scholarly journals Dissecting the Genetic Pathway to Extreme Fruit Size in Tomato Using a Cross Between the Small-Fruited Wild Species Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium and L. esculentum var. Giant Heirloom

Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 158 (1) ◽  
pp. 413-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Lippman ◽  
Steven D Tanksley

Abstract In an effort to determine the genetic basis of exceptionally large tomato fruits, QTL analysis was performed on a population derived from a cross between the wild species Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium (average fruit weight, 1 g) and the L. esculentum cultivar var. Giant Heirloom, which bears fruit in excess of 1000 g. QTL analysis revealed that the majority (67%) of phenotypic variation in fruit size could be attributed to six major loci localized on chromosomes 1-3 and 11. None of the QTL map to novel regions of the genome—all have been reported in previous studies involving moderately sized tomatoes. This result suggests that no major QTL beyond those already reported were involved in the evolution of extremely large fruit. However, this is the first time that all six QTL have emerged in a single population, suggesting that exceptionally large-fruited varieties, such as Giant Heirloom, are the result of a novel combination of preexisting QTL alleles. One of the detected QTL, fw2.2, has been cloned and exerts its effect on fruit size through global control of cell division early in carpel/fruit development. However, the most significant QTL detected in this study (fw11.3, lcn11.1) maps to the bottom of chromosome 11 and seems to exert its effect on fruit size through control of carpel/locule number. A second major locus, also affecting carpel number (and hence fruit size), was mapped to chromosome 2 (fw2.1, lcn2.1). We propose that these two carpel number QTL correspond to the loci described by early classical geneticists as fasciated (f) and locule number (lc), respectively.

1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
L. Butler

Fruit weights taken from two F2's of 1500 plants indicated that the genes d p o s Lc dil and suf all affect fruit weight. The recessive alleles, except suf and Lc, were associated with small fruit size. The data were analyzed to determine whether this association was the result of linkage or pleiotropic effects. The major effect occurred in the o region, which is some 44 units from the centromere of chromosome 2. The o gene makes the genes oval or pear-shaped instead of spherical, and it is shown that when the locule wall of a spherical fruit and an oval fruit are composed of the same number of cells, the spherical fruit is always heavier. Since cell number is the inherited unit of fruit size, then o is always associated with small size. A gene controlling number of locules, which affects fruit size, is also located in this section of the chromosome. The genes d and s, which are at opposite ends of the present linkage map, both appear to be linked with fruit size genes. It is suggested that these size genes lie in the hetero-chromatin which is adjacent to both ends of the linkage map. The genes dil and suf, which were produced by radiation of the same variety, appear to have pleiotropic effects on fruit size; suf increasing, and dil decreasing fruit size.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang Wang ◽  
Hai Wang ◽  
Jiangmiao Liu ◽  
Tong Li ◽  
Huien Zhao

Abstract Background: The CRISPR/Cas9 system has rapidly become the preferred tool for various biological sequencing projects due to its high efficiency, specificity, simplicity and versatility, and it has been utilized for targeted genomic alternations in several important plants of Solanaceae, including tomato, tobacco, potato, petunia and groundcherry. Wolfberry is the sixth most important solanaceous crop in China following potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper and tobacco. To date, there has been no report on CRISPR/Cas9 technology to improve Lycium ruthenicum due to the unknown genome and the lack of efficient regeneration and genetic transformation systems.Results: In this study, we established a suitable regeneration and genetic transformation system of Lycium ruthenicum, the fw2.2 gene was identified, which was the first fruit weight gene identifified from tomato and accounted for 30% of the variation in fruit size. The gene editing of black wolfberry were carried out by CRISPR/ Cas9 for the first time here with a very high editing efficiency (95.45%) in fw2.2. Four homozygous mutations and nine biallelic mutations were obtained from T0 generation plants. Conclusions: These results suggest that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is effective for gene editing study of black wolfberry, and we expect this approach to be routinely applied to this important economic fruit.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateus H Vicente ◽  
Kyle MacLeod ◽  
Cassia RF Figueiredo ◽  
Antonio VDO Figueira ◽  
Fady R Mohareb ◽  
...  

Gigantism is a key component of the domestication syndrome, a suite of traits that differentiates crops from their wild relatives. Allometric gigantism is strongly marked in horticultural crops, causing disproportionate increases in the size of edible parts such as stems, leaves or fruits. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has attracted attention as a model for fruit gigantism, and many genes have been described controlling this trait. However, the genetic basis of a corresponding increase in size of vegetative organs contributing to isometric gigantism, has remained relatively unexplored. Here, we identified a 0.4 Mbp region on chromosome 7 in introgression lines (ILs) from the wild species Solanum pennellii in two different tomato genetic backgrounds (cv. M82 and cv. Micro-Tom) that controls vegetative and reproductive organ size in tomato. The locus, named ORGAN SIZE (ORG), was fine-mapped using genotype-by-sequencing. A survey of literature revealed that ORG overlaps with previously mapped QTLs controlling tomato fruit weight during domestication. Alleles from the wild species led to reduced cell number in different organs, which was partially compensated by greater cell expansion in leaves but not in fruits. The result was a proportional reduction in leaf, flower and fruit size in the ILs harbouring the wild alleles. These findings suggest that selection for large fruit during domestication also tends to select for increases in leaf size by influencing cell division. Since leaf size is relevant for both source-sink balance and crop adaptation to different environments, the discovery of ORG could allow fine-tuning of these parameters.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 861b-861
Author(s):  
Joseph. M. Kemble ◽  
Randolph G. Gardner

Experiments were conducted in 1989 to determine the heritability of shortened fruit maturation (SFM) period in 871213-1, an inbred cherry tomato line (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme (Dunal.) A. Gray), and to determine the relationship between this trait and fruit size. In the first study, a cross was made between 871213-1 and NC 21C-1, an inbred cherry line. NC 21C-1 had a mean maturation period of 40.8 days compared to 32.0 days for 871213-1. A mean maturation period for the F1 hybrid of 32.9 days and 32.2 days was found using 871213-1 as the female and male parent, respectively. Analysis of the data from parental, F1, F2 and backcross generations yielded estimates of broad-sense and narrow-sense heritabilities for SFM as 0.72 and 0.56, respectively. Further analysis indicated that genetic control of SFM was quantitative in nature and highly dominant. A test for epistatic interaction showed significance. In the second study, an F2 population from the cross 871213-1 x NC 309-1, a large-fruited tomato line (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), was evaluated to determine if any correlations existed between fruit size and SFM. Two fruit characteristics, locule number and fruit weight, were used as estimates of fruit size. Correlations between SFM and these two characteristics were +0.28 and +0.61, respectively. Broad-sense heritability of SFM was estimated as 0.64.


Genome ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 991-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
L S Barrero ◽  
B Cong ◽  
F Wu ◽  
S D Tanksley

Mutation at the fasciated locus was a key step in the production of extreme fruit size during tomato domestication. To shed light on the nature of these changes, near-isogenic lines were used for a comparative developmental study of fasciated and wild-type tomato plants. The fasciated gene directly affects floral meristem size and is expressed before the earliest stages of flower organogenesis. As a result, mature fruit of fasciated mutants have more carpels (locules) and greater fruit diameter and mass. The discovery that fasciated affects floral meristem size led to a search for candidate genes from Arabidopsis known to be involved in floral meristem development. Putative homologs were identified in a large tomato EST database, verified through phylogenetic analyses, and mapped in tomato; none mapped to the fasciated locus; however, putative homologs of WUS and WIG mapped to the locule number locus on chromosome 2, the second major transition to large tomato fruit, with WUS showing the highest association. In other cases, minor QTLs for floral organ number (lcn2.2) and (stn11.2) co-localized with a CLV1 paralog and with the syntenic region containing the CLV3 gene in Arabidopsis, respectively.Key words: fasciated, floral meristem, locule number, Arabidopsis, fruit.


Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Tae-Kwon Son ◽  
Md Munir Mostafiz ◽  
Hwal-Su Hwang ◽  
Nguyen Truong Thạnh ◽  
Kyeong-Yeoll Lee

In various orchard fruit trees, thinning of blossoms and fruits is important to increase fruit size and quality and to promote a new bloom in the following season. Several chemical thinning agents are currently commercially available, but they are inconsistent and produce side effects in crop plants and insect pollinators. Because of environmental concerns, developing alternative eco-friendly bloom thinning agents is necessary. We developed an eco-friendly bloom thinning formulation (BTF) using minerals and extracts of various medicinal plants. Our BTF spray (0.1%, <i>w/v</i>) decreased the number of fruits per tree (46.5%) and fruit yield per tree (81.5%) but increased the fruit weight (196.8%) compared with the control treatment; the spray induced a small number of larger mango fruits in the treated trees. We also investigated the effect of BTF on the olfactory behavior of <i>Apis mellifera</i> L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae), a major insect pollinator. We analyzed the behavioral changes of adult workers at two different concentrations (0.1% and 1%) of nine different BTF spray components using a Y-tube olfactometer. The behavioral responses of honey bees to nine BTF components showed significant differences. However, honey bees showed no clear attraction or repellent behavior towards the tested BTF components. Our results suggest that the newly developed eco-friendly BTF is practically applicable in mango orchards without interrupting honey bee behavior.


Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Christopher Menzel

Five strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cultivars were grown in Queensland, Australia to determine whether higher temperatures affect production. Transplants were planted on 29 April and data collected on growth, marketable yield, fruit weight and the incidence of small fruit less than 12 g until 28 October. Additional data were collected on fruit soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) from 16 September to 28 October. Minimum temperatures were 2 °C to 4 °C higher than the long-term averages from 1965 to 1990. Changes in marketable yield followed a dose-logistic pattern (p < 0.001, R2s = 0.99). There was a strong negative relationship between fruit weight (marketable) and the average daily mean temperature in the four or seven weeks before harvest from 29 July to 28 October (p < 0.001, R2s = 0.90). There were no significant relationships between SSC and TA, and temperatures in the eight days before harvest from 16 September to 28 October (p > 0.05). The plants continued to produce a marketable crop towards the end of the season, but the fruit were small and more expensive to harvest. Higher temperatures in the future are likely to affect the economics of strawberry production in subtropical locations.


Author(s):  
Michaela Benková ◽  
Iveta Čičová ◽  
Daniela Benedikova ◽  
Lubomir Mendel ◽  
Miroslav Glasa

Abstract The work is focused on the evaluation of variability of morphological and pomological characteristics of several old sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) that were found in different Slovak regions. The experimental work has been performed during two years, 2014 and 2015. The following characteristics according to the descriptor list of subgenus Cerasus were evaluated - period of flowering and ripening, morphological characteristics of the flowers, fruit size, fruit weight, and quality parameters. The results showed high variability of evaluated accessions. From the 13 surveyed localities, the most valuable accessions were found in the locality Hornį Streda - places Čachtice, Krakovany, Nitra, and Brdárka. During the collecting expeditions, 170 accessions of sweet cherry, with fruit of the different quality were found. The most interesting accessions were grafted onto rootstocks with different intensity of growth (Prunus avium L., Prunus mahaleb L., and ‘Gisela5’). Some of the selected cherry accessions can be used for commercial growing after tests, while some of them can be used only for collection of genetic resources and as potential genitors in breeding programmes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-366
Author(s):  
Saadatian Mohammad ◽  
Paiza Abdurahman ◽  
Kanar Salim ◽  
Pershang Younis ◽  
Hewen Abdurahman ◽  
...  

Some physico-chemical properties of ten pomegranate accessions collected from different districts in the Kurdistan region of Iraq were investigated in this paper. Considerable correlations between the characteristics studied were found and valuable pomological traits were observed. Cluster analysis showed the homonyms between some pomegranate accessions. Principle component analysis reported that the component describing the greatest variability also positively correlated with fruit weight, total aril weight, total peel weight, volume of juice, total soluble solids (TSS), fruit length, fruit diameter, pH, aril length, and 100-seed fresh weight, but negatively correlated with titratable acidity (TA). Fruit weight was firmly correlated with total aril weight, total peel weight, volume of juice, TSS, aril length, 100-seed fresh weight, fruit length and fruit diameter. The volume of juice was correlated with TSS, aril length, 100-seed fresh weight, fruit length, fruit diameter and it was observed that with an increase in the fruit size, the volume of juice increased as well. The correlation between total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity was not observed. The associations found among physical and chemical traits suggest that consumers should use large fruits with large arils so that they have more juice. Thus, ?Choman?, ?Raniyeh? and ?Halabja? were juicier than other accessions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 358-362
Author(s):  
D. P. Sharma ◽  
Niranjan Singh

Pruning of fruit trees is an important aspect for the improvement of fruit quality and to minimize the pests and disease attack. Pruning was performed in the month of December in seven year old unpruned trees of Punica granatum cv. Knadhdri Kabuli having many interfering branching and a heavy infestation of bacterial blight orchard. The pruning treatments viz., T1: Retention of 15cm fruiting shoot length, T2: Retention of 30cm fruiting shoot length, T3: Retention of 45cm fruiting shoot length, T4: Retention of 60cm fruiting shoot length and T5: control (No heading back and no thinning) plant. The results of the present investigation revealed that among different pruning treatment, the best results in terms of shoot extension (56.34 cm), fruit size (Diameter 9.66 cm and Length 9.65 cm, fruit weight (278.50 g), marketable yield (10.25 kg) and fruit qualities were in fruits from T1 and T2 where retention of 15cm fruiting shoot length respectively and retention of 30cm fruiting shoot length were maintained. However, maximum fruit set (54.73%) was recorded in control, and it decreased with increasing pruning intensity. The pruning treatments also proved beneficial in controlling bacterial blight on fruit (12.86%) and leaf surface (26.60%) to some extent.


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