scholarly journals Morphophysiological and molecular characterization of millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) varieties for crop improvement in Western Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Vischi ◽  
Nicola Zorzin ◽  
Maria Bernhart ◽  
Johanna Winkler ◽  
Dipak Santra ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Global warming and issues in favour of a more sustainable agriculture suggest a reconsideration of minor cereals in European agrosystems. Compared to other summer crops, proso millet has a remarkable drought resistance and could be used to improve crop rotation and biodiversity. Proso millet is also increasingly sought by industry to produce novel foods such as those designed for coeliac patients. In this study, a thorough characterization of 11, commercially available, proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) varieties was carried out as a preliminary step for crop reintroduction and breeding in Western Europe. Methods The cultivars under evaluation were introduced from Austria, Poland, Russia, and the USA (University of Nebraska–Lincoln). Plants were grown at Udine (NE Italy) and Gleisdorf (Styria, Austria), under greenhouse and field conditions, respectively. Yield components and a range of morphophysiological characters were recorded in both locations. In parallel, 85 SSR markers were tested on DNA samples extracted from randomly chosen plants of each variety and the 12 responsive markers used to genotype the whole variety set. Results Morphometric analyses showed that varieties have several diverging phenotypic traits and architectures. In all instances, yields recorded at field level were much lower than potential yields. In this respect, US selections were comparable to earlier developed European varieties, suggesting that breeding for an increased adaptation is the keystone for a stable reintroduction of millet in Western Europe. Molecular analyses uncovered remarkably low genetic differences and heterozygosity levels within cultivars, confirming millet as an essentially autogamous species; in contrast, large genetic distances were noted among cultivars selected in different environments. Results of SSR genotyping combined with those originating from phenotypic analyses indicated possible crosses to source the genetic variability necessary for selection. Conclusions This study enabled the identification of cultivars that could be used to revitalize the crop in Western Europe and to produce genetically variable hybrid progenies exploitable by breeding.

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Il Cho ◽  
Jong-Wook Chung ◽  
Gi-An Lee ◽  
Kyung-Ho Ma ◽  
Anupam Dixit ◽  
...  

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mani Vetriventhan ◽  
Vania C.R. Azevedo ◽  
Hari D. Upadhyaya ◽  
D. Naresh

Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), also known as common millet or broomcorn millet, is an important ancient crop mostly grown for food, feed, and fodder purposes largely in China, Russia, India, and the USA. It is an under-researched and under-utilized crop. Over 29,000 germplasm accessions have been conserved in genebanks globally. Five races (miliaceum, patentissimum, contractum, compactum, ovatum) have been recognized in proso millet based on panicle morphology and shape. The genebank at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics conserves 849 accessions of proso millet originating from 30 countries and represents all five races. Characterization of these germplasm accessions revealed large variability for morpho-agronomic traits, including for days to 50% flowering (26 to 50 days), plant height (20 to 133 cm), and inflorescence length (22 to 400 mm). On average, the race miliaceum was tall (62 cm) with long panicles (209 mm) and ovatum had short plants (46 cm) with small panicles (108 mm). The average Gower’s distance based on 18 morpho-agronomic traits on 841 accessions was 0.261. The race miliaceum had the highest among accessions within race average pairwise distance (0.254), while the distance was the lowest in ovatum (0.192). The races miliaceum and ovatum showed the highest divergence with each other (0.275), while the lowest divergence was observed between compactum and ovatum (0.229). Trait-specific sources were identified for early maturity, tall plants, long inflorescences, and greater seed size. The information on variability and trait-specific sources identified could potentially support proso millet improvement.


2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. D. Upadhyaya ◽  
Shivali Sharma ◽  
C. L. L. Gowda ◽  
V. Gopal Reddy ◽  
Sube Singh

Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a rich source of protein, minerals, and vitamins, and is an important cereal crop of Asia and Africa. Due to its lowest water and nutrient requirement, it has the potential for agriculture diversification. The development of a core collection would assist in efficient management and enhanced utilisation of proso millet genetic resources. The present investigation was conducted to develop a core collection of proso millet based on geographic information and 20 qualitative and quantitative traits recorded on 833 accessions conserved in the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics genebank. The entire germplasm collection was stratified into five groups based on races and data on 20 morpho-agronomic traits were used for clustering following Ward’s method. About 10% (or at least one accession) was randomly selected from each of 101 clusters to constitute a core collection of 106 accessions. Comparisons of means, variances, frequency distribution, diversity indices, and correlation studies indicated that the variation in the entire collection has been preserved in the core collection. This core collection provides a gateway to identify diverse trait-specific germplasm accessions for important agronomic traits and for abiotic and biotic stresses for use in crop improvement research and in crop diversification programs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Hobbs

Religious institutions in the USA, under the First Amendment, exhibit great strength in employment termination, given freedom by the Supreme Court to conduct their labour and employment practices with limited scrutiny. This article examines ways in which a Presbyterian seminary board report, justifying its decision not to renew a professor's contract, demonstrates discrimination in its use of the 'good family' ideal prominent within conservative Christianity. Focusing on intertextuality and representation of the professor's wife, a disabled woman, analysis presents evidence of an overall strategy of exclusion. The report consistently demonstrates support for negative witness statements about the professor and his wife while undermining the professor's accounts. The report's characterization of the professor's wife subsumes her identity under her husband's and assumes moral reasons for her disability and chronic illness, consistent with a nouthetic counselling ethos. Findings support the discriminatory potential of the 'good family' ideal, underscoring employees' unique vulnerability within religious higher education institutions. 


Author(s):  
V. V. Makarov ◽  
D. A. Lozovoy

  Enzootic bovine leucosis (EBL) has been known for more than a century and a half. Its occurrence and registration may have historically been associated with intensive breeding of dairy cattle in Western Europe to increase target productivity. It is known that any limiting intervention in the nature of the animal organism is always accompanied by an uncontrolled and unpredictable change in the genotype of a wider range than the required, particularly negative order. In particular, a decrease in the resistance to macroorganisms and the possibility of the new diseases emergence, including infectious ones (for example, immunodeficiencies such as BLAD syndrome of black-motley cattle and stress syndrome in pigs, the occurrence of scrapie and other slow sheep infections). In the last two decades of the last century, in many disadvantaged countries, primarily Western European, national programs for the eradication of EBL have been developed and subsequently successfully implemented. First of all the motivation was the economy of dairy cattle breeding (mainly the extension of productive age, as well as the tightening of requirements in international trade in cattle and bull products, breeding, pricing, etc.). In an analytical article are reviewed the elements of epizootology of EBL in the foreign countries with special attention to the situation in the USA, scenarios of various control programs, and promising methods for assessing the role of infected animals in the epizootic process. A critical assessment of the problem of EBL in the Russian Federation is given, the reasons for the ineffectiveness of against leucosis measures are discussed.


Author(s):  
Halyna Kuzub

The problem of power decentralization is up to date in a modern political science. We can trace its historical genesis first in European and further in the USA political ideas. Decentralization of power was considered along with the study of a perfect state system, civil society and local self-government. It is argued that the major part of successful process of power decentralization in the Western Europe was due to the idea nature for their political culture. The article attempts to retrace the history of the idea of power decentralization. As a background of the investigations of such thinkers as J. Bodin, J. Althusius, J. Locke, J.-J. Rousseau, C.-L. Montesquieu, R. Owen, C. Fourier, J. S.Mill, T. Jefferson, A. de Tocqueville and M. Dragomanov were thoroughly investigated. The paper also considers the modern definitions of power decentralization. Likewise the value of structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism and constructivism are argued in terms of further surveys of power decentralization. To conclude, the author opines that civil servants training, their theoretical teaching and moral education have to become the main objectives in perspective investigations. Furthermore, the success of power decentralization depends not only on devoting authority by central government, but also on capacity of its implementation by deputies on the local level. Keywords: Decentralization of power, deconcentration of power, administrative and political decentralization, classical and non-classical philosophy, structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, construc-tivism


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Carolin Seelandt ◽  
Katie Walker ◽  
Michaela Kolbe

Abstract Background The goal of this study was to identify taken-for-granted beliefs and assumptions about use, costs, and facilitation of post-event debriefing. These myths prevent the ubiquitous uptake of post-event debriefing in clinical units, and therefore the identification of process, teamwork, and latent safety threats that lead to medical error. By naming these false barriers and assumptions, the authors believe that clinical event debriefing can be implemented more broadly. Methods We interviewed an international sample of 37 clinicians, educators, scholars, researchers, and healthcare administrators from hospitals, universities, and healthcare organizations in Western Europe and the USA, who had a broad range of debriefing experience. We adopted a systemic-constructivist approach that aimed at exploring in-depth assumptions about debriefing beyond obvious constraints such as time and logistics and focused on interpersonal relationships within organizations. Using circular questions, we intended to uncover new and tacit knowledge about barriers and facilitators of regular clinical debriefings. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed following a comprehensive process of inductive open coding. Results In total, 1508.62 min of interviews (25 h, 9 min, and 2 s) were analyzed, and 1591 answers were categorized. Many implicit debriefing theories reflected current scientific evidence, particularly with respect to debriefing value and topics, the complexity and difficulty of facilitation, the importance of structuring the debriefing and engaging in reflective practice to advance debriefing skills. We also identified four debriefing myths which may prevent post-event debriefing from being implemented in clinical units. Conclusion The debriefing myths include (1) debriefing only when disaster strikes, (2) debriefing is a luxury, (3) senior clinicians should determine debriefing content, and (4) debriefers must be neutral and nonjudgmental. These myths offer valuable insights into why current debriefing practices are ad hoc and not embedded into daily unit practices. They may help ignite a renewed momentum into the implementation of post-event debriefing in clinical settings.


Inventions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Rajan Kapoor ◽  
Aniruddha Datta ◽  
Michael Thomson

Conventional breeding approaches that focus on yield under highly favorable nutrient conditions have resulted in reduced genetic and trait diversity in crops. Under the growing threat from climate change, the mining of novel genes in more resilient varieties can help dramatically improve trait improvement efforts. In this work, we propose the use of the joint graphical lasso for discovering genes responsible for desired phenotypic traits. We prove its efficiency by using gene expression data for wild type and delayed flowering mutants for the model plant. Arabidopsis thaliana shows that it recovers the mutation causing genes LNK1 and LNK2. Some novel interactions of these genes were also predicted. Observing the network level changes between two phenotypes can also help develop meaningful biological hypotheses regarding the novel functions of these genes. Now that this data analysis strategy has been validated in a model plant, it can be extended to crop plants to help identify the key genes for beneficial traits for crop improvement.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 991
Author(s):  
Ana Maria Figueira Gomes ◽  
David Draper ◽  
Nascimento Nhantumbo ◽  
Rafael Massinga ◽  
José C. Ramalho ◽  
...  

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a neglected crop native to Africa, with an outstanding potential to contribute to the major challenges in food and nutrition security, as well as in agricultural sustainability. Two major issues regarding cowpea research have been highlighted in recent years—the establishment of core collections and the characterization of landraces—as crucial to the implementation of environmentally resilient and nutrition-sensitive production systems. In this work, we have collected, mapped, and characterized the morphological attributes of 61 cowpea genotypes, from 10 landraces spanning across six agro-ecological zones and three provinces in Mozambique. Our results reveal that local landraces retain a high level of morphological diversity without a specific geographical pattern, suggesting the existence of gene flow. Nevertheless, accessions from one landrace, i.e., Maringué, seem to be the most promising in terms of yield and nutrition-related parameters, and could therefore be integrated into the ongoing conservation and breeding efforts in the region towards the production of elite varieties of cowpea.


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