First Russian hybrid of winter rapeseed Debyut

The first Russian simple interline hybrid of winter rapeseed Debyut (VN 521) was developed under crosses of lines 39712 (maternal form) and ОRK 10 (paternal from). The hybrid Debyut is based on CMS-ogura. The hybrid Debyut belongs to mid-maturing group of varieties and hybrids, is characterized with plants uniformity, simultaneous flowering and maturity, suitable for mechanized harvesting. In competitive trials of 2019–2020, the hybrid Debyut exceeded the standard variety Loris in seed yield by 0.71 t per ha, in oil yield – by 0.29 t per ha and by these traits it is similar to one of the most productive foreign hybrids of EU Merkure. Oil content in seeds (46.2%) of the hybrid Debyut is at the level of the standard variety Loris. The hybrid is characterized with large size of seeds. Weight of 1000 seeds of the hybrid in average for two years is equal to 4.2 g, of the standard variety – 3.9 g. The parental forms of the hybrid Debyut are fitted well by flowering dates. A maternal line 39712 is characterized with quite good yield, oil content in (46.5–47.0%), 1000 seed weight is 4.5 g. Glucosinolate content is equal to the same one of the standard variety Loris. A paternal line ОRK 10 is inferior by yields to the standard and maternal line.

Identification of a Locus Controlling Compound Raceme Inflorescence in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek]

Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] produces a compound raceme inflorescence that branches into secondary inflorescences, which produce flowers. This architecture results in the less-domesticated traits of asynchronous pod maturity and multiple harvest times. This study identified the genetic factors responsible for the compound raceme of mungbean, providing a unique biological opportunity to improve simultaneous flowering. Using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from VC1973A, an elite cultivar with a compound raceme type, and IT208075, a natural mutant with a simple raceme type, a single locus that determined the inflorescence type was identified based on 1:1 segregation ratio in the F8 generation, and designated Comraceme. Linkage map analysis showed Comraceme was located on chromosome 4 within a marker interval spanning 520 kb and containing 64 genes. RILs carrying heterozygous fragments around Comraceme produced compound racemes, indicating this form was dominant to the simple raceme type. Quantitative trait loci related to plant architecture and inflorescence have been identified in genomic regions of soybean syntenic to Comraceme. In IT208075, 15 genes were present as distinct variants not observed in other landrace varieties or wild mungbean. These genes included Vradi04g00002481, a development-related gene encoding a B3 transcriptional factor. The upstream region of Vradi04g00002481 differed between lines producing the simple and compound types of raceme. Expression of Vradi04g00002481 was significantly lower at the early vegetative stage and higher at the early reproductive stage, in IT208075 than in VC1973A. Vradi04g00002481 was therefore likely to determine inflorescence type in mungbean. Although further study is required to determine the functional mechanism, this finding provides valuable genetic information for understanding the architecture of the compound raceme in mungbean.

Drying characteristics of medicinal plants

The special active agent content makes suitable herbals for healing and health preservation. The key element in herbs and spices processing is drying. The required low moisture content of medicinal plants to storage can be achieved only by applying drying equipment at Hungarian climatic conditions. The extent of the dryer capacity defines the processing capacity of the factory. During the daily operation can easily occur bottleneck, when large amount of herbs are transported to the factory, which is above the drying capacity — various plants unexpected simultaneous flowering, weather emergency, extraordinary collecting, etc. The aim of the manuscript is to determinate operational data at herbs pre-drying with low temperature air by measurements. This work defines the drying rate, the volume decrease and the drying air velocity for various medicinal plants at drying with ambient air.

EVALUATION OF FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MELON HYBRIDS (Cucumis melo L.) IN POLLINATOR ATTRACTIVENESS

ABSTRACT Floral morphology and biology are important characteristics for plant-pollinator interactions and may influence the behavior of these agents. This study aimed to determine which floral attributes of different melon hybrids influence this interaction and, consequently, their attractiveness in simultaneous crops. The study was conducted in the region of Petrolina, State of Pernambuco (PE)/Juazeiro, State of Bahia (BA) and Mossoró, State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), in areas with the following melon hybrids: Yellow type, Piel de Sapo, Cantaloupe and Galia. For studies on floral morphology and biology, hermaphrodites and male flowers of each hybrid were analyzed for their size and nectar chamber size, pollen and nectar production, anthesis time and flower lifespan. Floral visitors were observed simultaneously in hybrids of three types of melon, from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the two study sites. Evaluations of the corolla diameter and flower height indicated that the hermaphrodite flowers were larger in size than male flowers in all types of melon investigated, in both study sites. As for nectar chamber, male flowers are larger in width, but smaller in height, compared to hermaphrodite flowers. Regarding the volume of nectar, differences were found between floral types for the hybrids evaluated, in the two study sites; the hermaphrodite flowers produced 2-7 times more nectar than male flowers in all studied hybrids. Observations of visits of Apis mellifera to areas with simultaneous flowering of the three types of melon demonstrated differences in the frequency of visits between hybrids, floral type and foraged resource. Flowers of the hybrids Piel de Sapo and Cantaloupe exhibited larger corolla diameter, larger dimensions of the nectar chamber and greater supply of resources for foraging, which could explain the higher number of visits of bees to their flowers in the sites studied.

Breeding Objectives and Selection Criteria for Milk Thistle [Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.] Improvement

Milk thistle [Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.] is an important medicinal-industrial plant. The medicinal compounds of milk thistle are derived from its seeds. The plant is commercially cultivated for the production of silymarin. Cultivation offers the opportunity to optimise achene yield and silymarin content. Furthermore, efforts should be made to develop new cultivars. The main objective of milk thistle breeding is to develop high yielding cultivars with elevated silymarin content. There are few developed cultivars of milk thistle (e.g. Argintiu, Budakalaszi, Szibilla, Khoreslo, Babak Castle, Mirel, Silma and Silyb). Different genotypes of milk thistle have variable amount of silymarin e.g. a ‘Royston’ genotype is rich in silymarin (6-10%). Further progress can be made by using the genetic diversity available in abundance in different genotypes. The main concern of the breeder should be to increase the yield and silymarin contents of the seeds. Asynchronous flowering and seed shedding are also major problems in milk thistle cultivation. At the time of harvest, the plants have flower heads at all stages of development resulting non-uniform maturation of seeds. Therefore, a breeding effort in milk thistle should be planned to obtain plants with simultaneous flowering and reduced crop losses. The developed cultivar Argintiu is characterised by simultaneous seed maturation in flower heads. The wild populations, as valuable gene pools, could be exploited for the improvement of milk thistle crop.

Reproductive Success after Self-pollination and Cross-pollination of Olive Cultivars in Croatia

Olive orchard productivity largely depends on the choice of planted cultivars and their pollination needs. Orchard designs in Croatia are changing because a number of valuable foreign olive cultivars, mostly Italian, have been introduced in this region in the last 30 years. The compatibility relationships of introduced cultivars with autochthonous cultivars are unknown. With the objective of studying reproductive behavior of the most important Croatian cultivars (Drobnica, Lastovka, Levantinka, and Oblica) and their cross-pollination to recently introduced Italian cultivars Leccino and Pendolino, initial and final fruit set in self-pollination versus cross-pollination and free pollination were compared during three flowering seasons. Experiments were conducted in three different orchards (Kastela, Mravince, and Brac) to identify the effect of the environment on reproductive behavior of olive cultivars. The differences of fruit set in five olive cultivars after tested pollination treatments appeared at the time of initial fruit set. Increased final fruit set under cross-pollinations was observed when compared with self-pollination for all olive cultivars in all experimental orchards. In the Mravince orchard, a positive response to cross-pollination was consistent, and fruit set increased under cross-pollination in all cultivars and years with the exception of ‘Levantinka’ in which no significant differences were noticed between self-pollination treatment and cross-pollination treatments in 2005. Variable self-fertility behavior from season to season was found for tested cultivars. A self-incompatibility index (ISI) higher than 0.1 was recorded for ‘Levantinka’ in all experimental years and, therefore, classified it as a partially self-incompatible cultivar. Self-incompatibility response was observed for ‘Lastovka’. The positive response to cross-pollination over self-pollination only in some experimental years classified ‘Drobnica’, ‘Leccino’, and ‘Oblica’ as partially self-incompatible. Results obtained from this study indicated that pollination efficiency is strictly combination-specific. The Italian cultivar, Leccino, was a successful pollen acceptor and pollenizer of most Croatian cultivars. Reciprocal high success in cross-pollination was recorded for ‘Levantinka’ and ‘Oblica’. In the Mravince orchard, ‘Lastovka’, ‘Leccino’, and ‘Oblica’ were efficient pollenizers of ‘Levantinka’ where the simultaneous flowering period was in accordance with their cross-compatibility. ‘Levantinka’ was a good pollenizer for ‘Lastovka’ in the Mravince orchard, and both cultivars entered into the flowering period earlier than other studied cultivars, which was not the case in the other two orchards. The variations in flowering timing among orchards were a consequence of differences in environmental conditions. According to the high fruit sets recorded in ‘Oblica’ after pollination with ‘Leccino’ or ‘Levantinka’, an increase in tree productivity of the acceptor cultivar is expected in the presence of selected pollenizers in all olive-growing regions.