Distant hybridization of cereals is often impaired by fertilization barriers. Haploid induction through intergeneric crossing is well developed in wheat but has not been successful in rice due to incompatibility issues. The present study was thus undertaken to identify fertilization barriers that hinder the compatibility of the rice cultivar Punjab Rice 121 with maize and pearl millet lines as pollinators. A total of 37,357 spikelets were pollinated, yielding 494 caryopses upon supplementation with auxins. The resultant caryopses, arising from true intergeneric crosses, lacked embryos. Imaging of the pollinated pistils at different intervals indicated that intense callose depositions block the release of generative nuclei to the ovule in these wide crosses. Rice spikelets pollinated with rice pollen (cis-generic crosses) exhibited positive indicators of fertilization reaction at the micropyle. While the cis-generic crosses initiated true caryopsis formation after 24 h, no comparative reaction was observed in the intergeneric crosses. The current survey underlines that the rice female gametophyte presents a strong pre-fertilization barrier to foreign pollen. This barrier may be modulated in the future by altering genotype and auxin combinations.

An integrated and interdisciplinary research programme with native medicinal plants from tropical forests has been performed in order to obtain new forest products for sustainable use in regional markets vis-à-vis ecosystem conservation. For the success of this programme ethnopharmacological studies are very important with respect to (i) identification of useful plants including medicinal and aromatic species; (ii) recuperation and preservation of traditional knowledge about native plants; and (iii) identification of potential plants with economic value. The plants are selected with a view to evaluate efficacy and safety (pharmacological and toxicological studies), and phytochemical profile and quality control (phytochemical and chromatographic characterization). These studies are very important to add value to plant products and also to mitigate unscrupulous exploitation of medicinal plants by local communities, since multiple use of plants represents an excellent strategy for sustaining the tropical ecosystem through ex situ and in situ conservation. Thus, conservation of tropical resources is possible in conjunction with improvements in the quality of life of the traditional communities and production of new products with therapeutic, cosmetic and ‘cosmeceutic’ value.

A total of 60 farmers' cacao accessions (Theobroma cacao L.) from Nicaragua were investigated using microsatellite markers to reveal their genetic composition and to identify potentially resistant genotypes against the black pod disease caused by Phytophthora palmivora. These accessions were compared with 21 breeders' accessions maintained locally, two Criollo accessions from Costa Rica and two accessions from Ecuador. The analyses showed a low level of differentiation among groups of farmers' accessions (FST = 0.06) and that six Nicaraguan accessions were genetically closely related to the two Criollo accessions used as a reference. In addition, seven distinct genotypes were found to have allelic composition that may indicate linkage to resistance alleles, thus being potential parental lines in future breeding programmes.

In the face of climate change, developing resilient crops is crucial for global food security in the 21st century to feed a growing population. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) plays a vital role in ensuring global food and nutritional security. Traits like early flowering enable the crop to mature faster, thereby shortening the growing window and reducing yield losses caused by moisture and heat stresses during the reproductive phase. However, issues like limited genetic diversity in this trait remain unaddressed. To address this gap, our study aims to comprehensively assess genetic variability and trait associations in 158 lentil accessions. In the present study, we observed significant variations for days to 50% flowering (67–90 days), days to maturity (109–122 days) and 100 seed weight (1.69–2.68 g) throughout a period of two consecutive years (2020–2021 and 2021–2022). The observed variability in these traits offers a valuable avenue for the improvement of lentil yield through targeted selection and hybridization. Additionally, correlation analysis showed negative correlation between days to 50% flowering and grain yield per plant, while plant height had a significant (P < 0.01) positive correlation with all traits except yield per plant. Furthermore, we identified specific germplasm with exceptional traits that hold significant potential for future breeding programmes. The genotypes EC 223197-A and EC 267696 were identified for early flowering with high yield, and other genotypes that were identified for various traits would serve as breeding material for the introgression of these traits into elite cultivars.

Cowpea is a major source of vegetable protein but its production is constrained by drought resulting in yield loss. Developing drought tolerance varieties can enhance yield and reduce the need for supplemental irrigation. Breeding for drought tolerance requires the knowledge of its genetic basis. Genetic basis for some seedling traits in cowpea was investigated. Seven generations (P1, P2, F1, RF1, F2, BC1 and BC2) each derived from two crosses involving two highly drought tolerant (Danilla and IT97K-499-35) and one highly susceptible parents (Tvu7778) were evaluated for drought tolerance in the screen house. Data on Seedling height (SH), Seedling terminal leaflet area (SLA), Seedling Vigour (SV) and Recovery Capacity (RC) were collected. The SV was assessed on a scale of 1 (highly-tolerant) – 9 (highly-susceptible), while RC (%) was evaluated at 5 d interval for 30 d. The hybrids F1 and RF1 showed the best performances in both crosses with SV ranged from 2.50 ± 0.00 in Danilla × IT97K-499-35 cross to 6.50 ± 1.00 in the Danilla × TVU7778 cross. In both crosses, F1 and RF1 had 100.0% RC. Both dominance (46.5–68.6%) and additive (31.4–53.5%) effects were found similar and important in all the traits under water stressed. The six-parameter model indicated few cases of gene interactions, mostly dominance × dominance. Narrow sense heritability ranged from 33.5% for SH to 50.1% for SLA in the cross Danilla × TVU7778 at terminal water stress. Inheritance of these traits in cowpea involved both additive and dominance gene action. However, dominance and/or dominance × dominance effects had a more pronounced effect in genetic control of all characters.

In the USA, western Washington (WWA) and the Alaska (AK) Interior are two regions where maritime and continental climates, high latitude and cropping systems necessitate early maturing spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Both regions aim to increase the production of hard spring bread wheat for human consumption to support regional agriculture and food systems. The Nordic region of Europe has a history of breeding for early maturing spring wheat and also experiences long daylengths with mixed maritime and continental climates. Nordic wheat also carries wildtype (wt) NAM-B1, an allele associated with accelerated senescence and increased grain protein and micronutrient content, at a higher frequency than global germplasm. Time to senescence, yield, protein and mineral content were evaluated on 42 accessions of Nordic hard red spring wheat containing wt NAM-B1 over 2 years on experimental stations in WWA and the AK Interior. Significant variation was found by location and accession for time to senescence, suggesting potential parental lines for breeding programmes targeting early maturity. Additionally, multiple regression analysis showed that decreased time to senescence correlated negatively with grain yield and positively with grain protein, iron and zinc content. Breeding for early maturity in these regions will need to account for this potential trade-off in yield. Nordic wt NAM-B1 accessions with early senescence yet with yields similar to regional checks are reported. Collaboration among alternative wheat regions can aid in germplasm exchange and varietal development as shown here for the early maturing trait.

Lutein has significant nutritional benefits for human health. Therefore, enhancing soybean lutein concentrations is an important breeding objective. However, selection for soybeans with high and environmentally stable lutein concentrations has been limited. The objectives of this study were to select soybeans with high seed lutein concentrations and to determine the stability of lutein concentrations across environments. A total of 314 genotypes were screened and 18 genotypes with high lutein concentrations and five genotypes with low lutein concentrations were selected for further examination. These 23 genotypes and two check varieties were evaluated under six environments (two planting dates for 2 years at one location and two planting dates for 1 year at another location). Lutein concentrations were influenced by genotype, environment and genotype × environment interactions. Genotypes with late maturity and low lutein concentrations were more stable than those with early maturity and high concentrations. Early (May) planting resulted in greater lutein concentrations than late (June) planting. Among the genotypes evaluated, PI603423B (7.7 μg/g) and PI89772 (5.8 μg/g) had the greatest mean lutein concentrations and exhibited medium and high stability across the six environments, respectively. Thus, these genotypes may be useful for breeding soybeans with high and stable seed lutein concentrations.

Based on the sequences of Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis, we carried out a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) study for genes controlling disease resistance (clubroot, turnip mosaic virus and soft rot) and leaf traits in B. rapa leafy genotypes ‘VC40’ and ‘SR5’. In total, 7645 SNP markers were obtained based on the annotation of a B. rapa database for disease resistance. Among these 7645 SNP markers, 141 were related to 125 genes linked to leaf traits. From these 141 SNP markers, 63 were screened and High Resolution Melt (HRM) primers were designed for genomic studies. A total of 20 polymorphic SNP primers were finally obtained. Eventually, these markers will be further used for the detection of quantitative trait loci and mapping studies.

David Bond and Jean Picard, two leaders of European legume breeding, died within a few months of each other. On the basis of their agronomic and genetic training, they both met the challenge of breeding faba bean, a protein-rich species that had received little attention from breeders before the 1950s (Picard, 1953; Bond 1957). Both made great strides at modernizing their chosen crop by developing and applying new ideas and techniques, as well as generating new methods and genetic materials.

Chickpea is a cool season, photothermal-sensitive crop, that is adversely affected by high temperatures (>35°C) and whose flowering is promoted by long-day conditions (>12 h). This prevents horizontal crop spread under a variety of agro-climatic conditions and the development of insensitive genotypes that perform well in all seasons. Therefore, a study was conducted to identify genotypes that are mature early, insensitive to photoperiod, high temperature and tolerant to drought stress. A set of 74 genotypes was evaluated under rainfed conditions in Kharif 2021 (off-season) to select eight promising early-maturing genotypes with high-yielding capacity. Then further investigations were conducted in five different seasons Late Kharif 2021, rabi 2021, summer 2022, early Kharif 2022 and Kharif 2022 to identify the genotypes with photothermo-insensitivity among the selected eight genotypes. With the exception of rabi 2021, each of these seasons were distinct from the chickpea's typical growing season. Among these eight, the stable genotypes which are performed better in all the seasons, especially in summer were considered, such as IPC 06-11, MNK-1, JG-14 and ICE 15654-A as a photothermo-insensitive, were able to flower and set pods with higher seed yield and, resulting in early maturity in a temperature range of 41.4/9.3°C with photoperiods of 13.1/10.9 h to reach in all seasons throughout the year. The heritability was more than 60%. Hence, these genotypes can be used as donor aids in the development of early maturing, drought stress tolerant and photothermo-insensitive chickpea.

Freezing damage is a major limiting factor to Pistachio cultivation in cold climates. Assessment of pistachio genotypes to freezing stress is important for the selection of tolerance cultivars in these regions. In this study, nine genotypes belong to six Pistacia species (P. terebinthus L., P. atlantica Desf., P. atlantica subsp. kurdica P. atlantica subsp. mutica, P. khinjuk Stocks., P. vera var. Sarakhs, P. vera cv. Badami-Riz-Zarand I, P. vera cv. Badami-Riz-Zarand II) and an interspecies hybrid named UCB1 (P. atlantica × P. integrrima) were evaluated to freezing stress at temperatures of −4, −8, −12 and, −16°C in the months of December, January and February. Results showed that electrolyte leakage (EL) percentage and means of eco-physiological parameters varied among genotypes with the highest soluble carbohydrates and phenolic compounds observed in species of P. atlantica subsp. kurdica and P. vera var. Sarakhs respectively. In February, the highest calcium and potassium concentrations of shoot were observed in P. terebinths and P. vera var. Sarakhs genotypes respectively. The highest EL percentage was observed at −16°C in P. atlantica and P. khinjuk and the lowest in P. terebinthus and P. vera var. Sarakhs.

Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis [Willd.] Ohwi & H. Ohashi) is one of the most important legume crops cultivated in East Asia and northern South Asia. Despite its agronomic importance, the lack of available sequence information has made it difficult to improve important agronomic traits. In the present study, we performed de novo assembly of transcript sequences produced by short-read sequencing to construct 59,860 full-length protein-coding sequences in adzuki bean. These genes were subjected to a BLASTP search to identify putative homologues of the 84 Arabidopsis genes involved in the circadian clock and photoperiodic flowering pathway. A large proportion of these Arabidopsis genes were found to be conserved in adzuki bean. However, there were no homologues of six genes including FLOWER LOCUS D (FD) and LEAFY (LFY). Furthermore, the phylogenetic relationships of 25 highly homologous matches to CONSTANS (CO) or CONSTANS-LIKE (COL) of Arabidopsis indicated the lack of a CO orthologue in adzuki bean. FLOWER LOCUS T (FT) and its homologues were found to have two homologous counterparts in adzuki bean. This study provides primary genetic resources that may be useful for producing adzuki bean with improved flowering and fruiting performance in response to environmental changes.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important crop of family Fabaceae used as a potential source of proteins, fibres and minerals. Thus, characterization of existing germplasm is useful for improvement and conservation. The Indian Himalayan Region harbours plentiful varieties of common bean, but it is nearly unexplored till date. In the present study, physical and genetic diversity of common bean was examined. Fifteen newly designed chloroplast microsatellite (cpSSR) markers were used to assess genetic diversity and population structure in 119 common bean individuals from 20 diverse accessions gathered from Uttarakhand, India. Significantly, positive (p< 0.05) relationship of seed weight was found with seed length (r = 0.813), seed width (r = 0.692) and seed length- width ratio (r = 0.694) using Pearson correlation analysis. A total of 20 alleles were identified using eight cpSSR markers. Mean number of alleles per locus (Na = 1.55), effective allele number (Ne = 1.370), expected heterozygosity (He = 0.213), average polymorphic loci (10.9) and Shannon information index (I = 0.313) were estimated based on cpSSR data. Maximum genetic diversity (He) was recorded in the AKJ/KK/DP/Jhalla/23 accession and minimum in the AKJ/YB/PS/Supi/43 accession. Bayesian-based STRUCTURE evaluation using cpSSR-based information partitioned 20 accessions into two distinct clusters which were also supported by neighbor-joining cluster analysis. These cpSSR markers also demonstrated transferability among other members like Vigna radiata, Macrotyloma uniflorum, Glycine max, Vigna mungo of Fabaceae family, therefore can be used to monitor their genetic heterogeneity. The findings from the study might be valuable to identify elite common bean accessions for production, conservation and future breeding programmes.

As a country of origin of coffee, Ethiopia is endowed with an immense diversity of the crop in its diverse coffee-growing agro-ecologies. Amaro Kelo is one of the major coffee production agro-ecologies in Ethiopia, where the genetic diversity of its landrace coffee germplasm was not properly characterized previously. The study aimed to characterize 64 Amaro Kelo local coffee accessions to understand the potential of the accessions for utilization in future coffee genetic improvement efforts. The experiment was laid out in an 8 × 8 simple lattice design with two replications at Awada Agricultural Research Sub-Center. Data were collected on 19 quantitative and 10 qualitative traits, and subjected to multivariate analyses, i.e. cluster and principal component analyses. The cluster analysis identified five clusters based on the quantitative characters, and the distances between most of the clusters were highly significant at P < 0.01. Principal component analysis revealed the first six principal components with Eigenvalues greater than one accounted for 77.7% of the total variation. The first two principal components with respective contributions of 23.32 and 18.85% cumulatively accounted for 42.2% of the total variation in the accessions. In addition, high values of Shannon-diversity index were found for the qualitative traits: branching habit, growth habit, fruit shape, overall appearance and stem habit. In general, the multivariate analyses confirmed the presence of high variation among the studied Amaro-Kelo coffee accessions that might serve as an important genetic resource for future coffee genetic improvement or conservation efforts.

Heterosis is a main force underlying the hybrid seed industry in maize. Our experimental approach consists of a correlation study between retrotransposon-related genetic distances between parental inbred lines and hybrid performance. The assumption is that, at least for certain traits, heterosis results from genome rearrangements, largely related to retrotransposon insertions and/or removals. Fifteen maize inbred lines and one F1 hybrid, representative of the genetic diversity among sweet corn and field corn lines were screened for polymorphism by retrotransposon microsatellite amplified polymorphism markers. DNA fingerprints served as row data for estimating genetic diversity of maize inbred lines and its correlation with the heterotic effect in their hybrids. A correlation between phenotypic and molecular distances was evident only at the level of individual inbred lines. Weak correlation between genetic distances and heterosis effect was observed for the average of all inbred lines. Phenotypic distances negatively correlated with heterosis for insertion height, diameter of the ear and number of kernel rows per ear. The relative contribution of each inbred line to heterosis in its derived hybrids was also estimated. Accordingly, we identified inbred lines with increased genetic distances that mostly add to the heterosis effect in their hybrids and that we recommend as prospective to be used in maize breeding programmes.

Knowledge on genetic diversity is necessary to determine the relationships among the genotypes, which allow the selection of individual accessions for crop breeding programmes. The present study aimed at assessing the extent and pattern of genetic diversity within a set of 251 sorghum genotypes using SSR markers. A total of 393 alleles were detected from the 251 genotypes, with the number of alleles ranging from 2 (Xcup11) to 24 (Sb5-206) and an average of 10.07 alleles per primer pair. Pairwise Wright's FST statistic and Nei's genetic distance estimates revealed that the race and geographical origin were responsible for the pattern of diversity and structure in the genetic materials. In addition, the analysis also revealed high genetic differentiation between the rainy and post-rainy sorghum groups. Narrow diversity was observed among the different working groups in the rainy (restorers and varieties) and post-rainy (varieties and advanced breeding lines) sorghum groups. Neighbour-joining and STRUCTURE analysis also classified 44 elite lines broadly into two distinct groups (rainy and post-rainy). However, limited diversity within the rainy and post-rainy sorghum groups warranted an urgent need for the utilization of diverse germplasm accessions for broadening the genetic base of the Indian breeding programme. The diverse germplasm accessions identified from the mini-core accessions for utilization in breeding programmes are discussed.

Mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) disease is one of the most devastating biotic constraints of mungbean production in India. Dependable knowledge on the number and mode of action of genes controlling resistance to MYMV disease is one of the keys to develop resistant cultivars. The F1s of four crosses derived from four MYMV resistant genotypes × one highly susceptible genotype, their parents, F2s and F3s along with a susceptible check were screened for responses to MYMV disease following the infector-row technique under natural infection conditions. A good fit of F2 population segregation to the hypothesized ratio of 15 susceptible:1 resistant and that of F3 population segregation to the expected ratio of 55 susceptible:9 resistant at 55 days after planting confirmed the involvement of two recessive genes in imparting resistance to MYMV disease.

Dongxiang wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) (DXWR) is the northernmost distributed wild rice found in the world. Similar to other populations of O. rufipogon, DXWR contains a large number of agronomically valuable genes, which makes it a natural gene pool for rice breeding. Molecular markers, especially simple repeat sequence (SSR) markers, play important roles in plant breeding. Although a large number of SSR markers have been developed, most of them are derived from the genome coding sequences, rarely from non-coding sequences. Meanwhile, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are derived from the transcription of non-coding sequences, play vital roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. In our previous study, we obtained 1655 lncRNA transcripts from DXWR using strand-specific RNA sequencing. In this study, 1878 SSR loci were detected from the lncRNA sequences of DXWR, and 1258 lncRNA-derived-SSR markers were developed on the genome-wide scale. To verify the validity and applicability of these markers, 72 pairs of primers were randomly selected to test 44 rice accessions. The results showed that 42 (58.33%) pairs of primers have abundant polymorphism among these rice materials; the polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.04 to 0.87 with an average of 0.50; the genetic diversity index of SSR loci varied from 0.04 to 0.88 with an average of 0.56; and the number of alleles per marker ranged from 2 to 11 with an average of 4.36. Thus, we concluded that these lncRNA-derived-SSR markers are a very useful source for future basic and applied research.

Hybrid rice development, a major advance in rice breeding, has demonstrated its immense potential in enhancing the rice productivity. In the three line system of hybrid rice, the restoration of fertility of the widely used wild-abortive type of cytoplasmic male sterility is controlled by Rf3 and Rf4, two fertility restoration genes. Exploration for restorers in diverse genetic backgrounds is a critical step in hybrid rice breeding. As genetic resources constitute the major source of new genes/alleles, an attempt was made to assess the distribution of these two restorer genes in the native populations collected from the geographic regions known to be the primary and secondary centres of origin of rice. In addition, assays were performed on the populations of Oryza rufipogon and Oryza nivara, the wild progenitors of rice. The results suggest that the Rf genes are well distributed in the wild forms at a higher frequency, more in O. rufipogon, while in cultivated forms, their frequency is low, particularly for the Rf3 gene. The genes and the alleles identified in the genetically divergent, low-performing land races and wild relatives can be successfully employed for the development of new hybrid rice cultivars.

This study investigated the combining ability, heterosis and heterotic grouping of maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines to enhance hybrid performance and productivity. Twenty-four hybrids were developed by crossing eight inbred lines with three testers, and their performance was evaluated for two years at Banaras Hindu University's agricultural research farm. Data on yield and yield-attributing traits were collected from selectively centred competitive plants in each row, avoiding border plants to reduce errors. Biometrical techniques, cluster analysis, and statistical tools were employed to measure general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), and standard heterosis, providing insights into hybrid performance. Analysis of variance revealed significant mean square values for GCA and SCA across most traits studied. Various methods were utilized, including SCA effects, HGCAMT (Heterosis Grouping by Combining Ability of Multiple Traits), and HSGCA (Heterotic Grouping based on Specific and General Combining Ability). The study identified HUZM-242 × CML-286 and HUZM-53 × CML-286 as crosses displaying higher grain yield compared to the check line DKC 7074 and exhibiting positive heterosis. The findings offer valuable guidance for maize breeding programmes by accurately identifying heterotic groups, enabling breeders to select inbred lines more likely to produce high-performing hybrids. This targeted selection reduces the number of necessary cross-breeding trials, saving time and resources. Additionally, hybrids derived from crosses between lines from different heterotic groups exhibit superior performance due to higher heterosis. These conclusions support advancements in maize breeding strategies, ultimately contributing to agricultural sustainability through increased productivity, resource efficiency, and economic benefits for farmers.