Wild Beta Research Articles

Methods of creating substituted lines for hybrid selection of sugar beet: plants of the species Beta vulgaris L. with new sterile cytoplasm of Beta patula L.

Purpose. Due to changing climatic conditions and the spread of new viral diseases, an important issue in beet growing is the expansion of plasma ulture using new sterile cytoplasm from wild species of the genus Beta L.
 as an alternative to Owen’s S-cytoplasm. The goal of this work was to obtain new breeding genotypes based on new cytoplasm. Methods. Cytological, biotechnological. field and laboratory. Results. Availability of recombination in the locus of grafted genes of one-year and two-year development cycles B+b- and hypocotyl colour R+r- was determined using the method of analytical crosses. Earlier we have proved the positive effect of sterility maintainer Beta vulgaris Nxxzz in replacement of the sterility maintainer genome based on our results on the selection of hypocotyl of green color r-rand two-year development cycle b-b- in the interspecific hybrids F2 obtained under the hybridization scheme Beta maritima L: ♀B1C maritima / ♂ Beta vulgaris Nxxzz (Роїк М. В., 2013). In the case of interspecific hybrids, in the conditions of sterile cytoplasm Beta patula L., only backcross offspring of the third cycle of saturating crosses were identified by one- and two-year developmental cycles. Seed bearing plants of BC3S patula of a two-year development cycle were characterized by spreading stems, multi-seeded fruits (3, 4 seeds) and sterile anthers. At the same time, monogermity and a two-year development cycle were restored against the background of sterile cytoplasm of Beta patula L. only among the seed bearing plants of the fourth cycle of saturating crosses. Recombinant genotypes with a red hypocotyl colour and a two-year development cycle BC4S patula R+r- were characterized by multigermity, chimericalness by sterility of CMS‑1 and CMS‑0 type and single- and multi-stem morphological types of anthers. The expression of CMS nuclear genes in the newly replaced BC5S patula lines was marked by high sterility rates of the CMS‑0 type; however, the fertility rates required additional rejection of multigerm seed plants. This is an indicator of the complex structure of the fertility locus in wild Beta patula L. and the special response of the nuclear genome of the sterility maintainers to the new cytoplasmic background. Experimental triploid hybrids with the new introductory sterile cytoplasm Beta patula L. were determined by high sugar content and dry matter content up to 29%. Conclusions. Alloplasmic lines based on the cytoplasm of the wild species Beta patula L are created. Their sugar content at the level of experimental triploid hybrids was 19.5% and 20.5% with a dry matter content of 25% —29%. Alloplasmic lines with a new BCC Beta patula L. recommended for use in the selection process of sugar beets.

Sugarbeet Germplasm Lines Selected from Crosses between Wild Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima from France, Belgium, and Denmark and Cultivated Sugar Beet

Sugarbeet Germplasm Lines Selected from Crosses between Wild Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima from France, Belgium, and Denmark and Cultivated Sugar Beet

Seminal role of deletion of amino acid residues in H1-S2 and S-loop regions in eukaryotic β-tubulin investigated from docking and dynamics perspective

Tubulin is the fundamental unit of microtubules. It is reported to effect different functions like cell division, chromosomal segregation, motility and intracellular transportation. α- and β-tubulin associate laterally and longitudinally to form protofilaments. Both the subunits are structurally identical to each other except for the deletions reported in H1-S2 and S loop regions in eukaryotic β-tubulin. These deletions mimic the ancestral tubulin protein named Latest Common FtsZ-Tubulin Ancestor (LCFTA) with a shorter S-loop region resulting in weak dimerization. However, in eukaryotic beta tubulin, the significance of this shorter region remains elusive till date. The main objective of this study was to model variants of beta tubulin (βmut1, βmut2 and βmut3) with inserts that lengthened the loop, and to compare them with the native α- and β-subunits to understand their biological significance. Further, one more mutant was modeled with the intention of understanding the counter effect of additional deletion of amino acid residues from both H1-S2 and S-loop regions; this mutant was designated as βmut4. Our study confirms that the insertion of amino acid residues considerably increases the protein–protein interactions in βmut1-βmut1, βmut2-βmut2 and βmut3-βmut3 compared to their native β-subunit. Similarly, the binding affinity of GTP also increases in βmut2 and βmut3 as compared to the wild type. However, these deletions result in decreased protein–protein and ligand interactions in wild beta tubulin and βmut4, as compared to βmut1, βmut2,and βmut3. Therefore, we conclude here that residual inserts in the H1-S2 and S loop sub segments bring about conformational changes in regions critically involved in lateral interactions and in the nucleotide binding site, thus altering the binding affinities between the dimers and the ligands. Regarding the biological importance of such deletions in wild beta tubulin, these deletions result in flexible M-loop leading to weak protein–protein interaction. This could be an adaptive feature playing a crucial role in protofilament dissociation during GTP hydrolysis, because of weak dimerization.

Characterization of wild Beta populations in and adjacent to sugar beet fields in the Imperial Valley, California

Populations of wild Beta L. species exist as weeds in commercial sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. subspecies vulgaris) fields in the Imperial Valley, California. Significant losses to sugar yield and quality result if these wild plants are not removed. In cases of extreme infestation, fields are abandoned without harvest. No selective chemicals are available to differentiate conventional sugar beet from wild relatives and hand removal is labor intensive and expensive. Planting sugar beet varieties with tolerance to glyphosate is a potential solution for infested fields, but risk of gene flow to adjacent wild relatives must be determined. Previous research identified these populations as either Beta vulgaris L. subspecies maritima (L.) Arcang. or Beta macrocarpa Guss. This distinction is critical because B. v. subsp. maritima will readily cross hybridize with cultivated sugar beet while B. macrocarpa rarely will. In April 2011, we collected herbarium samples, mature seed, and leaf tissue from wild Beta populations in 25 infested sugar beet fields throughout the Imperial Valley. Bolting cultivated beets were identified at two locations. Taxonomy of whole plant herbarium samples was unclear due to wild beet stem elongation when under competition with sugar beet plants for canopy light. Morphology of plants from collected seed grown in non-competitive conditions assigned taxonomy of these populations to B. macrocarpa. We used molecular tools to determine the genetic structure of wild Beta populations throughout the Imperial Valley. Extracted DNA was genotyped with 22 simple sequence repeat molecular markers and evaluated for population structure. The bolting beet samples were clearly separated from the majority of B. macrocarpa samples, except for two. The remaining wild populations were further divided into two subgroups suggesting exchange of genetic information or a common ancestor.

The embryology of triploid F1 hybrids between the sugarbeet and wild Beta species from the Patellares section

The embryology of triploid F1 hybrids between the sugarbeet and wild Beta species from the Patellares section

RAPD-АНАЛИЗ КОЛЛЕКЦИОННЫХ ОБРАЗЦОВ ДИКОЙ И КУЛЬТУРНОЙ СВЕКЛЫ (Beta L.)

The primitive (transient) forms and wild varieties of beet are related to cultivated beet (sugar, table, fodder and mangold), have the useful properties, can be crossed with cultivated beet and used in breeding programs. However, there are some difficulties in estimating the status of beet samples and procedure for their storage in gene banks, which are caused by problems in beet taxonomy and systematics. In particular, a correct discrimination of В eta maritima vs В. vulgaris is hard to accomplish, and also the distinctions between В. maritim а and В. adanensis or В. mac rocarpa are difficult to identify. With the use of classical morphobiological analysis and molecular RAPD-markers, the authors for the first time determined the phylogenetic relationships between different specimens of wild, primitive and cultivated Beta L. from world collection of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Plant Growing (VIR). On the basis of electrophoresis data, by means of UPGMA method the tested samples were clustered and phylogenetic trees created. The obtained data suggest the phylogenetic division of Beta L. genus, which have been proposed by V.I. Burenin in 1983, and indicate an accuracy of this classification.

Hidden diversity in wild Beta taxa from Portugal: Insights from genome size and ploidy level estimations using flow cytometry

Crop wild relatives constitute a broad pool of potentially useful genetic resources for plant breeders. The genus Beta L. (Amaranthaceae) is an important source of crops, primarily for sugar production. Until recently, species within Section Beta were mostly cytogenetically uniform, with diploidy being prevalent. Still, with the discovery of tetraploid individuals of the wild B. macrocarpa in the Canary Islands, a large-scale study was necessary to evaluate the cytogenetic diversity within the wild Beta. For that, genome size and ploidy level of B. vulgaris subsp. maritima and B. macrocarpa from 21 populations across Portugal mainland and islands, including all know populations of the later taxon, were estimated using propidium iodide flow cytometry. This work revealed a cytogenetically diverse scenario. The analyzed populations were mostly diploid, except for one population of B. vulgaris subsp. maritima that presented both diploid and tetraploid individuals, and for two populations of B. macrocarpa where two or three cytotypes (diploids, tetraploids and/or hexaploids) were found. The nuclear DNA content of diploid individuals was estimated as 1.44±0.035 and 1.41±0.027pg/2C for B. vulgaris subsp. maritima and B. macrocarpa, respectively. Also, leaves of both species presented variable levels of endopolyploidy. The obtained results are discussed within the context of interspecific hybridization and cryptic diversity and constitute significant data for the conservation of these wild Beta crop relatives.

Biodiversity Assessment of Sugar Beet Species and Its Wild Relatives: Linking Ecological Data with New Genetic Approaches

The value of crop wild relatives has long been acknowledged and this wild resource has been used to improve crop performance with clear economic benefits. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) is the most economically valuable crop species in the order Caryophyllales, B. vulgaris subsp. maritima being the ancestor of the cultivated beets. The wild species of the genus Beta s.l. are commonly found in coastal areas of Europe and Mediterranean Region, where a rich genetic heritage still exists. Broadening the genetic base of sugar beet by introgression with wild relatives is a growing need regarding the maintenance of ecologically important traits. Since wild relatives have adapted to specific habitats, they constitute an important source of novel traits for the beet breeding pool. So, we conducted a broader research project aiming to delimit taxa and identify priority locations to establish genetic reserves of the wild Beta species occurring in Portugal (Western Iberian Peninsula). The aim of this study was: 1) to identify and characterize the main habitats of these wild Beta species; and 2) to present a review of some genetic tools available for future application in sugar beet breeding. In this review, we have focused on EcoTILLING as a molecular tool to assess DNA polymerphisms in wild populations of Beta and identify candidate genes related to drought and salt tolerance, as well as addressed some issues related to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies as a new molecular tool to assess adaptive genetic variation on the wild relatives of sugar beet.

Abstract 3121: Systematic analysis of the DNA synthesis fidelity of somatic mutations of polymerase beta found in prostate cancer

Abstract Human DNA polymerase beta (polβ) is a monomeric protein of 335 amino acids and functions in base excision repair and meiotic recombination. Human polα is over-expressed in many cancer cells like ovarian, prostate, breast, colon and chronic myelogenous leukemia. To obtain clues of possible functions in vivo, we have determined the fidelity of DNA synthesis of polα with forward mutation assay which scored the sequence errors caused in the lacZ-α gene in M13mp2 during DNA synthesis to fill a 407-nucleotide gap. Three of seven of the somatic polα mutants, p.E232K, p.E123K and pE216K, which we identified previously in prostate tumors, were tested. The results indicated that the somatic mutants of human DNA polymerase beta display altered fidelity. The fidelity for large deletions and complex changes of the pE232K and pE123K muatants are three and 31 times lower respectively, compared to wild type polα. The T>G transversion at position 103, which is the most common feature of polB base substitution error spectrum, is observed six times and two times lower for the pE123K and p.E216K mutants than wild polymerase beta. Our data show that somatic mutations in prostate cancer change both the synthesis fidelity and/or mutation type compared with wild type polymerase beta. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3121. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3121

A BAC library of Beta vulgaris L. for the targeted isolation of centromeric DNA and molecular cytogenetics of Beta species

We constructed a sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of the monosomic addition line PAT2. This chromosomal mutant carries a single additional chromosome fragment (minichromosome) derived from the wild beet Beta patellaris. Restriction analysis of the mutant line by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to determine HindIII as a suitable enzyme for partial digestion of genomic DNA to generate large-insert fragments which were cloned into the vector pCC1. The library consists of 36,096 clones with an average insert size of 120 kb, and 2.2% of the clones contain mitochondrial or chloroplast DNA. Based on a haploid genome size of 758 Mbp, the library represents 5.7 genome equivalents providing the probability of 99.67% that any sequence of the PAT2 genome can be found in the library. Hybridization to high-density filters was used to isolate 89 BACs containing arrays of the centromere-associated satellite repeats pTS5 and pTS4.1. Using the identified BAC clones in fluorescent in situ hybridization experiments with PAT2 and Beta patellaris chromosome spreads their wild beet origin and centromeric localization was demonstrated. Multi-colour FISH with differently labelled satellite repeats pTS5 and pTS4.1 was used to investigate the large-scale organization of the centromere of the PAT2 minichromosome in detail. FISH studies showed that the centromeric satellite pTS5 is flanked on both sides by pTS4.1 arrays and the arms of the minichromosome are terminated by the Arabidopsis-type telomeric sequences. FISH with a BAC, selected from high-density filters after hybridization with an RFLP marker of the genetic linkage group I, demonstrated that it is feasible to correlate genetic linkage groups with chromosomes. Therefore, the PAT2 BAC library provides a useful tool for the characterization of Beta centromeres and a valuable resource for sugar beet genome analysis.

Genetic approaches to sustainable pest management in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris)

AbstractSugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is an important arable crop, traditionally used for sugar extraction, but more recently, for biofuel production. A wide range of pests, including beet cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii), root‐knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), green peach aphids (Myzus persicae) and beet root maggot (Tetanops myopaeformis), infest the roots or leaves of sugar beet, which leads to yield loss directly or through transmission of beet pathogens such as viruses. Conventional pest control approaches based on chemical application have led to high economic costs. Development of pest‐resistant sugar beet varieties could play an important role towards sustainable crop production while minimising environmental impact. Intensive Beta germplasm screening has been fruitful, and genetic lines resistant to nematodes, aphids and root maggot have been identified and integrated into sugar beet breeding programmes. A small number of genes responding to pest attack have been cloned from sugar beet and wild Beta species. This trend will continue towards a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of insect–host plant interactions and host resistance. Molecular biotechnological techniques have shown promise in developing transgenic pest resistance varieties at an accelerated speed with high accuracy. The use of transgenic technology is discussed with regard to biodiversity and food safety.

First report of cercospora leaf spot on Swiss chard caused by Cercospora beticola in Turkey

In February and November 2002, a severe outbreak of a foliar disease was noted in the main producing Swiss chard ( Beta vulgaris var. cicla ) areas in the Hatay province of Turkey. In this region, disease was observed in 90–95% of fields inspected. Symptoms began as small circular, light brown spots with definite dark brown border on both sides of the leaf. The circular spots increased in size (up to 4–6 mm in diameter), developing into depressed lesions, which were brownish in colour and bordered by a purple margin. As lesions matured, the centre of the spots became whitish grey to black, due to the production of conidia and conidiophores. Microscopic examination of the whitish-grey lesions revealed the presence of tiny, black stromata within the leaf substomatal cavities. The stromata produced dense fascicles of conidiophores (up to 35 conidiophores per fascicle) that emerged through the stomata. Conidiophores were simple, one to three septate, pale brown at the base but subhyaline at the apex, straight (3·5–4·5 × 20– 65 μ m), unbranched and slightly attenuated towards to apex. Conidia, borne singly, were filiform, hyaline, pluriseptate (five to 18), nonconstricted at the septa, slightly curved, subtruncate at the base, obtuse to subacute at the apex and varying considerably in length (2·5–4 × 40– 125 μ m). The causal organism was identified as Cercospora beticola based on morphological characteristics (Kim & Shin, 1998). A single-spore isolate was cultured on V8 juice agar. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 4week-old chard seedlings (cv. Zilk), by spraying the leaves with a conidial suspension (10 4 spores per mL). Inoculated plants were kept in a moist chamber (100% RH) at 25 ° C for 3 days, then moved to a growth chamber at 26 ° C with a 16-h photoperiod. Many small elongated lesions (1–2 mm wide) were observed on inoculated leaves 5 days after treatment. After 21 days, these developed into lesions similar to those produced on naturally infected leaves. The pathogen was reisolated from inoculated leaves. This is the first report of C. beticola on Swiss chard in Turkey. Previous reports list C. beticola on Swiss chard in Egypt (El-Kazzaz, 1977) and Korea (Kim & Shin, 1998). The fungus was also reported on several host plants such as cultivated and wild Beta spp., spinach and lambs quarter (Nyvall, 1989; Rossi et al ., 1995).

Environmental implications of gene flow from sugar beet to wild beet - current status and future research needs

Gene flow via seed or pollen is a basic biological process in plant evolution. The ecological and genetic consequences of gene flow depend on the amount and direction of gene flow as well as on the fitness of hybrids. The assessment of potential risks of transgenic plants should take into account the fact that conventional crops can often cross with wild plants. The precautionary approach in risk management of genetically modified plants (GMPs) may make it necessary to monitor significant wild and weed populations that might be affected by transgene escape. Gene flow is hard to control in wind-pollinated plants like beet (Beta vulgaris). In addition, wild beet populations potentially can undergo evolutionary changes which might expand their geographical distribution. Unintended products of cultivated beets pollinated by wild beets are weed beets that bolt and flower during their first year of planting. Weed beets cause yield losses and can delay harvest. Wild beets are important plant genetic resources and the preservation of wild beet diversity in Europe has been considered in biosafety research. We present here the methodology and research approaches that can be used for monitoring the geographical distribution and diversity of Beta populations. It has recently been shown that a century of gene flow from Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris has not altered the genetic diversity of wild Beta vulgaris L. ssp. maritima (L.) Arcang. in the Italian sugar beet seed production area. Future research should focus on the potential evolution of transgenic wild beet populations in comparison to these baseline data. Two monitoring models are presented describing how endpoints can be measured: (1) "Pre-post" crop commercialization against today's baseline and (2) "Parallel" to crop commercialization against GMP free reference areas/ populations. Model 2 has the advantage of taking ongoing changes in genetic diversity and population dynamics into account. Model 1 is more applicable if gene flow is so strong that most areas/populations contain GMPs. Important traits that may change the ecology of populations are genes that confer tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. An assessment of environmental effects can realistically only be based on endpoints and consequences of gene introgression, which may include economic values of biodiversity in littoral and other ecosystems containing wild beet. In general, there is still a great need to harmonize worldwide monitoring systems by the development of appropriate methods to evaluate the environmental impact of introgressed transgenes.

Real‐time analysis ofPolymyxa betaeGST expression in infected sugar beet

SUMMARY We have tested and developed protocols for both sequence-independent and hybridization probe real-time PCR for the detection of Polymyxa betae glutathione-S-transferase transcripts in infected sugar beet roots. When using the test on P. betae-free plants, no signal above the level of the non-template control was observed. Real-time PCR analysis of both serially diluted zoospore suspensions and infected root material demonstrated a close relationship between the threshold cycle and the amount of P. betae. Hybridization probe real-time analysis of infected plants sampled sequentially over 20 days from sowing showed that the levels of the transcript rose steadily after initial infection to a peak and then declined. Comparative time-course analyses of infection in susceptible plants and a resistant wild Beta species indicated that, whilst transcript levels in susceptible plants showed a continuing upward trend, in the resistant species they were detectable only at an extremely low level.

Divergence of satellite DNA and interspersion of dispersed repeats in the genome of the wild beet Beta procumbens.

Several repetitive sequences of the genome of Beta procumbens Chr. Sm., a wild beet species of the section Procumbentes of the genus Beta have been isolated. According to their genomic organization, the repeats were assigned to satellite DNA and families of dispersed DNA sequences. The tandem repeats are 229-246 bp long and belong to an AluI restriction satellite designated pAp11. Monomers of this satellite DNA form subfamilies which can be distinguished by the divergence or methylation of an internal restriction site. The satellite is amplified in the section Procumbentes, but is also found in species of the section Beta including cultivated beet (Beta vulgaris). The existence of the pAp11 satellite in distantly related species suggests that the AluI sequence family is an ancient component of Beta genomes and the ancestor of the diverged satellite subfamily pEV4 in B. vulgaris. Comparative fluorescent in-situ hybridization revealed remarkable differences in the chromosomal position between B. procumbens and B. vulgaris, indicating that the pAp11 and pEV4 satellites were most likely involved in the expansion or rearrangement of the intercalary B. vulgaris heterochromatin. Furthermore, we describe the molecular structure, and genomic and chromosomal organization of two repetitive DNA families which were designated pAp4 and pAp22 and are 1354 and 582 bp long, respectively. The families consist of sequence elements which are widely dispersed along B. procumbens chromosomes with local clustering and exclusion from distal euchromatic regions. FISH on meiotic chromosomes showed that both dispersed repeats are colocalized in some chromosomal regions. The interspersion of repeats of the pAp4 and pAp22 family was studied by PCR and enabled the determination of repeat flanking sequences. Sequence analysis revealed that pAp22 is either derived from or part of a long terminal repeat (LTR) of an Athila-like retrotransposon. Southern analysis and FISH with pAp4 and pAp22 showed that both dispersed repeats are species-specific and can be used as DNA probes to discriminate parental genomes in interspecific hybrids. This was tested in the sugar beet hybrid PRO1 which contains a small B. procumbens chromosome fragment.

Sugar‐beet powdery mildew (Erysiphe betae)

Summary Erysiphe betae causes sugar-beet powdery mildew, a serious fungal foliar disease resulting in sugar yield losses of up to 30%. The fungus occurs world-wide in all regions where sugar beet is grown and it also infects other edible beet crops, e.g. beetroots (garden beets). Unlike other powdery mildews, E. betae has so far received relatively little attention from pathologists and the precise mechanisms by which it infects its host remain unclear. Sources of genetic resistance have been identified in cultivated and wild Beta germplasm and molecular markers developed linked to Pm, the only single major R gene described so far, and also to QTL. Erysiphe betae (Vañha) Weltz.-Kingdom Fungi, Subdivision Ascomycotina, Class Pyrenomycetes, Order Erysiphales, Family Erysiphaceae, Genus Erysiphe. Superficial persistent mycelium; unbranched erect conidiophores; conidia ripen singly, are hyaline, ovoid, 30-50 microm x 15-20 microm; cleistothecia globose, dark brown/black, 80-120 microm in diameter; mostly 4-8 asci per cleistothecium, mostly 2 or 3 spores per ascus. A monophagous parasite specific to Beta species. Disease symptoms: Infected foliage and inflorescences bear numerous powdery, white colonies. Under favourable environmental conditions the colonies coalesce, host tissue develops chlorosis and usually senesces early. Cleistothecia develop on heavily infected leaves in late summer and are small black/dark brown globose bodies resting on the mycelial surface. Chemical control and partial genetic resistance.

Evaluation of AFLP in Beta

AFLP markers were evaluated for their usefulness in the genetic analysis of sugarbeet and wild Beta species. Accessions of ten different sugarbeet breeding lines and five wild beets were screened using 256 primer combinations. Of the 11 309 bands investigated, 96.4% were polymorphic among the accessions. A strong positive correlation was found between the number of polymorphisms and AT content of the selective bases of the primer combinations. Random subsets of primer combinations were used to produce genetic distance trees. Permutation tests showed that, for the wild beets, 500 AFLP bands sufficed to obtain the best topology of the tree with a probability at any given node of more than 99%. Ten times as many bands were necessary to obtain support values of the same order of magnitude for the sugarbeet lines. The reproducibility of AFLP for seven primer combinations was investigated by repeated analysis of all steps from DNA isolation to data scoring. For 5088 comparisons, the overall reproducibility was 97.6%. Robustness to genotyping errors was investigated by including an artificial F1 (1 : 1 DNA mixture) of two sugarbeet lines in the screen for polymorphisms. For the 3160 cases of polymorphism between the two lines, 0.2% genotyping errors were found. The general reliability and usefulness of AFLP markers are discussed in relation to the results obtained.

Chromosome localisation of genes for resistance to Heterodera schachtii, Cercospora beticola and Polymyxa betae using sets of Beta procumbens and B. patellaris derived monosomic additions in B. vulgaris

Beet cyst nematodes (BCN, Heterodera schachtii), Cercospora beticola, and rhizomania, caused by the beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and vectored by the soil-borne fungus Polymyxa betae, are the most serious diseases of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris). The wild Beta species of section Procumbentes are known to be completely resistant to H. schachtii, C. beticola and P. betae. Alien monosomic additions (2n=19), plants of cultivated beet (2n=18) carrying different individual chromosomes of B. procumbens (2n=18) or B. patellaris (2n=36), were tested in greenhouse experiments for resistance to these pathogens. Gene(s) conferring full resistance to the beet cyst nematode in B. patellaris are located on chromosome 1.1, and the other tested chromosomes of B. patellaris are not involved in the expression of resistance. Artificial inoculation under greenhouse conditions, with in vitro produced inoculum of C. beticola and spot-percentage rating of the disease intensity, showed that the high level of resistance that was observed in the wild species B. procumbens and B. patellaris was not found in any of the monosomic additions tested. It was suggested that genes on various chromosomes of the wild species are needed to express full resistance, and that the chromosomes of group 7 of B. patellaris and chromosome 7 of B. procumbens have the largest effect. The greenhouse tests for resistance to P. betae in B. patellaris derived monosomic additions showed that the addition families of group 4.1 have a strong partial resistance, while the addition families of group 8.1 appeared to be completely resistant to the pathogen. Resistance to P. betae in the two wild species as well as in the two resistant addition types did not exclude infection with BNYVV, but resulted in a considerable reduction of the virus concentration. It was concluded that resistance to the vector would complement virus resistance, and may provide a more effective and durable control of rhizomania.

Collection of Wild Beta Section Corollinae in the Former Soviet Union

Wild Beta species are relatives of the cultivated forms of Beta vulgaris L. (sugarbeet) and are continually at risk of being destroyed in natural habitats. This is particularly true concerning Beta species of section Corollinae in the Caucasus M ountain region of the former Soviet Union where a joint exploration was undertaken to collect representative populations of species of the section. Wild Beta species were not as easily located as expected due to many factors such as land use, accessibility, and suitable habitat. However, a few populations of the species of sec­ tion Corollinae were collected. This germ plasm was the first to be collected in the Caucasus region in over 50 years. The seed has been deposited in the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System Beta collection with a duplicate collection at the Centre for Genetic Resources (CGN), Wageningen, The Netherlands. The germplasm will be an important addition to the collections and will help ensure the preservation of these species. Evaluation will be necessary to determine their potential value.

Mitochondrial gene variation and phylogenetic relationships in the genus Beta

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) for three mitochondrial genes, coxI, coxII and atpA, were used to determine mitochondrial (mt) DNA diversity in 21 accessions of the genus Beta representing wild and cultivated species. On the basis of distribution of the RFLP patterns these Beta genotypes were assigned into six distinct chondriome groups. A high degree of heterogeneity was found to exist between the mitochondrial genomes of the sugarbeet cultivar and the wild species of Procumbentes section. The polymorphic fragments from wild Beta species were cloned and subjected to fine mapping. We found that most of the RFLPs are due to sequence rearrangements rather than point mutations. Our data also suggest that the close linkage between coxII and coxI is taxonomically localized to an evolutionary lineage that led to Vulgares and Corollinae species but not to Procumbentes species. This linkage is most likely to have arisen via the mutation(s) that inserted the DNA segment containing coxI downstream of coxII in the common ancestor of Vulgares and Corollinae species. The results are discussed with regard to the taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of the Beta species.