Fruit Morphology Research Articles

Phylogenetic analysis among five medicinally significant Phyllanthus L. Species in Bangladesh based on taxonomic and molecular approach

A combination of taxonomical and molecular technique had done for authentic characterization of medicinally important five Phyllanthus species viz. P. acidus, P. emblica (small and large fruit form), P. niruri, P. reticulatus and P. urinaria. They were analyzed with several taxonomical parameters such as branching pattern, morphology of bark, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. A dichotomous bracketed key is created for easy identification of the species. RAPD analysis of five Phyllanthus species displayed that P. emblica and P. reticulatus were closely related whereas P. acidus and P. emblica were genetically distantly related. The genus Phyllanthus are diverse, as seen by the 71.68% polymorphism among the five studied species determined by RAPD analysis. The two forms (small and large fruit forms) of P. emblica showed similarity as well as dissimilarity in taxonomic and molecular features. Thus, a subtle revision is necessary in the taxonomical point of view to update their taxa. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 33(1): 121-131, 2024 (January)

Evaluation of cold plasma activated water composite reagent on kiwifruit plants with bacterial canker and the external qualities of kiwifruit after spray treatment

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of cold plasma activated water (PAW) and its complex solution (PKC) in conjunction with kasugamycin copper oxychloride wettable powder (KC) against kiwifruit bacterial canker (KBC) caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (PSA). Through morphological identification and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, Pantoea agglomerans was identified as the pathogen responsible for KBC in the 'Bairui' orchard. Results indicated that PKC exhibited the highest effectiveness in controlling KBC, particularly on mildly (II) infested plants, with a remarkable reduction of 63.64% in PKC II disease index and a control efficiency of 38.64%. Additionally, the application of PKC significantly increased fruit yield, improved fruit weight, and enhanced fruit morphology, resulting in a more uniform and refined fruit shape. Analysis of fruit skin conformational parameters revealed that KBC-affected fruit exhibited reduced hardness and brittleness, increased toughness, and thinner skin. These findings are pivotal for developing effective strategies to further prevent and manage KBC outbreaks. In future studies, further investigations could focus on elucidating the mechanism of action of PAW in complex solution with copper-based pesticides and the potential mechanism of inactivation of PSA.

Variation of fruit morphology and genetic divergence of indigenous pointed gourd

Thirty one indigenous pointed gourd genotypes were studied in Terai region of West Bengal, India to observe variation of fruit morphology and genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D2 statistics and principal component analysis. The field experiment was designed in RBD with three replications at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India during the year 2018-19and 2019-20. All the genotypes were arranged into eight divergent clusters in which cluster I included maximum number followed by cluster II. The highest contribution towards genetic diversity was shown for node at the first female flower (37.85%) followed bychlorophyll a content of leaf (16.77%) and seeds per fruit (12.04%). Principal component-1 had maximum variability (43.83%) with positive loading for the characters like node at the first female flower (0.298), appearance of first female flower (0.265), days to fruit maturity (0.194) and internodal length (0.137). Based on the inter and intra cluster distance cross combinations in between lines PCP-17 and PCP-19, PCP-17 and PCP-9, PCP-17 and PCP-28, PCP-19 and PCP-11, PCP-14 and PCP-9 and PCP-23 and PCP-10 may be utilized in future improvement programme of pointed gourd. Bangladesh J. Bot. 53(1): 193-201, 2024 (March)

A new combination and synonym in Bupleurum (Apiaceae, Apioideae), based on morphological, molecular and cytological evidence.

Specimen examinations and field observations revealed that Bupleurumsmithiivar.parvifolium was distinctly different from B.smithiivar.smithii in umbel, leaf, and fruit morphology, but was very similar to B.commelynoideumvar.flaviflorum. Based on these morphological evidences, the present study re-examined the taxonomic status of these taxa through morphological, cytological, and phylogenetic analyses. The results showed distinguishable features in the width of middle leaves and bracteoles of B.smithiivar.parvifolium compared to B.smithiivar.smithii. Morphological variation between B.smithiivar.parvifolium and B.commelynoideumvar.flaviflorum was continuous and overlapping. Notably, the chromosome number of B.smithiivar.parvifolium was 2n = 14 (x = 7), consistent with B.commelynoideumvar.flaviflorum, whereas B.smithiivar.smithii was 2n = 64 (x = 8). Additionally, phylogenetic analyses revealed B.commelynoideumvar.flaviflorum nested within B.smithiivar.parvifolium, and that both were distant from the B.smithiivar.smithii and B.commelynoideumvar.commelynoideum. Based on the evidence above, the differences between B.smithiivar.parvifolium and B.smithiivar.smithii extend beyond the level of intraspecific variation, and B.commelynoideumvar.flaviflorum is considered to be identical with B.smithiivar.parvifolium. Hence. A new combination and status, B.parvifolium (Shan & Y.Li) Q.R.Liu & L.H.Wang, comb. et stat. nov., is proposed. Furthermore, B.commelynoideumvar.flaviflorum should be treated as a synonym of B.parvifolium.

Patterns of Leaf and Fruit Morphological Variation in Marginal Populations of Acer tataricum L. subsp. tataricum.

Marginal populations are usually smaller and more isolated and grow in less favourable conditions than those at the distribution centre. The variability of these populations is of high importance, as it can support the adaptations needed for the conditions that they grow in. In this research, the morphological variability of eight Tatar maple (Acer tataricum L. subsp. tataricum) populations was analysed. Tatar maple is an insect-pollinated and wind-dispersed shrub/tree, whose northwestern distribution edge is in southeastern Europe. Morphometric methods were used to analyse the variability of the populations using leaf and fruit morphology. The research revealed significant differences between and within populations. Furthermore, differences in the distribution of the total variability were noted, which suggest that different evolutionarily factors affect different plant traits. Correlation analysis confirmed a weak dependency between the vegetative and generative traits. In addition, no evidence was found for the presence of isolation by environment (IBE). However, the Mantel test for isolation by distance (IBD) was significant for the leaf morphometric traits and non-significant for the fruit morphometric traits. Being the marginal leading-edge populations, they are younger and were less likely to have had time for adaptation to local environments, which would have resulted in the development of IBE. Overall, edge populations of Tatar maple were characterised by great morphological variability, which helps these populations in their response to the intensive selective pressures they face in their environment.

Quantitative 2D fruit shape analysis of a wide range of pear genetic resources toward shape design breeding

The shape of a fruit is one of the main characteristics of fruit morphology, and its quantitative description is crucial to improve fruit quality. However, the shape of a pear fruit is relatively complex, and difficult to describe comprehensively. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the morphological diversity of 2D fruit shapes of 276 cultivars, covering 6 groups including Pyrus pyrifolia, Pyrus bretschneideri, Pyrus ussuriensis, Pyrus sinkiangensis, Pyrus communis and interspecific hybridization, and discover shape traits with high heritability. Through an automated image processing method, the fruit contour was first accurately extracted, and then geometrical parameters and Fourier descriptors of the pear fruit shape were obtained. Furthermore, principal components (PCs) of the Fourier descriptors were analyzed, and the broad-sense heritability (H2) of the PCs and standardized width (WSD) were estimated. After that, the pear shape stability was calculated, and cultivars were clustered by their shape characteristics. This paper mainly discusses the longitudinal section, as the cross-section variation among cultivars is small. For the longitudinal section, the results showed more than 95 % of the two-dimensional shape variation can be explained by only six principal components; WSD20, WSD30 and PC1 have high H2; the shape stability of western pear was the lowest; a new class of shape was found by clustering the shape traits. The results indicated that the proposed pipeline can provide an objective and comprehensive quantitative description of pear fruit shape for a wide range of cultivars, which is necessary to discover the key genes determining pear shape. This approach is also beneficial for research on pear breeding and germplasm resource management.

Worldwide productivity and research trend on fruit quality: a bibliometric study.

As one of the important sources of food for human beings, fruits have been extensively studied. To better guide basic and applied research, it is urgent to conduct a systematic analysis of these studies based on extensive literature collection. Based on the Web of Science Core Collection database, this study uses R language and CiteSpace to conduct bibliometric analysis and data mining on the literatures related to fruit quality from January 2013 to June 2023. The results indicated that among various fruits, tomatoes have been most frequently studied with special interests in photosynthesis, fruit development, and molecular breeding. The research direction primarily focused on fruit resistance and storage characteristics. Among the indicators related to fruit quality, antioxidant activity has the highest co-occurrence with other indicators of fruit quality, especially with nutrients such as anthocyanins, phenolic substances, sugars, and fruit firmness. Currently, adaptation to stress and antioxidant activity are recognized as prominent research focal points in this field. Fruit morphology, particularly fruit size, irrigation methods, application of molecular technology, and infection prevention, represent potential areas of interests in future research on fruit quality.

Genes Responsible in The Shape and Size of Solanaceae Fruits

Fruit shape and size in Solanaceae family plays an important role in the determining the economic value and agronomic traits of the crop. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the genetic regulation of some Solanaceae fruit morphology, focusing on the role of CLAVATA1 (CLV1), OVATE family protein (OFP), SUN family gene (SUN), locule number (LC), and fasciated (FAS) genes. The aim of this article is to explore previous studies that reveal how the complex interactions between these genes regulate fruit shape. The SUN and OVATE genes have important roles in regulating fruit elongation, with the SUN gene affecting longitudinal and transverse cell growth, while mutations in the OVATE gene change the fruit shape from round to pear. In addition, the FAS and LC genes contribute to increasing the number of loci in the fruit, while the CLAVATA1 gene controls fruit size by regulating stem cell activity. This review paper provides a deep insight into the current understanding of the genes that regulate fruit shape and presents them in the context of current research. It is hoped that this article will provide a strong foundation for future research to improve the quality and productivity of tomato plants.

Brinjal: Breeding and Genomics

Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) also known as eggplant is an important solanaceous vegetable crop grown across tropical and subtropical regions of the world. India is the centre of origin of the crop, large diversity in the morphology of fruit and plant type exists in the country. Also, a large number of wild relatives is being utilized in breeding programs as a source of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Conventional breeding programs have focused on improving plant type and yield through the development of high-yielding varieties and hybrids. More recently, breeding for stress tolerance and enhanced nutritional content has gained importance. Genetic inheritance studies, mapping, molecular tools are enriching the crop improvement work. Of late, the availability of high-quality genome sequences has spurred functional analysis at the genome level augmenting molecular tools for marker-assisted selection. In the present article, attempt has been made to highlight the improvement work carried out from relevance of the crop diversity to genomic-level knowledge advancement. Future prospective in brinjal improvement having relevance in Indian context is also highlighted.

Morphological, chemical and genetic analyses reveal high diversity and blurred genetic boundaries in Cornus officinalis Siebold & Zucc. in China

Cornus officinalis Siebold & Zucc. is an important Chinese herbal medicine with traditional clinical applications, a long history of cultivation and high economic value in China. C. officinalis is distributed mainly in the Shaanxi, Henan, and Zhejiang provinces of China, which are also historically the main production areas, and which still provide 90% of the medicinal material of this species for the contemporary market. In this study, we investigated the main germplasm resources of C. officinalis across its distribution, based on fruit morphology, the concentrations of selected medicinally active ingredients, and molecular population genetic analysis. The results indicated that the C. officinalis populations sampled had abundant variation in fruit morphology and chemical component content, and showed high genetic diversity, as revealed by microsatellite markers. Clustering results based on morphology, active ingredient concentration and microsatellite markers supported the idea that populations from Zhejiang province were distinct from those in Shaanxi and Henan. The fruit and molecular data suggested that the Shaanxi and Henan populations were mixed, which could be attributed to their close geographical distance and frequent germplasm exchange. Most of the C. officinalis populations had relatively weak genetic differentiation from others sampled, and most of the individuals sampled showed extensive admixture. We suggest that artificial gene flow caused by intensive cultivation and widespread trading is responsible for the observed admixture of genetic components and blurred genetic boundaries between C. officinalis populations, especially in the Shaanxi and Henan populations. We also propose some suggestions for the efficient utilization and conservation of C. officinalis germplasm. These findings provide valuable information on the genetic resources of C. officinalis and offer guidelines for breeding programs and scientific management of C. officinalis.

Genomic analysis of fruit size and shape traits in apple: unveiling candidate genes through GWAS analysis.

Genomic tools facilitate the efficient selection of improved genetic materials within a breeding program. Here, we focus on two apple fruit quality traits: shape and size. We utilized data from 11 fruit morphology parameters gathered across three years of harvest from 355 genotypes of the apple REFPOP collection, which serves as a representative sample of the genetic variability present in European-cultivated apples. The data were then employed for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using the FarmCPU and the BLINK models. The analysis identified 59 SNPs associated with fruit size and shape traits (35 with FarmCPU and 45 with BLINK) responsible for 71 QTNs. These QTNs were distributed across all chromosomes except for chromosomes 10 and 15. Thirty-four QTNs, identified by 27 SNPs, were related for size traits, and 37 QTNs, identified by 26 SNPs, were related to shape attributes. The definition of the haploblocks containing the most relevant SNPs served to propose candidate genes, among them the genes of the ovate family protein MdOFP17 and MdOFP4 that were in a 9.7kb haploblock on Chromosome 11. RNA-seq data revealed low or null expression of these genes in the oblong cultivar "Skovfoged" and higher expression in the flat "Grand'mere." The Gene Ontology enrichment analysis support a role of OFPs and hormones in shape regulation. In conclusion, this comprehensive GWAS analysis of the apple REFPOP collection has revealed promising genetic markers and candidate genes associated with apple fruit shape and size attributes, providing valuable insights that could enhance the efficiency of future breeding programs.

Comparative carpology of Cyclospatheae and Ceroxyleae (Arecaceae - Ceroxyloideae)

At present, the fruits of the representatives of Arecaceae remain insufficiently studied, therefore, studies of comparative carpology of palms are relevant. We investigated fruit morphology and anatomy of all 4 genus of tribes Cyclospatheae and Ceroxyleae of subfamily Ceroxylonideae (Arecaceae). The fruits of studied species (Pseudophoenix sargentii, Ceroxylon alpinum, C. vogelianum, C. utile, Juania australis, Oraniopsis appendiculata, Ravenea hildebrandtii, R. robustior) were revealed as pyrenarium of Ilex type. We can consider that the original fruit type within the subfamily are lobate trimerous fruits of Pseudophoenix, with the pericarp differentiated into parenchymatous mesocarp, scattered brachysclereids in the peripheral zone of the mesocarp and palisade sclerified endocarp. Fruits of Ceroxyleae are derived types of fruits, which had morphogenetic transformation in different zones of pericarp. Transformations of mesocarp had different ways: differentiation of mesocarp subzones (Ceroxylon), formation of belt of brachysclereids in the peripheral zone of the mesocarp (Ceroxylon, Juania), or formation of sclereids with different shapes (Ravenea hildebrandtii), or almost complete absence of sclereids (Oraniopsis, Ravenea robustior). Transformations of endocarp followed the path of reduction of the length of the palisade sclerified cells (Ceroxylon, Juania, Ravenea, Oraniopsis) and its filling with phlobaphenes (Ravenea, Oraniopsis).

Chloroplast genomes and ribosomal DNA provide insights into divergence and morphological evolution of alpine Tongoloa

AbstractTongoloa is a herbaceous genus of East Asia Clade (Apiaceae) distributed in the alpine regions. The use of DNA fragments has not provided a well‐resolved evolutionary history. For this research, we primarily collected samples from the type localities of Tongoloa and closely related taxa in the Hengduan Mountains. The chloroplast (cp) genomes and nuclear ribosomal (nr) DNA repeats of 27 taxa were assembled using genome skimming sequencing reads. We analyzed the characteristics of the Tongoloa cp genome, and found a remarkable expansion of the Inverted Repeats. Three genes (ndhC, ndhJ, and petG) related to photosynthesis appear to have undergone significant selective pressure. Through high‐resolution phylogenetic analysis, the cpDNA provided compelling evidence supporting the inclusion of Sinolimprichtia as an early taxon within Tongoloa. However, the nrDNA suggested that Tongoloa and Sinolimprichtia belong to distinct branches. Morphological analysis showed that Tongoloa has broadly oval fruits with a cordate base, whereas the fruits of Sinolimprichtia are long‐obovate with an obtuse base. The specific fruit morphology of Sinolimprichtia was found to be nested within Tongoloa in the cpDNA phylogenetic tree. Ancient introgression and chloroplast capture provide the most plausible explanation for the significant conflict between the nrDNA and cpDNA phylogenies. Our study highlights the potential impact of the complex evolutionary history of Tongoloa on the challenges encountered in previous taxonomic treatments.

Dispersal from Africa to the Neotropics was followed by multiple transitions across Neotropical biomes facilitated by frugivores.

Plant disjunctions have fascinated biogeographers and ecologists for a long time. We use tribe Bocageeae (Annonaceae), a predominantly Neotropical plant group distributed across several present-day Neotropical biomes and with an African-American disjunction, to investigate long-distance dispersal mediated by frugivorous animals at both intercontinental and intracontinental scales. We reconstructed a species-level phylogeny of tribe Bocageeae with a dataset composed of 116 nuclear markers. We sampled 70% of Bocageeae species, covering its geographic range and representing all eight genera. We estimated divergence times using BEAST, inferred ancestral range distributions and reconstructed ancestral states for fruit traits related to long-distance dispersal in a Bayesian framework. The ancestral Bocageeae date to the Early Eocene and were inferred to occur in Africa and proto-Amazonia. Its ancestral fruits were large and dehiscent. The first lineage split gave rise to an exclusively Neotropical clade during the Middle Eocene, in proto-Amazonia. Range exchange between the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest occurred at least once during the Miocene, and from Amazonia to Central America and Mexico, during the Early Miocene. Transitions in different sets of fruit morphologies were inferred to be related to dispersal events across South American regions/biomes. In Bocageeae mammals may have been responsible for long-distance dispersal through the Boreotropics. In the Neotropics, proto-Amazonia is proposed to be the source for dispersal to other tropical American biomes. Long-distance dispersal may have happened via a wide range of dispersal guilds, depending on frugivore radiations, diversity, and abundance at particular time periods and places. Hence, inter- and intracontinental dispersal may not rely on a single dispersal syndrome or guild, but more on the availability of frugivorous lineages for seed dispersal.

Hormonal Content and Gene Expression during Olive Fruit Growth and Ripening.

The cultivated olive (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea) is one of the most valuable fruit trees worldwide. However, the hormonal mechanisms underlying the fruit growth and ripening in olives remain largely uncharacterized. In this study, we investigated the physiological and hormonal changes, by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS), as well as the expression patterns of hormone-related genes, using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, during fruit growth and ripening in two olive cultivars, 'Arbequina' and 'Picual', with contrasting fruit size and shape as well as fruit ripening duration. Hormonal profiling revealed that olive fruit growth involves a lowering of auxin (IAA), cytokinin (CKs), and jasmonic acid (JA) levels as well as a rise in salicylic acid (SA) levels from the endocarp lignification to the onset of fruit ripening in both cultivars. During olive fruit ripening, both abscisic acid (ABA) and anthocyanin levels rose, while JA levels fell, and SA levels showed no significant changes in either cultivar. By contrast, differential accumulation patterns of gibberellins (GAs) were found between the two cultivars during olive fruit growth and ripening. GA1 was not detected at either stage of fruit development in 'Arbequina', revealing a specific association between the GA1 and 'Picual', the cultivar with large sized, elongated, and fast-ripening fruit. Moreover, ABA may play a central role in regulating olive fruit ripening through transcriptional regulation of key ABA metabolism genes, whereas the IAA, CK, and GA levels and/or responsiveness differ between olive cultivars during olive fruit ripening. Taken together, the results indicate that the relative absence or presence of endogenous GA1 is associated with differences in fruit morphology and size as well as in the ripening duration in olives. Such detailed knowledge may be of help to design new strategies for effective manipulation of olive fruit size as well as ripening duration.

Harvest Season and Morphological Variation of Canistel (Pouteria campechiana) Fruit and Leaves Collected in Different Zones of Mexico

Canistel (Pouteria campechiana (Kunth) Baehni; yellow sapote, canistel) is an edible fruit that is native to Mexico; the tree is used as an ornamental and medicinal plant. Descriptive studies were carried out with the objective of characterizing the morphology of the fruit and leaves of trees located in different regions of Mexico to select outstanding specimens for large scale reproduction. The selection of trees was carried out in three geographically neighboring areas, where visible differences have been observed in fruit morphology: size, shape, color, number of seeds, and leaf shape. Semi-ripe fruit were collected from each area, weight and measurements were noted, seeds were extracted, and a data matrix was obtained: (fruit weight (grams), fruit polar diameter (centimeters), fruit equatorial diameter (centimeters), pulp weight (grams), number of seeds, seed weight (grams), seed polar diameter (centimeters), seed equatorial diameter (centimeters), and total soluble solids (SST)). Leaves were collected at the mature stage, and an image analysis was carried out to evaluate morphometric parameters: area, perimeter, major diameter, minor diameter, circularity, solidity, and angle. An analysis of variance was performed to find significant differences in the fruit data and a principal component analysis was performed with the leaf data. In Zone 2, the fruit had three seeds, the highest weight in all the zones sampled (180 to 330 g), and the greatest amount of pulp (198.88 g); they were subglobose in shape, and 33% soluble solids. There were eight months to harvest in Zone 1 and nine months in Zone 3. The main variables in the principal component analysis were leaf area, perimeter, and minor diameter; 84.6% of the variability represented by the first three components is sufficient to explain the difference between the leaves of the three zones. This data can be used to assess the propagation of canistel in areas with favorable climatic conditions for fruiting in tropical and subtropical regions.

Genetic enhancement of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] germplasm through wide hybridization.

The introgression of genetic material from one species to another through wide hybridization and repeated back-crossing, plays an important role in genetic modification and enriching the cultivated gene-pool with novel genetic variations. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus [(L.) Moench)] is a popular vegetable crop with high dietary fibre and protein, rich in essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan. The wild Abelmoschus genepool has many desirable traits like ornamental value, short internodal length, more number of productive branches, extended bearing, perennation tendency, reduced fruit length (more consumer preferred trait), high mucilage content (medicinal value), abiotic stress tolerances such as drought, high temperature and biotic stress resistances such as okra Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (YVMV) and Enation Leaf Curl Virus (ELCV) diseases. The repeated use of elite breeding lines led to narrowing of the genetic base of the okra crop, one of the major factors attributed to breakdown of resistance/ tolerance to biotic stresses. YVMV and ELCV are the two major diseases, causing significant yield loss in okra. Hence, wide hybridization was attempted to transfer tolerance genes from wild species to the cultivated genepool to widen the genetic base. The screening of germplasm of wild Abelmoschus species at hotspots led to the identification of tolerant species (Abelmoschus pungens var. mizoramensis, A. enbeepeegeearensis, A. caillei, A. tetraphyllus and A. angulosus var. grandiflorus), which were further used in a wide-hybridization programme to generate interspecific hybrids with the cultivated okra. Presence of pre- and post-zygotic barriers to interspecific geneflow, differences in ploidy levels and genotype specific variations in chromosome numbers led to varying degrees of sterility in F1 plants of interspecific crosses. This was overcome by doubling the chromosome number of interspecific hybrids by applying Colchicine at the seedling stage. The 113 cross derivatives generated comprising amphidiploids in the F1 generation (30), F3 (14), one each in F2 and F4 generations, back cross generation in BC1F2 (03), BC1F3 (25), and BC2F3 (02), crosses between amphidiploids (27), multi-cross combinations (07) and inter-specific cross (between A. sagittifolius × A. moschatus subsp. moschatus) selfed derivatives at F8 generation (03) were characterized in the present study. Besides they were advanced through selfing and backcrossing. The amphidiploids were found to possess many desirable genes with a considerable magnitude of linkage drag. Majority of the wide cross derivatives had an intermediate fruit morphology and dominance of wild characters viz., hispid fruits, stem, leaves, tough fruit fibre, vigorous perennial growth habit and prolonged flowering and fruiting. The fruit morphology of three BC progenies exhibited a high morphological resemblance to the cultivated okra, confirming successful transfer of useful genes to the cultivated okra genepool. The detailed morphological characteristics of the various combinations of Abelmoschus amphidiploids and the genetic enhancement of the genepool achieved in this process is reported here.

Fruit morphology in Anthurium sect. Pachyneurium from Brazil (Araceae) and its taxonomic implications

The revision of Anthurium section Pachyneurium from Brazil provided the opportunity to expand the knowledge of berry attributes. Through examination of infructescence, fruits, and seeds from 11 species A. sect. Pachyneurium from Brazil, we aimed to uncover morphological variations in berry shape, size, color, ornamentation, and seed characteristics are crucial for taxonomic insights within the broader Anthurium genus. The study presents diagnostic descriptions for 11 Pachyneurium species, complemented by an identification key, diagnoses, illustrations, and a comparative table, based on infructescence, fruit and seeds. Pachyneurium species have oblong to obovoid berries, rarely globose shape, purple or reddish color and 1–2 seeds per berry, 1 is generally aborted. By elucidating the taxonomic value of these attributes, we provide essential tools for accurate species identification and classification, thus advancing botanical taxonomy and enriching our comprehension of this specific plant group.

Exploring horticultural traits and disease resistance in Capsicum baccatum through segmental introgression lines.

Segmental introgression and advanced backcross lines were developed and validated as important tools for improving agronomically important traits in pepper, offering improved sensitivity in detecting quantitative trait loci for breeding. Segmental introgression lines (SILs) and advanced backcross lines (ABs) can accelerate genetics and genomics research and breeding in crop plants. This study presents the development of a complete collection of SILs and ABs in pepper using Capsicum annuum cv. 'CM334' as the recipient parent and Capsicum baccatum 'PBC81', which displays various agronomically important traits including powdery mildew and anthracnose resistance, as donor parent. Using embryo rescue to overcome abortion in interspecific crosses, and marker-assisted selection with genotyping-in-thousands by sequencing (GT-seq) to develop SILs and ABs containing different segments of the C. baccatum genome, we obtained 63 SILs and 44 ABs, covering 94.8% of the C. baccatum genome. We characterized them for traits including powdery mildew resistance, anthracnose resistance, anthocyanin accumulation, trichome density, plant architecture, and fruit morphology. We validated previously known loci for these traits and discovered new sources of variation and quantitative trait loci (QTLs). A total of 15 QTLs were identified, including four for anthracnose resistance with three novel loci, seven for plant architecture, and four for fruit morphology. This is the first complete collection of pepper SILs and ABs validated for agronomic traits and will enhance QTL detection and serve as valuable breeding resources. Further, these SILs and ABs will be useful for comparative genomics and to better understand the genetic mechanisms underlying important agronomic traits in pepper, ultimately leading to improved crop productivity and sustainability.

Analysis of genetic diversity of yuzu (Citrus junos Sieb. Ex Tanaka) using single nucleotide polymorphisms identified through RNA-seq and whole-genome resequencing analyses

ABSTRACT Yuzu (Citrus junos Sieb. Ex Tanaka) is widely cultivated in Asia. However, a system for variety identification has not been developed yet. RNA-seq analysis was performed to identify variants among five yuzu samples including a seedless variety. However, only four variants were found, suggesting that the seedless trait might originate from bud mutations. To identify more variants, whole-genome resequencing was performed. A total of 140 reliable variants were screened. Based on these variants, 30 high-resolution melting (HRM) markers were developed. After genotyping 265 yuzu samples using the HRM markers, the yuzu samples were classified into 18 types. Three yuzu-like samples (B-37-1, B-UK2, and B-MD6-8) showing different fruit morphologies and off-type HRM peak patterns were assumed to originate from interspecific hybridisation. To identify the parent species of these yuzu-like samples, nucleotide sequences of a hypervariable chloroplast genomic region and a nuclear CitRWP gene responsible for nucellar embryony were obtained. Chloroplast genome sequence analysis indicated that the maternal parents of B-37-1 and B-MD6-8 were yuzu, whereas the B-UK2 sequence was identical to that of sweet orange. Moreover, the CitRWP sequences indicated that the male parents of B-37-1, B-UK2, and B-MD6-8 were mandarin, yuzu, and pummelo, respectively.