing more legumes, including alfalfa that is the highest protein producer under temperate climate. To create productive and high-value varieties, the use of large genetic diversity combined with genomic evaluation could improve current breeding programs. To study alfalfa diversity, we have used a set of 395 alfalfa accessions (i.e. populations), mainly from Europe, North and South America and China, with fall dormancy ranging from 3 to 7 on a scale of 11. Five breeders provided materials (617 accessions) that were compared to the 400 accessions. All accessions were genotyped using Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) to obtain SNP allele frequency. These genomic data were used to describe genetic diversity and identify genetic groups. The accessions were phenotyped for phenology traits (fall dormancy and flowering date) at two locations (Lusignan in France, Novi Sad in Serbia) from 2018 to 2021. The QTL were detected by a Multi-Locus Mixed Model (mlmm). Subsequently, the quality of the genomic prediction for each trait was assessed. Cross-validation was used to assess the quality of prediction by testing GBLUP, Bayesian Ridge Regression (BRR), and Bayesian Lasso methods. A genetic structure with seven groups was found. Most of these groups were related to the geographical origin of the accessions and showed that European and American material is genetically distinct from Chinese material. Several QTL associated with fall dormancy were found and most of these were linked to genes.In our study, the infinitesimal methods showed a higher prediction quality than the Bayesian Lasso, and the genomic prediction achieved high (>0.75) predicting abilities in some cases. Our results are encouraging for alfalfa breeding by showing that it is possible to achieve high genomic prediction quality.

Five Regions of the Pea Genome Co-Control Partial Resistance to D. pinodes, Tolerance to Frost, and Some Architectural or Phenological Traits.

Evidence for reciprocal links between plant responses to biotic or abiotic stresses and architectural and developmental traits has been raised using approaches based on epidemiology, physiology, or genetics. Winter pea has been selected for years for many agronomic traits contributing to yield, taking into account architectural or phenological traits such as height or flowering date. It remains nevertheless particularly susceptible to biotic and abiotic stresses, among which Didymella pinodes and frost are leading examples. The purpose of this study was to identify and resize QTL localizations that control partial resistance to D. pinodes, tolerance to frost, and architectural or phenological traits on pea dense genetic maps, considering how QTL colocalizations may impact future winter pea breeding. QTL analysis revealed five metaQTLs distributed over three linkage groups contributing to both D. pinodes disease severity and frost tolerance. At these loci, the haplotypes of alleles increasing both partial resistance to D. pinodes and frost tolerance also delayed the flowering date, increased the number of branches, and/or decreased the stipule length. These results question both the underlying mechanisms of the joint control of biotic stress resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, and plant architecture and phenology and the methods of marker-assisted selection optimizing stress control and productivity in winter pea breeding.