Thousand-kernel Weight Research Articles

New genetic insights into improving barley cope with salt stress via regulating mineral accumulation, cellular ion homeostasis, and membrane trafficking

Plant biologists aim for the genetic improvement of barley adaptation to salinity stress. This study was designed to explore the natural variation of responsive physiological and agronomic traits in a diverse spring barley panel under salt-affected soil and the application of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NP) during the vegetative phase. Significant phenotypic variation was detected among the accessions in response to salt stress. Application of 1 mM Se-NP enhanced thousand kernel weight (TKW) by 28% while decreasing the Na+ contents in the flag leaves by 53% . The genomic analysis lead to having in total, of 146 associated SNPs with salt-responsive traits using 19 K SNPs in a genome-wide association study analysis. High significant SNPs were located within or near candidate genes which are potentially involved in the stress tolerance mechanism via enhancing the expression of Na+/H+ antiporters and tonoplast H+-ATPase. The candidate genes include HORVU.MOREX.r3.2HG0184880 and HORVU.MOREX.r3.2HG0199370 that encodes sulfite reductase and anthocyanidin reductase, respectively, confirming the crucial role of Se-NP in improving barley salt tolerance. We further showed the allelic variation inside the genes associated with traits under Se-NP leads to enhancing the accumulation of N, P, K+, ion homeostasis, antioxidant metabolism, nitrogen uptake, and ultimately grain yield. This study provides desirable alleles for salt tolerance in barley breeding strategies.

QTL localisation of seed-related traits in Tibetan hulless barley based on a high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism genetic map

The effective use of high-quality and high-yielding germplasm resources is of great importance for the development of hulless barley varieties. Therefore, the search for such resources has long been a goal of the breeding community. In this study, a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis was performed on an F2 (Nierumuzha × Kunlun 10) population. A high-density genetic map of hulless barley was constructed, which contained 1 475 efficient single-nucleotide polymorphism markers with 7 052 bin markers. The total length of the seven chromosomes was 1 139.4 cM, with an average marker distance of 0.59 cM. Based on this high-density linkage map, a total of 54 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to the seed traits were detected, including seed colour (SC), thousand kernel weight (TKW), seed average area (SAA), seed perimeter (SP), seed length (SL), seed width (SW), seed length/width (SLW), seed diameter (SD), and seed circular degree (SCD). These QTLs explained 3.32–35.73% (mean = 11.45%) of the phenotypic interpretation, including 24 main QTLs and 30 epistatic QTLs. A total of 24 candidate genes were identified within the QTL region, including one SC-associated transcription factor (ANT1), two TSW-related genes, a transcription factor (NAC021), a gene associated with the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway (ku70), three SAA-associated genes (LOL2, NAC021, TSK), two SL-associated genes (MADS21, MADS4), six SW-associated genes (FIP1, NAC021, DREB 1A, HVA22A, CYP78A6, SAUR71), five LW-related genes (NAM-B2, CRY1, LHY, CYP710A1, WRKY72), two SP-related genes (SKIP11, TCP18), two SD-related genes (NAC021, SKIP8), and three SCD-related genes (MYB1R1, RAX3, NAC100). These genes are involved in the regulation of the cell development, material transport, signal transduction, and plant morphogenesis and play an important role in the regulation of agronomic traits in hulless barley. The high-density genetic mapping and QTL identification of the seed traits in hulless barley provide a valuable genetic resource and the basis for further molecular marker-assisted selection and genomic studies.

Marker-trait association analyses revealed major novel QTLs for grain yield and related traits in durum wheat.

The growing global demand for wheat for food is rising due to the influence of population growth and climate change. The dissection of complex traits by employing a genome-wide association study (GWAS) allows the identification of DNA markers associated with complex traits to improve the productivity of crops. We used GWAS with 10,045 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to search for genomic regions associated with grain yield and related traits based on diverse panels of Ethiopian durum wheat. In Ethiopia, multi-environment trials of the genotypes were carried out at five locations. The genotyping was conducted using the 25k Illumina Wheat SNP array to explore population structure, linkage disequilibrium (LD), and marker-trait associations (MTAs). For GWAS, the multi-locus Fixed and Random Model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU) model was applied. Broad-sense heritability estimates were high, ranging from 0.63 (for grain yield) to 0.97 (for thousand-kernel weight). The population structure based on principal component analysis, and model-based cluster analysis revealed two genetically distinct clusters with limited admixtures. The LD among SNPs declined within the range of 2.02-10.04 Mbp with an average of 4.28 Mbp. The GWAS scan based on the mean performance of the genotypes across the environments identified 44 significant MTAs across the chromosomes. Twenty-six of these MTAs are novel, whereas the remaining 18 were previously reported and confirmed in this study. We also identified candidate genes for the novel loci potentially regulating the traits. Hence, this study highlights the significance of the Ethiopian durum wheat gene pool for improving durum wheat globally. Furthermore, a breeding strategy focusing on accumulating favorable alleles at these loci could improve durum wheat production in the East African highlands and elsewhere.

Exogenous application of coronatine and alginate oligosaccharide to maize seedlings enhanced drought tolerance at seedling and reproductive stages

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) play crucial roles in maize drought tolerance. However, most of the studies are focused on seedling stage under greenhouse conditions, little is known on the effects of grain yields at later growth stage under field environment. It is hypothesized that exogenous application of PGRs can increase maize drought tolerance at different growth stages under field conditions. Here we used alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) and coronatine (COR) to investigate the effects of these two PGRs on maize drought tolerance in a two-year field experiment. The results showed that both COR and AOS treatments reduced leaf water loss and significantly increased the relative leaf water content by 12.6% and 13.0%, thus significantly decreasing superoxide anion accumulation by 49% and 42% in maize seedlings. There was no big difference between these two treatments in the seedling stage. In the subsequent reproductive growth period, although both COR and AOS treatments significantly increased leaf photosynthesis and above-ground growth, including photosynthetic rate by 41% and 33%, relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value) by 8.0% and 6.5%, leaf area by 22% and 15%, plant height by 8.3% and 5.9%, dry matter accumulation by 23% and 17%, respectively, under drought conditions, the effect of COR was superior to the AOS, as evidenced by membership function values of COR treatment were 0.12 and 0.08 larger than that of AOS treatment in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Ultimately, COR and AOS treatments significantly increased the grain yields by 21.7% and 16.2% in 2020, 22.3% and 15.7% in 2021, respectively, under drought conditions. Path analysis showed both PGRs increased final grain yields by increasing thousand-kernel weight (TKW). While the TKW increase with COR treatment was mainly due to the increase of relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value), AOS treatment mainly increased dry matter accumulation under drought conditions.

Development and marker-trait relationships of functional markers for glutamine synthetase GS1 and GS2 homoeogenes in bread wheat

GS1 and GS2 genes encode, respectively, the main cytosolic and the plastidic isoforms of glutamine synthetase (GS). In the present study, the wheat GS1 and GS2 homoeogenes located in the A, B and D genome chromosomes have been sequenced in a group of 15 bread wheat varieties including landraces, old commercial varieties and modern cultivars. Phenotypic characterization by multi-environment field trials detected significant effects of specific GS homoeogenes on three of the seven agronomic and grain quality traits analyzed. Based on the gene sequence polymorphisms found, biallelic molecular markers that could facilitate marker-assisted breeding were developed for genes GS1A, GS2A and GS2D. The remaining genes encoding main wheat GS were excluded because of being monomorphic (GS1D) or too polymorphic (GS1B and GS2B) in the sequencing panel varieties. A collection of 187 Spanish bread wheat landraces was genotyped for these gene-based molecular markers. Data analyses conducted with phenotypic records reported for this germplasm collection in López-Fernández et al. (Plants-Basel 10: 620, 2021) have revealed the beneficial influence of some individual alleles on thousand-kernel weight (TKW), kernels per spike (KS) and grain protein content. Furthermore, genetic interactions between GS1A, a cytosolic GS isoform coding gene, and GS2A or GS2D, plastidic GS enzyme coding genes, were found to affect TKW and KS. The finding that some alleles at one locus may mask the effect of positive alleles at hypostatic GS loci should be kept in mind if gene pyramiding strategies are attempted for the improvement of N-use efficiency-related traits.

Technological quality of wheat grains and flour as affected by nitrogen fertilization and weather condition

The quality of grains and flour can be influenced by genetics, crop management, and environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the technological quality of wheat grains and flour influenced by the interaction among genotype, nitrogen (N) fertilization and weather conditions in different regions of wheat crop adaptation in southern Brazil, aiming to support farmers and the bakery industry sector in their decision-making processes. The experiment was carried out in three environments (Londrina in rainfed and irrigated conditions; and Ponta Grossa in rainfed) in a randomized block design with a 10 × 2 factorial scheme. Ten wheat genotypes (BRS Sanhaço, BRS Graúna, BRS Gaivota, BRS Gralha-Azul, TBIO Sinuelo, TBIO Mestre, TBIO Sossego, TBIO Sintonia, TBIO Toruk, and Quartzo) and two N rates (40 and 120 kg ha-1) were assessed. The following technological quality analyses were performed in grains or flour: hectoliter weight, thousand-kernel weight, falling number, grain protein concentration, experimental flour extraction (i.e. flour yield), wet gluten concentration, and alveography. Increasing N rates from 40 to 120 kg ha-1 enhanced the concentrations of grain protein and wet gluten. However, it did not influence dough gluten strength and the commercial classification of the flour. Nitrogen fertilization also influenced the flour yield, dough tenacity and elasticity index, depending on the genotype × environment interaction. Environments with higher temperatures favored the flour yield and wet gluten concentration, while lower temperatures increased thousand-kernel weight and falling number. Water deficit increased the dough extensibility and grain protein concentration, whereas higher water availability favored the falling number, dough tenacity, and tenacity/extensibility ratio. Therefore, these outcomes are important drivers for farmers when choosing specific wheat genotypes for the environmental conditions of their farms, when they intend to meet the industrial requirements of mills and food companies that use wheat flour.

Molecular Mapping of Biofortification Traits in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Using a High-Density SNP Based Linkage Map.

A set of 188 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a high-yielding Indian bread wheat cultivar HD2932 and a synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) Synthetic 46 derived from tetraploid Triticum turgidum (AA, BB 2n = 28) and diploid Triticum tauschii (DD, 2n = 14) was used to identify novel genomic regions associated in the expression of grain iron concentration (GFeC), grain zinc concentration (GZnC), grain protein content (GPC) and thousand kernel weight (TKW). The RIL population was genotyped using SNPs from 35K Axiom® Wheat Breeder's Array and 34 SSRs and phenotyped in two environments. A total of nine QTLs including five for GPC (QGpc.iari_1B, QGpc.iari_4A, QGpc.iari_4B, QGpc.iari_5D, and QGpc.iari_6B), two for GFeC (QGfec.iari_5B and QGfec.iari_6B), and one each for GZnC (QGznc.iari_7A) and TKW (QTkw.iari_4B) were identified. A total of two stable and co-localized QTLs (QGpc.iari_4B and QTkw.iari_4B) were identified on the 4B chromosome between the flanking region of Xgwm149-AX-94559916. In silico analysis revealed that the key putative candidate genes such as P-loop containing nucleoside triphosphatehydrolase, Nodulin-like protein, NAC domain, Purine permease, Zinc-binding ribosomal protein, Cytochrome P450, Protein phosphatase 2A, Zinc finger CCCH-type, and Kinesin motor domain were located within the identified QTL regions and these putative genes are involved in the regulation of iron homeostasis, zinc transportation, Fe, Zn, and protein remobilization to the developing grain, regulation of grain size and shape, and increased nitrogen use efficiency. The identified novel QTLs, particularly stable and co-localized QTLs are useful for subsequent use in marker-assisted selection (MAS).

Mapping QTL for Phenological and Grain-Related Traits in a Mapping Population Derived from High-Zinc-Biofortified Wheat.

Genomic regions governing days to heading (DH), days to maturity (DM), plant height (PH), thousand-kernel weight (TKW), and test weight (TW) were investigated in a set of 190 RILs derived from a cross between a widely cultivated wheat-variety, Kachu (DPW-621-50), and a high-zinc variety, Zinc-Shakti. The RIL population was genotyped using 909 DArTseq markers and phenotyped in three environments. The constructed genetic map had a total genetic length of 4665 cM, with an average marker density of 5.13 cM. A total of thirty-seven novel quantitative trait loci (QTL), including twelve for PH, six for DH, five for DM, eight for TKW and six for TW were identified. A set of 20 stable QTLs associated with the expression of DH, DM, PH, TKW, and TW were identified in two or more environments. Three novel pleiotropic genomic-regions harboring co-localized QTLs governing two or more traits were also identified. In silico analysis revealed that the DArTseq markers were located on important putative candidate genes such as MLO-like protein, Phytochrome, Zinc finger and RING-type, Cytochrome P450 and pentatricopeptide repeat, involved in the regulation of pollen maturity, the photoperiodic modulation of flowering-time, abiotic-stress tolerance, grain-filling duration, thousand-kernel weight, seed morphology, and plant growth and development. The identified novel QTLs, particularly stable and co-localized QTLs, will be validated to estimate their effects in different genetic backgrounds for subsequent use in marker-assisted selection (MAS).

The influence of fungicides on the growth, development and productivity of soybean

The paper presents the results of a two-year experiment on fungicide Deposit, muE (1.0 l/t and 1.2 l/t) and its combinations with fungicide Optimo, EC (0.5 l/ha). The experiment was conducted in the south of the Russian Far East in 2021-2022. The first step was a phytophathological inspection of the seeds treated with the fungicide in the laboratory conditions. Deposit was noted to have an antibacterial and antifungal effect. A rhizotron was used for further experimental work to observe the growth and development of soybean plants. It was established that Deposit did not have a negative effect on the crop and facilitated a slight increase in plant weight. The last step of the research was field plot experiments aimed at studying the efficacy of the fungicides against root rot and leaf and stalk diseases of soybean. Deposit was observed to inhibit root rots damaging the crop. At the stage BBCH 62, the fungicide decreased the intensity of infection progression by 11.0% (1.0 l/t) and 15.6% (1.2 l/t). Deposit and Optimo had a high antipathogenic activity against leaf and stalk diseases of soybean. It was established that the fungicides and their combinations were effective against Septoria blight (22.1-35.5%), Cercospora leaf blight (29.7-70.4%), and Ascochyta blight (20.4-58.4%). Additionally, they increased the thousand kernel weight (TKW) and soybean yield.

DOWNLOAD PDF DOWNLOAD XML FIELD EXPERIMENT TO EVALUATE THE RESPONSE OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF WHEAT AGAINST LOOSE SMUT IN ARGHAKHANCHI DISTRICT OF NEPAL

One of the most serious foliar diseases limiting wheat productivity in Nepal is loose smut induced by Ustilago tritice. To assess how 12 wheat varieties responded to loose smut produced by Ustilago tritice, a field experiment was carried up in the field of Sandhikharka muncipality-1, Arghakhanchi, Nepal from 5 December 2022 to 10 April 2023. Three replications and 12 treatments were used in the randomized complete block design (RCBD) experiment. The size of each treatment plot was 2 m2, and the entire research field measured 152.5 m2. Double-digit scoring was used to determine the severity of the disease, commencing at the heading stage, with four scorings completed seven days apart in accordance with the Zadok scale. Leaf area (LA), plant height (PH), silk emergence per head, spike length (SL), smutted head(SH), number of spore masses per head, number of grains per spike, plot yield (PY), test weight, and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were among the features used to calculate the score. It was determined and examined what the mean AUDPC was. The mean AUDPC values varied substantially amongst the variations. The cultivars were divided into four groups based on their mean AUDPC values: resistant, moderately resistant, susceptible, and severely susceptible. The relationship between 12 types and the AUDPC and other features was also examined. Khumal shakti, one of 12 kinds, had the largest disease increase (AUDPC value: 859.73), making it the most vulnerable, while WK-1204 had the lowest (AUDPC value: 321.5), making it the most resistant. AUDPC values of 355.7, 368.3, and 365.2 for Annapurna, Zinc Gahun-1, and Zinc Gahun-2, respectively, were also discovered to be resistant to loose smut. No variants with great resistance were discovered. Similar to Swargadwari, Gautam, Tilottama, Vijaya, and Bhrikuti, these varieties showed some resistance to loose smut of wheat. Aditaya and Badhganga were prone to loose smut. Therefore, WK1204 performing better at Sandhikharka may be considered as the source of tolerance in further tests, while Khumal Shakti can be used as a susceptible check. These varieties can therefore be recommended for inclusion in breeding programs.

VARIATION OF THE THOUSAND KERNEL WEIGHT IN WHEAT IN RELATION TO NPK MINERAL FERTILIZATION

The study evaluated the variation of the thousand kernel weight (TKW), as an index of wheat quality, in relation to NPK mineral fertilization. The research took place at the Agricultural Research and Development Station Lovrin, Timis County, Romania. The Ciprian wheat variety was cultivated, on a chernozem type soil with medium fertility, under non-irrigated conditions. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers were applied. Nitrogen (N) was applied in three fertilization levels 0, 60 and 120 kg ha-1; phosphorus (P) was applied in two fertilization levels, 0 and 60 kg ha-1; potassium was applied in four fertilization levels, 0, 40, 80 and 120 kg ha-1. From the combination of nutritional elements and applied doses, 16 experimental variants was evaluated, and the experiments were organized in four repetitions. The thousand kernel weight (TKW) was evaluated by measurement, with a laboratory balance with a precision of ±0.002 g. The ANOVA test confirmed the safety of the data and the presence of the variance in the data set (F=11.19783, Fcrit=2.80349, p<0.001), under conditions of Alpha=0.001. Strong correlations were identified between TKW and P (r=0.833) and weak correlations between TKW and N (r=0.672). The variation of TKW in relation to the nutritional elements applied was described by different equations, under statistical safety conditions, in relation to the elements taken into analysis. The direct and interaction effect of NPK on TKW variation was observed, under conditions of R2=0.898, p<0.001. 3D models and in the form of isoquants were generated, which graphically described the variation of TKW in relation to N (x-axis) and PK (y-axis). The cluster analysis facilitated the grouping of the experimental variants based on the Euclidean distances, in relation to the TKW values, under statistical safety conditions (Coph.corr.=0.806).

Identification of genetic loci for grain yield-related traits in the wheat population Zhongmai 578/Jimai 22

The identification of stable quantitative trait locus (QTL) for yield-related traits and tightly linked molecular markers is important for improving wheat grain yield. In the present study, six yield-related traits in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the Zhongmai 578/Jimai 22 cross were phenotyped in five environments. The parents and 262 RILs were genotyped using the wheat 50K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. A high-density genetic map was constructed with 1 501 non-redundant bin markers, spanning 2 384.95 cM. Fifty-three QTLs for six yield-related traits were mapped on chromosomes 1D (2), 2A (9), 2B (6), 2D, 3A (2), 3B (2), 4A (5), 4D, 5B (8), 5D (2), 7A (7), 7B (3) and 7D (5), which explained 2.7–25.5% of the phenotypic variances. Among the 53 QTLs, 23 were detected in at least three environments, including seven for thousand-kernel weight (TKW), four for kernel length (KL), four for kernel width (KW), three for average grain filling rate (GFR), one for kernel number per spike (KNS) and four for plant height (PH). The stable QTLs QKl.caas-2A.1, QKl.caas-7D, QKw.caas-7D, QGfr.caas-2B.1, QGfr.caas-4A, QGfr.caas-7A and QPh.caas-2A.1 are likely to be new loci. Six QTL-rich regions on 2A, 2B, 4A, 5B, 7A and 7D, showed pleiotropic effects on various yield traits. TaSus2-2B and WAPO-A1 are potential candidate genes for the pleiotropic regions on 2B and 7A, respectively. The pleiotropic QTL on 7D for TKW, KL, KW and PH was verified in a natural population. The results of this study enrich our knowledge of the genetic basis underlying yield-related traits and provide molecular markers for high-yield wheat breeding.

Comparative Analyses of Grain Quality in Response to High Temperature during the Grain-Filling Stage between Wxa and Wxb under Indica and Japonica Backgrounds

Amylose content controlled by Wx determines rice grain quality, which is easily affected by high temperature. Wxa and Wxb are the two typical Wx alleles in rice, however, their effects on quality formation in response to high temperature under the backgrounds of indica rice and japonica rice have not been systematically compared. In this study, the near-isogenic lines (NILs) of Wxa and Wxb with japonica rice 2661 and indica rice 3611 backgrounds were treated by high temperature during the grain-filling stages. High temperature accelerated the grain ripening process, decreased the thousand-kernel weight, and increased the chalkiness degree of all rice samples. However, these traits of Wx NILs with 3611 background were more susceptible to high temperature than those with 2661 background. Furthermore, high-temperature treatment decreased the amylose contents (AC) and starch viscosities but increased the gelatinization temperature of all the Wx NILs. The 3611-Wxa was atypical Wxa-type rice, whose AC was more sensitive to high temperature. The AC result was consistent with quantitative analysis of GBSSI by Western blot. In addition, the effects of Wx genotype and genetic background on rice physicochemical quality (such as the gel consistencies, starch crystallinity, and the morphological structure of starch grains) in response to high temperature were systematically analyzed. These results have important guiding significance for rice-quality improvement under high-temperature climate.

QTL mapping of yield components and kernel traits in wheat cultivars TAM 112 and Duster.

In the Southern Great Plains, wheat cultivars have been selected for a combination of outstanding yield and drought tolerance as a long-term breeding goal. To understand the underlying genetic mechanisms, this study aimed to dissect the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with yield components and kernel traits in two wheat cultivars `TAM 112' and `Duster' under both irrigated and dryland environments. A set of 182 recombined inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross of TAM 112/Duster were planted in 13 diverse environments for evaluation of 18 yield and kernel related traits. High-density genetic linkage map was constructed using 5,081 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). QTL mapping analysis detected 134 QTL regions on all 21 wheat chromosomes, including 30 pleiotropic QTL regions and 21 consistent QTL regions, with 10 QTL regions in common. Three major pleiotropic QTL on the short arms of chromosomes 2B (57.5 - 61.6 Mbps), 2D (37.1 - 38.7 Mbps), and 7D (66.0 - 69.2 Mbps) colocalized with genes Ppd-B1, Ppd-D1, and FT-D1, respectively. And four consistent QTL associated with kernel length (KLEN), thousand kernel weight (TKW), plot grain yield (YLD), and kernel spike-1 (KPS) (Qklen.tamu.1A.325, Qtkw.tamu.2B.137, Qyld.tamu.2D.3, and Qkps.tamu.6A.113) explained more than 5% of the phenotypic variation. QTL Qklen.tamu.1A.325 is a novel QTL with consistent effects under all tested environments. Marker haplotype analysis indicated the QTL combinations significantly increased yield and kernel traits. QTL and the linked markers identified in this study will facilitate future marker-assisted selection (MAS) for pyramiding the favorable alleles and QTL map-based cloning.

New Genomic Regions Identified for Resistance to Spot Blotch and Terminal Heat Stress in an Interspecific Population of Triticum aestivum and T. spelta.

Wheat is one of the most widely grown and consumed food crops in the world. Spot blotch and terminal heat stress are the two significant constraints mainly in the Indo-Gangetic plains of South Asia. The study was undertaken using 185 recombinant lines (RILs) derived from the interspecific hybridization of 'Triticum aestivum (HUW234) × T. spelta (H+26)' to reveal genomic regions associated with tolerance to combined stress to spot blotch and terminal heat. Different physiological (NDVI, canopy temperature, leaf chlorophyll) and grain traits (TGW, grain size) were observed under stressed (spot blotch, terminal heat) and non-stressed environments. The mean maturity duration of RILs under combined stress was reduced by 12 days, whereas the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was 46.03%. Similarly, the grain size was depleted under combined stress by 32.23% and thousand kernel weight (TKW) by 27.56% due to spot blotch and terminal heat stress, respectively. The genetic analysis using 6734 SNP markers identified 37 significant loci for the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and NDVI. The genome-wide functional annotation of the SNP markers revealed gene functions such as plant chitinases, NB-ARC and NBS-LRR, and the peroxidase superfamily Cytochrome P450 have a positive role in the resistance through a hypersensitive response. Zinc finger domains, cysteine protease coding gene, F-box protein, ubiquitin, and associated proteins, play a substantial role in the combined stress of spot blotch and terminal heat in bread wheat, according to genomic domains ascribed to them. The study also highlights T. speltoides as a source of resistance to spot blotch and terminal heat tolerance.

Productivity and grain nutritional value traits in wheat genotypes with different NAM-B1 gene allelic variations

The identification of a functional NAM-B1 allele associated with a high content of grain protein and essential microelements in wheat relatives increased the distant hybridization significance for bread wheat nutritional value. The allelic polymorphism of the NAM-B1 gene in 22 wheat lines with a genetic material of T. dicoccoides, T. dicoccum, T. spelta, T. kiharаe and their parental forms and the effects of NAM-B1 gene allelic variations on the content of grain protein and essential microelements and productivity traits (vegetation period 2017–2021) were evaluated. The functional NAM-B1 allele was identified only in the samples of wheat relatives among the parental forms. All parental varieties and most of introgressive lines (77.3 %) had a non-functional allele. The genotypes with the functional NAM-B1 allele were characterized by a higher plant height and tillering, but by lower spike productivity compared to the non-functional allele genotypes. The presence of the functional NAM-B1 allele provided a high level of grain protein and zinc content and never decreased significantly a thousand-kernel weight across all studied environments. The functional NAM-B1 allele introgression could be a resource for improving the grain wheat nutritional value.

Ultrases Ön İşleminin Mısırın Kurutma Sırasındaki Fiziksel Özelliklerine Etkisi

In this study, the effect of some pre-treatments (conventional and 40 kHz 200 W ultrasound soaking) on corn drying was studied. One-hour pre-treated corn samples were dried at 80, 90 and 100 °C in the laboratory type convective air dryer for 240 min time. The moisture contents and physical characteristics such as length, width, thickness, equivalent diameter, equivalent volume, sphericity, thousand kernel weight and hectoliter weight of pre-treated corn samples at each temperature were analyzed for every 60 min during 240 min drying. When the conventional and ultrasound soaking pre-treatments were compared in the temperature range of 80-100 °C during 240 minutes drying of corn, the changes in the reduction rates in moisture content, thousand-kernel weight, hectoliter weight, equivalent diameter and equivalent volume values were 77-86% and 87-90%, 24-27% and 26-29%, 10-13% and 19-20%, 3-10% and 4-9%, 9-25% and 11-25%, respectively. When the results of the research were analyzed, the effect of ultrasound pre-treatment, drying temperature and drying time on moisture content, dimensions (length, width, thickness), equivalent diameter, equivalent volume, sphericity, thousand kernel weight and hectoliter weight of corn grains were found to be significant (P≤0.05).

Marker assisted improvement for leaf rust and moisture deficit stress tolerance in wheat variety HD3086.

There is a significant yield reduction in the wheat crop as a result of different biotic and abiotic stresses, and changing climate, among them moisture deficit stress and leaf rust are the major ones affecting wheat worldwide. HD3086 is a high-yielding wheat variety that has been released for commercial cultivation under timely sown irrigated conditions in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India. Variety HD3086 provides a good, stable yield, and it is the choice of millions of farmers in India. It becomes susceptible to the most prevalent pathotypes 77-5 and 77-9 of Puccinia triticina (causing leaf rust) in the production environment and its potential yield cannot be realized under moisture deficit stress. The present study demonstrates the use of a marker-assisted back cross breeding approach to the successful transfer of leaf rust resistance gene Lr24 and QTLs linked to moisture deficit stress tolerance in the background of HD3086. The genotype HI1500 was used as a donor parent that possesses leaf rust-resistant gene Lr24, which confers resistance against the major pathotypes found in the production environment. It possesses inbuilt tolerance under abiotic stresses with superior quality traits. Foreground selection for gene Lr24 and moisture deficit stress tolerance QTLs linked to Canopy temperature (CT), Normal Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Thousand Kernel Weight (TKW) in different generations of the backcrossing and selection. In BC2F2, foreground selection was carried out to identify homozygous lines based on the linked markers and were advanced following pedigree based phenotypic selection. The selected lines were evaluated against P. triticina pathotypes 77-5 and 77-9 under controlled conditions. Recurrent parent recovery of the selected lines ranged from 78-94%. The identified lines were evaluated for their tolerance to moisture stress under field conditions and their resistance to rust under artificial epiphytotic conditions for two years. In BC2F5 generation, eight positive lines for marker alleles were selected which showed resistance to leaf rust and recorded an improvement in component traits of moisture deficit stress tolerance such as CT, NDVI, TKW and yield compared to the recurrent parent HD3086. The derived line is named HD3471 and is nominated for national trials for testing and further release for commercial cultivation.

The Effects of Temperature and Water on the Seed Germination and Seedling Development of Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

The seed germination and seedling growth of rapeseed are crucial stages in plant life, especially when facing abiotic stresses. In the present work, the effects of water and temperature on seed germination and seedling growth were investigated in a rapeseed crop (Brassica napus L.). The plants were examined under different temperature levels (5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, and 35 °C) and water levels (twenty-nine levels based on either one-milliliter intervals or as a percentage of the thousand-kernel weight (TKW)). Moreover, planting densities and antifungal application techniques were investigated in the study. The findings demonstrated substantial variations between all the growth parameters investigated at all the tested temperatures, and 20 °C was considered the optimum within a broad range of 15-25 °C. Water availability plays a significant role in germination, which can be initiated at 0.65 mL, corresponding to 500% of the TKW. The method of TKW is a more accurate aspect of water application because of the consideration of the seed weight and size. The optimal water range for the accumulation of dry weight, 3.85-5.9 mL (2900-4400% of TKW), was greater than that required for seedling growth, 1.45-3.05 mL (1100-2300% of TKW). Twenty to twenty-five seeds per 9 cm Petri dish exhibited the most outstanding values compared to the others, which provides an advantage in breeding programs, especially when there are seed limitations. Seed priming is a more effective antifungal application strategy. These data can be incorporated into future rapeseed germination in vitro studies, breeding programs, and sowing date predictions.

Dissection of a grain yield QTL from wild emmer wheat reveals sub-intervals associated with culm length and kernel number.

Genetic diversity in wheat has been depleted due to domestication and modern breeding. Wild relatives are a valuable source for improving drought tolerance in domesticated wheat. A QTL region on chromosome 2BS of wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides), conferring high grain yield under well-watered and water-limited conditions, was transferred to the elite durum wheat cultivar Uzan (T. turgidum ssp. durum) by a marker-assisted backcross breeding approach. The 2B introgression line turned out to be higher yielding but also exhibited negative traits that likely result from trans-, cis-, or linkage drag effects from the wild emmer parent. In this study, the respective 2BS QTL was subjected to fine-mapping, and a set of 17 homozygote recombinants were phenotyped at BC4F5 generation under water-limited and well-watered conditions at an experimental farm in Israel and at a high-throughput phenotyping platform (LemnaTec-129) in Germany. In general, both experimental setups allowed the identification of sub-QTL intervals related to culm length, kernel number, thousand kernel weight, and harvest index. Sub-QTLs for kernel number and harvest index were detected specifically under either drought stress or well-watered conditions, while QTLs for culm length and thousand-kernel weight were detected in both conditions. Although no direct QTL for grain yield was identified, plants with the sub-QTL for kernel number showed a higher grain yield than the recurrent durum cultivar Uzan under well-watered and mild drought stress conditions. We, therefore, suggest that this sub-QTL might be of interest for future breeding purposes.