Haplotype analyses reveal novel insights into tomato history and domestication to show long-distance migrations and latitudinal adaptations

A novel haplotype-based approach that uses Procrustes analysis and automatic classification was used to provide further insights into tomato history and domestication. Agrarian cultures domesticated species of interest by introducing complex genetic modifications. For tomato, two species, and for one of them two botanical varieties: are thought to be involved in its domestication: the fully wild Solanum pimpinellifolium (SP), the wild and semidomesticated S. lycopersicum var. cerasiforme (SLC) and the cultivated S. l. var. lycopersicum (SLC). The new approach showed that SP evolved into SLC during a gradual migration from the Peruvian deserts to the Mexican rainforests and that Peruvian and Ecuadorian SLCs were the result of more recent hybridizations. This model was supported by independent evidence that included accession collection site ecological data and morphological data. In further support of this model, we show that photosynthesis-, flowering time- and circadian rhythm-related genes were selected during the latitudinal migrations.

Antioxidant complexes of sea buckthorn (Hippopha? rhamnoides L.) of northwest Russia

Sea buckthorn fruits, due to the content of complexes of water- and fat-soluble antioxidants, have therapeutic and prophylactic properties. Their content depends on the species, subspecies, varieties, botanical varieties, ecological and geographical origin of sea buckthorn fruits. The paper presents the results of studies of the composition of antioxidants and antioxidant activity of three botanical varieties of sea buckthorn (Hippopha? rhamnoides L.) growing in the Leningrad region of the northwestern region of Russia. As part of the antioxidant complex, the content of phenolic antioxidants (phenolic compounds, flavonoids, phenolic acids) and vitamin C was investigated. The greatest variability of water-soluble sea buckthorn antioxidants is associated with the content of vitamin C – from 82 to 297 mg/100g, depending on the botanical variety. The content of total phenolic compounds was 600–795 mg/100g, and the content of flavonoids and phenolic acids was 265–346 and 105–170 mg/100g, respectively. In the complex of fat-soluble antioxidants of sea buckthorn fruits of different varieties, the content of vitamin E and carotenoids was investigated, which was 6.9–8.3 and 10.7–14.9 mg/100g, respectively. The content of vitamin C influences the formation of antioxidant properties determined by the DPPH method and coulometric titration of water and alcohol fractions, forming a number of botanical varieties of sea buckthorn: Orange> Vitamin> Giant. The antioxidant activity of alcoholic fractions is 1.3–1.7 times higher than that of aqueous fractions, depending on the botanical variety of sea buckthorn fruits. The content of phenolic antioxidants (total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and phenolic acids) influenced the antioxidant activity determined by the FRAP method, forming a number of sea buckthorn varieties: Vitamin> Orange> Giant

Intraspecific diversity of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.): a unif ied classif ication

The Department of Wheat Genetic Resources of the All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) had developed and published in 1979 a classification of the genus Triticum L., which is based on the genomic composition of species and the presence or absence of a number of main genes that govern the “classification” traits. The grounds have been laid by F. Körnicke and J. Percival, and supplemented by N.I. Vavilov and K.A. Flaksberger. The classification, which is most often referred to as the “Classification of Triticum by Dorofeev et al.”, belongs to a number of the main modern classifications of the genus. This is the world’s first standardized system that contains all known intraspecific (infraspecific) taxa of wild and cultivated wheat species. A detailed classification makes it possible to identify a wide variety of forms in the genus Triticum L. and its individual species, which is especially important for collections preserved in genetic seed banks. The use of the intraspecific classification of the genus Triticum L. greatly simplifies the identification of the VIR collection accessions introduced from various sources or checking accession identity after regeneration in the field. However, the direct use of such a voluminous classification meets several difficulties. Therefore, we propose a unified intraspecific classification of durum wheat, based on the description of only 16 main botanical varieties out of 131 described so far, which have complexes of morphological traits of the spike and kernel that occur most frequently in durum wheat collections. The remaining 115 botanical varieties, which have additional traits, get their name by the addition of the abbreviated Latin name of one or another additional trait to the main name. Having mastered this way of describing the morphological traits of accessions, any user can easily navigate oneself in the systematized intraspecific diversity of collections. The purpose of this work is to acquaint the reader with the intraspecific classification of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) developed at VIR and to offer its simplified version, which is based on the identification of the main and additional morphological traits of the spike and kernel.

COMPARATIVE ANATOMY AND HISTOCHEMISTRY OF FRUITS OF FOUR VARIETIES OF Hancornia speciosa GOMES (APOCYNACEAE)

Hancornia speciosa Gomes, known as mangaba or mangabeira, is a plant species of the family Apocynaceae with botanical varieties occurring in several regions of Brazil. The species is of considerable ecological and economic importance in the food, timber, latex and medicinal industries. Four different varieties of H. speciosa occur in Cerrado. Anatomical characteristics contribute to the taxonomic identification of plants, including those of isolated organs such as leaves, roots, stems, fruits and seeds. Thus, the present work investigated the anatomical characteristics and the location of the main classes of secondary metabolites of the fruits of H. speciosa var. pubescens, H. speciosa var. gardneri, H. speciosa var. speciosa and H. speciosa var. cuyabensis to assist in distinguishing the varieties. Fruits were collected, preserved and fixed following usual methods for anatomical and histochemical analyses. All varieties under study showed similarities in anatomical characteristics and in the distribution of metabolites in the fruits, with the exception of the anatomy of the exocarp, where the occurrence of trichomes differed among the varieties of H. speciosa.

Illustrated key to infraspecific taxa of Triticum durum Desf.

Classifications of the genus Triticum L. differ in approaches to the number and content of both intrageneric and infraspecific taxa. According to the «GrainTax» System, an on‑line source of information on the taxonomy of wheat, there are currently 7 main classifications of the genus Triticum L. These include a classification developed at the Department of Wheat Genetic Resources of VIR, which is referred to as the “Classification of Triticum by Dorofeev et al.” This is the world’s first standardized system that contains all known infraspecific taxa of wild and cultivated wheat species. A detailed classification makes it possible to identify a wide variety of forms when working with the genus Triticum L. and its individual species, which is especially important for collections preserved in genetic seed banks. In accordance with this system, durum wheat (T. durum Desf.) is regarded as a species that includes two subspecies, 131 botanical varieties and 42 forms united into six groups and three subgroups of varieties. The basis of the infraspecific system is made up of botanical varieties with a definite complex of morphological traits of the spike and kernel. The present work contains descriptions of each botanical variety and photographs of most of them.

Types of Triticum durum Desf. intraspecific taxa preserved in the VIR herbarium (WIR)

The paper presents a complete annotated list of botanical varieties and forms of durum wheat (T. durum Desf.) preserved in the VIR herbarium collection (WIR) and described by Olga A. Lyapunova. These include eight new varieties, namely T. durum var. falcaterythromelan Lyapun., T. durum var. falcataffine Lyapun., T. durum var. falcativalencia Lyapun., T. durum var. caumelanopus Lyapun., T. durum var. muticoleucomelan Lyapun., T. durum var. muticerythromelan Lyapun., T. durum var. muticapulicum Lyapun., T. durum var. horanileucomelan Lyapun., and nine new forms: T. durum f. tristealbiprovinciale Lyapun., T. durum f. tristeprovinciale Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemelanopus Lyapun., T. durum f. tristeboeufii Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemuticerythromelan Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemuticapulicum Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemuticoboeufii Lyapun., T. durum f. tristecauleucomelan Lyapun., and T. durum f. tristehoranileucomelan Lyapun.