Red Cultivars Research Articles

Efficacy of irrigation intervals and chemical weed control on optimizing bulb yield and quality of onion (Allium cepa L.)

Two field experiments were carried out at the village ten, Abu Humus, El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt, during the two successive seasons 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, to evaluate the effect of three types of herbicide and three irrigation intervals on productivity and quality of onion cultivar (Giza Red). The experiments were designed as split plot in randomized complete block design with three replications. Irrigation intervals – (I1) 20 days, (I2) 30 days, and (I3) 40 days – were assigned to the main plots. Herbicides treatments – (H1) Control, (H2) Fluazifop-p, (H3) Oxyfluorfen, and (H4) Clethodium – were distributed randomly in sub-plots. The results revealed that the interaction between herbicide and irrigation intervals had significant effects on productivity and quality of onion (Giza Red) cultivar in both seasons. Maximum onion bulbs yield (14.06 and 14.29 ton/fed) was recorded at (I3 with H3) treatments in first and second seasons, respectively. (I2 with H3) led to increase onion harvest index values. The highest value of carbohydrates percentage and total soluble solids (TSS) obtained at {I3 and H2}. Herbicides residues in dry onions bulbs under all treatments were found well below the maximum residue limit set by World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (0.05 mg/kg). In conclusion, the interaction of Oxyfluorfen herbicide and irrigation interval 40 days could be used to improve fresh and dry bulb yield (ton/fed) of onion cultivar, harvest index and water use efficiency (WUE). The treatment of {I3 (40 days) with H2 (Fluazifop-p)} could be used to enhance bulb diameter (cm) after harvest, TSS and the percentage of carbohydrates.

‘BRS F183’ (Potira): Cultivar de batata de duplo propósito, com alto potencial produtivo e excelente qualidade de fritura de palitos

ABSTRACT ‘BRS F183’ (Potira) is a late-maturing and red skin potato cultivar, suitable for French fry processing, due to tuber high dry matter content of long oval shape, large size, light yellow flesh, and light fry color. It is also suitable for the fresh market due to its attractive tubers of intense red color, smooth skin and shallow eyes. In six trials, ‘BRS F183’ showed average tuber yields that did not differ from ‘Asterix’. The marketable yield was relatively high, reaching 98.5% in the tropical ecosystem. Larger tubers of ‘BRS F183’ than ‘Asterix’ were also observed in the autumn crop of the subtropical ecosystem. In most of the trials, the dry matter content was higher than that of ‘Asterix’, varying from 20.5 to 23.0%. A very low incidence of tuber disorders was observed in ‘BRS F183’, with the secondary growth lower than ‘Asterix’. ‘BRS F183’ presented medium tuber dormancy. Tuber glucose content suitable for French fry processing (≤1.2 mg g-1 of fresh mass) was shown by ‘BRS F183’ after harvest and storage at 7.5°C, 8.9°C and 20°C for up to 180 days, while ‘Asterix’ was suitable up to 120 days after storage at 8.9ºC. ‘BRS F183’ is moderately resistant to early blight and moderately susceptible to late blight. It is susceptible to PVY, PLRV, and root-knot nematode. Field observations indicate that resistance/susceptibility to soft rot, black scurf, and bacterial wilt of ‘BRS F183’ is not different from the main cultivars grown in the country. However, higher susceptibility to common scab was shown in some validation tests. ‘BRS F183’ was released in 2020 by Embrapa, as a product of the breeding program developed by Embrapa Temperate Agriculture and Embrapa Vegetables.

EFFECT OF FOLIAR SPRAYING WITH SALICYLIC ACID AND CALCIUM CHLORIDE ON CHEMICAL CONTENT OF LEAVES FOR THREE CULTIVARS OF Gladiolus X hortulanus L.

This experiment was carried out in the Green net house at the College of Agriculture and Forestry for the period from April to September 2019, with the aim of assessing the response of three cultivars of Gladiolus X hortulanus L. for treatment with (SA) at a concentrations of zero and 250 mg.l-1 as well as treatment with (CaCl2) concentrations are zero, 500 and 1000 mg.l-1 sprayed on the vegetative growth twice. The results indicated the following: The red cultivar recorded the largest chlorophyll intensity in the leaves when picking flowers 54.958 (SPAD), the nitrogen percentage is 1.212%, the phosphorus is 0.383%, the potassium is 1.807% and the concentration calcium is 819.05 mg.l-1. The plants sprayed with salicylic acid at 250 mg.l-1 had a significant effect in recording the largest values of all studied traits. The treatment with calcium chloride with both concentrations of 500 and 1000 mg.l-1 resulted in a significant increase in the chlorophyll intensity in the leaves when picking flowers. The treatment with calcium chloride at 1000 mg.l-1 gave the largest values for the calcium concentration is 831.66 mg.l-1 . The treatment with calcium chloride at 500 mg.l-1 caused to increase the nitrogen percentage 1.232%, phosphorus 0.419% and potassium 1.851%.

EFFECT OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON IN VITRO AND EX VITRO CONDITIONS ON PROPAGATION OF DIANTHUS CARYOPHLLUS L.

This research was carried out in the tissue culture Laboratory at University of Baghdad during 2017-2018 in order to evaluate the effect of plant growth regulators on the propagation of two cultivars of Dianthus (Sun charm White and Master) under Ex vitro conditions by cultivating the single nodes using the MS medium which involved with different concentrations of growth regulators. The interaction treatment 1.0 mg /L BA + 0.2 mg /L NAA gave the highest response percent of bloom reached 100% for the red cultivar, and the treatment 1.5 mg / L BA + 0.2 mg / L gave the highest response percent to the white cultivar bloom reached 90%.In the multiplication stage, the highest branches number was obtained at 4.5 branches by the application of 2.0 mg / L BA + 0.2 and 0.4 mg /L IAA for the red cultivar, while the white variety gave the highest branches number was obtained at the treatment 2.0 mg /L BA + 0.1 mg /L IAA, which gave 4.8 branches. During the rooting stage, the application of IBA at a concentration of 1 mg / L for the red and white cultivars obtained the highest rooting ratio and the highest root length reached 70% and 2.01 cm respectively for red, while the highest rooting ratio and root length of 80% and 2.19 cm respectively were given for white cultivar, and the highest root number at a concentration of 1.5 mg /L, reached 2.50 for red and 2.30 for white. In the experiment of rooting under Ex Vitro conditions, the results revealed that the concentration of 2 mg / L IBA gave the highest rooting ratio, number, and length of roots reached 50%, 1.40 and 1.23 cm respectively for the red cultivar, while the white cultivar was gave, 70%, 1.60 and 1.20 cm respectively, and the plants were adapted under greenhouse conditions.

A convolutional neural network‐based comparative study for pepper seed classification: Analysis of selected deep features with support vector machine

AbstractThe seeds of high quality are very important for the cultivation of the pepper. The required cultivation practices and growing conditions may be affected by the cultivar. Also, the productivity and properties of pepper depend on the cultivar. The selection of appropriate seed cultivars may be necessary for the breeding programs. The cultivar differentiation of pepper seeds may be tested by the human eye. However, small sizes and visual similarities make it difficult to distinguish between seed cultivars. Computer vision and artificial intelligence can provide high cultivar discrimination accuracy and the procedures are objective and fast. This study aimed to classify pepper seeds belonging to different cultivars with convolutional neural network (CNN) models. The seeds were obtained from green, orange, red, and yellow pepper cultivars. A flatbed scanner was used to acquire the pepper seed images. After the image acquisition, the procedure applied was preprocessing of the images, data augmentation using different techniques and then deep learning‐based classification. Two approaches have been proposed for classification. In the first approach, CNN models (ResNet18 and ResNet50) were trained for pepper seeds. In the second approach, different from the first, the features of pretrained CNN models were fused, and feature selection was applied to the fused features. Classification using all features and selected features was performed with the support vector machine (SVM) with different kernel functions (Linear, Quadratic, Cubic, Gaussian). The accuracies in the first approximation were 98.05% and 97.07% for ResNet50 and ResNet18, respectively. In the second approach, CNN‐SVM‐Cubic achieved up to 99.02% accuracy with the selected features.Practical applicationsIn precision agriculture, it is very important that the seeds be of the same type for the purification and standardization of the crop culture. Performing this classification manually with human assistance will result in subjective, slow, and low standard outcomes. To overcome such problems, classification supported by artificial intelligence and machine vision systems emerges as an important tool. In this study, a highly successful classification system is presented according to the visual characteristics of pepper seeds. The proposed models can be preferred in practice for identifying pepper seeds and detecting falsification or ensuring their reliability. It will prevent mixing of different pepper seeds with different attributes for processing.

Seed Production of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) under Danish Field Conditions

High and stable seed yield is critical for red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) seed production and the commercial exploitation of the crop. A three-year experiment was conducted from 2013 to 2015 under Danish field conditions to explore the influence of precipitation during peak flowering on the seed yield of three red clover cultivars. We investigated the flowering duration and intensity based on a visual scale assessment, seed yield, and thousand seed weight in all three experimental years. In 2014 and 2015 we measured the seed yield components of floret number per flower head, seed number per flower head, and seed set. During the experimental period, high seed yields of more than 1000 kg ha−1 were obtained for the diploid cultivars ‘Rajah’ and ‘Suez’. Although a relatively high seed yield of 500 kg ha−1 was obtained in the tetraploid cultivar ‘Amos’, this was only around half of the seed yield and seed set of the diploid cultivars. Precipitation during peak flowering positively influenced the seed yield and thousand seed weight for the three cultivars. We conclude that observations of flowering phenology are required to determine the impact of environmental conditions on seed yield in red clover cultivars. Further, adequate water supply during peak flowering is important to obtain the high seed yield of red clover.

Metamitron, a Photosynthetic Electron Transport Chain Inhibitor, Modulates the Photoprotective Mechanism of Apple Trees.

Chemical thinning of apple fruitlets is an important practice as it reduces the natural fruit load and, therefore, increases the size of the final fruit for commercial markets. In apples, one chemical thinner used is Metamitron, which is sold as the commercial product Brevis® (Adama, Ashdod, Israel). This thinner inhibits the electron transfer between Photosystem II and Quinone-b within light reactions of photosynthesis. In this study, we investigated the responses of two apple cultivars—Golden Delicious and Top Red—and photosynthetic light reactions after administration of Brevis®. The analysis revealed that the presence of the inhibitor affects both cultivars’ energetic status. The kinetics of the photoprotective mechanism’s sub-processes are attenuated in both cultivars, but this seems more severe in the Top Red cultivar. State transitions of the antenna and Photosystem II repair cycle are decreased substantially when the Metamitron concentration is above 0.6% in the Top Red cultivar but not in the Golden Delicious cultivar. These attenuations result from a biased absorbed energy distribution between photochemistry and photoprotection pathways in the two cultivars. We suggest that Metamitron inadvertently interacts with photoprotective mechanism-related enzymes in chloroplasts of apple tree leaves. Specifically, we hypothesize that it may interact with the kinases responsible for the induction of state transitions and the Photosystem II repair cycle.

Characterization of Bioactive Phenolics and Antioxidant Capacity of Edible Bean Extracts of 50 Fabaceae Populations Grown in Thailand.

Fabaceae is the third largest family containing great variation among populations. However, previous studies mainly focus on single species, and phytochemicals at population level have never been reported. This work aims to complete this knowledge with 50 populations from throughout Thailand by (1) determining total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), and anthocyanin (TAC) contents; and (2) investigating in vitro and cellular antioxidant potentials. Phytochemicals of 50 populations from different localities are differed, illustrating high heterogeneity occurring in polyphenols accumulations. Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis populations showed low variability in TPC ranging from 628.3 to 717.3 mg/100 g DW gallic acid equivalent, whereas the high variability found in TFC and TAC range from 786.9 to 1536.1 mg/100 g DW quercetin equivalent, and 13.4 to 41.6 mg/100 g DW cyanidin equivalent. Red cultivar population #16 had the greatest TAC, but surprisingly the cream cultivars were relatively high in anthocyanins. HPLC quantification of genistein and daidzein showed great variations among populations. In vitro antioxidant results indicated that antioxidant capacity mediated by electron transfer. Cellular antioxidants ranged from 59.7% to 87.9% of ROS/RNS in yeast model. This study investigated at the population level contributing to better and frontier knowledge for nutraceutical/phytopharmaceutical sectors to seek potential raw plant material.

Effect of Biofertilizer in Organic and Conventional Systems on Growth, Yield and Baking Quality of Hard Red Winter Wheat

A two-year study (harvest years 2019 and 2020) was conducted to investigate the effect of a commercially available biofertilizer, in combination with variable nitrogen (N) rate, on bread baking quality and agronomic traits in hard winter wheat grown in conventional (CONV) and organic (ORG) farming systems in Kentucky, USA. The hard red winter wheat cultivar ‘Vision 45’ was used with three N rates (44, 89.6 and 134.5 kg/ha as Low, Med and High, respectively) and three biofertilizer spray regimes (no spray, one spray and two sprays). All traits measured were significantly affected by the agricultural production system (CONV or ORG) and N rate, although trends in their interactions were inconsistent between years. In Y2, yield was greatest in treatments with high N rates and in the ORG system. Biofertilizer treatments had a negative to neutral effect on grain yield. Baking quality traits such as protein content, lactic acid solvent retention capacity and sedimentation value (SV) were consistently greater in the CONV system and increased with the higher N application rates. Similarly, biofertilizer application had no effect on predictive baking quality traits, except for SV in year 1 of the study, where it increased with two sprays. Loaf volume was consistently greater from wheat grown in CONV treatments. From these results, we conclude that further research is warranted to evaluate the potential for biofertilizers to enhance N uptake and affect bread baking quality or other end-use traits. Additional research may be especially useful in organic production systems where biologically based N fertilizers are utilized, and treatments were not negatively affected by biofertilizer applications. Such strategies may be needed to increase protein quantity and gluten quality to optimize winter wheat production for bread baking qualities in the southeastern USA.

Effects of Thermal and High-Pressure Processing on Quality Features and the Volatile Profiles of Cloudy Juices Obtained from Golden Delicious, Pinova, and Red Delicious Apple Cultivars.

In this study, juices extracted from three apple cultivars (Golden Delicious, Pinova, and Red Delicious) were stabilized by means of thermal treatment (TT) and high-pressure processing (HPP, 600 MPa 3 min); pH, total titratable acidity, total soluble solids content, color, and viscosity, as well as volatile profile, were investigated. Qualitative characteristics (pH, titratable acidity, colorimetric parameters, viscosity, and volatile profile) results were significantly influenced by both cultivars and treatments; for example, juice viscosity greatly increased after HPP treatment for Golden Delicious, and after both TT and HPP for Pinova, while no influence of stabilization treatment was registered for Red Delicious juices. Regarding the volatile profile, for Golden Delicious cultivar, HPP treatment determined an increase in volatile compounds for most of the classes considered, leading to a supposed quality implementation. For the other two cultivars, the stabilization treatment that better preserved the volatile profile was the HPP one, even if the results were quite similar to the thermal treatment. Further studies are needed to evaluate different time/pressure combinations that could give better results, depending on the specific apple cultivar.

Nutrient Composition of Red and White Cultivars of Dried Moringa oleifera Leaves from Probolinggo, Indonesia

Moringa oleifera is a popular plant for combating malnutrition that grows well and is commonly consumed by Indonesian as a vegetable, but local varieties' nutrient composition never was studied before. Methods: Proximate, amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, and total phenolic composition of red and white cultivars of Moringa oleifera leaves from Probolinggo were determined on a dry weight basis based on AOAC methods. Results: Crude protein and fat were higher in white cultivar (35.36%, 6.25%). Total Amino Acid in both cultivars (83.06 g/100g for red and 82.86g/100g for white) were higher than in previous studies. Total Essential Amino Acid (TEAA) percentage of both of the cultivars was 46-49% and met the ideal protein needs of children (26%) and adults (11%). Iron, Zinc, Copper, Calcium, and Manganese was higher in white cultivar (36.21±0.08 mg/kg, 16.32±0.02%, 6.76±0.08mg/kg, 1.56±0.00 mg/kg, 7.11±0.00 mg/kg), while Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Phosphorus was higher in red cultivar (0.61±0.00%, 0.89±0.00%, 0.65±0.00%, 0.99±0.00). The content of vitamin C and total phenols was higher in the red cultivar (4162.8mg/kg and 239.8mg/kg). Conclusions: The red cultivar were best in 10/22 parameters (45%), white cultivar was best in 14/22 (55%). Those characteristics can contribute significantly to the nutrient requirements for protein and energy malnutrition treatment.

Influence of genetic and environmental factors on the contents of carotenoids and phenolic acids in red pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum L.)

Red pepper is enriched in antioxidant components, such as carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and vitamins. In this study, we investigated the natural variability in the content of carotenoids and phenolic acids in 11 red pepper cultivars grown in two locations in South Korea during 2016, 2017, and 2018. Seven carotenoids and six phenolic acids, including soluble and insoluble forms, were detected in the red fruit pericarps. The major carotenoids were β-carotene (40%) and capsanthin (20%). The content of insoluble phenolic acids was higher than that of soluble phenolic acids because of the large amount of insoluble p-coumaric acid. The statistical analysis of combined data showed significant differences among varieties, locations, and years for most of the measured components. The results from variance component analysis indicated that the effects of location, year and the interaction of location and year mainly accounted for the variation in carotenoids, whereas variations in phenolic acid content were attributed to year and variety. In addition, the results of principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant showed that carotenoids were well discriminated by location and year, whereas phenolic acids were distinctively separated only by year. The data from this study could explain the natural variation in the content of carotenoids and phenolic acids in red pepper fruits by genotype and environment.

In vitro acaricidal activity of extracts of red cultivar Allium cepa L. on engorged female Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus from naturally infested cattle

Introduction: Tick infestation is a major challenge facing livestock production in the Sub-Saharan zone. Most species of ticks have developed resistance to most of the available synthetic acaricides. Hence, the need to search for and develop ethno-acaricidal products. This study investigated the in-vitro acaricidal activity of aqueous and methanol extracts of red cultivar Allium cepa L. on engorged female Rhipicephalus (Bophillus) annulatus ticks. Methods: The extracts were prepared using standard method and the final brownish black extracts were kept in the refrigerator at 4oC. In-vitro acaricidal bioassay was done using the adult immersion test. Engorged ticks were randomly assigned into six groups (I-VI) (50mg/ml, 100mg/ml, 200mg/ml, and 400mg/ml (of the extracts), Distilled water (10 ml/kg) and Cypermethrin (10% EC) having three (3) replicates per group and containing 10 ticks per replicate administered. Results: Tick mortality of 66.66 % was effected by immersion in 400 mg/ml aqueous extract of red cultivar A. cepa as against 60 % obtained with cypermethrin within the same period. Aqueous extract caused 80 % inhibition of oviposition 72 hours post immersion (PI) as against 40 % caused by appli-cation of cypermethrin. Significance: The tickicidal and anti-oviposition activities of crude aqueous and methanol extract of red cultivar A. cepa L. observed in this present study revealed that the extracts possess some acaricidal properties/principles. Therefore, the plant could be an alternative source of tick control method with similar benefits compare to chemical acaricides such as cypermethrin, but without exposing our environment, animal and human to hazard.

Influence of Variety on Total Polyphenols Content and Antioxidant Activity in Apple Fruits (Malus domestica Borkh.)

Recently, an increasing interest in fruits and vegetable eating has been noticed in particular through epidemiological and biochemical studies pointing to their health benefits for human health. Specifically, apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) are one of the most frequently consumed fruits. Therefore, the current study aimed to compare the total polyphenols content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) of apple fruits from different columnar apple trees growing in experimental conditions. For this purpose, fruits of 7 apple cultivars obtained from the Botanic Garden (Slovak University of Agriculture, Slovakia; vegetative season 2019/2020) were analysed. Among them, four green-yellow cultivars: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Goldcats, Rondo; one green cultivar with red spots: Kordona; one red cultivar: Redcats, and one pink cultivar: Pompink, were used. Method using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent was applied to quantify TPC, and radical scavenging activity of the samples was measured with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavengers. Total polyphenols content (mg GAE.g-1 dry weight) ranged from 2.92 ±0.31 (cv. Pompink) to 9.02 ±0.32 (cv. Granny Smith), whereas statistically significant differences (p <0.05) were recorded between all analysed cultivars except for Rondo (5.07 ±0.44) and Kordona (4.18 ±0.35) cultivars as compared to Redcats (4.96 ±1.06) one. As with TPC, the lowest values for AA were observed in the Pompink cultivar (35.03 ±3.49 %) and, conversely, the highest ones in the cultivar Granny Smith (88.55 ±4.25 %). These results suggest that the values for TPC and AA in apple fruits are strongly influenced depending on the apple cultivars. From this aspect, upon achievement of this survey, and employing more samples, it will be possible to create a comprehensive overview of the antioxidant properties of apple fruits with the possibility of their application in the food industry to develop innovative products with added value.</p&gt

Multiple Effects of Nitrogen Fertilization on Grape Vegetative Growth, Berry Quality and Pest Development in Mediterranean Vineyards

Nitrogen is a key macronutrient for the quantitative and qualitative yield of grapes; in addition, it influences the development and reproduction of grape pests. The multiple effects of different nitrogen rates were investigated on the red berry cultivar ‘Carignano’ and the grape pest Planococcus ficus in a two-year field trial. Different amounts of ammonium nitrate were compared: 0, 80 and 160 Units ha−1 for mineral nitrogen. The amount of nitrogen fertilization supplied influenced the nitrogen status of vines and increased the pruning weight and leaf area, as well as the overall grape yield, by increasing the cluster weight. However, doubling the nitrogen rate did not generally increase the vegetative and productive parameters of grapevines. At harvest, nitrogen supply did not influence the anthocyanin content, tritatable acidity, and soluble solids, although the latter parameter showed a clear, yet not significant, decreasing trend. Planococcus ficus exhibited higher fecundity, survival and shorter development time on grapevines provided with nitrogen, whereas its fertility was unaffected by nitrogen fertilization. Ultimately, nitrogen had a direct and positive effect on grape yield and vine mealybug development, highlighting the importance of integrated cultural and pest control practices to promote grape production.

Registration of ‘KS Hamilton’ hard red winter wheat

AbstractHard winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major crop in semi‐arid western Kansas. The objective of this research was to develop a hard red winter wheat cultivar for western Kansas with high grain yield potential, good baking quality, and resistance to the important diseases in this region, including Wheat streak mosaic virus, Barley yellow dwarf virus, stripe rust, leaf rust, stem rust, and Hessian fly. ‘KS Hamilton’ (Reg. no. CV‐1188, PI 699003) hard red winter wheat was developed by the wheat breeding program at the Agricultural Research Center‐Hays, Kansas State University, and released by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station in 2020. KS Hamilton was selected from a three‐way cross of KS08HW176‐4//‘Bill Brown’/KS08HW61‐2. It was released for the dryland production in western Kansas. KS Hamilton was developed using a modified bulk breeding method. KS Hamilton is an F6‐derived line and was tested in yield trials for 6 yr. KS Hamilton has an intermediate maturity and plant height and an average straw strength. It has moderate tolerance to grain shattering and good winterhardiness. KS Hamilton has high grain yield potential in western Kansas and a good disease resistance package, including resistance to Wheat streak mosaic virus, stem rust, and Hessian fly; moderate resistance to Barley yellow dwarf virus; and intermediate resistance to stripe and leaf rusts. KS Hamilton has an average test weight and an above‐average baking quality.

Composition of Flavonoids in the Petals of Freesia and Prediction of Four Novel Transcription Factors Involving in Freesia Flavonoid Pathway.

Freesia hybrida is rich in flower colors with beautiful flower shapes and pleasant aroma. Flavonoids are vital to the color formation of its flowers. In this study, five Freesia cultivars with different flower colors were used to study on the level of accumulation of their flavonoids and expression of flavonoid-related genes and further explore new novel transcription factor (TF). Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and VION ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) were used to determine the flavonoids. Combined with transcriptome sequencing technology, the molecular mechanism of the flavonoid metabolism difference in Freesia was revealed. A total of 10 anthoxanthin components and 12 anthocyanin components were detected using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. All six common anthocyanin aglycones in high plants, including cyanidin, delphinidin, petunidin, peonidin, malvidin, and pelargonidin, were detected in Freesia at first time in this study. In orange, yellow, and white cultivars, anthoxanthins gradually decreased with the opening of the petals, while in red and purple cultivars, anthoxanthins first increased and then decreased. No anthocyanin was detected in yellow and white cultivars, while anthocyanins increased with the opening of the petals and reached their maximum at the flowering stage (S3) in other three cultivars. The correlation analysis revealed that the color of Freesia petals was closely related to the composition and content of anthoxanthins and anthocyanins. Petals of five cultivars at S3 were then selected for transcriptome sequencing by using the Illumina Hiseq 4000 platform, and a total of 100,539 unigenes were obtained. There were totally 5,162 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) when the four colored cultivars were compared with the white cultivar at S3. Comparing all DEGs with gene ontology (GO), KEGG, and Pfam databases, it was found that the genes involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were significantly different. In addition, AP2, WRKY, and bHLH TF families ranked the top three among all differently expressed TFs in all DEGs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) technology was used to analyze the expression patterns of the structural genes of flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in Freesia. The results showed that metabolic process was affected significantly by structural genes in this pathway, such as CHS1, CHI2, DFR1, ANS1, 3GT1, and FLS1. Cluster analysis was performed by using all annotated WRKY and AP2 TFs and the above structural genes based on their relatively expression. Four novel candidate TFs of WRKY and AP2 family were screened. Their spatiotemporal expression patterns revealed that these four novel TFs may participate in the regulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis, thus controlling its color formation in Freesia petals.

Phosphorus Supply Does Not Affect Fusarium Crown Rot of Winter Wheat

Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is a major limitation to the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) industry in the inland Pacific Northwest, United States. Genetic resistance to FCR is poorly understood and major gene resistance is not available in adapted cultivars. Chemical control is ineffective and crop rotations, which disrupt cycles of the disease, are not feasible in the region’s precipitation-limited climate. Cultural control methods are the only realistic option for farmers who struggle to minimize the impact of this disease. It is well established that FCR is favored by moisture-limited environments and an oversupply of plant-available nitrogen in soil. Effects of the supply of phosphorus in soil have not been clearly delineated. We conducted a 2-year FCR experiment at two locations in the low-precipitation zone (<30 cm) of north-central Oregon. Phosphorus fertilizer was applied in-furrow with phosphorus (P) at rates of 0, 5, and 15 kg ha−1, to plots planted with either a hard red or soft white winter wheat cultivar. The P at 15 kg ha−1 application rate increased tissue phosphorus concentration, early-season dry matter, and phosphorus uptake at both locations and both years of this study. Phosphorus treatment had no effect on grain yield, protein, or test weight. Phosphorus had no effect on the severity of FCR. This research improved our knowledge of cultural management boundaries as they relate to the control of FCR. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Evaluating the Diversity of Ecotypes of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) from Northwestern Spain by Phenotypic Traits and Microsatellites

For more than 50 years, the CIAM-AGACAL (Agricultural Research Centre of Mabegondo, Xunta de Galicia, A Coruña, Spain) has been carrying out the important task of conserving the phytogenetic resources of ecotypes and natural populations of grassland species from northwestern Spain. The CIAM-AGACAL’s germplasm bank has 57 populations of red clover (Trifolium pratense Lam.), one of the most cultivated forage legumes in the world. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the diversity among cultivars and natural clover populations at morphological and molecular level. Twelve polymorphic SSR loci revealed 241 microsatellite alleles with an average of 20.08 alleles per locus. Two main groups were detected by the Structure software, one of them including local populations and the second clustering cultivars and related populations. Intra-specific variability was found among cultivars and natural populations. A moderate genetic differentiation of Spanish red clover cultivars was observed (Fst = 0.08) between the two main clusters. Finally, a certain relationship between phenotypic and genotypic variation was detected.

Analysis of metabolite differences in skin between Clapp's Favorite and its mutant Red Clapp's Favorite through non-targeted metabolomics

为了探究西洋梨品种茄梨及其红色芽变红茄梨成熟期果皮代谢产物差异,采用超高效液相色谱-质谱联用技术,对茄梨和红茄梨成熟期果皮进行非靶向代谢组学研究。通过主成分分析和正交偏最小二乘判别分析,构建了多变量统计分析模型,结合模型和变量重要性投影与最大差异倍数值,基于精确质量数、二级碎片以及同位素分布,使用PMDB(Plant Metabolome Database)数据库进行定性,筛选并鉴定出茄梨和红茄梨果皮中显著性变化(P<0.05, VIP(variable importance in project)≥1)的差异代谢物有83种,主要包括酚酸类、黄酮类和氨基酸类物质,涉及类黄酮代谢、氨基酸代谢、苯丙烷类代谢等代谢途径,其中53种物质含量上调,30种物质表达下调。通过KEGG(Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes)数据库进一步对差异代谢物质进行通路富集分析,差异代谢物主要分布在20条代谢途径中,P<0.05的代谢途径有6条,分别是类黄酮生物合成、黄酮和黄酮醇生物合成、苯丙烷生物合成、丁酸酯代谢、苯丙氨酸代谢、酪氨酸代谢。这些差异代谢物的变化可能是导致茄梨和红茄梨果皮色泽不同的原因。该研究从植物代谢组学角度初步揭示了茄梨和红茄梨成熟期果皮的代谢产物差异性。