Petal Length Research Articles

Cell wall remodeling confers plant architecture with distinct wall structure in Nelumbo nucifera.

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera G.) is a perennial aquatic horticultural plant with diverse architectures. Distinct plant architecture (PA) has certain attractive and practical qualities, but its genetic morphogenesis in lotus remains elusive. In this study, we employ genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) for the seven traits of petiole length (PLL), leaf length (LL), leaf width (LW), peduncle length (PLF), flower diameter (FD), petal length (PeL), and petal width (PeW) in 301 lotus accessions. A total of 90 loci are identified to associate with these traits across 4 years of trials. Meanwhile, we perform RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze the differential expression of the gene (DEG) transcripts between large and small PA (LPA and SPA) of lotus stems (peduncles and petioles). As a result, eight key candidate genes are identified that are all primarily involved in plant cell wall remodeling significantly associated with PA traits by integrating the results of DEGs and GWAS. To verify this result, we compare the cell wall compositions and structures of LPA versus SPA in representative lotus germplasms. Intriguingly, compared with the SPA lotus, the LPA varieties have higher content of cellulose and hemicellulose, but less filling substrates of pectin and lignin. Additionally, we verified longer cellulose chains and higher cellulose crystallinity with less interference in LPA varieties. Taken together, our study illustrates how plant cell wall remodeling affects PA in lotus, shedding light on the genetic architecture of this significant ornamental trait and offering a priceless genetic resource for future genomic-enabled breeding.

Determination of natural populations to be included in breeding program in St. John's wort species (Hypericum perforatum L.).

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is a medicinal and aromatic plant of rapidly increasing importance. The cultural production of this species, which is of economic importance due to its medicinal properties, is limited. One of the main ways to increase production is to develop cultivars. Thus, the homogeneous raw material required for a standard product will be provided. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of natural populations to obtain productive cultivars with high hypericin and hyperforin that can meet market demands. In addition to yield and quality values, other characteristic features of the plant such as flower diameter, petal length and petal width, which directly affect productivity, were revealed in the study. The study was conducted under field conditions for two years with three replications. Fresh flower weight among the populations varied between 30.15 and 240.28 g/plant, while the hypericin ratio varied between 51.32 and 105.31 (mg/100 g). The study determined a wide variation among the populations, and the populations with superior characteristics were included in the breeding program.

Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium homolog ClCYCA2;1 modulates cell division in ray florets.

Morphology of ray florets in chrysanthemums is tightly associated with cell division and cell expansion, both of which require proper cell cycle progression. Here we identified a Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium homolog ClCYCA2;1, whose expression in ray florets is negatively correlated with petal width in C. lavandulifolium. Two TCP transcription factors in CYCLOIDEA2 (CYC2) family, ClCYC2a interacts with and stabilizes ClCYC2b and the latter can bind to the promoter of ClCYCA2;1 to activate its transcription. Overexpression of ClCYCA2;1 in C. lavandulifolium reduces the size of capitula and ray florets. Cytological analysis reveals that ClCYCA2;1 overexpression inhibits both cell division and cell expansion via repressing mitotic cell cycle in ray florets whose latitudinal development was more negatively influenced leading to increased ratios of petal length to width at later developmental stages. Yeast two hybrid library screening reveals multiple ClCYCA2;1 interacting proteins including ARP7, and silencing ClARP7 inhibits the development of ray florets. Co-immunoprecipitation assays confirm that ClCYCA2;1 can induce the degradation of ClARP7 to inhibit the development of ray florets. Taken together, our study constitutes a regulatory network containing ClCYC2b-ClCYCA2;1-ClARP7 in ray floret development via governing mitosis, which may facilitate breeding efforts targeted for novel ornamental traits of chrysanthemums.

Ignoring within‐flower self‐fertilization and inbreeding depression biases estimates of selection on floral traits in a perennial alpine herb

Abstract Within‐flower self‐pollination should be the major source of self‐fertilization in mixed‐mating species that present single or few flowers simultaneously. It is also an often unmeasured source of selfing in species with many flowers open simultaneously. In self‐compatible species in which pistil and stamen numbers vary, the rate of within‐flower selfing should depend on the number of pistils and stamens, the timing of flowering and the morphology of subsidiary floral traits. The intensity and direction of selection on these traits should thus also depend on the level of inbreeding depression. Here, we measured the dependence of the within‐flower selfing rate on floral sex allocation, phenology, petal length and floral stalk height in a population of the perennial herb Pulsatilla alpina (Ranunculaceae) in which most individuals had single flowers. We estimated inbreeding depression in the population by comparing inbreeding coefficients between parents and seed progeny using microsatellite markers. We then estimated selection on the measured traits via female reproductive success at the flower level and compared our estimates with a hypothetical scenario in which inbreeding depression was assumed to be absent. Inbreeding depression was estimated to be severe (0.95). The within‐flower selfing rate varied widely among flowers and depended positively on stamen number and negatively on pistil number and flowering date, supporting the predictions of a mass‐action model. The dependence of the selfing rate on the measured floral traits consistently predicted (non‐linear) patterns of selection under high inbreeding depression that were distinct from those under a hypothetical scenario of no inbreeding depression. Synthesis. While previous research has emphasized the importance of mass‐action mating on selfing among flowers of plants with large floral displays, our results demonstrate its importance for selfing within individual flowers. They also demonstrate the importance of accounting for both the selfing rate and inbreeding depression when inferring selection on floral and other traits via female fitness.

Effects of anther-stigma position on cross-pollination efficiency in a hermaphroditic plant.

Evolution of cross-pollination efficiency depends on the genetic variation of flower traits, the pollen vector, and flower trait matching between pollen donors and recipients. Trait matching has been almost unexplored among nonheterostylous species, and we examined whether the match of anther length in pollen donors and stigma length in pollen recipients influences the efficiency of cross-pollination. To explore potential constraints for evolutionary response, we also quantified genetic variation and covariation among sepal length, petal length and width, stamen length, style length, and herkogamy. We created 58 experimental arrays of Turnera velutina that varied in the extent of mismatch in the position of anthers and stigmas between single-flowered plants. Genetic variation and correlations among flower traits were estimated under greenhouse conditions. Style length, but not herkogamy, influenced the efficiency of cross-pollination. Plants with stamen length that matched the style length of other plants were more efficient pollen donors, whereas those with the style protruding above the stamens of other plants were more efficient pollen recipients. Significant broad-sense heritability (0.22 > hB 2 < 0.42) and moderate genetic correlations (0.33 > r < 0.85) among floral traits were detected. Our results demonstrated that anther-stigma mismatch between flowers contributed to variation in the efficiency of cross-pollination. The genetic correlations between stamen length and other floral traits suggests that any change in cross-pollination efficiency would be driven by changes in style rather than in stamen length.

HaMADS3, HaMADS7, and HaMADS8 are involved in petal prolongation and floret symmetry establishment in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

The development of floral organs, crucial for the establishment of floral symmetry and morphology in higher plants, is regulated by MADS-box genes. In sunflower, the capitulum is comprised of ray and disc florets with various floral organs. In the sunflower long petal mutant (lpm), the abnormal disc (ray-like) floret possesses prolongated petals and degenerated stamens, resulting in a transformation from zygomorphic to actinomorphic symmetry. In this study, we investigated the effect of MADS-box genes on floral organs, particularly on petals, using WT and lpm plants as materials. Based on our RNA-seq data, 29 MADS-box candidate genes were identified, and their roles on floral organ development, especially in petals, were explored, by analyzing the expression levels in various tissues in WT and lpm plants through RNA-sequencing and qPCR. The results suggested that HaMADS3, HaMADS7, and HaMADS8 could regulate petal development in sunflower. High levels of HaMADS3 that relieved the inhibition of cell proliferation, together with low levels of HaMADS7 and HaMADS8, promoted petal prolongation and maintained the morphology of ray florets. In contrast, low levels of HaMADS3 and high levels of HaMADS7 and HaMADS8 repressed petal extension and maintained the morphology of disc florets. Their coordination may contribute to the differentiation of disc and ray florets in sunflower and maintain the balance between attracting pollinators and producing offspring. Meanwhile, Pearson correlation analysis between petal length and expression levels of MADS-box genes further indicated their involvement in petal prolongation. Additionally, the analysis of cis-acting elements indicated that these three MADS-box genes may regulate petal development and floral symmetry establishment by regulating the expression activity of HaCYC2c. Our findings can provide some new understanding of the molecular regulatory network of petal development and floral morphology formation, as well as the differentiation of disc and ray florets in sunflower.

Evaluation of Select Monarda Taxa in Montane and Piedmont Regions of Georgia: II. Floral Morphology and Nectar Production

We analyzed the floral morphology and nectar production of several cultivars and species of Monarda representing five cultivars and four species grown in Georgia Piedmont and Montane regions. Over the course of two seasons, we detected significant differences among the samples in terms of inflorescence size, petal lobe and corolla widths and lengths, and total sugar content. M. didyma had larger glomerules, longer corollas and petal lobes, and higher nectar volume and total sugar content per flower. M. fistulosa and M. punctata had smaller glomerules, corolla and petal lobe lengths, and total sugar content per flower. Petal lobe and corolla length strongly correlated with sucrose and nectar production. Combined with data on horticultural performance, these results could be valuable in informing breeding goals for conservation-oriented landscape plants.

Genetic diversity of Passiflora cincinnata in the Chapada do Araripe, Northeast Brazil

Passiflora cincinnata Mast. belongs to the Passifloraceae family and is a plant native to the Brazilian semi-arid region, popularly known as maracujá-do-mato. This species has food, pharmaceutical and ornamental potential. It is used as a source of genes of interest in yellow passion fruit breeding programs or as vigorous rootstocks in commercial plantations. Thus, morphologically characterizing native species and measuring genetic diversity between accessions are essential steps for the success of plant breeding in the world. This study aimed to characterize and estimate the genetic diversity between accessions of a natural population of Passiflora cincinnata in the Chapada Nacional do Araripe, Northeast Brazil, in order to provide subsidies for the creation of a passion fruit breeding program. Twenty-six passion fruit accessions were evaluated for 10 morphological characters: plant neck diameter, height of the first fork, leaf length, leaf width, diameter at breast height, flower diameter, petal length, stamen length, pistil length and fillet length. The accessions were georeferenced and characterized with the aid of a graduated tape measure and a digital caliper. Four replicates were measured for each characteristic in the P. cincinnata accessions evaluated. The results were submitted to analysis of variance using the F test (p&lt;0.05), estimation of genetic parameters, optimization grouping (Tocher) and the relative contribution of the characters to divergence. The results show that there is variability among the accessions of this natural population and that there is potential for them to be used as germplasm for passion fruit breeding programs.

Bee-pollination promotes rapid divergent evolution in plants growing in different soils

Divergent evolution leads to variation among populations and thus promotes diversification. In plants, adaptation to different soils, pollinator guilds, and herbivores is thought to be a key ecological driver of adaptive divergence, but few studies have investigated this process experimentally. Here we use experimental evolution with fast cycling Brassica rapa plants to study the impact of soil, pollination, herbivory, and their interactions on divergent evolution in various traits during eight generations of selection. We found significant evolutionary changes in plant phenotypes caused by all three factors and their interactions. In the richer soil type, plants showed higher evolutionary rates, especially with bumblebee-pollination, which led to the evolution of increased attractiveness of plants to bumblebees. Plants that had experienced aphid-herbivory showed lower attractiveness. We found the strongest evolutionary divergence when plants evolved in different soils with bee-pollination rather than hand-pollination, irrespective of herbivory. This “soil-pollinator effect” impacted divergence in diverse suites of traits, for example leaf size, flowering time, flower petal length, some floral volatiles and leaf glucosinolates. We conclude that the interaction between soil and biotic pollination may be an important cause for divergent evolution of plants growing on different soil types, even without a shift in pollinator guilds.

“R” U ready?: a case study using R to analyze changes in gene expression during evolution

As high-throughput methods become more common, training undergraduates to analyze data must include having them generate informative summaries of large datasets. This flexible case study provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to become familiar with the capabilities of R programming in the context of high-throughput evolutionary data collected using macroarrays. The story line introduces a recent graduate hired at a biotech firm and tasked with analysis and visualization of changes in gene expression from 20,000 generations of the Lenski Lab’s Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE). Our main character is not familiar with R and is guided by a coworker to learn about this platform. Initially this involves a step-by-step analysis of the small Iris dataset built into R which includes sepal and petal length of three species of irises. Practice calculating summary statistics and correlations, and making histograms and scatter plots, prepares the protagonist to perform similar analyses with the LTEE dataset. In the LTEE module, students analyze gene expression data from the long-term evolutionary experiments, developing their skills in manipulating and interpreting large scientific datasets through visualizations and statistical analysis. Prerequisite knowledge is basic statistics, the Central Dogma, and basic evolutionary principles. The Iris module provides hands-on experience using R programming to explore and visualize a simple dataset; it can be used independently as an introduction to R for biological data or skipped if students already have some experience with R. Both modules emphasize understanding the utility of R, rather than creation of original code. Pilot testing showed the case study was well-received by students and faculty, who described it as a clear introduction to R and appreciated the value of R for visualizing and analyzing large datasets.

Biological Study with Morphological Characterization of Flower Phenology in Garcinia indica (Choisy)

Characterization flowering patten in Garcinia indica was studied using different age groups planted in a field gene bank. Flowering commenced in five-year-old trees (5YP) in all age groups targeted to study. followed by four-year-old trees. The first flowering was recorded during 3-4th week of November and continued for ten weeks among the plants. G. indica accessions with mixed sexuality were recorded where, the majority of bisexual flowers with female and male flower were there in the same plant. However, flower appearance started in 3rd week of November and extended up to December 3rd week and the maximum number of trees flowered in 1st week of December. Most of the accessions recorded 50 per cent flowering on 2nd and 3rd week of January. The duration of flowering varied from 8 to 10 weeks. Majority of the flowers were observed to be auxiliary and some of them were terminal. Traits such as petal length, sepal length, stamen length and style length did not exhibit significant differences among the accessions studied. However, pollen viability varied among the accessions. Maximum per cent (88.33%) of viable pollen were recorded in 5YP-1 and minimum (82%) in 5YP-3 &amp; 15 with the mean value of 45.68%.

Impacts of reduced water availability on vegetative and reproductive traits of a Solanum species

AbstractWhile drought is known to affect crop yields negatively, there is limited knowledge of the strategies used by animal‐pollinated plants to cope with such conditions. In this study, we simulated low and moderate drought conditions in a greenhouse experiment and examined the vegetative and reproductive traits of a buzz‐pollinated species (Solanum lycopersicum). Our findings indicate that individuals exposed to both drought conditions decreased in height and bore fewer leaves but increased in the ratio of root length to dry mass. The number of flowers produced per day and the overall flower production were higher in plants under control conditions. We found no differences in the onset of flowering between the treatments, but the plants exposed to low drought showed peak flowering earlier. Among the morphometric traits, flower height, floral diameter, petal length, and petal width were significantly lower in both drought conditions. Individuals in the moderate‐drought treatment displayed greater variation in reproductive traits than those in the low‐drought treatment. Overall, drought stress negatively impacted the aboveground vegetative growth and the reproductive efforts of plants.

Comprehensive Classification of Iris Flower Species: A Machine Learning Approach

This study employs robust machine learning techniques to comprehensively assess the classification of Iris flower species. This study investigates the effectiveness of several machine learning algorithms in reliably classifying Iris flower species by utilizing a dataset that includes crucial morphological attributes such as sepal length, sepal width, petal length, and petal width. The algorithms under consideration are Decision Tree, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and XGBoost. Every algorithm has its own distinct methodology for classification, where Decision Trees offer clear interpretability and Random Forest and XGBoost offer strong and complex ensemble techniques. The primary aim of this study is to assess and contrast different algorithms, considering not only their classification accuracy but also significant performance metrics including precision, recall, F1-score, ROC AUC, and specificity. This research provides valuable insights into the capabilities and constraints of each methodology when implemented on a meticulously organized and defined botanical dataset. It is expected that the results of this study will contribute significantly to the fields of artificial intelligence and botanical taxonomy, highlighting the capacity of these methods to accurately identify and categorize plant species.

Analysis of Naive Bayesian and Back Propagation algorithms in iris classification

An efficient taxonomy of irises can provide botanists with valuable tools. Machine learning algorithms can effectively improve the performance of iris classification models because they can automatically analyze and summarize data. To this end, this paper introduces Naive Bayesian (NB) and Back Propagation (BP) to build classification models. When creating the NB model, the petal and sepal data from the iris dataset are used sequentially as classification criteria to classify the data. When constructing the BP model, the author sets different iterations and outputs the loss function and accuracy of the BP model under different iterations. The study finds that the NB model has higher classification accuracy when using petal length and petal width as classification criteria, which is 17% higher than the classification accuracy using sepal length and sepal width. Therefore, the NB model is more suitable for classifying independent data. By studying the use of the BP algorithm to classify iris flowers, the automatic classification of iris flowers can be realized and the accuracy of classification can be improved. Compared with the traditional NB algorithm, the BP algorithm can better mine the hidden patterns and information in the iris data and make effective classifications. This study provides new insights and discoveries for the taxonomic study of Iris plants.

Determining Salt Tolerance of Zinnia Flower

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effects of irrigation water containing different salt levels on the morphological characteristics of zinnia (Zinnia elegans). For this purpose, five different salt levels (control, 2 dS m-1, 4 dS m-1, 6 dS m-1 and 8 dS m-1) were established. As morphological characteristics, plant height, plant diameter, number of flowers, flower diameter, flower stalk length, flower stalk diameter, petal number, petal length, petal width, leaf thickness, leaf length and leaf width were measured. Irrigation was carried out at 7-day intervals. Soil moisture was monitored with pot weights. The research was carried out in Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Agriculture, in 2020.&#x0D; As a result of the study, while the number of flowers, flower diameter, number of petals, leaf thickness, leaf length and leaf width values of morphological features were found to be statistically different according to salt levels; plant height, plant diameter, peduncle length, peduncle diameter, petal length and petal width were found to be insignificant. When evaluated in terms of visuality, it can be said that there are significant differences between the treaments depending on the level of salt stress. According to the results of the research, it was revealed that the salt tolerance of the zinnia flower was partially low.

Robust markers associated with floral traits in roses are suitable for marker-assisted selection across gene pools

We investigated the potential of markers associated with floral traits for parental selection in a cut rose breeding program. We analysed six Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers for three important floral traits, petal length, petal number and scent, derived from experiments in a garden rose population. The six markers were applied to genotype a collection of 384 parental genotypes used for commercial cut rose breeding. We phenotyped a selection of progeny derived from pairs of parents having either high or low dosages of (contrasting) marker alleles associated with these traits. Significant differences were found between the contrasting progeny groups for each of the traits, although parents with the optimal allele dosage combinations could not always be used for the crosses. This not only supports the robustness of these marker‒trait associations but also demonstrates their potential for commercial rose breeding. It also demonstrates the use of marker information generated in garden rose populations for cut rose breeding.

Morphological characterization and screening of Impatiens wild species for heat tolerance

Impatiens sp. is an annual plant that flowers all year round. High temperature stress is a major challenge limiting crop productivity. The research was conducted at experiment garden in Palasari Cipanas, BRIN, Indonesia, at an altitude of 1000 ASL, from January - April 2023. The aim of the research was to explore the morphological variation of Impatiens wild species and to obtain some heat tolerance accession for next breeding program. Twenty nine accession of Impatiens were observed for the qualitative and quantitative data including the evaluation of heat tolerance. Twelve qualitative characters were recorded. The qualitative characters were analyzed as degree of similarity. DICE Similarity coefficient of qualitative data was 0.06. Broad variability in the genotypic, phenotypic variances and genetic advance was found for leaf length, leaf width and heat tolerance score. Of the electrolyte leakage analyses, it was found that flower length, ventral petal length width, lateral petal length and spur length positively support the high tolerance of Impatiens accession to heat stress. The darker color of the stem, anther, and bract is followed by a reduction in the dimension of flower width, lateral petal width, dorsal petal width and spur length but the increased leaf thicknesses. There was no direct correlation between the heat tolerance score and the leaf thickness. The largest data diversity explained by 3 factors with a total variance of 68.88 %.

Caracterización fenotípica en flores de Cacao (Theobroma cacao l.) en 40 híbridos experimentales en la finca experimental La Represa

Pollination is one of the most decisive practices in cocoa cultivation; therefore, to determine the self-compatibility and evaluate the morphology of the flower, it was carried out in the experimental farm "La Represa", Quevedo, Ecuador. For this purpose, a completely randomized DCA design was used, with forty treatments, considering treatments the cocoa hybrids used, with three repetitions. Tukey's multiple range test (P≤0.05) was applied to determine the differences between the means. Manual pollination tests were performed to determine the percentage of fertilization with fifteen flowers per treatment, whose pollination rate stood out in the T26 and T38 treatments with 100% self-compatibility, followed by T15 and T35 with 80% anti-incompatibility. Variables such as the length and width of sepal and petal, peduncle length, length of staminoid and pistil, and the weight of the flower were also recorded where different hybrids stood out, such as T1 and T11 for sepal length and width with 2.70 and 8.20 mm respectively. In the height and width of the petal, the T10 and T26 treatments stood out with 2.50 mm. In the size of the peduncle, I highlight the T20 with 1.81 mm and T6 with 6.20 mm for the length of the staminoid. The length of the pistil, the T10, obtained the highest index at 2.50 mm. However, the weight of the flower highlighted the T13 and T20 treatments, registering the highest average with 0.065 g, concerning the other hybrids studied. Keywords: Autocompatibility, cocoa , hybrids , pollination ; flowers .

Variation and phenetic relationships of Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq. from various host trees based on morphological characters

Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq.; Loranthaceae) is a shrub parasitic on various host tree species. This species is often used for herbal medicinal ingredients by local communities based on the spesies of host tree. The morphological characteristics of D. pentandra are important to study because their adaptation to different host trees may resulting population of ecotypes. This study aims to determine the variation of D. pentandra accession characters on different host tree species based on morphological characters and to determine morphological phenetic relationships between accessions. Besides studies of D. pentandra accessions in Yogyakarta Province have never been conducted in full. Sample collection (accession) of D. pentandra was conducted for various host tree species from various locations, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Morphological characterization and scoring of each accession were conducted to create a similarity matrix using the Jaccard Coefficient formula. Based on the similarity matrix between OTUs and the UPGMA algorithm, it can be formed into a dendrogram. The results showed that the morphological variations of D. pentandra were found in phyllotaxis, leaf thickness, petiole length, number of stomata density per field of view, flower color, crown tube length, corolla lobe length, petal length, stamen : corolla lobe ratio, fruit color, and seed color. The population of D. pentandra in Yogyakarta can be divided into two groups, D. pentandra which has alternate and opposite arrangements in phyllotaxis. The accession dendrogram of D. pentandra in Yogyakarta was divided into five clusters starting from a similarity index of 0.089 to 0.952. Thus, the diversity of morphological variations of D. pentandra on host trees is high.

Karakteristik Buah dan Biji Lontar (Borassus Flabelifer L.)

The purpose of this study was to provide the data about character of lontar fruit and seeds in Kefamenanu City, North Central Timor Regency. This research was conducted from August to September 2022 using exploration and sample collection methods than contnued with characterization of fruit and seed. The results showed that the lontar fruit and seed in Kefamenanu can be characterized using the characteristics of the diameter of the base of the petals, the diameter of the tip of the petals, the length of the inner petals, the length of the outer petals, the width of the inner petals, the width of the outer petals, the number of petals, color. petals, edges of petals, petal shape, weight of petals, weight of fruit with petals, weight of fruit without petals, fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit circumference, fruit skin color, fruit shape, fruit skin surface, fruit tip and base surface, base color and fruit tip, seed weight, seed length, seed width, seed diameter, endosperm diameter, seed coat thickness, endosperm length, and endoperm color. In conclusion, there are 31 qualitative and quantitative characters that have been used to characterize lontar fruit and seed in Kefamenanu City.&#x0D; Keywords: Fruit and Seed Characters, Lontar