Molecular characterization of Syrian date palm cultivars using plasmid-like DNA markers

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is one of the most important domesticated fruit trees in the Near East and North African countries. This tree has been, for several decades, in serious threat of being completely destroyed by the "Bayoud" disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis. In this study, 18 Syrian date palm cultivars and four male trees were analyzed according to the identity of mitochondrial plasmid-like DNAs. A PCR strategy that employs plasmid-like DNAs-specific primer pair was used. These primers amplify a product of either 373-bp or 265-bp that corresponds to the S-(Bayoud-susceptible) or the R-plasmid (Bayoud-resistant), respectively. Generated data revealed that only six cultivars ('Medjool', 'Ashrasi', 'Gish Rabi', 'Khineze', and yellow- and red-'Kabkab') have the S-plasmid, suggesting their susceptibility to the fusariosis, while the remaining 12 cultivars and the four male trees contain the R-plasmid, suggesting their resistance to the fusariosis. The PCR process applied here has been proved efficient for the rapid screening for the presence of the S and R DNAs in Syrian date palm. PCR markers developed in this study could be useful for the screening of date palm lines growing in the field. The availability of such diagnostic tool for plasmid characterization in date palm would also be of great importance in establishing propagation and breeding programs of date palm in Syria.     

Inheritance of partial resistance to powdery mildew in spring wheat

Summary Four spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars exhibiting partial resistance to powdery mildew induced by Erysiphe graminis f.sp. tritici were crossed to a common susceptible cultivar to study the inheritance of resistance. The genetic parameters contributing to resistance were estimated by generation means analyses. Additive gene action was the most important genetic component of variation among generation means in all four crosses. Additive by additive effects were significant in one cross and both additive by additive and additive by dominance effects were significant in another. Dominance effects were not significant. The F2/F3 correlations in three crosses ranged from 0.27 to 0.43. Three additional crosses among resistant cultivars were employed to study the effectiveness of selection in improving resistance. By selecting the most resistant plants from the F2 and evaluating the progenies in the F4, increases in resistance ranging from 21% to 31% were obtained. In all crosses, there was transgressive segregation in both directions indicating that the genes conferring resistance to these cultivars differ and exhibit additive effects.     

Inheritance of S(f)-RNase in Japanese apricot ( Prunus mume) and its relation to self-compatibility

Self-compatible cultivars of Japanese apricot ( Prunus mume Shieb. et Zucc.), a tree species that normally shows S-RNase-based self-incompatiblity, have a horticultural advantage over self-incompatible cultivars. Inheritance of self-compatibility and a common S(f)-RNase allele that is observed in self-compatible cultivars was investigated using progenies from controlled crosses. Total DNAs were isolated from the parents and progenies of seven crosses that included at least one self-compatible cultivar as a parent. These DNAs were PCR-amplified with the Pru-C2 and PCE-R primer pair to determine S-haplotypes of the parents and progenies. A novel S-haplotype, S(8), was found. In all crosses examined, the S(f)-RNase gene was inherited from either the seed or pollen parent as a pistil S-allele in a non-functional S-haplotype. Self-compatibility of about 20 trees each from reciprocal crosses of 'Benisashi ( S(7) S(f))' and 'Shinpeidayu ( S(3) S(f))', and 26 selections from 16 different crosses was tested by pollination and pollen-tube growth studies. Cosegregation of the S(f)-RNase allele and self-compatibility was confirmed with all but selection 1K0-26 ( S(3) S(7)). Selection 1K0-26 ( S(3) S(7)) that originated from 'Benisashi ( S(7) S(f))' x 'Koshinoume ( S(3) S(f))' appeared to be self-compatible even without the S(f)-RNase allele. The possible role of pollen- S, a presumably existing pollen component of gametophytic self-incompatibility, is discussed.     

The repeatability of progeny means in the early generations of a potato breeding programme

The progenies from eight crosses between potato clones were examined. The clones were grown as seedlings in a glasshouse and subsequently from tubers in the field at two sites in two consecutive years. At harvest, all the clones were visually assessed by four breeders using a 1–9 scale of increasing desirability. Although there was a formally significant interaction between progenies and environments, the rank of the mean of a cross remained relatively consistent over different growing conditions. It is suggested, therefore, that progeny evaluation by breeders' visual preference can be used to identify the crosses with the highest potential of producing commercial cultivars.     

Diallel analysis of heading date in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Summary The genetics of heading date was investigated in an 8×8 diallel set of crosses involving diverse rice cultivars. Wr, Vr graph analysis revealed the presence of a complementary type of non-allelic interaction which apparently affected the position and slope of the regression line such as if there were overdominance. Omission of two interacting parents resulted in a 6×6 subset of diallel crosses from which, as observed in the Wr, Vr graph, the non-allelic interaction had disappeared and the regression line exhibited partial dominance. Estimates of the genetic components of variation were in close conformity with the results obtained from the Wr, Vr graph: the average degree of dominance, as measured by (H₁/D)^1/2, was in overdominance range in the interacting 8×8 set of diallel crosses whereas it was reduced to partial dominance in the non-interacting 6×6 set of crosses. Further analysis by a standardized deviations graph indicated that earliness was controlled, on the average, by an excess of dominant alleles.     

Additive inheritance of resistance to pod rot caused by Phytophthora palmivora in cocoa

Summary Quantitative inheritance of resistance to Phytophthora pod rot (Ppr) was studied in cocoa hybrid progeny from 12 Trinitario x Amazonian crosses and their reciprocal crosses. The crossing scheme was similar to a factorial design. Disease was assessed by the number and percentage of infected pods on each tree. Highly significant differences due to general combining abilities (GCA) were obtained for all characters, except for the GCA of Trinitario on total pod production. Differences for specific combining ability (SCA) were not significant for all characters. There were no significant differences between reciprocal crosses. The Trinitario clone K82 provided the only source for the hybrid progenies of strong Ppr resistance to the hybrid progenies, while K20 provided moderate resistance. Other parental clones — KA2-101, KA5-201, KEE 2, KEE 5, and KEE 52 — produced progenies which were susceptible to Ppr. It is evident that resistance to Ppr in cocoa is inherited additively. Maternal and cytoplasmic effects were assumed to have no influence on inheritance of resistance. It is also concluded that resistance to Ppr of the kind shown by K82 is likely to be horizontal resistance. Breeding for high-yielding cultivars combined with Ppr resistance is the most effective way of controlling Ppr of cocoa on the crops of growers with small holdings in Papua New Guinea.     

Identification of a major QTL together with several minor additive or epistatic QTLs for resistance to fire blight in apple in two related progenies

Although fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is one of the most destructive diseases of apple (Malus × domestica) worldwide, no major, qualitative gene for resistance to this disease has been identified to date in apple. We conducted a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis in two F₁ progenies derived from crosses between the cultivars Fiesta and either Discovery or Prima. Both progenies were inoculated in the greenhouse with the same strain of E. amylovora, and the length of necrosis was scored 7 days and 14 days after inoculation. Additive QTLs were identified using the mapqtl software, and digenic epistatic interactions, which are an indication of putative epistatic QTLs, were detected by two-way analyses of variance. A major QTL explaining 34.3–46.6% of the phenotypic variation was identified on linkage group (LG) 7 of Fiesta in both progenies at the same genetic position. Four minor QTLs were also identified on LGs 3, 12 and 13. In addition, several significant digenic interactions were identified in both progenies. These results confirm the complex polygenic nature of resistance to fire blight in the progenies studied and also reveal the existence of a major QTL on LG7 that is stable in two distinct genetic backgrounds. This QTL could be a valuable target in marker-assisted selection to obtain new, fire blight-resistant apple cultivars and forms a starting point for discovering the function of the genes underlying such QTLs involved in fire blight control.     

Prediction of progeny variation in oat from parental genetic relationships

Summary The ability to predict agronomic performance of progeny from a cross would be a great benefit to plant breeders in selecting parents. The predictive value of parental genetic relationships estimating F₁ progeny means and F₄ family variances of nine argronomic traits was tested in 76 oat crosses, using genetic distance measures based on coefficients-of-parentage, quantitatively inherited morphological characters, and discretely inherited biochemical and morphological characters. Coefficients-of-parentage were better predictors of F₁ performance than similarity measures derived from plant morphology or discretely inherited characters. Combined distance measures were better estimators of F₁ specific combining ability (SCA) effects than any single measure. Among cultivars of similar adaptation and quantitative morphology, crosses between parents with high coefficients-of-parentage gave higher SCA effect values than crosses of distantly related parents for grain yield and total biomass. The opposite was found for crosses among cultivars of different adaptation or quantitative morphology. The best predictor of trait variances among F₄ families was coefficients-of-parentage. Crosses between more distantly related parents produced larger variances among families than crosses between closely related parents for plant biomass. For grain yield, test weight, heading date, grain filling period, and maturity date, crosses between more closely related parents produced larger among-family variances than crosses of distantly related parents. Crosses between more distantly related parents involved at least one parent unadapted to central New York, and resulted in most of the progeny being generally unadapted. This, in part, may account for the low genetic variances for heading date, test weight, and grain yield in crosses of distantly related parents.     

Rapid production of recombinant barley yellow mosaic virus resistant Hordeum vulgare lines by anther culture

Summary In a winter barley breeding program for barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) resistance, the resistant six-rowed cv. Franka was crossed to 17 susceptible and two resistant cultivars, three of which were tworowed. A total of 233,445 anthers of the 19 hybrids and their parents were cultured and 831 green plants regenerated. Anther culture responsiveness varied greatly between genotypes, and the responsiveness of F₁hybrids was generally related to that of the more responsive (high) parent. On average, 3.6 green plants were recovered from 1,000 cultured anthers, almost twice as many as in comparable spring barley experiments. Androgenetic green plants were tested for their reaction to mechanical inoculation of BaYMV. In crosses of resistant parents, all the cross progeny proved to be resistant, which indicates that both parents carry identical gene(s). In the crosses of the resistant cv. Franka to susceptible parents, an average of 62% of the androgenetic progenies were resistant, which indicates that probably more than one gene is responsible for Franka's BaYMV-resistance. From the crosses of Franka to two-rowed cultivars, 282 androgenetic plants were produced. When 132 of these were tested for their reaction to BaYMV, 79 (59.8%) were resistant, and 30 of the latter were shown to be two-rowed recombinant lines. Doubled haploid lines are field-tested for other agronomic characters including grain yield and its components.     

The pattern of inheritance in apple (Malus X domestica Borkh.): further results from leaf isozyme analysis

Summary Eight progenies from controlled crosses and one self-progeny of apple were analysed by electrophoresis for six leaf enzymes. Based on a polyploid origin for this species, three hypotheses were tested: monogenie disomic, bigenic disomic and tetrasomic inheritance. Three enzymes exhibited monogenic inheritance; two exhibited bigenic disomic inheritance specified by two homoeologous genes; and one exhibited bigenic disomic inheritance due to two linked genes. In all cases tetrasomic inheritance was disproved. These results agreed with previous data obtained from pollen isozyme analysis. They indicated a probable allopolyploid origin of the apple genome and the loss of duplicated gene expression in some cases.     

Marker assisted selection for seedlessness in table grape breeding

Seedlessness is one of the most appreciated traits in the table grape (Vitis vinifera L.). The development of new seedless varieties is expensive and time consuming, involving the generation and selection of thousands of hybrids each year. In seeded × seedless crosses, seedlessness commonly segregates 1:1, so molecular markers allowing for the early identification of plants that will produce seedless berries are very useful. This early selection can lead to savings in maintenance and evaluation costs, and allows additional space for larger effective progenies. The variety Sultanina has been the main source of stenospermocarpic seedlessness in table grape breeding. In a previous work, we showed a 198-bp allele at the VMC7F2 microsatellite locus as a potential marker for selection of seedless genotypes due to its close linkage to the major effect seedless QTL, SDI. In this study, we show that stenospermocarpic bred cultivars share a main haplotype around this locus not found in seeded cultivars, which facilitating the development and use of marker assisted selection (MAS) strategies for the selection of seedless plants. In this way, VMC7F2 on its own can be a very useful marker for selecting seedless individuals from segregating crosses. A MAS program based on the presence of the 198-bp allele at VMC7F2 allows the reduction of the progeny size to 54%, selecting most of the seedless individuals. In addition, our results show the existence of other possible sources of stenospermocarpic seedlessness that could provide alternative sources of genetic variation for breeding of this trait.     

Chloroplast DNA inheritance in Populus

Summary The inheritance of chloroplast (cp) DNA was examined in F₁ hybrid progenies of two Populus deltoides intraspecific controlled crosses and three P. deltoides × P. nigra and two P. deltoides × P. maximowiczii interspecific controlled crosses by restriction fragment analysis. Southern blots of restriction digests of parental and progeny DNAs were hybridized to cloned cpDNA fragments of Petunia hybrida. Sixteen enzymes and five heterologous cpDNA probes were used to screen restriction fragment polymorphisms among the parents. The mode of cpDNA inheritance was demonstrated in progenies of P. deltoides × P. nigra crosses with 26 restriction fragment polymorphisms of cpDNA differentiating P. deltoides from P. nigra, as revealed by 12 enzyme-probe combinations, and in progenies of P. deltoides × P. maximowiczii crosses with 12 restriction fragment polymorphisms separating P. deltoides from P. maximowiczii, as revealed by 7 restriction enzyme-probe combinations. In all cases, F₁ offspring of P. deltoides × P. nigra and P. deltoides × P. maximowiczii crosses had cpDNA restriction fragments of only their maternal P. deltoides parent. The results clearly demonstrated uniparental-maternal inheritance of the chloroplast genome in interspecific hybrids of P. deltoides with P. nigra and P. maximowiczii. Intraspecific P. deltoides hybrids also had the same cpDNA restriction fragments as their maternal parent. Maternal inheritance of the chloroplast genome in Populus is in agreement with what has been observed for most other angiosperms.     

An isoenzyme marker linked to the incompatibility locus in cherry

Analysis of two cherry progenies from semi-compatible crosses for the esterase enzyme system showed extremely distorted segregation ratios for Est-5. Analysis of two progenies from compatible crosses for esterase and for stylar ribonuclease proved that Est-5 is linked with the incompatibility locus S. The recombination fraction is 4%. About a fifth of some 50 cultivars or selections genotyped for Est-5 were heterozygous. The various heterozygotes could provide ’testers’ for the presence in cultivars of unknown genotype of 8 of the 11 known S alleles. A seedling suitable for testing S ₉ has been identified and crosses have been made to raise testers for S ₁₀ and S ₁₁ . Isoenzyme analysis of the four progenies for glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, and of one of them for isocitrate dehydrogenase, showed no evidence for the linkage of Got-1 or Idh-2 with S, contrary to a previous report. Estimation of linkage with S in semi-compatible crosses is discussed. Received: 16 April 1999 / Accepted: 22 June 1999     

Associations of genes encoding allozymes peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in poplar and spruce species

Summary Isozymes of peroxidase (PER) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were analyzed in vegetative buds or very young leaves of seven species and two interspecific hybrids of Populus, in progenies of seven controlled crosses of three Populus species, and in needles of five Picea species and one putative hybrid. One to three PER, and one or two SOD zones of activity were observed. Electrophoretic mobility (EM) and banding phenotypes of isozymes of one PER locus were identical to those of one SOD locus in vegetative buds of five Populus species and hybrid. In leaves of the four Populus species and hybrid and progenies of controlled crosses, EM and phenotypes of isozymes of two PER loci were identical to those of two SOD loci. In Picea species, EM of isozymes of the only SOD locus was somewhat similar but not identical to that of one PER locus, and isozyme phenotypes of all individuals at the SOD locus were not identical to those at a PER locus. Chi-square tests verified the single-gene Mendelian control of the segregating allozyme variants at each of Per-L1 and Sod-1 in the three Populus species. The results of joint two-locus segregation tests indicated a very tight linkage and no recombination between Per-L1 and Sod-1 in three Populus species. Genes coding for isozymes of one or two PER loci are either presumably the same as, or very tightly linked to, the genes coding for isozymes of one or two SOD loci in the Populus species.     

Use of mid-parent values and progeny tests to increase the efficiency of potato breeding for combined processing quality and disease and pest resistance

A potato breeding strategy is presented which avoids the common but ineffective practice of intense early-generation visual selection between seedlings in a glasshouse and spaced plants at a seed site. Once pair crosses have been made, progeny tests are used to discard whole progenies before starting conventional within-progeny selection at the unreplicated small-plot stage. Clones are also visually selected from the best progenies for use as parents in the next cycle of crosses whilst they are multiplied to provide enough tubers for assessment of their yield and quality. Mid-parent values, as well as progeny tests, are then used to select between the resultant crosses. Material from other breeding programmes can be included in the parental assessments and used in the next cycle of crosses if superior. Finally, in seeking new cultivars, the number of clones on which to practise selection is increased by sowing more true seed of the best progenies, but without selection until the small-plot stage. Traits considered are resistance to late blight [ Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary] and to the white potato cyst nematode [ Globodera pallida (Stone)], fry colour and tuber yield and appearance, as visually assessed by breeders. The theoretical superiority of the strategy for seeking new cultivars lies in being able to practise between-cross selection for a number of economically important traits within 1 or 2 years of making crosses, something that is not possible on individuals as seedlings in the glasshouse or spaced plants at the seed site. This also means that full-sib family selection can be operated on a 3-year cycle, an improvement on current practice of clonal selection on what is often at least a nine-year cycle. New cultivars can be sought with more confidence from the best progenies in each cycle, and modern methods of rapid multiplication used to reduce the number of clonal generations required to find the best clones.     

Association between chloroplast and mitochondrial lineages in oaks

Patterns of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation were studied in 378 populations of oak trees sampled throughout the southern half of France. Six cpDNA haplotypes detected in a previous European survey and three new cpDNA haplotypes were found in this region. Two mitochondrial polymorphisms detected earlier by restriction analysis of PCR-amplified fragments alone, or in combination with single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), were compared with the cpDNA data. Sequencing revealed the nature of the two mitochondrial mutations: a single-base substitution and a 4-bp inversion associated with a 22-bp hairpin secondary structure. The single-base substitution was then analyzed by allele-specific amplification. Results for the two cytoplasmic genomes were combined, which allowed the identification of 12 cpDNA-mtDNA haplotypes. The 4-bp mtDNA inversion has appeared independently in different cpDNA lineages. Given the peculiar nature of this mtDNA mutation, we suggest that intramolecular recombination leading to repeated inversions of the 4-bp sequence (rather than paternal leakage of one of the two genomes) is responsible for this pattern. Furthermore, the geographic locations of the unusual cpDNA-mtDNA associations (due to the inversion) usually do not match the zones of contact between divergent haplotypes. In addition, in southern France, the groupings of populations based on the mtDNA substitution were strictly congruent with those based on cpDNA. Because many populations that are polymorphic for both cpDNA and mtDNA have remained in contact since postglacial recolonization in this area without producing any new combination of cytoplasms involving the mitochondrial substitution, we conclude that paternal leakage is not a significant factor at this timescale. Such results confirm and expand our earlier conclusions based on controlled crosses.      

Partial resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in hybrid progenies of four South American Solanum species crossed with diploid S. tuberosum

Resistant genotypes of the diploid tuber-bearing South American species Solarium arnezii x hondelmannii, S. berthaultii, S. leptophyes and S. microdontum were crossed with three diploid genotypes of S. tuberosum that varied in resistance and maturity type. The progenies were field tested for 2 years for resistance to a complex race of Phytophthora infestans. A wealth of genetic variation for resistance was found in most of the progenies. At least two susceptibility groups could be distinguished in some progenies of S. microdontum. This could be explained by the presence of several major resistance genes in the wild parent and, unexpectedly, in the susceptible parent SH 82-44-111. In most of the wild parents and in the susceptible parent SH 77-114-2988 there appeared to be minor resistance genes. General combining ability effects were predominant; small specific combining ability effects were detected in some crosses of S. microdontum. Gene action appeared dominant in some crosses.     

Linkage between an incompatibility locus and a peroxidase isozyme locus (Prx 7) in rye

Summary Under controlled growth chamber conditions of 30 °C, seed set after selfing is possible in normally self-incompatible rye plants. Within selfed progenies produced by this method, plants homozygous at the peroxidase isozyme locus Prx 7 were crossed to heterozygous individuals. Segregation at the Prx 7 locus in progenies of these crosses provides clear evidence of a close linkage between Prx 7 and one of the two incompatibility loci in rye. A recombination fraction in the range of 0–2% was calculated from the segregation data. In rye, Prx 7 is linked with a phosphoglucoisomerase locus (Pgi). The similarity between the observations in Secale cereale and those made in Lolium perenne is discussed.     

Variability and covariability for plant height,heading date,and seed weight in wheat crosses

Summary Variability, covariability, heritability, and expected genetic gains from selection for heading date, plant height, and kernel weight were estimated in progenies derived from six wheat crosses. The crosses differed in the magnitude of the genetic variabilities of their progenies, but all crosses had significant variabilities for all traits. Heritability estimates were calculated by the variance components method. The estimates of heritability were relatively high for all three traits and averaged 86% for heading date, 77% for plant height, and 70% for kernel weight. The presence of significant genetic variabilities and high heritability estimates indicated that selection would be effective for the three traits.The segregates derived from crosses between medium tall parents showed transgressive segregation that would permit isolation of short-statured types. Transgressive segregation also occurred for heading date and kernel weight.Heading date and plant height were positively and highly significantly correlated in four crosses out of six. But both plant height and heading date had, in general, low negative correlations with kernel weight which would not preclude the development of short wheats with high kernel weight from these crosses. The association between characters was mostly genetic in cause.     

Evidence for spontaneous diploid androgenesis in Brassica napus L.

Summary Seeds of androgenetic origin were obtained among the F₁ progenies of two crosses between resynthesized and cultivated forms of Brassica napus. The high-erucic, white-flowered, resynthesized line No7076 acted as the female, and the zero-erucic, yellow-flowered, cultivars Topas and Puma, as males. No androgenetic seeds were obtained in the reciprocal crosses. Resynthesized rape could thus be of potential use for the production of androgenetic plants. Of special interest is the high frequency (21%) of spontaneous androgenesis observed in one of the two crosses. One plant, determined from erucic acid content and flower colour analysis as androgenetic, had a diploid chromosome number. Further knowledge about the genetic control of spontaneous androgenesis in the present material and the origin of the cytoplasm in androgenetic plants are required in order to exploit this phenomenon in practical plant breeding.