Exotic Cultivars Research Articles

Adaptability and Yield Performance of Introduced Tomato Lines under Greenhouse and Open Field Conditions in Honduras

In Honduras, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an economically important crop for farmers because of its high domestic consumption, year-round production, and high export potential. However, tomato production faces challenges such as diseases and pests and is confounded by climate change, all of which reduce productivity and quality. Evaluating the adaptation of tomato cultivars is critical to ensuring the long-term sustainability and resilience of the horticulture sector in the region. The objective of this study was to identify tomato lines with adaptability, high yield, pest, and disease resistance under greenhouse and open field production conditions for the Honduran market. Ten tomato lines and two commercial hybrids were evaluated between Feb and Jul 2022 in San Antonio de Oriente, Francisco Morazán, Honduras. Desirable traits related to vegetative growth, productivity, fruit quality, and resistance to insect pests and diseases were measured. Seven lines were highly adapted and had high vegetative growth. The tomato lines were not significantly different in terms of tomato yellow leaf curl disease and late blight disease index; however, the fruit borer susceptibility varied, with AVTO1908 being the most susceptible. The highest performing line was AVTO1903, which had the greatest total marketable yield in both the open field (101.3 t⋅ha−1) and greenhouse (62.1 t⋅ha−1). Additionally, AVTO1903 and AVTO1915 had good quality traits (roundness index, total soluble solids, and dry matter), thus demonstrating their potential for sustainable and high-yielding cultivation in Honduras. The growth and productivity of the tomato lines were highly influenced by the environment. This work highlights the advantages of introducing exotic cultivars to combat the effects of climate change and ensure sustained production; however, further research is needed to ensure that local farmer and consumer demands are met.

Exploring the genetic basis of resistance to Neopestalotiopsis species in strawberry.

Aggressive strains of Neopestalotiopsis sp. have recently emerged as devastating pathogens of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne ex Rozier), infecting nearly all plant parts and causing severe outbreaks of leaf spot and fruit rot in Florida and globally. The development of host resistance is imperative due to the absence of fungicides that effectively inhibit Neopestalotiopsis sp. growth on an infected strawberry crop. Here, we analyzed 1578 individuals from the University of Florida's (UF) strawberry breeding program to identify and dissect genetic variation for resistance to Neopestalotiopsis sp. and to explore the feasibility of genomic selection. We found that less than 12% of elite UF germplasm exhibited resistance, with narrow-sense heritability estimates ranging from 0.28 to 0.69. Through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we identified two loci accounting for 7%-16% of phenotypic variance across four trials and 3 years. Several candidate genes encoding pattern recognition receptors, intra-cellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeats, and downstream components of plant defense pathways co-localized with the Neopestalotiopsis sp. resistance loci. Interestingly, favorable alleles at the largest-effect locus were rare in elite UF material and had previously been unintentionally introduced from an exotic cultivar. The array-based markers and candidate genes described herein provide the foundation for targeting this locus through marker-assisted selection. The predictive abilities of genomic selection models, with and without explicitly modeling peak GWAS markers as fixed effects, ranged between 0.25 and 0.59, suggesting that genomic selection holds promise for enhancing resistance to Neopestalotiopsis sp. in strawberry.

Fruit Morphological and Biochemical Characterization of Three Saudi Arabian Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Cultivars Grown in District Khairpur, Pakistan

In the present study fruit morphological and biochemical characterization of three Saudi Arabian date palm cvs. (Ajwa, Safawi and Ruthana) were carried out, which were cultivated in the district Khairpur, Pakistan. Fruits were collected at four different fruit growth stages (kimri, khalal, rutab and tamar) from fifteen years old trees for morphological (fruit colour, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, pulp ratio, seed length, seed diameter, seed weight) and biochemical analyses (moisture content, pH, total soluble solids, total sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars). Results of fruits physical characters showed that significantly highest fruit length (5.5 cm at rutab stage), fruit weight (20.2 g at khalal stage) was observed in cv. Safawi, whereas at khalal stage significantly lowest fruit length (3.4 cm) was observed in cv. Ajwa and fruit weight (13.2 g) was observed in cv. Ruthana. Fruits showed significant variations in colour and weight from kimri to tamar stage. Biochemical analyses of fruits revealed that highest moisture content (86.2%) was observed in fruits of cv. Ruthana at kimri stage. Total soluble solids (TSS) increased from 8.7% (at kimri stage) to 20.5% (at tamar stage) in cv. Ruthana. pH of the fruits at kimri stage was 3.2 in cv. Ajwa, whereas pH increased to 5.2 in cv. Ruthana at tamar stage. Total sugars (reducing and non-reducing) increased from 7.56% in cv. Ajwa at kimri stage to 69.7% in cv. Safawi at tamar stage as significantly highest values. Findings obtained in the present study described morphological attributes and biochemical constituents of the fruits of three exotic cultivars introduced in climatic conditions of the district Khairpur, Pakistan will open the route and interest of the farmers to introduce other elite date cultivars grown in the world.

Composição de meios de crescimento lento para armazenamento in vitro (sgs) de Aglaonema

Abstract Aglaonema is one of the ornamental plant commodities often affected by falling prices in the ornamental plant market. This phenomenon requires a strategy for storing seeds of rare and exotic cultivars for the short and medium term. In vitro storage is one way to anticipate it. This study aims to obtain the suitable composition of in vitro growing media for storing Aglaonema plants by slow growth storage (SGS). This study used a completely randomized design with one factor, consisting of seven treatments, i.e., media 1/4 Murashige and Skoog (MS), 1/2 MS, and full MS, with the addition of 1.0 mg L-1 and 2.0 mg L-1 Benzyl aminopurine (BAP), and the addition of Indoleacetic Acid (IAA) 1.0 mg L-1 and 2.0 mg L-1. The results showed that the composition of the planting medium on ¼ MS + BAP 1.0 mg L-1 + IAA 1.0 mg L-1 was the best for slow-growth storage of Aglaonema in vitro.

SSR-marker assisted evaluation of genetic diversity in local and exotic pigeonpea cultivars in Benin for parental genotypes selection

Pigeonpea production is limited in Benin due to the undesirable agronomic and organoleptic characteristics of cultivated landraces. For a breeding program, some exotic cultivars were introduced for improving the available genepool in the country. The present study aims to assess the genetic diversity within a collection comprising of 32 local and 28 exotic cultivars, with the objective of selecting suitable parental lines for pigeonpea genetic improvement. All of the 60 accessions were genotyped with 14 SSR makers and a total of 38 alleles were detected with an average of 2.71 alleles per locus. The mean value of PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) and overall gene diversity were 0.37 and 0.43, respectively, while the mean value of heterozygosity was 0.11, indicating moderate genetic diversity within the 60 accessions with a deficit of heterozygous genotypes. As expected, the diversity was higher in exotic cultivars than in local landraces. Based on the genetic relationship among accessions, the entire collection formed 3 clusters, one of which comprised four specific exotic accessions. Population structure analysis using model-based and DAPC (Discriminant Analysis for Principal Components) methods subdivided the 60 accessions into two major groups reflecting their geographic origins with a minimal number (02) of admixtures. This indicates significant genetic divergence between local and exotic cultivars. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) results with an overall Fst value of 0.13 confirmed the significant genetic divergence between the two collections. The findings of this study will significantly benefit for pigeonpea breeding programs in Benin. For practical applications, selected exotic cultivars, particularly those within the specific cluster can immediately serve as donor parents in crossbreeding schemes with the local landraces, for developing new varieties.

Genetic Variability, Correlation, and Principal Component Analysis for Yield and Yield Contributing Traits in Local and Exotic Tomato Genotypes

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the most popular and consumed vegetable crops across the world due to its higher nutritional content, taste, and color. An experiment was carried out to determine the existing variability, heritability, and association among the yield and yield contributing traits of eleven genotypes including seven exotic and four local genotypes. Analysis of variance revealed the existence of significant differences among the genotypes for most of the characters except leaf area. Mean comparison showed that exotic cultivars G1 (SL 020) displayed early flowering and fruit setting and G11 (BARI Tomato 11) displayed higher number of clusters, flowers and fruits with smaller fruit size and yield. Estimation of genetic parameters showed higher phenotypic of coefficient of variation (PCV) than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for most of the yield related traits. However, slight differences between PCV and GCV were found for number of secondary branches (31.70, 30.01), days to first flowering (14.99, 13.97), days to 50% flowering (18.68, 16.11), number of fruits per plant (83.57, 79.41), single fruit weight (47.29, 44.48), and fruit diameter (28.73, 27.61) which suggest the scope of effective selection. The number of fruits per plant and single fruit weight exhibited the highest heritability and genetic advance. Pearson correlation analysis revealed the significant and positive correlation between yield per plant with leaf area and fruit length. The principal component analysis revealed that number of fruits per plant, flowers per cluster, and fruits per cluster exhibited the most vital traits contributing to the variations among the genotypes. Hierarchical clustering showed that local and exotic tomato cultivars separated into different clusters. Higher inter cluster distance showed the scope that crossing among these genotypes could provide maximum heritability and genetic gain. These findings suggested that exotic cultivars could be included for the breeding program to develop the high yielding tomato variety.

Two independent loss‐of‐function mutations in anthocyanidin synthase homeologous genes are responsible for the all‐green phenotype of sweet basil

Sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum L., is an important culinary herb grown worldwide. Although basil is green, many landraces, breeding lines, and exotic cultivars have purple stems and flowers. This anthocyanin pigmentation is unacceptable in traditional Italian basil used for Pesto sauce production. In the current study, we aimed to resolve the genetics that underlines the different colors. We used the recently published sweet basil genome to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for flower and stem color in a bi-parental F2 population. It was found that the pigmentation is governed by a single QTL, harboring an anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) gene (EC 1.14.20.4). Further analysis revealed that the basil genome harbors two homeologous ANS genes, each carrying a loss-of-function mutation. ObANS1 carries a single base pair insertion resulting in a frameshift, and ObANS2 carries a missense mutation within the active site. In the purple-flower parent, ANS1 is functional, and ANS2 carries a nonsense mutation. The functionality of the ObANS1 active allele was validated by complementation assay in an Arabidopsis ANS mutant. Moreover, we have restored the functionality of the missense-mutated ObANS2 using site-directed activation. We found that the non-functional alleles were expressed to similar levels as the functional allele, suggesting polyploids invest futile effort in expressing non-functional genes, offsetting their advantageous redundancy. This work demonstrated the usefulness of the genomics and genetics of basil to understand the basic mechanism of metabolic traits and raise fundamental questions in polyploid plant biology.

Development of Chance Seedling Varieties of Date Palm from Exotic Cultivars at Agro-Climatic Conditions of Faisalabad, Pakistan

Development of Chance Seedling Varieties of Date Palm from Exotic Cultivars at Agro-Climatic Conditions of Faisalabad, Pakistan

Seed yield and chemical properties of two exotic cultivars of soybean introduced in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan

Seed yield and chemical properties of two exotic cultivars of soybean introduced in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan

Yield Stability of East African Highland Cooking Banana ‘Matooke’ Hybrids

East African banana (Musa sp.) breeding efforts have focused mainly on enhancing ‘Matooke’ productivity through the development of high-yielding, pathogen-resistant cultivars with adequate stability to contribute to regional food security. Before a breeding program can recommend promising cultivars for release, they must pass the sensory screens; be evaluated in the target population environments; and the data analyzed for yield, adaptability, and stability. Twenty-four primary and secondary triploid hybrids [NARITA (N)] derived from ‘Matooke’ bananas, six triploid local ‘Matooke’ cultivars, and one exotic cultivar were evaluated for their yield, adaptability, and stability across the East African region at three highland sites in Uganda’s western and central regions, as well as at three sites in Tanzania’s northeastern and southern highlands regions, from 2016–19. A randomized complete block design with four replicates was used for multisite trials. The mixed-model restricted maximum likelihood/best linear unbiased prediction approach, along with additive main effect multiplicative interaction model biplots, were used to dissect and visualize genotype-by-environment patterns. Following the likelihood ratio test, both genotype and interaction effects were highly significant, confirming the influence of genotype and site heterogeneity for selecting specific and broadly adapted cultivars. N23 had the greatest yield across all sites associated with adaptability and stability, outperforming the overall mean yield of all genotypes by 34.2%. In Tanzania, N27 (second), N7 (third), N18 (fourth), N4 (fifth), N12 (sixth), and N13 (seventh); and in Uganda, N17 (second), N18 (third), N2 (fourth), N8 (fifth), N13 (sixth), N12 (seventh), N4 (eighth), and N24 (ninth) demonstrated good adaptability and stability, as well as high yield. Furthermore, the fungal pathogen Pseudocercospora fijiensis had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on yield, stability, and adaptability of the hybrids. As a result, they can be introduced into areas where black leaf streak constrains banana production significantly and threatens farmers’ livelihoods. The average site yield potential ranged from 9.7 to 24.3 t⋅ha–1 per year. The best discriminating sites for testing breeding clones were Lyamungo in Tanzania and Sendusu in Uganda. Hence, these testing sites are recommended as ideal examples of locations for selecting superior genotypes.

Adoption Determinants of Exotic Rice Cultivars in Bangladesh

Agrarian Bangladesh relies heavily on rice. Since independence, many varieties have been released and targeted to increase productivity, farmers' income, and food security. However, few gained widespread adoption. Moreover, farmers in the border regions are adopting exotic cultivars, and it's gradually spreading throughout the country. But, the reasons for adopting exotic rice cultivars are still unexplored. Using field data from 1,260 farm households and 42 focus group discussions, this study analyzes farmers' preferences for domestic and exotic rice varieties and identifies the factors of adoption linked to design national breeding programs and farmers' welfare. Findings show, exotic varieties (69%) monopolized the area coverage in the dry season, whereas in the wet season, domestic varieties (58%) dominated. Farmers select exotic varieties for their better yield and price, low production costs, high grain quality, resistance to pests and diseases, and ability to withstand stresses. Risk analysis shows domestic varieties adoption is riskier with lower returns. The empirical findings indicate that household characteristics, access to institutions and infrastructure, varietal characteristics, and weather condition, all play a significant role in adoption decisions. National breeding should focus on developing rice varieties in response to market demands and farmer preferences toward sustainable food security in Bangladesh.

Seed-Borne Fungi Associated With Pepper (Capsicum Species) in Some States in Nigeria.

Capsicum (Pepper: common name) species fruits are ground and utilized either fresh or dried as an essential ingredient of sauce/soup in every region of Nigeria. Seed health tests were carried out on thirty-one seed cultivars of Capsicum that is Capsicum frutescens L. and Capsicum annuum L. from Kaduna, Benue and Oyo States in Nigeria in this study. An initial mini-greenhouse project with some of the cultivars resulted in Curly-top Virus symptoms disease. The latter disease which had not been hitherto reported in Nigerian Capsicum cultivars necessitated the grouping of the seeds into two sets of Nigerian/Indigenous Cultivars (in group one) and Exotic plus less exotic cultivars in a second group. The Nigerian set made up of eight cultivars was examined with and without surface-sterilization for mycoflora. The design was completely randomized comprising five (5), replicates per cultivar and 50 seeds in a cultivar replicate. The working sample was 250 seeds per cultivar set up under an alternating cycle of 12hours Near ultra-violet light (NUV light) and 12hours darkness in an incubating room of 27 ± 2oC temperature. Incubation for viability counts and associated fungi was for seven days. The Exotic plus less exotic set had twenty-three cultivars, which were tested as the Nigerian Cultivars, without surface-sterilization. Viability was over 30.00% only in eleven of the twenty-three Exotic plus less exotic Cultivars, whereas there was none (over 30%) in the indigenous or Nigerian Cultivar set. Three reasons adduced for the low turn-out in germination are period of seed storage of six months or over, lack of seed treatment and mixed infections possibly with viruses or nematodes. The genera Phoma, Chaetomium, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Cladosporium with the former two associated with all eight cultivars, were isolated from the un-sterilized indigenous/Nigerian set and are considered to be surface contaminants. Twenty fungi namely Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, A. wentii, Cercospora sp., Chaetomium sp., Colletotrichum sp., Curvalaria lunata, C. pallescens, Fusarium equiseti, F. moniliforme, F. solani, Graphuinu sp., Macrophomina sp., Penicillium sp., Phoma sp., Rhizopus sp., Spegazzima sp., Stemphylium sp. and Verticillium sp. were isolated from the un-sterillized Exotic plus less exotic cultivars set. Among the twenty, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium moniliforme and Phoma sp. were dominant as they were associated with 22, 21 and 19 of the twenty-three cultivars respectively. Overall mean infection of 13.55%, 8.06% and 5.23% were highest by A. flavus, Colletotrichum sp. and Rhizopus sp. respectively and the three highest cultivar replicate infections were 55.60%, 32.80% and 23.20% also by Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus sp. and Colletotrichum sp. in that order respectively. Seed-borne saprophytes are reported to be economically important as they effect seed rot, seed weight loss or seed germination reduction and ought to be excluded by adequate seed treatment. Twelve fungi were associated and isolated from the eight surface-sterilized Indigenous/Nigerian cultivar set. They are Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. tamari, Cochliobolus lunatus, Colletotrichum capsici, Corynespora casiicola, Curunlaria pallescens, Fusarium moniliforme, F. pallidoroseum, Macrophomina phaseolina, Pithomyces chartarum and Thielavia terricola. Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium moniliforme and Aspergillus niger were the three most frequently occurring/dominant fungi as they were isolated from all eight, seven and six cultivars respectively. However, overall mean infection was highest by Aspergillus flavus 11.80%, second is Colletotrichum capsici 6.60% and third is Fusarium moniliforme 3.20%. The two highest infections in any cultivar replicate also were 55.60% by Aspergillus flavus and 23.20% by Colletotrichum capsici, and in third place is 15.20% by Aspergillus niger. Colletotrichum capsici and two other Colletotrichum species gloeosporioides and acutatum are known to be the most important economic fungal pathogens of Capsicum species in Nigeria and globally causing ripe fruit rot and stem die-back. Seed-borne Fusarium species namely moniliforme, solani and oxysporum and Verticillium species also contribute to high pre-harvest losses (by damping-off of seedlings and witling of field plants) on Pepper globally. The Aspergilli cause moulds on above-ground portions of pepper plants and Macrophomina is known to be parasitic on leaves. Pithomyces chartarum and Thielavia terricola have not been reported on Capsicum species and are therefore new records on Capsicum seeds in Nigeria. Seed storage for planting without adequate/appropriate seed treatment is to be discouraged in Nigeria; because of low viability as in this study, and seedling failure/field epidemics/crop failure. Fundings and extensive trials with Plant extracts, Oils and Biocontrol microbes should also be underscored as necessary for seed treatment in place of fungicides for health and environmental safety. Improved Seeds should also be sought for as priority from approved Agencies/Seed Companies by farmers.

Direct Infusion Metabolomics of the Photosystem and Chlorophyll Related Metabolites within a Drought Tolerant Plant Introduction of Glycine max.

Drought is the most prolific form of abiotic stress that legumes and cereal plants alike can endure, and the planting of an improper cultivar at the beginning of a season can cause unexpected losses up to fifty percent under water deficient conditions. Herein, a plant introduction (PI) of an exotic cultivar of soybean (Glycine max), PI 567731, which demonstrates a slow wilting (SW) canopy phenotype in maturity group III, was profiled under drought conditions in field trials in Missouri against a drought susceptible check cultivar, Pana. Metabolomic profiling was carried out on samples of leaves from each of these cultivars at V5 and R2 growth stages both while irrigated and while under drought stress for three weeks. PI 567731 was observed to have differential phytochemical content, and enhanced levels of chlorophyll (Chl) a/b and pheophytin (Pheo) were profiled by direct infusion electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Indicating drought induced changes of the photosystem and photosynthetic capabilities alongside water preservation strategies are important within the SW phenotype drought response. Subsequent multivariate analysis was able to form predictive models, encompassing the variance of growth and drought stress of the cultivar. Moreover, the existence of unique Chl-related metabolites (CRM) (m/z > 900) were confirmed through tandem mass spectrometry. The resultant coordination of fatty acids to the core of the porphyrin ring was observed and played an unknown role in the proliferation of the photosynthesis. However, the relative ratio of the most abundant CRM is undisturbed by drought stress in PI 567731, in contrast to the drought susceptible cultivar. These results provide key insights into drought related metabolic mechanisms.

Elucidating Genetic Diversity in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Cultivated in the North-Western Himalayan Provinces of India Using SSR Markers.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is an important temperate fruit crop worldwide. The availability of wild apricot germplasm and its characterization through genomic studies can guide us towards its conservation, increasing productivity and nutritional composition. Therefore, in this study, we carried out the genomic characterization of 50 phenotypically variable accessions by using SSR markers in the erstwhile States of Jammu and Kashmir to reveal genetic variability among accessions and their genetic associations. The genetic parameter results revealed that the number of alleles per locus (Na) ranged from 1 to 6 with a mean Na value of 3.89 and the mean effective number of alleles (Ne) per locus 1.882 with a range of 1.22 to 2. Similarly, the polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.464 to 0.104. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) (0.547) was found to have higher than expected heterozygosity (He) (0.453) with average heterozygosity of 0.4483. The dendrogram clustered genotypes into three main clades based on their pedigree. The population structure revealed IV sub-populations with all admixtures except the III sub-population, which was mainly formed of exotic cultivars. The average expected heterozygosity (He) and population differentiation within four sub-populations was 1.78 and 0.04, respectively, and explained 95.0% of the total genetic variance in the population. The results revealed that the SSR marker studies could easily decrypt the genetic variability present within the germplasm, which may form the base for the establishment of good gene banks by reducing redundancy of germplasm, selection of parents for any breeding program.

Nutritional and Biochemical Quality Assessment of Commonly Consumed Jujube (Zizyphus mauritiana L.) Varieties Available in Bangladesh

A study was conducted to determine major biochemical and mineral constituents in commonly consumed jujube varieties of Bangladesh. A total of 15 (4 local/deshi and 11 exotic) varieties of matured jujube fruits were collected from the different markets and local areas of Mymensingh district, Bangladesh, and analyzed for this study. The study results revealed that all studied physical properties were lower in local/deshi sour varieties of jujube, and BAU kul contained the maximum amount of flesh (edible part of fruits) along with flesh and seed ratio. Among the biochemical properties- titratable acidity, vitamin C, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total sugar and reducing sugar content varied from 0.178-2.769%, 33.28-98.63 mg/100 g flesh, 0.0019-0.0174 mg/g tissue, 0.0007-0.0148 mg/g tissue, 2.50-9.83% and 0.135-4.150%, respectively. The study results revealed that local/deshi varieties contained a comparatively higher amount of vitamin C and lower total sugar. However, BARI kuls contained significantly higher amounts of vitamin C and chlorophylls compared to other exotic varieties. The content of Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, and S in jujube varieties ranged from 0.040-0.233%, 0.071-0.164%, 0.054-0.189%, 0.490-2.602%, 0.062-0.234% and 0.079-0.359%, respectively. Regarding major nutrients studied, Ca, Na, K, P, and S contents were higher in local/deshi sour varieties while Mg content was higher in exotic varieties. The study results concluded that most of the biochemical and mineral contents in local/deshi sour jujube fruits were higher, allowing breeders to develop new varieties and improve the quality of existing exotic cultivars.

Differential gene expression of pectin esterase and changes in pectin during development and ripening stages of fruit in selected cultivars of banana

Abstract Pectin is a very important ingredient in food processing. The present study was designed to find out the changes taken place in pectin content during development and ripening phases of banana fruit. The expression of gene (pectin esterase) was also observed during development and ripening. Five exotic cultivars namely William, Brazilian, G-Naine, Basrai and Pisang were selected for this study. Sampling were carried out after every 2 weeks during development and there was 6 sampling stages (from emergence to harvesting stage). After harvesting the fruit of all cultivars were subjected to natural ripening in the lab and sampling during ripening were carried out according to the colour changes in the fruit skin. 5 ripening stages were studied. Hence total number of 11 stages were studied during development and ripening. The sequence of pectin esterase were obtained from NCBI, primers were designed and procured. RNA was extracted from each cultivar and expression analysis of pectin esterase was carried out. It was found that the expression of gene is variable during the development and the ripening stages in each cultivar. Similarly, the pectin content were also significantly variable during development and ripening of fruit. The variation was also found among the cultivars. It was concluded that unripe banana have more pectin content then ripe banana and the pectin content of the fruit is associated with expression of the gene.

Effect of pollen source on some fruit characteristics of exotic pear (Pyrus communis L.) cv. carmen and abate Fetel

A research experiment was conducted on two fruit bearing exotic cultivars “Carmen” and “Abate Fetel” of pear (Pyrus communis L.). The treatments included self, open and cross pollination of these two maternal parents with seven pollinizers viz., “William Bartlett”, “Fertility”, “Clapp’s Favourite”, “Chinese Sandy Pear”, “Max Red Bartlett”, “Kings Pear” and “Beurre de Amanalis”. The design of experiment was RCBD with three replications and the number of treatment combinations were 18. Pollen source affected the fruit colour significantly, wherein the highest value of red colour based on ‘a’ value was recorded with the pollen of “Max Red Bartlett” in the combination ‘Carmen × Max Red Bartlett’ (a=25.81) whereas, it was lowest with the pollen of “Kings Pear” (a=-16.63) in the combination ‘Abate Fetel × Kings Pear’, fruit shape, pedicle length and number of lenticles remain unaffected with the pollenizers used, however, sensory characteristics varied significantly with the pollenizers used.

Genetic diversity of exotic and local eggplants (Solanum spp.) cultivated in Côte d’Ivoire based on ISSR markers

Abstract. Konan NO, Akaffou MA, Kouadio L, Akaffou DS, Mergeai G. 2020. Genetic diversity of exotic and local eggplants (Solanum spp.) cultivated in Côte d’Ivoire based on ISSR markers. Biodiversitas 21: 3651-3658. Eggplants are important vegetables in Côte d'Ivoire. Despite an increase in the cultivation of exotic genotypes and their progressive dominance over local cultivars, which could represent a threat of genetic erosion, there are not enough molecular data available on the genetic diversity of the eggplants currently cultivated in this country. This study is a contribution to the knowledge of the genetic diversity of the current eggplant cultivars grown in Côte d’Ivoire. It aimed to assess the genetic variation of nine exotic and local eggplants commonly cultivated in Côte d'Ivoire, using five inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. The results revealed for the exotic cultivars 42 ISSR loci of which 31 were polymorphic (73.81 %), and for local cultivars 51 loci of which 49 (96.08%) were polymorphic. The Nei’s genetic diversity and Shannon’s information index of local cultivars (He = 0.3333 and I = 0.4863) were higher than those of exotic cultivars (He = 0.2000 and I = 0.2971). The Gst value and the AMOVA analysis found more than 70% of the total genetic diversity within the groups. The Jaccard’s dissimilarity coefficients between the cultivars, ranged from 0.324 to 0.966 with an average of 0.741. The clustering of genotypes with the neighbor-joining unrooted tree and PCoA analysis differentiated three main clusters with exotic cultivars grouped in cluster I and local cultivars in cluster II and III. In view of these results, the local eggplants had higher genetic diversity and constitute an interesting germplasm which needs to be conserved for potential breeding programs.

Phenolic Profile and Thermal Stability of Monovarietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils Based on Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy.

The olive oil production in Pakistan has recently been started with the cultivation of exotic cultivars that are successfully adapted at Barani Agriculture Research center (BARI), Chakwal, Pakistan in Potohar valley. Therefore, characterization of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) from this agro-climatic region is mandatory in establishing its biochemical profile and thermal stability. Seventeen monovarietal EVOOs extracted from these cultivars were analysed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) and subjected to heating at 115, 150 and 170°C for 15min to identify their thermal stability. SFS emission spectra differentiated EVOOs on the basis of phenolic compounds that are denatured at high temperature, further chlorophyll contents also decreased with increasing temperature. The strong emission at ca. 351nm, suggested to be vanillic acid, 391-471nm for blue green region (BGR) assigned to other phenolic compounds and two peaks at 672 and 723nm for chlorophyll became the bases for grouping through Hierarchical clustering. Most of the EVOOs were stable at 150°C but showed denatured spectra at 170°C, the only EVOO extracted from Spanish cultivar Arbequina was found to have moderate fluorescence emission from both vanillic acid and BGR that are more likely to impart oxidative stability even after heating at 170°C, also confirmed by lowest values of specific extinction co-efficient (K232 and K270). Moreover, variation in phenolic contents of Arbequina EVOO was observed with different harvesting stages and the early harvested olives produced more thermally stable oil as compared to late harvested olives. Arbequina oil grown in Pakistan can be better suited for cooking at high temperatures, moreover can be blended with other monovarietal EVOOs to enhance the nutritional benefits and thermal stability.

Assessment of genetic diversity and population structure in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) using hypervariable SSR markers.

The present study investigates the genetic diversity and population structure among 42 diverse pomegranate genotypes using a set of twenty one class I hypervariable SSR markers (> 24bp), which were reported earlier from the analysis of cv. Dabenzi genome. The study material comprised 16 indigenous and 13 exotic cultivars, and 13 wild accessions. A total of 66 alleles (Na) were detected with an average of 3.14 alleles per marker. The average values of polymorphic information content (PIC), observed heterozygosity (Ho) and Shannon's gene diversity index(I) were 0.44, 0.21 and 0.95, respectively suggesting moderate genetic diversity. The pairwise genetic distance ranged from 0.07 to 0.80 with a mean value of 0.53. Population structure analysis divided all the genotypes into four subpopulations (SP1, SP2, SP3 and SP4). Interestingly, the results of phylogenetic and principal component analyses coincided with the results of structure analysis and the grouping of genotypes followed the geographical origins. AMOVA revealed that 25% of the variation was attributed to differences among populations, whereas 75% within the subpopulations with significant F ST value 0.25 (p < 0.001), indicating a high level of genetic differentiations or low level of gene flow. Based on the F ST values, pomegranate genotypes belonging to SP4 (indigenous cultivars) followed by SP1 (exotic lines) exhibited higher gene diversity and genetic differentiations within and among populations. These genetic relationships based on SSR markers could be harnessed in future genetic improvement of pomegranate through informed hybridization programs.