Microspore embryogenesis in Apiaceae

Haploid technology is used to develop uniform, true-breeding lines, as well as to accelerate crop improvement programs. Among 20 Apiaceae species screened for response to doubled haploidy, 11 generated microspore-derived embryos, and all but one of the latter yielded doubled haploid plants. Donor plant conditions, basal media, and culture conditions were evaluated for their efficacy on inducing microspore-derived embryos. Growing donor plants at temperature conditions of 10/5 or 15/10°C promoted microspore embryogenesis in fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), whereas, growing donor plants at a temperature regime of 10/5°C, along with the use of a cold extraction method, enhanced embryogenesis in dill (Anethum graveolens L.) and anise (Pimpinella anisum L.). The culture of fennel and dill microspores in an NLN basal medium and caraway (Carum carvi L.) in AT-3 basal medium promoted the highest frequencies of embryo induction.     

An overview of preliminary studies on the development of doubled haploid protocols for nutraceutical species

There is very little activity underway to improve the genetics of herbs, spices, and nutraceutical crops. Much of the industry relies on the harvest of “wild” plants; therefore, the potential for variability in performance and active ingredients is high. This presents significant challenges for an industry that is striving to achieve market credibility and meet current regulatory standards. Uniform varieties would also be beneficial for use in clinical trials. The development of plants performing consistently in cultivation under various environmental conditions and producing a stable quality and quantity of desired active ingredients cannot solely rely on traditional plant breeding, but must be supported by the development of tissue culture methods targeted to the species of interest. We have screened over 80 herb, spice, and nutraceutical species for microspore culture response using the Brassica napus microspore culture protocol. The majority of the species did not respond. Swelling and initial divisions of the microspores were observed in some species. Embryogenesis, however, was observed in the Apiaceae and the Caryophyllaceae. Species within these families were selected for further optimization. Improvements in embryogenic frequency were observed in both families. Haploid and doubled haploid plants have been regenerated in anise (Pimpinella anisum), carrot (Daucus carota), caraway (Carum carvi), dill (Anethum graveolens), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), lovage (Levisticum officinale), laceflower (Amni majus), parsnip (Petroselinum crispum), and cow cockle (Saponaria vaccaria).     

Doubled haploid production via anther culture in annual,winter type of caraway (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Carum carvi</Emphasis> L.)

Caraway (Carum carvi L.) is a traditional medicinal and spice cross-pollinated plant species. Although in vitro techniques are recently extensively applied in plant breeding programmes, these are not commonly utilized in caraway. Therefore, based on the protocol for anther culture in carrot (Daucus carota L., a closely related species of caraway in Daucaceae family), in vitro androgenesis in caraway has been studied with the aim to produce completely homozygous inbred lines. Various induction conditions, such as temperature pretreatments, carbon sources and combination of growth regulators in a culture medium as well as the effect of genotype on in vitro androgenesis were examined. Ten breeding lines of winter caraway representing third generation of forced (artificial) self-pollination were used as donor plant material. Cultured anthers produced embryogenic calli, and subsequently two types of regenerated plants were obtained, namely haploids with evident microspore origin, and diploids which may represent somatic (anther wall) regenerants or spontaneous doubled haploids. The ploidy status of regenerated plants was determined by flow cytometry. This is the first report on androgenic doubled haploid production in caraway.     

Effects of cover crops, weeds and plant debris on development of Mycocentrospora acerina in caraway

This paper reports on the search for inoculum sources of Mycocentrospora acerina on caraway (Carum carvi L.). Obvious suspects are cover crops of biennial caraway and preceding crops of annual caraway. Other suspects are weeds in or alongside the field. Finally, survival structures of the fungus, chlamydospore chains, packed in plant debris or naked, are suspected. M. acerina is able to infect many plant species, including cover crops of caraway such as spinach for seed production and peas. However, the agronomical suitability of a crop to serve as a cover crop of biennial caraway proved to be a more important factor in determining caraway yield than the susceptibility of the cover crop to M. acerina. This finding was corroborated by the fact that spinach and peas as preceding crops had no significant effects on M. acerina development in spring caraway sown the next year. Dill, barley and four weed species were found as new hosts of M. acerina. The role of weed hosts, susceptible crops and plant debris in the survival of the fungus in years without caraway is discussed. Caraway sown on soil containing infested caraway straw, infested debris of other plant species or chlamydospores grown in pure culture, became infected by M. acerina. Only high inoculum densities of chlamydospores in the soil caused severe damping-off of caraway seedlings. The opportunity for disease management by agronomical means is quite limited.     

QTL analysis of seed yield components in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.)

Cultivars of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), an important forage crop in temperate regions, are often characterised by an unsatisfactory level of seed yield, leading to high production costs. This complex trait is influenced by many components and negatively correlated with other important traits, such as forage yield or persistence. Therefore, seed yield has proven to be difficult to improve. Thus, the objectives of this study were to assess association among seed yield components and to provide the basis for identifying molecular markers linked to QTLs for seed yield components to assist breeding for improved red clover cultivars. A total of 42 SSR and 216 AFLP loci were used to construct a molecular linkage map with a total map length of 444.2 cM and an average distance between loci of 1.7 cM. A total of 38 QTLs were identified for eight seed yield components. The traits seed number per plant, seed yield per head, seed number per head, head number per plant and percent seed set were highly correlated with seed yield per plant, and QTLs for several of these traits were often detected in the same genome region. Head number per plant may present a particularly useful character for the improvement of seed yield since it can easily be determined before seed maturity. In addition, two genome regions containing four or five QTLs for different seed yield components, respectively, were identified representing candidate regions for further characterisation of QTLs. This study revealed several key components which may facilitate further improvement of seed yield. The QTLs identified represent an important first step towards marker-assisted breeding in red clover.     

Confirmation of QTL controlling seed yield in spring canola (Brassica napus L.) hybrids

Allelic effects observed in QTL discovery experiments must be confirmed to be useful in subsequent breeding efforts. Two QTL affecting seed yield of spring hybrid canola (Brassica napus L.) were previously identified in two populations of inbred backcross lines (IBLs) containing germplasm introgressed from a winter cultivar. The effects of favorable alleles at these QTL were retested by crossing two selected IBLs (M5 and M31) to three spring canola lines having different genetic backgrounds. Doubled haploid (DH) lines derived from each F₁ were genotyped with RFLP markers flanking the QTL and grouped into the four possible QTL genotypes. For the first field experiment, DH lines derived by crossing the M5 line to one spring line were crossed to two female testers and evaluated as individual testcross progenies in one environment. QTL genotypes had large variances and were not significantly different. A second field experiment was conducted using the DH lines from the first experiment and two other sets of DH lines derived from the M31 line crossed to two different spring canola lines. Individual lines within each QTL genotype of each set were bulked and crossed to the same testers used in Experiment 1. Bulked hybrid seeds of each QTL genotype were planted in a split-split plot randomized block design and 12 replicates. QTL genotypes had smaller variances in this experiment, and the effects of one QTL were confirmed in some genetic backgrounds. These results suggest that bulking of QTL genotypes and use of an appropriate experimental design with many replicates are needed to detect small differences between QTL genotypes.     

桉树杂交种对桉树枝瘿姬小蜂的抗性变异分析

植物种间杂交是一种普遍自然现象,杂交往往造成植物表型及生理变异,从而改变杂种抗虫性。与亲本种相比,杂种抗虫性可能增强或减弱,也有可能处于与亲本相似水平。初生、次生代谢物的质变与量变是引起杂种抗虫性变异的重要原因。近年来,桉树杂交育种已在世界范围内广泛应用并取得了显著成效,桉树杂交种间抗虫性表现参差不齐,因此,桉树是研究杂交种抗虫性变异机制的理想材料。以2个桉树杂交种巨细桉DH201-2、巨尾桉G9及桉树重要害虫桉树枝瘿姬小蜂为研究对象,比较了2个杂交种与其纯亲本种[(巨桉×细叶桉),(巨桉×尾叶桉)]间的抗虫性差异;同时,综合比较了品系间叶片性状(叶片厚度、含水率、比叶面积)、初生化合物(C、N、可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白)及次生化合物(总酚、单宁)差异,以研究桉树杂交种抗虫性变异的理化机制。结果表明:DH201-2感染桉树枝瘿姬小蜂的虫瘿数目显著高于其双亲本种,而G9上虫瘿数目显著低于其双亲本种。DH201-2与G9的叶片厚度与巨桉相近,而显著薄于另一亲本种。DH201-2叶片含水率显著高于细叶桉、与巨桉相近;G9叶片含水率则显著低于其双亲本种。相似的是,DH201-2和G9的比叶面积均显著高于其双亲本种。初生化合物方面,DH201-2叶片可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量均显著高于其亲本种,N含量则仅高于细叶桉;而G9叶片可溶性蛋白含量虽高于其双亲本种,可溶性糖含量则无显著差异,N含量显著低于其双亲本种。次生化合物方面,DH201-2叶片总酚和单宁含量显著低于其双亲本种,而G9则显著高于其双亲本种。因此,与其亲本种相比,DH201-2感虫性增加,而G9抗虫性增加;与桉树枝瘿姬小蜂发育相关的营养指标(如含水率、可溶性糖、N含量)及次生防御物质(如总酚、缩合单宁)在桉树杂交种组织内的含量差异影响了桉树杂交种对桉树枝瘿姬小蜂的抗性。在全球推行桉树杂交育种且桉树害虫数量逐年增加的大背景下,应加强对桉树杂交种抗虫性机制研究,为选育高抗品系及桉树产业可持续发展提供理论指导。     

CRISPR/Cas9介导靶向敲除拟南芥GGB基因突变体的鉴定

GGB是抗旱负调控基因。为了获得拟南芥ggb突变体材料,构建了以拟南芥U6启动子驱动GGB sgRNA的CRISPR/Cas9基因组编辑载体。将构建好的编辑载体利用农杆菌介导的浸花法转化野生型拟南芥。对转基因后代GGB基因的测序结果分析发现,在靶位点处有缺失4个碱基和增加1个T碱基的2种突变体产生。分别对野生型拟南芥和上述2种ggb突变体进行半定量RT PCR分析结果显示,突变体材料中几乎检测不到GGB基因表达,说明获得了GGB基因敲除突变体。对野生型和ggb突变体叶片失水率、耐旱表型及单株种子量的测定结果表明,与野生型相比,拟南芥GGB基因突变后,叶片失水率显著减少,抗旱性明显增强,而单株种子量却并没有改变。研究表明,GGB是一种理想的作物分子育种的候选靶基因,获得的突变体为今后从农作物中克隆的GGB同源基因进行功能互补验证提供了有用的遗传材料。     

Inheritance patterns of the response to in vitro doubled haploid induction in perennial ryegrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lolium perenne</Emphasis> L.)

The ability to produce doubled haploid (DH) plants has found broad application in research and breeding. For major crop species such as maize (Zea mays L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), routine large-scale production of DHs has enabled the acceleration of breeding processes, for example through efficient generation of homozygous lines. However, in forage crops such as perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), low and genotype-specific responses to in vitro anther culture (AC) still limit wide-spread use of DHs. Here, we report the responses of nine bi-parental populations, segregating for microspore embryogenesis and plant regeneration capacity, to an effective AC protocol. Genotypes of exceptionally high androgenic ability, producing over 200 green plants per 100 anthers cultured, could be selected. Continuous and distinctly shaped distributions for the evaluated traits were indicative of quantitative polygenic control and the presence of different alleles in each population. An insignificant association of embryo production with plant regeneration, as well as a low correlation between green and albino plant yield (ρ?=?0.20), suggested that different genes influence these traits. The populations evaluated here provide a rich source of alleles needed for the introgression of high levels of androgenic capacity into recalcitrant material. Moreover, this germplasm is ideally suited for use in future genotyping and mapping studies so that the genetic control of androgenic capacity in perennial ryegrass can be elucidated. Ultimately, our results will help to realize the potential of DH induction in one of the world’s most important forage crop species.     

QTLs for cell-membrane stability mapped in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under drought stress

Cell-membrane stability (CMS) is considered to be one of the major selection indices of drought tolerance in cereals. In order to determine which genomic region is responsible for CMS, 104 rice (Oryza sativa L.) doubled haploid (DH) lines derived from a cross between CT9993–5-10–1-M and IR62266-42–6-2 were studied in the greenhouse in a slowly developed drought stress environment. Drought stress was induced on 50-day-old plants by withholding water. The intensity of stress was assessed daily by visual scoring of leaf wilting and by measuring leaf relative water content (RWC). The leaf samples were collected from both control (well-watered) and stressed plants (at 60–65% of RWC), and the standard test for CMS was carried out in the laboratory. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in RWC between the two parental lines as well as among the 104 lines, indicating that all the plants were sampled at a uniform stress level. However, a significant difference (P<0.05) in CMS was observed between the two parental lines and among the population. No significant correlation was found between CMS and RWC, indicating that the variation in CMS was genotypic in nature. The continuous distribution of CMS and its broad-sense heritability (34%) indicates that CMS should be polygenic in nature. A linkage map of this population comprising of 145 RFLPs, 153 AFLPs and 17 microsatellite markers was used for QTL analysis. Composite interval mapping identified nine putative QTLs for CMS located on chromosomes 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12. The amount of phenotypic variation that was explained by individual QTLs ranged from 13.4% to 42.1%. Four significant (P<0.05) pairs of digenic interactions between the detected QTLs for CMS were observed. The identification of QTLs for this important trait will be useful in breeding for the improvement of drought tolerance in rice. This is the first report of mapping QTLs associated with CMS under a natural water stress condition in any crop plants. Received: 8 September 1999 / Accepted: 13 October 1999     

Production of nutritionally desirable fatty acids in seed oil of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) by metabolic engineering

Development of a designer oilseed crop with improved yield attributes and enhanced nutritional quality for the benefits of mankind and animal husbandry is now achievable with the combination of genetic engineering and plant breeding. In spite of their immense importance, the fatty acid profiles of most oilseed crops are imbalanced that necessitate the use of metabolic engineering strategies to overcome the various shortfalls in order to improve the nutritional quality of these edible oils. Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.), being one of the important oilseed crops in Indian subcontinent naturally contains ~50 % nutritionally undesirable very long chain unsaturated fatty acids (VLCUFAs), e.g. erucic acid (C_22:1). For the purpose of nutritional improvement of B. juncea seed oil, several metabolic engineering strategies have been employed to divert the carbon flux from the production of VLCUFAs to other important fatty acids. Stearic acid, being a saturated but nutritionally neutral fatty acid, is naturally inadequate in most of the conventional oil seeds. Due to its neutral effect on consumer’s health and as an important industrial ingredient, increased in planta production of stearic acid in the seed oil not only helps in reduction of production cost but also lessens the trans fatty acid production during commercial hydrogenation process. In this review metabolic engineering strategies to minimize the VLCUFAs along with increased production of stearic acid in the seed oil of B. juncea are discussed, so that further breeding attempts can be made to improve the nutritionally desirable fatty acid profile in the suitable cultivars of this important oilseed crop.     

Cassava breeding: opportunities and challenges

Although cassava is a major food crop, its scientific breeding began only recently compared with other crops. Significant progress has been achieved, particularly in Asia where cassava is used mainly for industrial processes and no major biotic constraints affect its productivity. Cassava breeding faces several limitations that need to be addressed. The heterozygous nature of the crop and parental lines used to generate new segregating progenies makes it difficult to identify parents with good breeding values. Breeding so far has been mainly based on a mass phenotypic recurrent selection. There is very little knowledge on the inheritance of traits of agronomic relevance. Several approaches have been taken to overcome the constraints in the current methodologies for the genetic improvement of cassava. Evaluations at early stages of selection allow for estimates of general combining ability effect or breeding values of parental lines. Inbreeding by sequential self-pollination facilitates the identification of useful recessive traits, either already present in the Manihot gene pool or induced by mutagenesis.     

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) from Traditional Uses to Potential Biomedical Applications

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is a small annual and herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family. It is a multipurpose plant species cultivated in the Middle East, India, China, and several Mediterranean countries, including Tunisia. Its fruit, known as cumin seed, is most widely used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is generally used as a food additive, popular spice, and flavoring agent in many cuisines. Cumin has also been widely used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases, including hypolipidemia, cancer, and diabetes. The literature presents ample evidence for the biological and biomedical activities of cumin, which have generally been ascribed to its content and action of its active constituents, such as terpens, phenols, and flavonoids. The present paper provides an overview of phytochemical profile, biological activities, and ethnomedical and pharmacological uses of Cumin.     

Vacuum infiltration transformation of non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis) with the pinII gene and bioassay for diamondback moth resistance

Non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis) is a popular vegetable in Asian countries. The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.), an insect with worldwide distribution, is a main pest of Brassicaceae crops and causes enormous crop losses. Transfer of the anti-insect gene into the plant genome by transgenic technology and subsequent breeding of insect-resistant varieties will be an effective approach to reducing the damage caused by this pest. We have produced transgenic non-heading Chinese cabbage plants expressing the potato proteinase inhibitor II gene (pinII) and tested the pest resistance of these transgenic plants. Non-heading Chinese cabbages grown for 45 days on which buds had formed were used as experimental materials for Agrobacterium-mediated vacuum infiltration transformation. Forty-one resistant plants were selected from 1166 g of seed harvested from the infiltrated plants based on the resistance of the young seedlings to the herbicide Basta. The transgenic traits were further confirmed by the Chlorophenol red test, PCR, and genomic Southern blotting. The results showed that the bar and pinII genes were co-integrated into the resistant plant genome. A bioassay of insect resistance in the second generation of individual lines of the transgenic plants showed that DBM larvae fed on transgenic leaves were severely stunted and had a higher mortality than those fed on the wild-type leaves.     

Differentiation and classification of parental lines and favorable genic interactions affecting F1 fertility in distant crosses of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

 This study was intended to investigate the extent of genetic differentiation in parental lines of rice hybrids and to analyze the genetic basis underlying the fertility phenomenon in distant crosses. Two subsets of rice material (111 entries in total) were used, including 81 doubled-haploid (DH) lines and 30 Indica and Japonica rice varieties or lines (as a control). The DH lines was derived from a heterotic Indica/Japonica cross (Gui630/02428) by anther culture. The materials in the control represent a broad spectrum of the Asian cultivated rice gene pool including landraces, primitive cultivars, historically important cultivars, modern elite cultivars, super rice and parents of superior hybrids. In accordance with the NC II design, 57 out of the DH lines were test-crossed to two important wide compatibility lines: photoperiod-sensitive genetic male sterile (PGMS) line N422s and thermo-sensitive genetic male sterile (TGMS) line Peiai64s. The F₁s and their parents, 182 entries in total, were examined for the performance of seven traits in a replicated field trial. All the rice materials was surveyed for polymorphisms using 92 RFLP markers selected from two published molecular marker linkage maps. Genotypes of the F₁ hybrids at the molecular-marker loci were deduced from the parental genotypes. The analysis showed that there were two types of genetic differentiation in the two subsets of rice material; that is, qualitative differentiation in the control and quantitative differentiation in the DH lines. In addition, favorable genic interactions (both intra- or inter-locus) contributed to better increase the fertility in hybrids of distant crosses through incorporation of a wide-compatibility line as the female parent. Favorable genic interactions can be applied in hybrid rice breeding programs by selecting parents with an appropriate extent of genetic differentiation. Received: 5 June 1997 / Accepted: 10 September 1997     

Inheritance of seed colour and identification of RAPD and AFLP markers linked to the seed colour gene in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

In China Polima cytoplasmic male sterility (cms) is currently the most important hybrid system used for the breeding of hybrids. In an effort to develop yellow-seeded Polima cms restorer lines, we used yellow-seeded, doubled haploid (DH) line No.2127-17 as the gene source in crosses with two elite black-seeded Polima cms R lines, Hui5148-2 and 99Yu42, which originated from our breeding programme. The inheritance of seed colour was investigated in the F₂, BC₁ and F₁-derived DH progenies of the two crosses. Seed colour was found to be under the control of the maternal genotype and the yellow seed trait to be partially dominant over the black seed trait. Segregation analysis revealed a single gene locus for the partial dominance of yellow seed colour. Of 810 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers, 240 (29.6%) revealed polymorphisms between the parents. Of the 240 RAPD primers and 512 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer pairs, four RAPDs and 16 AFLP pairs showed polymorphisms between the bulks, with two RAPD and eight AFLP markers being identified in the vicinity of the seed-coat colour gene locus using a DH progeny population—derived from the cross Hui5148-2×No.2127-17—of 127 individuals in combination with the bulked segregant analysis strategy. Seven of these latter ten markers were linked to the allele for yellow seed, whereas the other three were linked to the allele for black seed. The seed-coat colour gene locus was bracketed by two tightly linked markers, EA02MG08 (2.4 cM) and S1129 (3.9 cM). The partial dominance and single gene control of the yellow seed-coat colour trait together with the available molecular markers will greatly facilitate the future breeding of yellow-seeded hybrid varieties.     

An efficient protocol for genetic transformation and shoot regeneration of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) via particle bombardment

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is an important spice crop plant that is sterile and cannot be improved by conventional breeding. An efficient method for stable transformation for turmeric, C. longa L., was developed using particle bombardment. Callus cultures initiated from shoots were bombarded with gold particles coated with plasmid pAHC25 containing the bar and gusA genes each driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter. Transformants were selected on medium containing glufosinate. Transgenic lines were established on selection medium from 50% of the bombarded calluses. Transgenic shoots regenerated from these were multiplied and stably transformed plantlets were produced. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histochemical GUS assay confirmed the stable transformation. Transformed plantlets were resistant to glufosinate.     

Quantitative trait analysis of seed yield and other complex traits in hybrid spring rapeseed (Brassica napus L.): 2. Identification of alleles from unadapted germplasm

Unadapted germplasm may contain alleles that could improve hybrid cultivars of spring oilseed Brassica napus. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was used to identify potentially useful alleles from two unadapted germplasm sources, a Chinese winter cultivar and a re-synthesized B. napus, that increase seed yield when introgressed into a B. napus spring hybrid combination. Two populations of 160 doubled haploid (DH) lines were created from crosses between the unadapted germplasm source and a genetically engineered male-fertility restorer line (P1804). A genetically engineered male-sterile tester line was used to create hybrids with each DH line (testcrosses). The two DH line populations were evaluated in two environments and the two testcross populations were evaluated in three or four environments for seed yield and other agronomic traits. Several genomic regions were found in the two testcross populations which contained QTL for seed yield. The map positions of QTL for days to flowering and resistance to a bacterial leaf blight disease coincided with QTL for seed yield and other agronomic traits, suggesting the occurrence of pleiotropic or linked effects. For two hybrid seed yield QTL, the favorable alleles increasing seed yield originated from the unadapted parents, and one of these QTL was detected in multiple environments and in both populations. In this QTL region, a chromosome rearrangement was identified in P1804, which may have affected seed yield.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available to authorised users in the online version of this article at .     

Antifungal activity of the dill (Anethum graveolens L.) seed essential oil against strawberry anthracnose under in vitro and in vivo conditions

Strawberry anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum nymphaeae, is mainly controlled by the application of synthetic chemical fungicides. The present study assessed the antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) from dill (Anethum graveolens L.) seed against C. nymphaeae. The antifungal effects of dill seed EO on C. nymphaeae was initially evaluated in vitro and further extended as in vivo condition. The results indicate that in the contact and volatile assays, dill seed EO significantly inhibited mycelial growth of C. nymphaeae at all concentrations tested. Conidia germination was also significantly inhibited at concentrations of 250 – 1000 ppm. Disease incidence and severity of anthracnose on strawberry fruits were significantly reduced compared with infected control, from concentrations of 500 and 50 ppm, respectively. The results confirm the efficacy of dill seed EO against C. nymphaeae, which may represent an alternative to synthetic chemical fungicides to control strawberry anthracnose pre- and post-harvest.