Inheritance of Resistance to Pratylenchus penetrans in Alfalfa

Fifty-two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) clones, randomly selected from the cultivar Baker and the experimental line MNGRN-4, were evaluated for resistance (based on nematode reproduction) to Pratylenchus penetrans in growth chamber tests (25 C). Twenty-five clones, representing the range of nematodes and eggs per plant, were selected and retested. Four moderately resistant and two susceptible alfalfa clones were identified. Inheritance of resistance to P. penetrans was studied in these six clones using a diallel mating design. The S₁, Fl, and reciprocal progenies differed for numbers of nematodes and eggs per g dry root and for shoot and root weights (P < 0.05). Resistance, measured as numbers of nematodes in roots, was correlated between parental clones and their S₁ families (r = 0.94), parental clones and their half-sib families (r = 0.81), and S₁ and half-sib families (r = 0.88). General combining ability (GCA) effects were significant for nematode resistance traits. Both GCA and specific combining ability (SCA) effects were significant for plant size traits, but SCA was more important than GCA in predicting progeny plant size. Reciprocal effects were significant for both nematode resistance and plant size traits, which may slow selection progress in long-term selection programs. However, the GCA effects are large enough that breeding procedures that capitalize on additive effects should be effective in developing alfalfa cultivars with resistance to P. penetrans.     

Effect of plant characteristics of jute varieties on incidence of pests in West Bengal,India

This study was conducted with a view to understand the effect of plant characteristics on the incidence of pests on most popular jute varieties, viz. JRO-524, JRO-632, JRO-878, JRO-7835 of olitorius jute and JRC-212, JRC-321, JRC-4444, JRC-7447 of capsularis jute. Correlation studies of plant characteristics with pest incidence in jute (Corchorus spp.) revealed that the basal girth of plant exhibited a positive significant relationship with the incidence of Apion corchori Marshall but not with other pests such as jute semilooper (Anomis sabulifera Guen.), Bihar hairy caterpillar (Spilarctia obliqua Wlk.), grey weevil (Myllocerus discolor Bohemus) and yellow mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks). However, plant height showed positive correlation with the incidence of all the major pests of jute. Leaf characteristics (number of leaves/plant, leaf area, leaf thickness, moisture and chlorophyll content of leaves of all the varieties recorded at three different growth stages, i.e. at 50, 80 and 110 days after sowing), number of leaves/plant had positive and significant relationship with the incidence of all the pests except stem weevil. However, leaf area and moisture content of leaves showed significant positive relationship with the incidence of yellow mite. Leaf moisture also showed a positive role on the infestation of grey weevil. Leaf thickness and chlorophyll content of leaves and stem, fibre thickness and moisture content of stem did show any significant effect on pest's incidence. Upon comparing the plant characteristics between the two jute species, olitorius varieties had greater fibre thickness than that of capsularis varieties but fibre thickness had no significant impact on incidence of pests.     

Mixing ability analysis of wheat cultivar mixtures under diseased and nondiseased conditions

Summary Mixing ability analyses, adapted from combining ability analyses used in plant breeding, were performed on yield and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) severity data for two-way mixtures among either four or five club wheat (Triticum aesitivum) cultivars grown in five environments. Initially, two statistics were calculated for each trait: general mixing ability (GMA), the average performance of a cultivar over all of the mixtures, and specific mixing ability (SMA), the deviation of a mixture from the estimated performance of the pair based on its average performance in mixtures. General mixing ability was further divided into two components: genotype performing ability (GPA), the innate ability of a cultivar to yield and resist disease in pure stand, and true general mixing ability (TGMA), the average ability of a cultivar to influence yield and disease when mixed with other cultivars. Significant mean squares for genotypes, GMA, SMA, and TGMA were found for all of the traits in most environments. Examination of TGMA and SMA revealed cultivars and cultivar combinations that were statistically better mixers than the others. Some of the significant effects were probably due to the use of cultivars that differed in height and stripe rust resistance, but for other combinations there was no apparent explanation for enhanced mixing ability.Paper No. 9132 of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. Supported in part by USDA Grants 88-34106-3631 and 88-37151-3662     

Maternal environmental effects on the phenotypic responses of the twining vine Ipomoea purpurea to support availability

The presence of physical support elicits a number of morphological changes in the shoot of the common morning glory Ipomoea purpurea , including a shortening of internodes and petioles and a thickening of the main stem. Working with experimentally supported and non-supported plants of I . purpurea , I tested the existence of maternal environmental effects of physical support in this twining vine. I evaluated whether the offspring of supported plants differed from the offspring of non-supported plants in a number of morphological and reproductive characters. Stem diameter was the only shoot trait that showed a significant effect of the maternal environment (support). The stems of the progeny of supported mother plants were thicker than the stems of the progeny of non-supported mother plants. This was true for both supported and non-supported progeny. Stem diameter, however, was not significantly related to plant fitness (seed number) in supported or non-supported progeny plants. The maternal environment did not affect the magnitude of the phenotypic responses to support of shoot traits in the progeny plants. There were no maternal environmental effects of physical support on the proportion of flowering plants at week 10 in both non-supported and supported progeny. Likewise, the presence of physical support in the maternal environment did not affect reproductive traits (seed number, seed size, percentage of reproductive biomass) in supported and non-supported progeny plants. Finally, the relationship between seed size and seed number was affected by the maternal support environment. The progeny of supported mother plants showed a significantly negative association (trade-off) between seed size and number, whereas such a trade-off was not observed in the progeny of non-supported plants. This was true for both supported and non-supported progeny.     

Assessment of cytoplasmic differences of near-isonuclear male-sterile lines in pearl millet

Four near-isonuclear polycytoplasmic versions of 81A and two of Pb 402A male-sterile lines of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) were used in factorial matings with five inbred male testers in different combinations in three sets. The cytoplasmic differences were studied for several agronomic traits using mean values and general combining effects (gca) of male-sterile lines, and specific combining ability effects of hybrids. The fertility/ sterility behaviour of different male-sterile lines in crosses with common male parents was also studied. Significant differences among near-isonuclear polycytoplasmic lines were observed in mean values for a few traits such as plant height, leaf length and peduncle length, but the differences for combining ability were more pronounced. The A₃ cytoplasm was a better general combiner than the A₂ cytoplasm for grain yield and both A₂ and A₃ cytoplasms were better general combiners for leaf length and peduncle length. In addition, superiority of A₃ cytoplasm for gca was observed for plant height and ear characters over the A₂ cytoplasm in set II. A differential behaviour of cytoplasms, both in combination with a common pollinator and across pollinators, was observed for several traits. The results provide evidence for the distinctiveness of different cytoplasmic sources in pearl millet and for the influence of cytoplasmic factors on the phenotypic expression of nuclear genes. A diversification of male sterility sources in the breeding of pearl millet hybrids is suggested.     

Somatic cell culture of rice cultivars with different grain types: Somaclonal variation in some grain and quality characters

Variations in some grain and quality characters in progenies of regenerated rice plants were studied. Grain length and weight decreased significantly, yet gel consistency increased. Variations in these quantitative characters of all cultivars studied were consistent, showing the tendencies of the variations. Grain protein contents of the somaclones were higher in one cultivar. Variability of most traits was increased by combining low-dosage radiation and tissue culture.     

Analysis of diallel cross in Phaseolus aureus roxb

Summary In a diallel cross of Phaseolus aureus involving five varieties, combining ability and gene action for grain yield, grains per pod and pods per plant were estimated. The study indicated that both general combining ability and specific combining ability effects were significant and important for all three traits. Partial dominance for grain yield and partial to over-dominance for grains per pod and pods per plant were observed. Dominant genes seem to govern the inheritance of all three characters. Combining ability, and graphical and component variance analyses indicated that the grain yield and two of its components are influenced by both additive and non-additive gene action.     

The potential benefits from cultivar specific red clover -potato crop rotations

The aim of this study was to determine if endophytic bacteria could contribute to cultivar specific interactions between red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) in crop rotations. Endophytic bacteria were isolated from the roots of four red clover cultivars (AC Charlie, Altaswede, Marino and Tempus) grown in the field. Populations of bacteria from each cultivar were similar. The most abundant genus was Rhizobium, but species of Curtobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Xanthomonas were common to all cultivars. Plantlets of two potato cultivars, Russet Burbank and Shepody, were inoculated individually with the seven bacterial isolates most frequently recovered from each red clover cultivar, and grown in Magenta vessels for 6 wk. Significant differences were found for plant height, and wet weights of roots, shoots and their total. Potato cultivars differed for root wet weight only, while red clover cultivar, as a source of bacteria, had a significant effect on all traits except plant height. Differences among bacteria were significant for all traits except shoot wet weight. There was a significant interaction of potato cultivar by red clover cultivar. The potato cultivar Russet Burbank did best with bacteria from the red clover cultivar, Marino; and Shepody, with bacteria from Altaswede.     

An Induced Mutant of Corchorus olitorius L. with Enhanced Abscission Rate

A mutant of Corchorus olitorius L. (cultigen, JRO-632) isolatedfrom R₂ generation of 90 kR X-rayed progeny is characterizedby excessive leaf-fall. Although the initial rate of leaf-fallis comparable with that of the mother strain, after 65 daysof growth, leaf-fall is much more rapid as revealed from comparativecounts of the number of leaves and nodes. Formation of a separation layer has been observed at the abscissionzone of the sixth leaf above the last abscissed leaf of themutant, whereas, in the mother strain it is initiated just abovethe last abscissed leaf under the same climatic conditions inthe field. A crude extract from senescent leaves of the mutant acceleratesseparation layer formation in the abscission zone of the motherstrain. The possibility of indole-3yl acetic acid repressionand abscissin-like activity accelerating abscission is suggested.     

Study of morphological and symbiotic traits during the ontogeny of supernodular and hypernodular pea mutants

Morphological (plant height and vegetative biomass amount) and symbiotic (number of nodules and nitrogenase activity) traits of six symbiotic pea mutants and the original cultivar Rondo were studied at different vegetation periods. Of the mutants studied, one (K10a) was supernodular and the remaining five (K1a, K2a, K5a, K7a, and K27a) were hypemodular. Essential distinctions in the absolute values and time course of the changes in individual morphological and symbiotic traits of different pea mutants were demonstrated. The supernodular type is inferior to the original cultivar in plant height and production of vegetative biomass, but exceeds it in nodulation and nitrogen fixation. The hypernodular mutants either surpass the original cultivar with respect to the production capacity or display similar results. The symbiotic traits—number of nodules and nitrogen fixation activity—of these mutants are higher compared with the Rondo cultivar. The mutants K1a, K2a, and K27a were demonstrated to be useful in breeding pea for an increase in nitrogen fixation.     

Diallel analysis to predict heterosis and combining ability for grain yield,yield components and bread-making quality in bread wheat (T. aestivum)

Combining ability for grain yield, yield components, and several agronomic and qualitative traits, was studied in a seven-parent diallel cross. The 21 F₁ hybrids and the seven parental cultivars were grown in replicated plot trials sown at normal seed density in three locations in the years 1992 and 1993. The effects of general combining ability (gca) were highly significant for all the traits measured with the exception of seeds per spikelet, while the specific combining ability (sca) effects were statistically significant for grain yield, plant height, heading time, for all the yield components, and for the Chopin alveographic parameters P and P/L ratio. For the majority of the traits measured gca was greater than sca. Standard heterosis (sh) for grain yield, i.e., the superiority of the hybrids over the best pure line cultivar(cv Eridano), was only 3.3%, confirming previous finding which indicate sh effects in the range of 10%. The most interesting hybrid derived from the cross Maestra x Golia revealed a yield level approaching that of the highest yielding cv Eridano but appeared more interesting because of its reduced plant height and superior bread-making quality, signifying a selling price 30% higher. It was concluded, therefore, that the first generation of hybrids, likely to appear on the market in the next few years, will be characterized by a yield potential only slightly superior to that of the best standard cvs but associated with other desirable traits, such as bread-making quality.     

Study of dominant symbiotic mutants of pea <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum sativum</Emphasis> L.

Phenogenetic studies of four symbiotic hypernodulating mutants of pea (Pisum sativum L.) induced from seeds of cultivar Rodno by chemical mutagen EMS were conducted. All mutants have improved symbiotic traits, i.e., an increased number of root nitrogen fixating nodules and high activity of nitrogenase. Symbiotic traits were shown to be inherited dominantly. Mutants grown in the field or in a greenhouse showed superiority over the original cultivar in productivity. An important feature of hypernodulating mutants was found that is responsible for the appearance of high-height productive plants in F₂ after crossing mutants and the original cultivar. Constant lines retaining the ability for high-level production up to the F₅ generation were created based on individual plants.     

Genetic analysis of NaCl tolerance in tomato

We attempted to find the suitable parents for the development of tomato hybrids for high salt soils by exploiting combining ability, gene action and heterosis. Six salt-tolerant and three salt-intolerant genotypes, along with their 18 F1 crosses, were evaluated at seedling stage under 10 and 15 dS/m (NaCl) salinity stress, compared to the control level of salinity. The experiment was laid out based on a two-way complete randomized design factorial arrangement with two replications; data on root and shoot length, fresh and dry weights, leaf area, plant length, Na(+), K(+) and K(+)/Na(+) concentrations were recorded. There was significant variation within genotypes, lines, testers, crosses, and line × tester interaction for all plant characters studied under normal and two salinity levels. Estimates of combining ability indicated that under low (10 dS/m) and high (15 dS/m) salinities, line BL1176 and tester LO2875 showed significant GCA effects for most of the traits studied. The cross-combinations 6233 × LO2875, CLN2498A x LO2875 and BL1176 × 17902 showed highest SCA values for most of the characters under 10 and 15 dS/m, respectively. Potence ratio showed that under low and high salinities, all the traits showed over dominant type of gene action except leaf area and K(+) concentration (in 10 dS/m) and shoot length, and leaf area (in 15 dS/m). The highest heterosis for most of the parameters was observed in cross-combinations BL1176 × LO2875 and CLN2498A x LO2875.     

Study of morphological and symbiotic traits during the ontogeny of supernodular and hypernodular pea mutants

Morphological (plant height and vegetative biomass amount) and symbiotic (number of nodules and nitrogenase activity) traits of six symbiotic pea mutants and the original cultivar Rondo were studied at different vegetation periods. Of the mutants studied, one (K10a) was supemodular and the remaining five (K1a, K2a, K5a, K7a, and K27a) were hypemodular. Essential distinctions in the absolute values and time course of the changes in individual morphological and symbiotic traits of different pea mutants were demonstrated. The supemodular type is inferior to the original cultivar in plant height and production of vegetative biomass, but exceeds it in nodulation and nitrogen fixation. The hypemodular mutants either surpass the original cultivar with respect to the production capacity or display similar results. The symbiotic traits-number of nodules and nitrogen fixation activity--of these mutants are higher compared with the Rondo cultivar. The mutants K1a, K2a, and K27a were demonstrated to be useful in breeding pea for an increase in nitrogen fixation.     

Evaluation of genetic behavior of some Egyption Cotton genotypes for tolerance to water stress conditions

Water stress is a critical abiotic stress for plant reduction in arid and semiarid zones and, has been discovered to be detrimental to the development of seedlings as well as the growth and physiological characteristics of many crops such as cotton. The objectives of our study were to determine the combining ability and genetic components for five quantitative traits [(leaf area (LA), leaf dry weight (LDW), plant height (PH), fiber length (2.5 percent SL), and lint cotton yield/plant (LCY/P)] under water shortage stress, a half diallel cross between six cotton genotypes representing a wide range of cotton characteristics was evaluated in RCBD with four replications. The genotype mean squares were significant for all traits studied, demonstrating significant variation among genotypes for all characters under water shortage stress. LCY/P had the highest phenotypic and genotypic correlation co-efficient with PH, LDW, and LA shortage. The highest direct effect on lint cotton yield was exhibited by leaf area (3.905), and the highest indirect effects of all traits were through LA, with the exception of 2.5 percent SL, which was through LDW. The highest dissimilarity (Euclidean Distance) between parental genotypes was between G.87 and G.94, followed by G.87 and Menoufi. G.94 was also a well-adapted genotype, and the combinations G.87 x G.94 and G.87 x Menoufi may outperform their parents. The combining ability analysis revealed highly significant differences between parental GCA effects and F1 crosses SCA effects. The variation of GCA and SCA demonstrated the assurance of additive and non- additive gene action in the inheritance of all traits studied. In terms of general combining ability (GCA) effects, parental genotype G.94 demonstrated the highest significant and positive GCA effects for all traits studied, with the exception of 2.5 percent SL, where G.87 revealed the highest significant and positive GCA effects. The effects of specific combining ability (SCA) revealed that the cross (G.87 x2G.94) revealed stable, positive, and significant SCA for all of the studied traits.     

The evolutionary potential of Baker's weediness traits in the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea (Convolvulaceae)

? Premise of the study: Many reports have cited Baker's list of weediness traits, or those that exemplify the "ideal" weed, yet few have considered the evolutionary potential of such traits as a group. Thus, it is unknown whether constraints on the evolution of increased weediness, such as a lack of genetic variation or genetic correlations between the traits, are present. Ipomoea purpurea, the common morning glory, is a problematic weed that exhibits many of Baker's ideal weed traits. ? Methods: We used progeny from a half/full-sib breeding design in a series of three greenhouse experiments to assess the presence of genetic variation, narrow sense heritabilities, and genetic correlations in Baker's growth, competition, and fitness "weediness" traits in two populations of I. purpurea. ? Key results: We uncovered genetic variation underlying reproductive fitness traits and competitive ability in at least one population, but no evidence of genetic variation underlying growth rate in either population. Genetic correlations between many of the weediness characters differed significantly from zero; however, their direction and/or magnitude differed between populations. ? Conclusions: We found that increased weediness in the common morning glory is more likely to occur through selection on reproductive output and competitive ability rather than through selection on growth rate. Assessing Baker's traits in a quantitative genetics framework can provide a solid perspective on their evolutionary potential and a unique framework within which to determine how weeds will respond to different environmental stresses and/or scenarios of global climate change.     

Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Mutants Defective in Root Nodule Formation: II GENETIC ANALYSIS

Genetic analysis of crosses between two induced, ineffectivelynodulating mutants of common bean, NOD238 and NOD109, revealedthat their mutated nodulation phenotype is under the controlof the same locus in both mutants. The two mutants also resultedallelic for poor pod fertility, the other trait common to themutants. F₁ plants from crosses with their wild types nodulatedeffectively and had wild type pod fertility. Ineffective nodulationand poor pod fertility traits co-segregated in the F₂generationin which plants with the mutant nodulation and pod fertilityphenotypes represented 12.5% of the total population. Analysisin F₃confirmed that these plants were homozygous for both mutatedcharacters. The results indicated both mutant traits studiedare determined by a single recessive allele, named sym-2, whoseinheritance is negatively affected by its pleiotropic effecton pod fertility determining a deficit of ineffectively nodulatingcombinations. In an allelism test with the non-nodulating mutantof common bean NOD125 it was found that ineffective nodulationis controlled at a different locus and that the two loci arenot linked. Key words: Phaseolus valgaris, nitrogen fixation, nodulation mutants, genetics     

华南杂交稻亲本间产量配合力评价与分子标记鉴定

选用华南地区广泛应用的8个杂交稻不育系与10个恢复系,按NCII设计配制两套不完全双列杂交组合61个,通过在湛江的两年种植试验,结合62对与产量性状QTL连锁SSR标记,对18个亲本的产量配合力进行综合评价和标记位点鉴定。结果表明：供试亲本间一般配合力存在较大差异,其中不育系珍汕97A、万金A和恢复系直龙、广恢3550的一般配合力相对较高;两套组合共检测出36个与亲本产量配合力显著相关的标记位点,其中RM1、RM216、RM231和RM542为两套材料所共有;检测出的杂合标记位点中,23个为增效标记位点,13个为减效标记位点,其中杂合标记位点RM231、RM209可使F1的单株粒重增加13.50 %和16.43 %。该结果可为华南地区杂交稻育种的亲本改良及选配提供了理论指导。     

Sexual dimorphism in the quantitative-genetic architecture of floral, leaf, and allocation traits in Silene latifolia

Many species exhibit sexual dimorphism in a variety of characters, and the underlying genetic architecture of dimorphism potentially involves sex-specific differences in the additive-genetic variance-covariance matrix (G) of dimorphic traits. We investigated the quantitative-genetic structure of dimorphic traits in the dioecious plant Silene latifolia by estimating G (including within-sex matrices, G(m), G(f), and the between-sex variance-covariance matrix, B), and the phenotypic variance-covariance matrix (P) for seven traits. Flower number was the most sexually dimorphic trait, and was significantly genetically correlated with all traits within each sex. Negative genetic correlations between flower size and number suggested a genetic trade-off in investment, but positive environmental correlations between the same traits resulted in no physical evidence for a trade-off in the phenotype. Between-sex genetic covariances for homologous traits were always greater than 0 but smaller than 1, showing that some, but not all, of the variation in traits is caused by genes or alleles with sex-limited expression. Using common principal-components analysis (CPCA), a maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation approach, and element-by-element comparison to compare matrices, we found that G(m) and G(f) differed significantly in eigenstructure because of dissimilarity in covariances involving leaf traits, suggesting the presence of variation in sex-limited genes with pleiotropic effects and/or linkage between sex-limited loci. The sex-specific structure of G is expected to cause differences in the correlated responses to selection within each sex, promoting the further evolution and maintenance of dimorphism.     

Genetic studies on tissue culture response and some agronomical traits in Egyptian bread wheat

The main effort of wheat breeder is the detection of genes and to merge them in a particular genotype using most suitable combination. Five Egyptian cultivars of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were crossed in a half diallel mating design to produce 10 crosses. The genetic potential of embryogenic callus (EC%), plant regeneration (RGP%) response and its association with heading date (HD) and grain yield per plant (GY/P) were investigated. The results showed that GY/P was significantly and positively correlated with EC% and RGP%. The combining ability analysis showed that the magnitudes of general combining ability (GCA) were higher than those of specific combining ability (SCA) for both tissue culture response and agronomic traits. The promising crosses which exhibited desirable SCA effects, showed also high useful heterosis for all studied traits. The magnitudes of additive genetic variance (σ²A) were larger than those of non-additive ones (σ²D) for all studied traits except for number of days to heading. The estimates of narrow sense heritability were 84.56%, 82.13%, 43.46% and 70.28% for the percentage of EC%, RGP%, HD and GY/P, respectively. The genetic similarity percents based on RAPD markers ranged from 76% to 93% between the cultivars. The UPGMA cluster analysis revealed that the cultivars could be divided into two main clusters. The range of Euclidean distances based on morphological characters among the cultivars was relatively wide (4.37–27.87), indicating relatively high amount of phenotypic variation. A significant positive correlation between Euclidean distance and RAPD distance (0.72⁷) was found.