Yield-related Traits Research Articles

Exotic alleles from the wild Hordeum spontaneum contribute to drought tolerance and grain quality in modern Hordeum vulgare

Conventional breeding relies on genetic variability in crop germplasm and wild species. This study evaluated 137 barley Recombinant Chromosome Substitution Lines (RCSLs), originating from crossing a drought and salinity-tolerant wild Hordeum spontaneum with the high-quality malting H. vulgare cv. Harrington. The objectives of this work were to i) improve understanding of the genetic diversity and introgression levels in RCSLs using a comprehensive set of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers; ii) investigate the phenotypic variability of physiological, agronomic, and malting quality traits in RCSLs under rainfed and fully irrigated conditions; iii) unravel the relationship between these traits and the resilience of crops in drought-prone regions; and iv) identify specific SNPs associated with both drought tolerance indices and malting quality traits. Variability in physiological, agronomic, and malting quality traits was examined under rainfed and irrigated conditions, aiming to identify specific SNPs associated with both drought tolerance indices and malting quality traits. Additionally, a subset of three recombinant lines and the parent cv. Harrington was tested in growth chambers under well-watered and water-limited conditions. Agronomic traits were influenced by genotype-by-environment interaction, with notable drought tolerance lines. The grain yield was significantly correlated with yield-related traits and carbon isotope discrimination in grains. Drought stress impacted agronomic and physiological traits, with a strong reduction in leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll and protein content. The H. spontaneum genome introgression into H. vulgare cv. Harrington varied across 137 RCSLs, averaging 13.0 %. Associations between traits and genetic markers were found, particularly for the stress tolerance index in chromosome 1H and for grain quality traits (alfa-amylase, wort color, and protein) in chromosomes 1H, 4H, and 5H. These findings uncovered valuable barley RCSLs that demonstrate drought tolerance, offering promising prospects for breeding programs targeted at improving stress resilience.

Selection impact on variability in yield related traits among the Chinese wheat hybrids under the climatic condition of Pakistan

Selection impact on variability in yield related traits among the Chinese wheat hybrids under the climatic condition of Pakistan

Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments through silicon and zinc foliar applications

Maize is an economically vital cereal crop. However, water deficiency can severely impact its productivity. Thus, it is necessary to implement an essential approach to increase maize yield while navigating the limitations imposed by scarce water supplies. The present study aimed to investigate whether foliar applications of silicon (Si) and zinc (Zn) could mitigate the adverse effects of water deficiency and improve maize growth and yield. Field experiments were conducted in Egypt during two growing seasons (2021–2022) under three irrigation regimes: full irrigation (ET0), moderate stress (ET1), and severe stress (ET2). The treatments comprised foliar sprays of Si, Zn, Si + Zn, and water control. Phenological, growth, physiological, chemical, and yield-related traits were assessed. Results showed that adequate irrigation (ET0) enhanced most parameters compared to water stress treatments. Under ET0, the combined silicon and zinc treatment resulted in the highest values for plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, grains per ear, kernel weight, ear size, and yield compared to other foliar treatments. Under drought stress (ET1, ET2), Si + Zn applications maintained superiority in mitigating yield losses. Proline accumulation was highest under severe stress (ET2) in the absence of foliar sprays, indicating greater drought impacts. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations of grain yield with ear size, leaf area, kernel weight, and biological yield. Cluster analysis separated irrigation regimes and visualized the consistently beneficial effects of Si + Zn across all water levels. Overall, the results demonstrate the synergistic potential of Si and Zn supplementation to sustain maize performance and yields under varying water availability.

TaSPL6B, a member of the Squamosa promoter binding protein-like family, regulates shoot branching and florescence in Arabidopsis thaliana

BackgroundSquamosa promoter-binding protein-like (SPL) proteins are essential to plant growth and development as plant-specific transcription factors. However, the functions of SPL proteins in wheat need to be further explored.ResultsWe cloned and characterized TaSPL6B of wheat in this study. Analysis of physicochemical properties revealed that it contained 961 amino acids and had a molecular weight of 105 kDa. Full-length TaSPL6B transcription activity was not validated in yeast and subcellular localization analysis revealed that TaSPL6B was distributed in the nucleus. Ectopic expression of TaSPL6B in Arabidopsis led to increasing number of branches and early flowering. TaSPL6B was highly transcribed in internodes of transgenic Arabidopsis. The expression of AtSMXL6/AtSMXL7/AtSMXL8 (homologous genes of TaD53) was markedly increased, whereas the expression of AtSPL2 (homologous genes of TaSPL3) and AtBRC1 (homologous genes of TaTB1) was markedly reduced in the internodes of transgenic Arabidopsis. Besides, TaSPL6B, TaSPL3 and TaD53 interacted with one another, as demonstrated by yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays. Therefore, we speculated that TaSPL6B brought together TaD53 and TaSPL3 and enhanced the inhibition effect of TaD53 on TaSPL3 through integrating light and strigolactone signaling pathways, followed by suppression of TaTB1, a key repressor of tillering.ConclusionsAs a whole, our findings contribute to a better understanding of how SPL genes work in wheat and will be useful for further research into how TaSPL6B affects yield-related traits in wheat.

Evaluation of the stability of quantitative traits of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) by AMMI analysis

Agronomical traits of crop plants exhibit quantitative variation that is controlled by multiple genes and is dependent on environmental conditions. The main objective of this study was to decipher the genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) for six yield-related traits of 25 winter oilseed rape (WOSR) genotypes using the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model. The genotypes chosen included canola cultivars, our newly developed WOSR breeding lines, yellow-seeded, semi-resynthesized and mutant genotypes, together with ogu-INRA F1 hybrids and their parental lines. These were tested in field trials at two locations over three growing seasons. Field experiments were conducted in a randomized block design with four replicates. We recorded the beginning of flowering, seed yield (SY) and SY components, the number of siliques per plant, the length of siliques, the number of seeds per silique, and the weight of 1000 seeds. The average SY in six environments varied from 16.55 to 41.64 dt·ha−1. The AMMI analysis showed significant effects of both G and E, as well as GEI, for the above traits. In this study, we observed that the climate condition, especially precipitation in addition to the soil type were the most influential factors on the SY and SY-trait value. Seed yield was positively correlated with: the number of siliques per plant, the length of siliques, the number of seeds per silique and the weight of 1000 seeds. We also found that our new ogu-INRA F1 hybrids, as well as cultivars Monolit, Mendel, Starter and Sherlock, showed stability for the analyzed traits.

Yield performance evaluation of kabuli and desi chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties under rainfed condition

Chickpea is one of Ethiopia’s main grain legume crops and it is third most important export legumes after faba bean and haricot bean. The performance information for chickpea cultivars under varying environmental conditions in the Somali region is limited. A field experiment was conducted to test the adaptability of 14 released chickpea varieties (both kabuli and desi types) at Kebribeya and Jigjiga in 2021. The experiment was carried out using a complete randomized block design with three replications for both types separately. The analysis of variance computed for seven traits for each location and over the location revealed the presence of significant variability between varieties. Variety by location interaction was highly significant for most yield and yield related for both types, this indicated that location-specific variety selection is needed. Hence, among the tested kabuli types, Koka and Hora for Kebribeya and Ejera and Koka for Jigjiga were selected based on their grain yield potential and other yield and yield-related traits. Regarding the desi-type Dalota and Dimtu for Kebribeya and Dalota, Natoil and Teketay for the Jigjiga location were the best high-yielder varieties among tested varieties. Additionally, the phenotypic correlation between traits revealed that most traits were associated with grain yield. Specifically, days to maturity and the number of pods per plant were highly correlated with grain yield in both types and were also used as important traits for variety selection. Therefore, the selected varieties from both chickpea types are recommended for popularization in study areas and other similar agroecology.

Correction: Genetic assessment of diverse rice germplasm for yield-related and stress tolerance traits

Correction: Genetic assessment of diverse rice germplasm for yield-related and stress tolerance traits

Dissecting the Genetic Architecture of Morphological Traits in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most essential oil crops in the world. Several component traits, including flowering time, plant height, stem diameter, seed weight, and kernel weight, determine sunflower seed and oil yield. Although the genetic mechanisms governing the variation of these yield-related traits have been studied using various approaches, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not been widely applied to sunflowers. In this study, a set of 342 sunflower accessions was evaluated in 2019 and 2020 using an incomplete randomized block design, and GWAS was conducted utilizing two complementary approaches: the mixed linear model (MLM) and the fixed and random model circulating probability unification (farmCPU) model by fitting 226,779 high-quality SNPs. As a result, GWAS identified a number of trait-associated SNPs. Those SNPs were located close to several genes that may serve as a basis for further molecular characterization and provide promising targets for sunflower yield improvement.

Evaluation of orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes for root yield and yield-related traits in South and Northern parts of Ethiopia

Evaluation of orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes for root yield and yield-related traits in South and Northern parts of Ethiopia

Principal component analysis of morpho-floral traits in Oryza sativa × Oryza longistaminata advanced backcross lines of rice

Hybrid rice technology substantially improves the food security of South Asian countries where rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food. Several traits contribute to hybrid seed production efficiency, among which stigma exsertion is crucial for enhancing production by facilitating out-crossing pollination. This study evaluated the variation patterns and relative impact of 12 morpho-floral traits on overall variability in advanced backcross lines derived from crosses CRMS 32B cv. Oryza sativa and Oryza longistaminata. For this study, 290 BC4F2 lines were grown during Kharif 2019 in 3 replications using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Principle component analysis (PCA) was performed on all traits, and the findings revealed 11 principal components (PCs). Out of 11 PCs, the first five displayed eigenvalues exceeding 1, collectively explaining 78.78% of the total variability. PC1, PC2, PC3, PC4, and PC5 contributed 26.36%, 19.94%, 14.22%, 9.81%, and 8.44% of the variation, with eigenvalues of 3.16, 2.39, 1.71, 1.18 and 1.01, respectively. PC1 was predominantly associated with yield-related traits such as panicle length, plant height, grain yield per plant, grains per panicle, and effective tillers per plant. On the other hand, PC2 was mainly associated with outcrossing-related floral traits such as total stigma exsertion percentage, dual stigma exsertion percentage, and single stigma exsertion percentage. However, PC3 and PC4 were associated with both floral and yield-related traits, i.e., days to 50% flowering (DF), days to maturity (DM), plant height (PH), effective tillers per plant (ETPP), spikelet fertility percentage (SFP), grain yield per plant (GYPP) and grains per panicle (GPP). Therefore, PC1, PC2, PC3, and PC4 were major contributors to rice hybrid seed production.

An Innovative Prototype to Measure Carbon Dioxide, Ethylene, and Nitric and Nitrous Oxides in the Soil Air

ABSTRACT Agricultural intensification has increased the consumption of inputs, mainly fertilizers, which may increase emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). The improvement of our knowledge on GHG dynamics in the soil is mandatory to optimize the use of fertilizers and reduce environmental impacts. We developed an electronic sensor prototype based on Arduino to monitor concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), ethylene (C2H4), ammonia (NH3), and nitrogen oxides (N2O/NOx) in the soil air in a greenhouse experiment with soybean (Glycine max L.) under two treatments: single inoculation (Bradyrhizobium spp.) or triple co-inoculation (Bradyrhizobium spp. Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas fluorescens) in a completely randomized design. One-way analysis of variance, as well as correlation between plant traits at 35 days of emergence and the average daily concentration of gases in the soil air were performed. Although not affecting plant growth or yield-related traits, co-inoculation increased CO2, while decreased NOx concentrations compared with single inoculation, whereas C2H4 emission changed with the plant growth stage. Although co-inoculation increased respiration, decreased N losses by denitrification, mitigating the total emissions of GHG. The prototype showed to be efficient for monitoring GHG across the experiment at a low cost and easy use, contributing for monitoring GHG concentrations in the soil air.

Variations in physiological and yield-related attributes of safflower (carthamus tinctorius L.) varieties grown under irrigated and rainfed environments

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a multipurpose crop and can be grown successfully under moisture-deficit environments. This study assessed the physiological attributes and yield-related traits of two safflower varieties (Dinçer and Balcı) under rainfed and irrigated environments during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Data relating to physiological and yield-related traits, and soil enzymes were collected. Soil attributes, nutrient acquisition, and yield-related traits were significantly altered by the interactive effect of varieties and growing environments. Higher nitrate (NO3 -) accumulation (279.92 and 300 mg N g DW) was recorded in Balcı variety than Dinçer under rainfed conditions. Higher grain yield was recorded under irrigated conditions compared to rainfed environments. Balcı variety produced 2724 and 2464 kg/ha grain yield, whereas Dinçer resulted in 2664 and 2565 kg/ha under irrigated conditions during 1st and 2nd year, respectively. Nevertheless, Balcı produced a higher yield than Dinçer under rainfed conditions. The results indicate that irrigation is crucial for safflower in arid and semi-arid regions. Similarly, Dinçer variety is advantageous under rainfed conditions, whereas the Balcı variety may be more beneficial in irrigated areas.

Correlation and principal component analysis of bixin content and yield-related traits in Annatto (Bixa orellana L.)

Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is an important dye-yielding species harbouring huge variations in qualitative as well as quantitative traits. Identification of factors influencing bixin content and seed yield is an important breeding aspect, considering the economic importance of annatto for selection of elite genotypes based on morphological traits. Thirty-one trees plus were selected for the study, and sixteen quantitative traits were recorded for two years (2021 and 2022) to understand their association with bixin content and seed yield. Annatto has bivalve pods; however, trivalve pods were also observed during the study. A positive and significant association (r = 0.65) between bixin content and seed yield was observed from the correlation analysis. The study revealed that bixin content was highly correlated and influenced directly by the number of primary and secondary branches and hundred seed weight, while tree height, basal diameter, and the number of primary and secondary branches exhibit a significantly positive direct effect on seed yield, suggesting these traits as a reliable morphological marker for selecting highly productive genotypes. The thirty-one plus trees were grouped through hierarchical clustering into six clusters, with maximum bixin content and seed yield in Cluster I and Cluster III. The genotypes TNBi 0020, TNBi 0021, TNBi 0022, TNBi 0023, TNBi 0024 and TNBi 0037 can be utilized for mass multiplication and popularization for commercial cultivation of Bixa orellana.

Study on Genetic Variability for Forage Yield and Quality Traits in Forage Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor L. Moench

The initial research related to germplasm screening was carried out in the experimental area of Instructional Dairy Farm, GBPUAT Pantnagar during kharif season 2018. The experimental material for this experiment consisted of two hundreds and eighty diverse germplasm lines of sorghum along with six checks viz., SSG 59-3, Pant Chari- 5, Pant Chari- 6, CSV-21 F, CSH-22S, and CSV-24SS. The germplasm lines were evaluated in Augmented Block Design for nineteen forage yield related traits and thirteen quality traits. The statistical analysis for genetic variability was done using analysis of variance (ANOVA), heritability (h2), genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), and genetic advance (GA). The analysis of variance revealed that the genotypes and checks were showing a highly significant differences for all the traits under study indicated existence of inherent genetic differences among genotypes for different characters. Mean performance of forage yield and quality related traits exhibited a wide range of variability. GCV and PCV values were observed low for most of the characters whereas high for anthracnose, zonate leaf spot and shoot fly incidence. The value of genetic advance was observed high for leaf area, green fodder yield per plant, dry fodder yield per plant, hydrocyanic acid content, plant height, anthracnose, and shoot fly incidence were relatively more than other characters. Genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed low for days to maturity, dry matter per cent, in-vitro dry matter disappearance, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, cellulose content whereas high for leaf area, flag leaf width, panicle length, panicle width, 1000-grains weight, grain yield per plant, green fodder yield per plant, dry fodder yield per plant, total soluble solids, silica content, anthracnose, zonate leaf spot and shoot fly incidence. Heritability values were found high for all the traits under study. The genotypes bearing the desired values for different genetic variability parameters and mean performance for can be exploited in future breeding programmes for the improving forage genotypes. These genotypes can be used as donor parents in crop improvement programme for improving forage yield and quality related traits along with improved resistance against anthracnose, shooty fly and zonate leaf spot.

Estimation of Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression for Yield Related and Quality Traits in Forage Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench)

The present study was conducted at GBPUAT Pantnagar to study the heterosis and inbreeding depression for nine yield related and three quality traits which consisted of seventy F1 crosses developed through line x tester mating design involving ten cytoplasmic male sterile (female) lines and seven pollinator (male) lines during Kharif 2018 and 70 F2s developed by selfing of F1 crosses during Kharif 2019 in random block design (R.B.D.) with three replications. Observations were recorded on plant height, stem girth, number of leaves per plant, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, leaf: stem ratio, total soluble solids, HCN content, green fodder yield per plot, dry fodder yield per plot, and protein percent. The observed F1data was analyzed for mid parent heterosis, heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis whereas F2data was analyzed for inbreeding depression. The large number of crosses exhibited heterosis and inbreeding depression in desired direction for all yield related and quality traits under study which indicated the presence of additive as well as non-additive gene actions. The crosses ICSA 271 x PC 5, ICSA 276 x CSV-15, 993100 A x 04K 668, 11 A2 x 04 K 693, ICSA 469 x 04 K 668, ICSA 293 x 01 K 733, SPA2 94012 x 04 K 700, ICSA 293 x CSV-15, SP 55609 A x UPMC-8, and 993100 A x 04 K 700 exhibited high mean performance for all the traits under study coupled with high heterosis in desired direction.

Transferring an Adult-Plant Stripe-Rust Resistance Gene Yr7VS from Chromosome 7V of Dasypyrum villosum (L.) to Bread Wheat.

Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis West. f.sp. tritici, Pst) is a destructive disease that seriously threatens wheat production globally. Exploring novel resistance genes for use in wheat breeding is an urgent need, as continuous Pst evolution frequently leads to a breakdown of host resistance. Here, we identified a set of wheat-Dasypyrum villosum 01I139 (V#6) disomic introgression lines for the purpose of determining their responses to a mixture of Pst isolates CYR32, CYR33 and CYR34 at both seedling and adult-plant stages. The results showed that all introgression lines exhibited high susceptibility at the seedling stage, with infection-type (IT) scores in the range of 6-8, whereas, for chromosomes 5V#6 and 7V#6, disomic addition lines NAU5V#6-1 and NAU7V#6-1 displayed high resistance at the adult-plant stage, indicating that adult-plant resistance (APR) genes were located on them. Further, in order to transfer the stripe-rust resistance on chromosome 7V#6, four new wheat-D. villosum introgression lines were identified, by the use of molecular cytogenetic approaches, from the self-pollinated seeds of 7D and 7V#6, in double monosomic line NAU7V#6-2. Among them, NAU7V#6-3 and NAU7V#6-4 were t7V#6L and t7V#6S monosomic addition lines, and NAU7V#6-5 and NAU7V#6-6 were homozygous T7DS·7V#6L and T7DL·7V#6S whole-arm translocation lines. Stripe-rust tests and genetic analyses of chromosome 7V#6 introgression lines revealed a dominant APR gene designated as Yr7VS on the chromosome arm 7V#6S. Comparison with the homozygous T7DL·7V#6S translocation line and the recurrent parent NAU0686 showed no significant differences in yield-related traits. Thus, T7DL·7V#6S whole-arm translocation with the APR gene Yr7VS provided a valuable germplasm for breeding for resistance.

Molecular selection of soybean towards adaptation to Central European agroclimatic conditions.

Europe is highly dependent on soybean meal imports and anticipates an increase of domestic plant protein production. Ongoing climate change resulted in northward shift of plant hardiness zones, enabling spring-sowing of freezing-sensitive crops, including soybean. However, it requires efficient reselection of germplasm adapted to relatively short growing season and long-day photoperiod. In the present study, a PCR array has been implemented, targeting early maturity (E1-E4, E7, E9, and E10), pod shattering (qPHD1), and growth determination (Dt1) genes. This array was optimized for routine screening of soybean diversity panel (204 accessions), subjected to the 2018-2020 survey of phenology, morphology, and yield-related traits in a potential cultivation region in Poland. High broad-sense heritability (0.84-0.88) was observed for plant height, thousand grain weight, maturity date, and the first pod height. Significant positive correlations were identified between the number of seeds and pods per plant, between these two traits and seed yield per plant as well as between flowering, maturity, plant height, and first pod height. PCR array genotyping revealed high genetic diversity, yielding 98 allelic combinations. The most remarkable correlations were identified between flowering and E7 or E1, between maturity and E4 or E7 and between plant height and Dt1 or E4. The study demonstrated high applicability of this PCR array for molecular selection of soybean towards adaptation to Central Europe, designating recessive qPHD1 and dominant Dt1, E3, and E4 alleles as major targets to align soybean growth season requirements with the length of the frost-free period, improve plant performance, and increase yield.

Multi-trait genome-wide association studies reveal novel pleiotropic loci associated with yield and yield-related traits in rice

Rice yield is a complex trait affected by many related traits. Traditional single-trait genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have limitations when studying complex traits, as they cannot account for the genetic relationships among multiple traits. Multi-trait GWAS, which can consider the relationships among multiple traits and identify pleiotropic loci, is more suitable for complex traits such as rice yield than single-trait GWAS. In this study, we conducted a multi-trait GWAS on 11 two-trait combinations of yield and yield-related traits with 575 hybrid rice varieties across two environments. All of these yield-related traits showed significant genetic correlation with yield (YD), including filled grains per panicle (FGPP), kilo-grain weight (KGW), tillers per plant (TP), primary branch number (PB), secondary branch number (SB) and main panicle length (MPL). In total we identified 44 pleiotropic quantitative trait loci (pQTLs), including 29 new pQTLs not found in single-trait GWAS. We then screened 23 pQTLs showing common effects in two traits as key pQTLs. These key pQTLs were subsequently analyzed for haplotype analysis and identified 13 pleiotropic candidate genes. Finally, we identified two optimal yield-enhancing allele combinations by pyraming superior haplotypes: GS3-GL3.1-OsCIPK17 for the YD-KGW combination and GNP12 for the YD-FGPP and YD-SB combinations. This study provides pleiotropic candidate genes and allele combinations that exhibit superior differences in both yield and yield-related traits, offering valuable information for future high-yielding rice breeding.

Genetic diversity and its impact on yield related traits in potato

Genetic diversity and its impact on yield related traits in potato

Genetic diversity and its impact on yield related traits in potato

Genetic diversity and its impact on yield related traits in potato