Genomic-assisted exploitation of wild germplasm for improvement of macadamia

Macadamia is a recently domesticated Australian native nut crop, and a large proportion of its wild germplasm is unexploited. Aiming to explore the existing diversity, 247 wild accessions from four species and inter-specific hybrids were phenotyped. A wide range of variation was found in growth and nut traits. Broad-sense heritability of traits were moderate (0.43–0.64), which suggested that both genetic and environmental factors are equally important for the variability of the traits. Correlations among the growth traits were significantly positive (0.49–0.76). There were significant positive correlations among the nut traits except for kernel recovery. The association between kernel recovery and shell thickness was highly significant and negative. Principal component analysis of the traits separated representative species groups. Accessions from Macadamia integrifolia Maiden and Betche, M. tetraphylla L.A.S. Johnson, and admixtures were clustered into one group and those of M. ternifolia F. Muell were separated into another group. In both M. integrifolia and M. tetraphylla groups, variation within site was greater than across sites, which suggested that the conservation strategies should concentrate on increased sampling within sites to capture wide genetic diversity. This study provides a background on the utilisation of wild germplasm as a genetic resource to be used in breeding programs and the direction for gene pool conservation.

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Evaluating Wild Germplasm Introgression into Autotetraploid Blueberry

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11040614 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 614

Author(s):

Diego Cabezas ◽

Ivone de Bem Oliveira ◽

Mia Acker ◽

Paul Lyrene ◽

Patricio R. Munoz

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Crop Improvement ◽

Southeastern United States ◽

Sandy Soils ◽

Raw Material ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Germplasm Resources ◽

Wild Germplasm ◽

Pedigree Data ◽

Vaccinium Elliottii

Wild germplasm can be classified as the raw material essential for crop improvement. Introgression of wild germplasm is normally used in breeding to increase crop quality or resilience to evolving biotic and abiotic threats. Here, we explore the potential of introgressing Vaccinium elliottii into commercial blueberry germplasm. Vaccinium elliottii is a wild diploid blueberry species endemic to the southeastern United States that possesses highly desirable and economically important traits for blueberry breeding such as: short bloom to ripe period, adaptation to upland sandy soils, disease resistance, firmness, and pleasant flavor. To examine the potential of hybridization, we evaluated populations of interspecific hybrids across multiple stages of breeding (i.e., F1, F2, and backcrosses) in two crop seasons. We used our extensive pedigree data to generate breeding values for pre-breeding blueberry hybrid populations. Hybrid performance was evaluated considering fitness (i.e., plant vigor and plant height) in addition to evaluating six fruit-quality and marketable-related traits (i.e., size, firmness, acidity, soluble solids, weight, and yield). Overall, F2 and backcrosses rapidly achieved market thresholds, presenting values not significantly different from commercial blueberry germplasm. Our results confirmed the potential of exploiting the high genetic variability contained in V. elliottii for interspecific hybridization. Additionally, we developed germplasm resources that can be further evaluated and utilized in the breeding process, advancing selections for fruit quality and environmental adaptation.

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Expedition for the Collection and Conservation of Saline and Waterlogging Tolerant Sugarcane Wild Germplasm from West Bengal and Assam

Sugar Tech ◽

10.1007/s12355-021-00982-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

P. Govindaraj ◽

H. K. Mahadeva Swamy

Keyword(s):

West Bengal ◽

Wild Germplasm

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Wild Germplasm and Male Sterility

Biology and Breeding of Crucifers ◽

10.1201/9781420086096.ch7 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 113-135

Author(s):

Ting-Dong Fu ◽

Shyam Prakash ◽

S Bhat

Keyword(s):

Male Sterility ◽

Wild Germplasm

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Tolerance to dry bubble disease (Lecanicillium fungicola) in Iranian wild germplasm of button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Mycoscience ◽

10.1016/j.myc.2018.10.001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 125-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nader Rokni ◽

Ebrahim Mohammadi Goltapeh

Keyword(s):

Agaricus Bisporus ◽

Wild Germplasm ◽

Button Mushroom ◽

Dry Bubble ◽

Dry Bubble Disease

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In vitro performance in cotton plants with different genetic backgrounds: the case of Gossypium hirsutum in Mexico, and its implications for germplasm conservation

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alejandra Hernández-Terán ◽

Ana Wegier ◽

Mariana Benítez ◽

Rafael Lira ◽

Tania Gabriela Sosa Fuentes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gossypium Hirsutum ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Germplasm Conservation ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Wild Germplasm ◽

Wild Cotton

One of the best ex situ conservation strategies for wild germplasm is in vitro conservation of genetic banks. The success of in vitro conservation relies heavily on the micropropagation or performance of the species of interest. In the context of global change, crop production challenges and climate change, we face a reality of intensified crop production strategies, including genetic engineering, which can negatively impact biodiversity conservation. However, the possible consequences of transgene presence for the in vitro performance of populations and its implications for biodiversity conservation are poorly documented. In this study we analyzed experimental evidence of the potential effects of transgene presence on the in vitro performance of Gossypium hirsutum L. populations, representing the Mexican genetic diversity of the species, and reflect on the implications of such presence for ex situ genetic conservation of the natural variation of the species. We followed an experimental in vitro performance approach, in which we included individuals from different wild cotton populations as well as individuals from domesticated populations, in order to differentiate the effects of domestication traits dragged into the wild germplasm pool via gene flow from the effects of transgene presence. We evaluated the in vitro performance of five traits related to plant establishment (N = 300): propagation rate, leaf production rate, height increase rate, microbial growth and root development. Then we conducted statistical tests (PERMANOVA, Wilcoxon post-hoc tests, and NMDS multivariate analyses) to evaluate the differences in the in vitro performance of the studied populations. Although direct causality of the transgenes to observed phenotypes requires strict control of genotypes, the overall results suggest detrimental consequences for the in vitro culture performance of wild cotton populations in the presence of transgenes. This provides experimental, statistically sound evidence to support the implementation of transgene screening of plants to reduce time and economic costs in in vitro establishment, thus contributing to the overarching goal of germplasm conservation for future adaptation.

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