Some Important Food Quality Traits of Autochthonous Grape Cultivars

Grapes (Vitis L.), one of the most important and old fruit crops in the world, are grown in a wide range of environments from Australia to North America and from Japan to Chile. All grape growing countries use both international and local cultivars in production to obtain fresh and dried fruits or wine. In Turkey, each region has their own local grape cultivars. Seven local cultivars and one standard grape cultivar, grown in Coruh valley, were analyzed for morphological traits (bunch size, berry color, and berry shape), biochemical characteristics (sugars, organic acids, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, total carotenoids, and flavonoids content), and % inhibition level (antioxidant capacity). The grape cultivars differed from each other in the morphological and biochemical traits. The grape berries contain predominantly nine main phenolic compounds, five organic acids, and two sugars. Among phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, rutin, and quercetin were found to be dominant for most of the cultivars between 2.365–5.112 mg/L, 0.923–2.147 mg/L, 0.856–1.711 mg/L, and 0.621–1.347 mg/L, respectively. The local cultivar Kirmizi Istanbul had more chlorogenic acid than the other cultivars. The berries with darker skin color, specifically Kara Turfanda and Nanebur, had higher % inhibition level (antioxidant capacity) than the brighter ones, which correspond also to the results of flavonoid contents. Overall, the local genotypes were found promising due to favorable properties and could be recommended for farmers and consumers.

Analysis of aroma compounds of nine autochthonous and non-autochthonous loquat cultivars grown in Sicily

Loquat cultivation in Sicily is mainly based on nonnative cultivars and local ecotypes characterized by high nutraceutical value and appreciable physicochemical characteristics. Increased interest in commercial loquat production has increased the intention to provide premium quality loquat cultivars that include volatile substances capable of conditioning the sensorial properties and, therefore, the acceptability of fruits by consumers. This study determined the content of volatile compounds in nonnative and local loquat fruits grown in Sicily. Analyses were performed on five international cultivars and four local cultivars.

Classifying cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) clones based on principal component analysis of specific characters for use as selection criteria

There is an abundance of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) genetic resources in Indonesia, and the local accessions are inseparable from the community of Indonesia. Several of the cultivars have cultural significance and over time have been bred for specific uses and products. The specific use and combination of traits encourages the use of local cultivars or aims for genetic improvement of the local cultivars. The objective of this study was to measure character variability and to categorize cassava clones based on specific characteristics to better inform selection criteria. A total of 156 cassava clones collected from all over Indonesia were evaluated along with three clones of the local cultivar Jatinangor as checks. This is basic research, so the data information can be a complement to the cassava germplasm in Indonesia. The experiment was performed as an augmented block design. The variability of characteristics was analyzed using principal components analysis with a Pearson correlation. Grouping of clones was accomplished using a symmetric biplot function. Three first principal components contributed to the maximum variability of cassava by 87.85 %, and characters that contributed variability had factor loadings>0.6. Having variability in characteristics suggests that there is an opportunity for performance-based clone selection. In this study,nine cassava clones with desirable trait combinations were identified based on PCA, of which four were identified as the best performing clones.

Molecular identification and phylogenetics of local pearl millet cultivars using internal-transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA

Local cultivars of pearl millet in Saudi Arabia are known to tolerate extreme heat and drought stress. In the current study, the sequences of internal-transcribed spacers (ITSs) of six pearl millet cultivars were sequenced and analysed to investigate the genetic diversity among the local cultivars. The nucleotide polymorphism, secondary structures and phylogenetics were analysed for ITS sequences of the six local cultivars. The obtained sequences were 772–774 base pairs (bp) in length, including complete sequences of the ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 region and partial sequences of 18S and 26S rRNA. The nucleotide diversity among cultivars was higher in ITS2 sequences than ITS1 sequences. The ITS2 had four variable nucleotide sites in three native cultivars, whereas the ITS1 contained one base insertion. The secondary structures of the ITS1 and 5.8S region were highly conserved among the six cultivars and contained some motifs that are conserved across Viridiplantae. However, the ITS2 secondary structure for the two native cultivars, Sayah and Jazan, was distinct from the other cultivars, which confirms the applicability of the ITS2 sequence in distinguishing between genetically close taxa. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis of the six investigated cultivars and 31 pearl millet accessions from the NCBI database showed close relationships between the local accessions and NCBI accessions from India and France. However, the local cultivar Sayah appeared to be distinct from the other cultivars in the phylogenetic trees. This study provides insights into the polymorphism within local pearl millet cultivars which is important for the identification and conservation of these cultivars.

The Incidence and Severity of Downy Mildew Disease on Local Madurese Maize Crops in Sumenep district, East Java, Indonesia

In Madura island, corn is the main commodity that is widely planted with an area of 301,725 ha or about 30% of the area of maize in East Java. Madura Island has local cultivars, such as: Tambin, Talango, Guluk-guluk, Manding, and Kretek. Efforts to increase production are continuously being made, starting from improving varieties until managing plant pests. One of the main diseases in maize is downy mildew. However, information about the incidence, incidence, severity, and species that cause downy mildew in local cultivars has not been reported. So, this study aims to identify the causes of downy mildew in local cultivars of Madura and disease severity in the field. The research method is a survey on local maize centers. Sampling was done by using the diagonal sampling method. Each plant sample was observed for symptoms of disease and scoring to calculate the value of disease severity. Fungi identification was carried out by microscopic observation of the fungus. The results showed that the cause of downy mildew in Madura local maize in Sumenep Regency was P. maydis. The highest incidence, disease severity, and AUDPC value after 4 MST were found in Guluk-guluk cultivars in Padangdangan Village, but had the lowest disease progression rate values. Meanwhile, the highest rate of disease progression was found in the Manding cultivar in Mandala Village. Based on the resistance category, Talango cultivar had the best resistance when compared to other cultiva.Keywords: AUDPC, downy mildew, disease progress, Madurese maize, Peronosclerospora maydis