Highest Genetic Distance Research Articles

First record of the order Polyzoniida from the Indian subcontinent with an integrative description of a new genus (Diplopoda, Colobognatha, Siphonotidae).

Considering the large area of the Indian subcontinent, its known millipede diversity is sparse with only ca. 270 described species in 90 genera, 25 families and 11 orders. So far, not a single polyzoniidan millipede has been described from India. The order Polyzoniida Cook, 1895 is one of the most species-poor millipede groups with less than 80 described species, and includes taxonomically problematic groups, especially in the family Siphonotidae Cook, 1895. Here we report the first representatives of the order Polyzoniida from India, and describe the new genus Theratta n. gen., with the three species Theratta mannavan n. sp., Theratta eravikulam n. sp., and Theratta shola n. sp., using scanning electron microscopy and COI genetic barcoding. Based on the morphological characters we place Theratta n. gen., and the three new species in the tribe Rhinotini Hoffman, 1977 of the family Siphonotidae. The gonopods of the new genus are similar to those of the genus Rhinotus Cook, 1896, but differ from all other Rhinotini in the modification of the podomere II of the anterior telopod, carrying a mesal process on the posterior side and a lamellar process on the anterior side. The three newly described species show a high interspecific genetic distance of 20.925.3%. The specimens were collected from the Shola forests (high altitude montane forests) of the southern Western Ghats in Kerala, India. We suggest that more extensive sampling in this area and in the Indian subcontinent in general will yield more new millipede species for science and expand our understanding of the hitherto neglected Indian millipede fauna.

Phylogenetic diversity of water scorpions (Nepa spp., Insecta, Hemiptera)

Water scorpions belonging to the genus Nepa are predatory freshwater aquatic insects of the order Hemiptera. There are currently five accepted species, with a Holarctic distribution: N. cinerea (Eurasia and Northern Africa), N. sardiniensis (Sardinia and Corsica), N. anophthalma (endemic to Movile Cave, Romania), N. apiculata (North America) and N. hoffmanni (Eastern Asia). Mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers indicate a correlation between genetic diversity and geographic distribution. Analyses also reveal a cryptic diversity in the Western Mediterranean basin, with specimens of the cinerea clade being assigned to the sardiniensis clade. The cave-adapted N. anophthalma is genetically closest to N. cinerea, suggesting surface populations of N. cinerea as possible ancestors. N. cinerea samples from three cave systems in Italy indicate various degrees of gene flow between surface and subterranean populations and an instance of a possible incipient speciation event. Despite the overlap in distribution range in mainland Eastern Asia between N. cinerea and N. hoffmanni, there is a high genetic distance between the two species. A similar value of genetic distance is found between N. cinerea and N. apiculata, but also between N. hoffmanni and N. apiculata, suggesting the assignment of N. hoffmanni and N. apiculata to different genera. The single species currently considered as stygobiotic, N. anophthalma, deserves more research to understand the timing of colonization of Movile groundwater by its surface ancestors.

Genetic Diversity of Indigenous and Exotic Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] Genotypes at Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia

Ethiopia is considered as the possible origin and center of diversity for okra. Therefore, this study was conducted with the objectives of determining the genetic distance between indigenous okra collections and exotic commercial varieties and assessing genetic diversity of okra genotypes. The field experiment was conducted at Dire Dawa in 2016 using 14 indigenous collections and 11 exotic varieties in 5 x 5 triple lattice design. Data were collected on 9 and 29 qualitative and quantitative traits, respectively. The genetic distance measured by Euclidean distance ranged from 3.1 to 12.6 with a mean of 7.2. The highest genetic distances were observed between indigenous okra collections and exotic varieties viz. Guba-12 and NamdHari (12.6) followed by Guba-12 and Vellayani (12.3) and Mythri and Guba-12 (11.8). Dendrogram constructed by Unweighted Pair-group Method with Arithmetic Means grouped the 25 genotypes into seven major clusters in which the three clusters (Cluster II, III and V) were solitary, consisted of one genotype each, Cluster I consisted of six Indian commercial varieties, Cluster IV comprised of seven genotypes (four indigenous okra collections, one variety from USA and two from India), while Cluster VI and VII comprised of 5 and 4 indigenous okra collections, respectively. This study revealed the presence of wide genetic diversity among indigenous okra collections and exotic commercial varieties.

Genetic Diversity of Pathogenic Fungi Aspergillus flavus Isolates Using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique

Aspergillus flavus is the second most public fungi that causing disease in human and causes diseases in several important agricultural crops. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variety among diverse isolates of Aspergillus flavus by the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Five isolates were obtained from Samarra hospital and outpatient clinic and were diagnosed morphologically and microscopically. Results of RAPD profile revealed a high genetic distance (0.244) between isolates number (1 and 5), while the isolates number (2 and 5) were joined with lower genetic distance (0.090). Unique and absent bands were displayed by certain isolates and can be taken as a positive marker for isolate identification. The dendrogram of banding patterns revealed a great relationship between isolates number (2 and 5) from one side and isolates number (1 and 3) from the other side, while the isolate number 4 was separated into particular subgroup which closer to the isolate number 1 and 3.

Genetic Diversity Analysis of Sapota (Manilkara Zapota) Germplasm by Rapd Marker

The experiment was carried out at the Department of Horticulture, Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Bangladesh, during the period from October 2018 to April 2019. The genetic diversity of eight sapota germplasm viz. Gp-1, Gp-2, Gp-4, Gp-6, Gp-7, Gp-9, Gp-15 and Gp-17available at the Germplasm Center of PSTU using PCR based Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker were studied.By the PCR, the RAPD primers generated various bands ranging from 3 to 10 and yielded a total of 45 bands of which 42.12% were polymorphic.Comparatively higher genetic distance (0.28) was found between Gp-1 and Gp-9. The inter-population similarity index value was the highest (99%) between Gp-2 and Gp-9, Gp-4 and Gp-15.Among the germplasm, Gp-1 and Gp-17werethe most polymorphic with other sapotagermplasm. Interestingly, the leaf morphological features (length and width) were also found the highest in Gp-1 and Gp-17.
 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 45(2): 145-155, June 2020

Characterization and the Genetic Diversity in Pummelo Using Fruit Traits and SSR Markers

Pummelo is one of the basic citrus species of horticultural importance for human health and nutrition security. It has wide genetic diversity due to its breeding behavior during the domestication process. The present research was performed to study the fruits traits and characterization of the studied 21 pummelo genotypes with morphological, fruit quality parameters, and SSR markers. Principal component analysis (PCA) was done to get PC individual plot and clustering the genotypes in five main clusters based on 17 morphological traits. The highest number (08) of genotypes was grouped in cluster V and the lowest (01) in cluster III. Genotypes resided with the highest genetic distance in the individual biplots are promising for suitable parents. Again, molecular characterization or cluster analysis was performed with 5 SSR markers. The PIC values ranged from a low of 0.66 (CAC23) to a high of 0.8787 (TAA41) and averaged 0.78. TAA41 presented the second largest (47 bp) difference among allele size range and the largest (11) number of alleles with the highest gene diversity value (0.88). The average genetic distance among the 21 pummelo genotypes were 0.8362. The NJ cluster analysis led to the grouping of the pummelo genotypes in three major clusters (I, II, and III). The genotypes resided in the similar cluster should be avoided for pummelo improvement. The findings of this research would be useful to select desirable parents for future pummelo breeding program.

Genetic diversity of seagrass Cymodocea species as an ecological indicator on the Palk Bay Coast, India

Seagrass meadows are rapidly vanishing due to coastal development and climate change. In seagrass research, omics and molecular profiling tools are timely, allowing for new prospects to worldwide concerns. Hence, the present study tested the eight SCoT primers on Cymodocea serrulata and Cymodocea rotundata, which showed 591 polymorphic bands (90.92%), indicating that the individuals are from different populations from the Palk Bay Coast. The Nei-based genetic distance matrix of eight populations of C. serrulata and C. rotundata showed high genetic distance at the intraspecies level in 0.325–0.506. The Nei genetic diversity (h), Shannon information index (I), and allelic number (Ne) of C. serrulata and C. rotundata were low to moderate. C. serrulata had a higher Shannon index (0.54) and genetic diversity (0.36) than the other seven populations, whereas C. rotundata had a higher Shannon index (0.5) and genetic diversity (0.33) in Kattumavadi. The study concludes that the genetic diversity of C. serrulata and C. rotundata shows moderate levels across the study. The Cymodoacea species showed low genetic diversity and heterozygosity due to habitat degradation. These restricted gene flow and fragmented populations are typically exposed to increase their risk of extinction. The population genetics of Cymodoacea species from the Palk Bay region is the first to use SCoT markers to provide insight on seagrass genetics as an ecological indicator for conservation and coastal management.

Genetic Diversity Analysis by D2 Clustering for Mineral Nutrient Composition of Watermelon Genotypes (Citrullus sp.)

Background: Watermelon is an important cucurbit with rich genetic diversity. A great proportion of this diversity remains largely unexploited in terms of mineral nutrient composition. Methods: The contents of eight different mineral nutrients were determined in eighty diverse genotypes. D2 statistics and principal component analysis were used to cluster genotypes and understand the underlying variations in mineral nutrient compositions of watermelon genotypes. Result: Large variations in the content of many mineral contents such as Na, K and Zn were recorded. D2 analysis placed the eighty watermelon genotypes into 8 distinct clusters. Cluster I comprised of maximum number of genotypes (68) followed by Cluster II (6). All other 6 clusters consisted of 1 genotype each. Among 8 clusters, cluster II showed highest intra cluster distance (342.14) followed by cluster I (279.07), whereas minimum intra cluster distance recorded in cluster III, cluster IV, cluster V, cluster VI, cluster VII and cluster VIII (0.00). Based on inter-cluster distance the maximum diversity was observed between clusters VIII and VI (3234.85). D2 statistics showed that potassium content contributed highest (25%) to divergence followed by magnesium content (22.7%) and manganese content (11%). Principal component analysis revealed that the first two principal components (PCs) together controlled 52.92% of total variability. Based on higher genetic distance among clusters and higher mean value of genotypes for nutritional traits, DWM 164, DWM 129, DWM 165, DWM 115, DWM 142, DWM 117, DWM 45, DWM 196 and DWM 12 could be exploited in breeding programme as potential donors for developing nutrient- rich watermelon varieties/hybrids.

Redescription of the goby Glossogobius tenuiformis Fowler, 1934 (Teleostei: Gobiidae) and assignment of Oman Glossogobius populations: a morpho-molecular approach.

Glossogobius giuris was originally described as Gobius giuris from the Ganges River, India. However, based on the uncertainty of its type locality and its apparent widespread distribution, a comprehensive study is being carried out to define the correct taxonomic status of this taxon. The South African population of the Glossogobius from St. Lucia Lake, KwaZulu-Natal was described as Glossogobius tenuiformis by Fowler in 1934. It has usually been considered as Glossogobius giuris but Hoese and Hammer indicated that it was a distinct species (2021: 83). Here, based on morphological characters and a molecular data set, we redescribe Glossogobius tenuiformis and assign the Oman populations of Glossogobius to this species. Glossogobius tenuiformis is distinguished from G. giuris by the absence or very short (and often only a few papillae long) sensory papilla line 6; presence of single rows of the sensory papillae in each cheek line, 1216 pre-dorsal scale counts, and 1+1+911, usually 1+1+10, gill rakers on outer face of first arch. Glossogobius tenuiformis is also distinguished by molecular characters. Glossogobius tenuiformis shows 16% genetic distance with other members of this species complex, that includes G. laticeps from Vietnam, Bangladesh and China, G. giuris from South Africa and India and giuris C from India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh and Vietnam, and the highest genetic distance (24%) with G. circumspectus.

Genome-wide investigations reveal the population structure and selection signatures of Nigerian cattle adaptation in the sub-Saharan tropics

BackgroundCattle are considered to be the most desirable livestock by small scale farmers. In Africa, although comprehensive genomic studies have been carried out on cattle, the genetic variations in indigenous cattle from Nigeria have not been fully explored. In this study, genome-wide analysis based on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) of 193 Nigerian cattle was used to reveal new insights on the history of West African cattle and their adaptation to the tropical African environment, particularly in sub-Saharan region. ResultsThe GBS data were evaluated against whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and high rate of variant concordance between the two platforms was evident with high correlated genetic distance matrices genotyped by both methods suggestive of the reliability of GBS applicability in population genetics. The genetic structure of Nigerian cattle was observed to be homogenous and unique from other African cattle populations. Selection analysis for the genomic regions harboring imprints of adaptation revealed genes associated with immune responses, growth and reproduction, efficiency of feeds utilization, and heat tolerance. Our findings depict potential convergent adaptation between African cattle, dogs and humans with adaptive genes SPRY2 and ITGB1BP1 possibly involved in common physiological activities.ConclusionThe study presents unique genetic patterns of Nigerian cattle which provide new insights on the history of cattle in West Africa based on their population structure and the possibility of parallel adaptation between African cattle, dogs and humans in Africa which require further investigations.

Molecular evidence for extensive discontinuity between peracarid (Crustacea) fauna of Macaronesian islands and nearby continental coasts: over fifty candidate endemic species

Oceanic islands are recognized evolutionary hotspots for terrestrial organisms, but little is known about their impact on marine organisms’ evolution and biogeography. The volcanic archipelagos of Macaronesia occupy a vast and complex region in the Atlantic Ocean and may be particularly suitable to investigate marine island biogeography. In this study, we used mitochondrial DNA sequences (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcoding region) to investigate the genetic differentiation between the populations from Webbnesia (i.e. Madeira, Selvagens and Canary Islands) and adjacent coasts (Azores, Continental Iberian Peninsula and Morocco) of 23 intertidal peracarid species. All species had high intraspecific genetic distances (>3%), reaching more than 20% in some cases. Between 79 and 95 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) were found in these species. Webbnesia populations displayed high genetic diversity and high endemicity, with 83% of the MOTUs being private to these islands, particularly La Palma and Madeira. Artificial community network analyses based on MOTU occurrence suggested higher similarity between Webbnesia and Azores than with adjacent continental coasts. These results reveal an unanticipated and strong biogeographic discontinuity of peracaridean fauna between Webbnesia and the Iberian Peninsula, a pattern that may occur in other groups of marine invertebrates in the region. We emphasize the unique genetic heritage hosted by these islands, underlining the need to consider the fine scale endemicity in marine conservation efforts.

A new Amazonian species of Allobates Zimmermann & Zimmermann, 1988 (Aromobatidae) with a trilled advertisement call.

BackgroundCurrently, 58 species are assigned to the genus Allobates, with 70% of its diversity described just in the last two decades, with many additional species likely unnamed. The continuous description of these new species represents a fundamental step for resolving the taxonomy and ensuring the future conservation of the genus.MethodsUsing molecular, acoustic, and morphological evidences, we describe a new species of Allobates from Teles Pires River region, southern Amazonia, and provide accounts on the population of A. tapajos found sympatrically with the new species.ResultsThe new species is distinguished from its congeners by the coloration of thighs, venter, dorsum, and dark lateral stripe. It has four types of calls, with advertisement calls formed by relatively long trills with a mean duration of 2.29 s ± 0.65, mean of 39.93 notes ± 11.18 emitted at a mean rate of 17.49 ± 0.68 notes per second, and mean dominant frequency of 5,717 Hz ± 220.81. The genetic distance between the new species and its congeners in a fragment of the 16S mitochondrial fragment ranged between 13.2% (A. carajas) to 21.3% (A. niputidea). The sympatric Allobates population fits its morphology and acoustic with the nominal A. tapajos, but presents a relatively high genetic distance of nearly 6.5%, raising questions on the current taxonomy of this species.

Discovery of a new species of Euphlyctis (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from the western coastal plains of peninsular India.

The aquatic frog genus Euphlyctis is now considered under two separate genera- Euphlyctis Fitzinger and Phrynoderma Fitzinger, with four valid species in each genus, respectively. The current distribution range of the genus Phrynoderma is restricted to peninsular India and Bangladesh, with a probability of availability in Sri Lanka. The genus Euphlyctis has a wide range of distribution from the Arabian Peninsula and the South Asian countries, with a few historical descriptions treated as junior synonyms of the species Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis in India. A new species of skittering frog, Euphlyctis jaladhara sp. nov. is described here from the surroundings of the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary of Kerala, India, which has a predominant distribution in the western coastal plains of peninsular India and some parts of the Western Ghats. The new species has distinct morphological characters and a high genetic distance that distinguishes it from the sympatric species. Discussions are made concerning the validity of the species E. ghoshi and E. kalasgramensis.

Integration of morpho-physico-biochemical traits with SSR and SRAP markers for characterization of castor genotypes of Indian origin

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is an important tropical oilseed crop, whose oil has versatile, practical value, especially in industries. The present study aimed to estimate the nature and magnitude of variability in the castor germplasm concerning yield and its component traits and physico-biochemical characters. Seed yield per plant and oil content ranged from 80.90 ​g (ICS-165) to 248.30 ​g (RG-3216), and 34.7% (ICS-172) to 58.7% (JI-277), respectively. The iodine value of oil ranged from 76.36 (JI-370) to 89.84 (P2-135) with an average value of 83.02. The mean saponification value of oil was 182.24. The genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation were high for acid value, capsules on the main raceme, seed yield per plant, and total length of the main raceme. A positive association of porosity, average unit volume, and total length of the main raceme with seed yield per plant showed that these characters might be directly attributed to seed yield improvement. By Manhattan distances, the 30 genotypes were grouped into 3 clusters. Their genetic diversity was elucidated using SSR and SRAP markers. SRAP marker produced higher mean number of total bands (5.71), polymorphic bands (4.57), percentage polymorphism (83.10%), PIC (1.72), RP (5.90), mean RP (1.02), MR (5.71), EMR (4.57) and MI (1.44) values when compared to SSR (2.89, 2.11, 79.63%, 0.61, 1.90, 0.72, 2.89, 2.11 and 0.49, respectively) marker. The highest genetic distance (0.77) was between 48-1 and JI-370, which indicated that these genotypes could be used in biparental mating schemes, QTL map development, and hybridization programmes to increase oil content and quality for industrial purposes.

Identification of Heterotic Groups and Patterns Based on Genotypic and Phenotypic Characteristics Among Rice Accessions of Diverse Origins.

Identification of the right parental combinations to maximize heterosis is the major goal of hybrid breeding, which could be achieved through identification of heterotic groups. The main objective of this study was to identify promising heterotic groups for future rice breeding programs. A collection of 359 rice genotypes of diverse origins of China and abroad, composed of inbreds, maintainers, restorers, and temperature-sensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) lines were genotyped using 10K SNP chips. The SNP data set was subjected to genomic analyses for estimation of genetic divergence and diversity. Significant variations were observed in the germplasm with the identification of six different genetic groups. These lines were assigned to the genetic groups independent of their origin. Taking an account of commercially used heterotic groups present in each cluster, three cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines and 14 inbred and restorer lines with moderate to high genetic distances selected from five heterotic patterns were crossed and obtained 42 F1 hybrids. A total of 14 hybrids were found with significant maximum mid- and better-parent heterosis, namely, TaifengA × Guang122, TaifengA × Wushansimiao, and TaifengA × Minghui63 for earliness; Guang8A × Huazhan for dwarf stature; and Guang8A × Huanghuzhan-1, TaifengA × Yuexiangzhan, Guang8A × Minhui3301, TianfengA × Guang122, Guang8A × Yahui2115, TianfengA × Huanghuazhan, TianfengA × Minghui63, TianfengA × Minhui3301, TaifengA × Gui99, and Guang8A × Yuenongsimiao for yield and yield-related traits. Mid-parent and better-parent heterotic F1 hybrids were in positive correlation with the genetic distances as that manifested by commercially used heterotic groups, encouraging the use of genotypic data for identification of heterotic groups. Our study provides an informative strategy for the development of early maturing, lodging resistant and high-yielding commercial hybrids and cultivars in future heterosis breeding programs.

Population structure analysis to explore genetic diversity and geographical distribution characteristics of cultivated-type tea plant in Guizhou Plateau

BackgroundTea plants originated in southwestern China. Guizhou Plateau is an original center of tea plants, and is rich in germplasm resources. However, the genetic diversity, population structure and distribution characteristics of cultivated-type tea plants in the region are unknown. In this study, we explored the genetic diversity and geographical distribution of cultivated-type tea accessions in Guizhou Plateau.ResultsWe used 112,072 high-quality genotyping-by-sequencing to analyze the genetic diversity, principal components, phylogeny, population structure, and linkage disequilibrium, and develop a core collection of 253 cultivated-type tea plant accessions from Guizhou Plateau. The results showed Genetic diversity of the cultivated-type tea accessions of the Pearl River Basin was significantly higher than that of the cultivated-type tea accessions of the Yangtze River Basin. Three inferred pure groups (CG-1, CG-2 and CG-3) and one inferred admixture group (CG-4), were identified by a population structure analysis, and verified by principal component and phylogenetic analyses. The highest genetic distance and differentiation coefficients were determined for CG-2 vs CG-3. The lower genetic distance and differentiation coefficients were determined for CG-4 vs CG-2 and CG-4 vs CG-3, respectively. We developed a core set and a primary set. The primary and core sets contained 77.0 and 33.6% of all individuals in the initial set, respectively. The primary set may serve as the primary population in genome-wide association studies, while the core collection may serve as the core population in multiple treatment setting studies.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated the genetic diversity and geographical distribution characteristics of cultivated-type tea plants in Guizhou Plateau. Significant differences in genetic diversity and evolutionary direction were detected between the ancient landraces of the Pearl River Basin and the those of the Yangtze River Basin. Major rivers and ancient hubs were largely responsible for the genetic exchange between the Pearl River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin ancient landraces as well as the formation of the ancient hubs evolutionary group. Genetic diversity, population structure and core collection elucidated by this study will facilitate further genetic studies, germplasm protection, and breeding of tea plants.

Surprisingly high genetic divergence of the mitochondrial DNA barcode fragment (COI) within Central European woodlice species (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea).

DNA barcoding has become the most popular approach for species identification in recent years. As part of the German Barcode of Life project, the first DNA barcode library for terrestrial and freshwater isopods from Germany is presented. The analyzed barcode library included 38 terrestrial (78% of the documented species of Germany) and five freshwater (63%) species. A total of 513 new barcodes was generated and 518 DNA barcodes were analyzed. This analysis revealed surprisingly high intraspecific genetic distances for numerous species, with a maximum of 29.4% for Platyarthrushoffmannseggii Brandt, 1833. The number of BINs per species ranged from one (32 species, 68%) to a maximum of six for Trachelipusrathkii (Brandt, 1833). In spite of such high intraspecific variability, interspecific distances with values between 12.6% and 29.8% allowed a valid species assignment of all analyzed isopods. The observed high intraspecific distances presumably result from phylogeographic events, Wolbachia infections, atypical mitochondrial DNAs, heteroplasmy, or various combinations of these factors. Our study represents the first step in generating an extensive reference library of DNA barcodes for terrestrial and freshwater isopods for future molecular biodiversity assessment studies.

Hydrodroma angelieri (Acari, Hydrachnidia: Hydrodromidae) a new water mite species from Corsica based on morphological and DNA barcode evidence

In the present study we used morphological data and DNA barcodes to describe a new species, Hydrodroma angelieri sp. nov. from Corsica, France. A high genetic distance of 17.3±0.017% K2P from its molecularly most closely related European congener, H. despiciens (Müller, 1776), supports H. angelieri sp. nov. as a distinct species. Morphologically the new species can be identified on the basis of relatively small leg claws, the presence of only one swimming seta on II-L-5 and 4-6 swimming setae on the anterior surface of IV-L-5. An updated key for the European species of Hydrodroma is provided.

Selection of Ideotypes to Increase Potential Yield of Rice Cultivars Using Multivariate Models

Using classical breeding, plant breeders envision a plant type whose yield they aim to enhance by selecting for individual traits to create model/ideal plants or ideotypes. The experiment was carried out as a randomized complete blocks design with four replications and 15 local rice cultivars, required were collected for using path coefficient analysis and mahalanobis distance analysis. The results revealed that the higher positive effect on paddy yield was determined by panicle weight and number of spikelet per panicle. The higher negative effect on paddy yield was determined by DFM and FT. The highest genetic distance was observed between cv. ‘Langroudi’ and cv. ‘Tarom Hashemi’ and the least one was between cv. ‘Gharib Reihani’ and ‘Ahlami Tarom’. Totally, all local cultivars were close to each other in terms of the genetic distance. This result shows that ideotype, this ideotype yield gap can be compensated. According to the findings, the high level of paddy-yield changes and contribution of each factor affecting it shows that with proper management, a significant part of this change can be compensated and lead to potential yield.

Metagenomic analysis reveals presence of different animal viruses in commercial fetal bovine serum and trypsin.

Animal-derived biological products, such as fetal bovine serum (FBS) and trypsin, are important supplements for scientific, pharmaceutical, and medical use. Although preventive guidelines and tests are implemented to reduce potential viral contamination in these biologicals, they do not target unusual or emerging viruses, leading to safety concerns. Using unbiased metagenomics, we investigated the presence of viruses in recently collected commercial FBS and trypsin samples from different geographic regions. In total, we detected viral sequences belonging to Parvoviridae,Anelloviridae,Flaviviridae, Herpesviridae,Caliciviridae,Nodaviridae,Rhabdoviridae, and Paramyxoviridae, including several viruses related to bovine diseases, viruses of potential human and insect origin, and viruses of unknown origin. Bovine parvovirus 3 and bosavirus were detected with high frequency and abundance in FBS, necessitating more stringent testing for these parvoviruses during production. Both bovine norovirus and bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 displayed relatively high genetic distance to closest hits, indicating the presence of new genotypes in farm animals. While the origin of novel lyssavirus and Nipah virus is unclear, their presence raises the possibility of the introduction of pathogenic animal-derived viruses into biologicals. Our results showed relatively widespread contamination of different viruses in biologicals, underscoring the need for robust safety protocol alternatives, such as metagenomic sequencing, to monitor emerging viruses.