Diversity Of Plant Genetic Resources Research Articles

PHENOTYPIC VARIABILITY EVALUATION OF WHEAT VARIETIES FROM THE SUCEAVA GENE BANK COLLECTION

The intensity of selection, inadvertent pathways of domestication, and the influence of climate change collectively amplify the frequency of detrimental alleles. This phenomenon, in turn, triggers genetic drift, leading to an in-advertent decline in the diversity of plant genetic resources. Genetic variability is of utmost importance for a species’ adaptability and overall fitness. Our investigation centres on Triticum germplasm within the agroclimatic conditions of the Suceava Gene Bank, encompassing 2021–2022 field trials. Comprehensive morphophysiological characterisation was conducted across 200 cultivated varieties, spanning three Triticum species (T. aestivum, T. turgidum and T. monococcum). Initially, the data underwent meticulous processing involving the computation of amplitude of variation, variance (s2), standard deviation (√s), and coefficients of variation (s%) for three pivotal agronomical traits: plant height, spikelets per spike, and total seeds per spike. Furthermore, an extensive cluster analysis was performed, encompassing multiple vital plant descriptors. The findings unveiled a remarkable dispersion of data, with standard deviation, amplitude of variation, and coefficient of variation collectively indicating substantial variability among the cultivated varieties. Within the same population, an intriguing observation emerged; of the 200 genotypes analysed, 83 exhibited immunity to Septoria tritici. Delving deeper into the statistical analysis, we identified two primary clusters within the population. Overall, a significant proportion of this germplasm showcased elevated phenotype scores, rendering them well-suited for further exploration as foundational material in pre-breeding initiatives.

The estimation of genetic variability and genetic divergence of some advance lines of sesame based on morphological traits

In plant breeding research, naturally existing genetic variability has been successfully utilized to some extent for sustainable production of desirable crops and the diversity in plant genetic resources is most useful part to the breeders . The present experimentwas conducted to estimate thegenetic variation as well as divergence also of 29 sesame genotypes based on morphological traits. The high genotypic co-efficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic co-efficient variation (PCV) observed for number of branches / plant and also for no. of capsules / plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was estimated against seed yield / plant, number of branches / plant and capsules/ plant and HI indicating predominant role of additive genetic components for their expression and also indicating better scope for utilization of direct selection for those traits. The genotypes are grouped into 5 clusters based on 16 morphological traits i.e. Plant height, root length, vegetative dry weight, leaf-area index, days to 50% flowering, no. of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, capsule length, number seeds per capsule, 100 seed weight, seed yield per plant. The maximum inter-cluster distance noticed between cluster II and IV indicating their most diverse relationship. Genotypes of two clusters with wider genetic diversity and with desirable agronomic traits were selected as promising genotypes for hybridization programs. Crosses can be made between genotypes of cluster II with genotypes of cluster IV to achieve promising recombinants.

Genotypic by phenotypic interaction affects the heritability and relationship among quantity and quality traits of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa)

ABSTRACT The success of plant breeding depends on diversity in plant genetic resources and their responses to changing environments. Accordingly, 20 strawberry genotypes with diverse genetic background were evaluated for their performance under different environments based on the estimation of their genetic variability and heritability. The results showed that environmental factors have great influences on changing the size of the measured traits. Also, a high heritability and genetic variation detected for yield and its components showed a strong potential for improvement among the strawberry genotypes and being considered as raw materials in breeding programs. Biplot and heatmap, in line with the clustering, showed to be key methods for finding the structural association among genotypes and traits. Cluster analysis showed that the genotypes originating from the same geographic area were not necessarily placed in the same clusters which could be due to the environmental variability and the different responses of the genotypes coming from altered genetic materials. The overall results regarding multivariate analyses showed that genotypes Kurdistan, Queen Elisa and No.14 could be considered as a cluster with high similarity for being crossed by other genotypes in the clusters such as groups of Pajaro and Chandler, or the group of Selva and Gaviota.

Plant Genetic Resources for Crop Improvement: The North-Western Himalayan Perspective

Himalayas is one of the unique eco-systems, rich in robust indigenous culture and traditional wisdom. Due to its varied climatic conditions, it is gifted with a wide diversity of plant genetic resources (PGRs) of several crop species and their wild relatives. These crops and their wild taxa have contributed significantly to environment and food security of the native people. Recent past has seen some breakthroughs in successful utilization of Himalayan PGRs in cultivar development that could serve as model for future crop improvement programs vis- à-vis climate change and nutritional security.

Cryopreservation of several Ribes species by dormant winter buds

Currant and gooseberry plants (Ribes L.) are native to the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere through high elevations in Mexico and Central America to the mountainous regions of South America. Annually, the global production is about 838 MT. The fruits are used for cassis, juice preserves, in bakery, dairy products and pharmaceuticals. Some species such as black currant (Ribes nigrum) have antimicrobial, antitumor and immunostimulatory qualities; hence, interest is growing in crop improvement using a diversity of plant genetic resources. Active germplasm collections preserve Ribes cultivars as clonal plantations in the field or under protected cultivation, and species as plants in the field or seeds in cold storage. Long-term preservation of Ribes germplasm may be accomplished by various methods, one of them is cryopreservation of dormant winter buds (DB). This method is reported for preservation of R. nigrum. We have investigated the possibility of applying DBs for cryopreservation of other Ribes species. Eleven accessions in seven species (R. aureum var. aureum, R. aureum var. villosum, R. cereum, R. erythrocarpum, R. mascalerium, R. turbinatum and R. uva-crispa) were cryopreserved over two winter seasons without a pretreatment (standard), with a cryoprotectant (0.75 M sucrose) or a cryoprotectant with an antioxidant (0.75 M sucrose with 0.75 mM vitamin C). A 2-year average viability varied significantly among the accessions processed with the standard method (10 to 87.5%) and among accessions processed with the pretreatments (32.5 to 97.5%); however, the difference between the standard and treatment procedures was not significant. A significant difference in viability between the processing years was observed and there was an interaction between accession, year and treatments for seven accessions processed in three treatments but not in the four accessions processed in the two treatments. Cryopreservation of the broad species in the Ribes germplasm collection may be supported by identifying modifications of the standard cryopreservation procedure.

Evaluation of Different Chaba (Piper chaba) Germplasm for Growth and Yield Performances

Genetic diversity is the base for survival of plants in nature and for crop improvement. Diversity in plant genetic resources provides opportunity for plant breeders to develop new and improved cultivars with desirable characteristics. Therefore, an experiment was employed to determine the genetic variability and evaluate the growth performing parameters of different Chaba germplasm at the research field of Regional Spices Research Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Magura during kharif 1 season in 2018-19 following completely randomized design with three replications. Six germplasm namely PCmag-001, PCmag-002, PCmag-003, PCmag-004, PCmag-005 and PCmag-006 were collected from khulna region of Bangladesh and transplanted adjunct to different tree species mainly mango. Among the six germplasm heighest plant height (450 cm), number of branch (35), number of leaves (350), internodes length (16 cm) and vine diameter (2.5 cm) after one year of planting was recorded from PCmag-001 germplasm followed by PCmag-002 while the lowest plant height (450 cm), number of branch (35), number of leaves (350), internodes length (16 cm) and vine diameter (2.5 cm) were found from the germplasm PCmag-005. Through the observation of one year field trail in terms of growing characteristics the germplasm PCmag-001 and PCmag-002 can be chosen for future breeding material to release a commercial variety in southern part of Bangladesh.

Cabo Verde’s Poaceae Flora: A Reservoir of Crop Wild Relatives Diversity for Crop Improvement

Africa is home to important centers of origin and diversity of crop wild relatives (CWR), including many species adapted to adverse agroecological conditions, namely drought and poor soils. Plant genetic resources from Cabo Verde Islands have been poorly explored for their potential to supplement the genetic pool of cultivated species. In this paper we identify Cabo Verde’s CWR from the Poaceae family and provide a checklist of priority CWR taxa, highlighting those of particular conservation concern and the areas which should be the focus of the most intensive conservation efforts in these islands. Our results revealed that Cabo Verde archipelago is an important center of CWR diversity of West African crop millets, namely fonio (e.g., white fonio, Digitaria exilis, and black fonio, Digitaria iburua) and other African millets [e.g., pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus = Pennisetum glaucum), teff millet (Eragrostis tef), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), barnyard millet (Echinochloa colona), proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), and foxtail millet (Setaria italica)], which represent a diverse group of cereal crops, and important components in agriculture and food security of this country. Also, hotspot areas of diversity for in situ conservation were identified in Cabo Verde, as well as several populations occurring under extreme habitats conditions that are well adapted to drylands and poor soils. The evaluation of their potential for new ecologically important adaptive characteristics associated with tolerance to abiotic stresses is discussed. The survey of international Germplasm Banks revealed that very few accessions from Cabo Verde are conserved, contributing to the loss of genetic diversity of plant genetic resources in this archipelago. Particularly, the diversity of millets and the associated indigenous knowledge are critical for the food security and cultural identity of many poor farmers in Cabo Verde.

Comparison Between Core Set Selection Methods Using Different Illumina Marker Platforms: A Case Study of Assessment of Diversity in Wheat.

Collections of plant genetic resources stored in genebanks are an important source of genetic diversity for improvement in plant breeding programs and for conservation of natural variation. The establishment of reduced representative collections from a large set of genotypes is a valuable tool that provides cost-effective access to the diversity present in the whole set. Software like Core Hunter 3 is available to generate high quality core sets. In addition, general clustering approaches, e.g., k-medoids, are available to subdivide a large data set into small groups with maximum genetic diversity between groups.Illumina genotyping platforms are a very efficient tool for the assessment of genetic diversity of plant genetic resources. The accumulation of genotyping data over time using commercial genotyping platforms raises the question of how such huge amount of information can be efficiently used for creating core collections. In the present study, after developing a 15K wheat Infinium array with 12,908 SNPs and genotyping a set of 479 hexaploid winter wheat lines (Triticum aestivum), a larger data set was created by merging 411 lines previously genotyped with the 90K iSelect array. Overlaying the markers from the 15K and 90K arrays enabled the identification of a common set of 12,806 markers, suggesting that the 15K array is a valuable and cost-effective resource for plant breeding programs.Finally, we selected genetically diverse core sets out of these 890 wheat genotypes derived from five collections based on the common markers from the 15K and 90K SNP arrays. Two different approaches, k-medoids and Core Hunter 3 were compared,and k-medoids was identified as an efficient method for selecting small core sets out of a large collection of genotypes while retaining the genetic diversity of the original population.

The importance of preserving biodiversity for sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources

The life of a modern man is completely dependent on natural resources that mankind has been exploiting for a long period to a degree that far exceeds the limits of their sustainability. While the needs for the resources are rising rapidly over the last decades, their available quantities are rapidly decreasing. Growing deficiency of natural resources is becoming one of the biggest global challenges. Although the exploitation of natural resources and the preservation of biodiversity are the core of the two opposing processes, common to both is that they are the consequence of man's need for survival. Biodiversity on the planet today is seriously endangered due to the disappearance of species that is much faster and frequent than before. According to some estimates, every fourth species of mammals is threatened with a real danger of extinction, while about half of the plant species are before extinction. During long evolutionary history, the living world was constantly under numerous and enormous environmental pressures that, thanks to its genetic potential, managed to overcome. Given that today's environment is changing much faster than it was in the past, it is not known whether living beings possess an adaptive capacity that will be sufficient to adapt to new conditions. There are more and more scientific evidence that from the period of disappearance of dinosaurs 65 million years ago this is the era of the greatest extinction of species. Out of all biodiversity elements, genetic resources are the most exposed to unfavourable factors (climate change, new diseases and pests, industry, the spread of cities and settlements, intense infrastructure interventions, etc.). There are many facts that indicate that climate change in the future will increasingly affect the survival of plant species. The ever-present loss of germplasm and habitat requires much greater mobility in their protection. It is therefore necessary to take urgent steps to preserve these resources while the genetic diversity they possess is still available. Any further postponement of conservation would lead to even more pronounced disturbance of biodiversity, and this activity would be more uncertain in the future. For these reasons it is necessary to develop acceptable protection programs as soon as possible that will offer answers on where and how to protect the existing diversity. Because of their actual or potential value, this should be urgently done, as this would ensure long-term stable production of quality food and plant products, but also the risks associated with intensive plant production systems would be mitigated. In addition, increasing the diversity of cultivated crops would ensure continuous crop cultivation and improved food safety. Crop improvement, especially under climatic conditions, will increasingly be based on the diversity of plant genetic resources that have been relatively poorly used and inadequately preserved so far. In order to ensure sustainable food supply, it will be necessary to create new varieties with increased tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. Due to the richness of genetic diversity, plant genetic resources show very high adaptability in a fairly wide range of ecological conditions. Therefore, in order to preserve the adaptability of cultivated crops and future food safety, these resources will be needed more than ever. It seems that mankind finally realized that its survival on Earth is irrevocably conditioned by the preservation of biodiversity. Due to these reasons, in recent years increased social attention has been devoted to activities of raising public awareness on the importance of preserving biodiversity and the impact it has on the well-being of the human population. Sustainable use of agricultural diversity represents the exploitation of biological diversity to an extent and in a manner that does not cause biodiversity degradation. Such an approach would make possible to create a better and more equitable world in which economic, social, cultural and environmental factors would be in full balance. Preservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity must be based on sustainable agricultural practices that integrate development and environmental problems into one whole. The key to the preservation of biological diversity lies in the hands of science, which besides new knowledge on the living world must offer concrete projects for the protection and improvement of biodiversity. For preserving biodiversity will not only be sufficient to determine the criteria of vulnerability and listing of endangered species, but also establishment of effective management concept based on the rational use of biodiversity in a manner and extent that does not cause further deterioration. Preservation and sustainable use of genetic resources and traditional knowledge related to their use is a long-term need that goes beyond national interests.

An expedition for unexplored diversity of plant genetic resources in Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, India

An expedition for unexplored diversity of plant genetic resources in Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Variation in Iron and Zinc Content in Traditional Rice Genotypes

Micronutrient deficiency is considered as one of the emerging challenges to food and nutrition security particularly in developing countries and there is a growing realization of a food based approach for addressing this. The wide diversity of plant genetic resources provides opportunity for identifying micronutrient-rich genotypes for direct use or for genetic enhancement of staple crops using breeding strategies. In the present study, we have collected 159 rice germplasm from different agroclimatic regions and analysed their iron and zinc content growing them in a single location for both brown and polished rice and checked consistency of micronutrient density over two seasons. Grain micronutrient content analysis was done through the non-destructive method, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry. Considerable variation was observed in the micronutrient density among the germplasm assessed. Iron concentration varied from 6.9 to 22.3 mg/kg, whereas zinc concentration ranged from 14.5 to 35.3 mg/kg in unpolished, brown rice. There was substantial loss of iron than zinc, upon polishing. The loss of iron ranged from 16 to 97.4%, whereas that of zinc from 1 to 45%. Time series analysis indicates that the micronutrient concentration in a given genotype remains more or less constant when cultivated under the similar environmental conditions. Moreover, there is a moderate positive correlation between iron and zinc content of brown (r = 0.5) and polished rice (r = 0.3) indicating the probability of simultaneous effectual selection for both the micronutrients.

Genetic diversity analysis of sesame-A bayesian clustering approach

Diversity in plant genetic resources (PGR) provides opportunity for plant breeders to develop new and improved cultivars with desirable characteristics viz., high yield, pest and disease resistance, photosensitivity and high oil quality. Genetic diversity is a ubiquitous feature of all species in nature. Therefore, different genotypes of sesame were used for diversity analysis. Different clustering techniques were widely used for the analysis of diversity. In this paper, Bayesian hierarchical clustering algorithm is applied which can be interpreted as a novel fast bottom-up approximate inference method. Finally, this method clusters the genotypes into various groups with their corresponding genotypes in respective clusters.

Morphological diversity of Huaya India fruits (Melicoccus oliviformis Kunth) in the Maya Lowlands

The Maya area in Mexico, historically a region of major cultural development in Mesoamerica, has been divided into the Maya Highlands and Maya Lowlands. The Yucatan Peninsula is part of the Maya Lowlands, which has a great diversity of plant genetic resources, including the Huaya India, a tropical perennial tree of the family Sapindaceae. Its fruit is greatly appreciated by the Maya people, but the genetic diversity of this species has not been studied. Here we evaluated the morphological diversity in fruits from eight populations of Huaya India from four representative cultural–geographic zones in the Maya Lowland communities of the Yucatan Peninsula to generate basic knowledge to support the conservation and use of the species. Two populations from each of the four cultural–geographic zones with 10 individuals per population and 15 fruits per individual were evaluated, and four qualitative and 11 quantitative morphological traits of fruits and seeds were measured. Results indicated a high morphological diversity organized in two groups based on fruit size and flavor characteristics. This study highlights the importance of the Maya culture in the generation and maintenance of diversity of the Huaya India, as well as the importance of initiating programs for the management, sustainable utilization and conservation of this species in the Maya Lowlands of Mexico.

Unbalanced historical phenotypic data from seed regeneration of a barley ex situ collection

The scarce knowledge on phenotypic characterization restricts the usage of genetic diversity of plant genetic resources in research and breeding. We describe original and ready-to-use processed data for approximately 60% of ~22,000 barley accessions hosted at the Federal ex situ Genebank for Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Species. The dataset gathers records for three traits with agronomic relevance: flowering time, plant height and thousand grain weight. This information was collected for seven decades for winter and spring barley during the seed regeneration routine. The curated data represent a source for research on genetics and genomics of adaptive and yield related traits in cereals due to the importance of barley as model organism. This data could be used to predict the performance of non-phenotyped individuals in other collections through genomic prediction. Moreover, the dataset empowers the utilization of phenotypic diversity of genetic resources for crop improvement.

МОБИЛИЗАЦИЯ ГЕНЕТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСУРСОВ ОВОЩНЫХ РАСТЕНИЙ В КОЛЛЕКЦИЮ ВИР С ТЕРРИТОРИИ АРМЕНИИ (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЙ ЭКСПЕДИЦИИ ВИР 2017 года В АРМЕНИЮ)

Background. Plant genetic resources (PGR) mobilization, their preservation in collections (ex situ) and in plant communities (in situ/on farm), their studying as well as systematization of the related information in databases are not just relevant and topical issues; they are vital to ensure food, environmental and bioresource security of Russia. In view of this, the number of VIR's expeditions to various regions of Russia and neighboring countries to collect food, fodder and industrial crops and their wild relatives is growing every year. Armenia is one of the richest territories in genetic resources. The richness and diversity of PGR in general and vegetable crops in particular is determined by several factors, including geographical features, soil and climate, the origin of cultivated plants, the traditions of their cultivation and consumption, and others. Methodology. Surveys of the planned territories were carried out along the routes from Yerevan in different directions, and lasted from one to three days. The collecting method complied with the Guidelines for collecting plant resources to replenish the collection of VIR. Results . During the period from August 06 to 20, 2017, 191 collection sites were explored, and various accessions were collected: 225 seed samples for the VIR collection, and 53 herbarium specimens of wild lettuce for VIR's Herbarium, 48 of which belonged to Lactuca L. spp., and 5 to the species of close genera (Cicerbita Wallr., Cephalorinhus Boiss.). The length of the route was 2,863 km.

Türkiye’nin Mantar İhracatının Değerlendirilmesi

Turkey is gene center of many plant species and is a country that different endemic plant species are found. A vast geography and the presence of different climatic conditions cause either diversity of plant genetic resources or macro fungi species. Many species of mushrooms grow spontaneously in nature. According to the demand from different country preferred different mushroom species, some mushroom species collected from nature are exported each year. In this study, it was aimed to determine the properties of macro fungus exporting companies resulting in an evaluation based on exported macro fungus species, the amount, regions where the species are collected and mushroom exportation.

Diversity of Pepper (Capsicum spp.) Genotypes from Eritrea Assessed by Morphological Traits

<p>Diversity in plant genetic resources provides an opportunity for plant breeders to develop new and improved cultivars with desirable characteristics. The purpose of this study was to assess the diversity of Eritrean pepper germplasm in order to obtain information for improving it. A total of 60 pepper (<em>Capsicum</em> spp.) seed sample collections were obtained from farmers and institutions in Eritrea. The collections were evaluated at two sites located in two different agro-climatic regions of the country. The collections were assessed using 16 quantitative and 23 qualitative descriptors. A Randomized Complete Block Design was used for the evaluation. Quantitative and qualitative data of the two sites were subjected to Principal Component Analysis, Principal Coordinate Analysis, Hierarchal clustering, Analysis of variance and Correlation. The distribution of characters of the different quantitative and qualitative traits and the performance of the collections showed the existece of variable characters distributed among the collections indicating considerable diversity. For quantitative variables, the first three components were able to explain 61%, 58% and 67% of the total variation in Hamelmalo, Asmara and combined data of the two sites respectively. While for the qualitative variables the first three components were able to explain a variation of 58% in Hamelmalo, 49%, in Asmara and 55% combined data of the two sites. Phenological attributes and fruit characteristics were found to contribute more to the variation. The majority of the traits evaluated were significant and the highest Coefficient of Variation was related to fruit characteristics. The results of this study showed that there is sufficient variability within the Eritrean pepper genotypes that could be used in future breeding and crop improvement programs.</p>

GENETIC DIVERSITY STUDY OF MODERN RUSSIAN APPLE (Malus* domestica Borkh.) CULTIVARS BY THE SSR LOCI ANALYSIS

SSRs are one of the most suitable DNA-markers for assessment of genetic diversity of plant genetic resources. Microsatellites were used for development of saturated genetic maps of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) as well as for wide range of genetic diversity studies. Our study was aimed on the investigation of the genetic relationship within subcollection of modern Russian apple cultivars. Polymorphism of 12 microsatellite loci was estimated for 31 apple cultivars from the SKZNIISiV collection of genetic resources. These cultivars have been bred in North Caucasian Regional Research Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture (SKZNIISiV) and All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK). SSR-markers CH01f03b, CH01h01, CH01h10, CH02c06, CH02d08, CH04e05, CH05f06, CH01f02, CH02c11, Hi02c07, CH02c09 and CH03d07, which are recommended by Fruitbreedomics, the European consortium, were used in the study. According to the data of SSR-analysis from 5 to 10 alleles per locus were detected, with an average value of 7.75 alleles per locus. A total of 93 alleles were detected for all 12 loci. All apple cultivars showed individual, distinct SSR-profiles. Comparison with the data on the genetic diversity of the world apple tree gene pool suggests that the SSR-loci polymorphism in studied set of the apple cultivars is relatively high. Expected (He) and observed (Ho) heterozygosity varied within the ranges of 0.548-0.897 and 0.602-0.827 for Ho and He, respectively. The average values of these indexes are Ho = 0.786 and He = 0.755. PIC value ranged from 0.571 to 0.806, and 9 loci showed PIC value higher than 0.712. Results of UPGMA-analysis are consistent with the level of genetic heterogeneity of the studied cultivar set. Five clusters were determined. Distribution of cultivars into clusters in most cases is consistent with their genealogy. For example, Svezhest’ cultivar, formed a distinct cluster № 1, as well as cultivars Imrus and Zimnee utro which formed cluster № 5 are originated from the cultivars, which are not presented as the parental forms of any studied cultivars. Cultivars of VNIISPK breeding such as Solnishko, Stroevskoe, Yubilei Moskvy, Afrodita and Start, which formed distinct cluster № 3 have one common parental cultivar. The structure of dendrite obtained when performing clustering on the results of SSR-analysis may be due to large number of unique alleles studied in genotypes that in turn is due to the high genetic diversity within the studied set of cultivars. At the same time, the fact of incorporation of cultivars with the same genealogy in the same clusters confirms the high significant genetic similarity within groups of such varieties. Results of the study allows to assess the level of the genetic diversity within the set of modern apple cultivars as well as can be used for confirmation of genealogy of apple cultivars and hybrids in the case of disputes, as well as for identification of varieties.

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ ГЕНЕТИЧЕСКОГО РАЗНООБРАЗИЯ СОВРЕМЕННЫХ СОРТОВ ЯБЛОНИ (Malus* domestica Borkh.) ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОЙ СЕЛЕКЦИИ С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ МИКРОСАТЕЛЛИТНЫХ ЛОКУСОВ

SSRs are one of the most suitable DNA-markers for assessment of genetic diversity of plant genetic resources. Microsatellites were used for development of saturated genetic maps of apple ( Malus * domestica Borkh.) as well as for wide range of genetic diversity studies. Our study was aimed on the investigation of the genetic relationship within subcollection of modern Russian apple cultivars. Polymorphism of 12 microsatellite loci was estimated for 31 apple cultivars from the SKZNIISiV collection of genetic resources. These cultivars have been bred in North Caucasian Regional Research Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture (SKZNIISiV) and All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK). SSR-markers CH01f03b, CH01h01, CH01h10, CH02c06, CH02d08, CH04e05, CH05f06, CH01f02, CH02c11, Hi02c07, CH02c09 and CH03d07, which are recommended by Fruitbreedomics, the European consortium, were used in the study. According to the data of SSR-analysis from 5 to 10 alleles per locus were detected, with an average value of 7.75 alleles per locus. A total of 93 alleles were detected for all 12 loci. All apple cultivars showed individual, distinct SSR-profiles. Comparison with the data on the genetic diversity of the world apple tree gene pool suggests that the SSR-loci polymorphism in studied set of the apple cultivars is relatively high. Expected (H e) and observed (H o) heterozygosity varied within the ranges of 0.548-0.897 and 0.602-0.827 for H o and H e, respectively. The average values of these indexes are H o = 0.786 and H e = 0.755. PIC value ranged from 0.571 to 0.806, and 9 loci showed PIC value higher than 0.712. Results of UPGMA-analysis are consistent with the level of genetic heterogeneity of the studied cultivar set. Five clusters were determined. Distribution of cultivars into clusters in most cases is consistent with their genealogy. For example, Svezhest’ cultivar, formed a distinct cluster № 1, as well as cultivars Imrus and Zimnee utro which formed cluster № 5 are originated from the cultivars, which are not presented as the parental forms of any studied cultivars. Cultivars of VNIISPK breeding such as Solnishko, Stroevskoe, Yubilei Moskvy, Afrodita and Start, which formed distinct cluster № 3 have one common parental cultivar. The structure of dendrite obtained when performing clustering on the results of SSR-analysis may be due to large number of unique alleles studied in genotypes that in turn is due to the high genetic diversity within the studied set of cultivars. At the same time, the fact of incorporation of cultivars with the same genealogy in the same clusters confirms the high significant genetic similarity within groups of such varieties. Results of the study allows to assess the level of the genetic diversity within the set of modern apple cultivars as well as can be used for confirmation of genealogy of apple cultivars and hybrids in the case of disputes, as well as for identification of varieties.

The Plant Variety Protection Law in Malaysia: Issues on Protection of Farmers’ Rights

The availability of a wide diversity of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture is necessary to ensure continuous food production and food security. However, the expansion of intellectual property protection into agricultural field has raised concerns as to its impact on farmers’ traditional agricultural practises and the recognition of farming communities’ efforts in development and conservation of plant varieties. This paper serves as an exploratory study on few issues relating to farmers in Malaysia, the Farmers’ Rights concept and plant variety rights in Malaysia. The paper provides a brief review on the current Malaysian plant variety law and suggests further in depth study to identify gaps in the current legislation in realising the four core components of the Farmers’ Rights concept.