Southern European peninsulas have repeatedly played notable roles as refuges in the natural history of flora during periods of glaciation. Euonymus latifolius (Celastraceae) is a relict species from the last Würmian glaciation in the Iberian Peninsula. It still lives with isolated populations in favourable, cool mountainous microhabitats, being an extremely rare, critically endangered species. These

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a major concern for wheat production and food safety, globally. Resistance to infection (type I resistance) is important for breeding varieties with good FHB resistance. To better understand the genetic architecture underlying type I FHB resistance, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted using two recombinant inbred lines (RIL) populations derived from the

Integrating forage crops into the continuous winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system can be used for increasing rural population income and maintaining grain production on the Loess Plateau. The objective of this study was to comprehensively evaluate economic yield (EYyield), dry matter yield (DMyield), crude protein yield (CPyield), wheat equivalent yield (WEyield), and food equivalent

Water deficit can have large impacts on plants, including likely alteration of root hydraulic conductance and root xylem vessel diameter, which can decrease crop productivity. No results, however, exist to assess possible linkages between these two variables as critical components contributing to plant water status. This linkage was investigated in three maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars. A stable water-deficit

Lodging can reduce the yield and quality of oats (Avena Sativa L.). Root lodging, as opposed to stem lodging, is the predominant form of lodging in oats. Therefore, identifying management practices that enhance root lodging resistance should be prioritized. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of four management practices on oat grain yield, yield components, grain quality, observed

Cereal rye (Secale cereale) is a multi-purpose crop, harvested for grain (for food, feed, and other products) as well as used as a forage or cover crop. The functionality of rye across these spheres is due to its abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, and its unique phytochemical composition. In this review, we focus on the current state and prospects of breeding rye for quality traits, where we define

The availability of quality seed to smallholder farmers for most crops in sub-Saharan Africa is a problem due to low production and availability of certified seed. Ethiopia has adopted quality declared seed (QDS) certification protocols for arable crops including potato. However, the procedure sets that only 10% of seed fields submitted to certification as QDS are inspected by external inspection.

Maize plays a significant role among rural farming households in South Africa. The study therefore estimated the drivers of maize cultivars' selection choices among rural farming households focusing on the commonly grown cultivars from the study area (Landrace and genetically modifies [GM] maize). A cross-sectional survey of 650 respondents randomly selected from Port St Johns and King Sabata Dalindyebo

The changing climate poses significant threats to agriculture and the ability to ensure sufficient global food production. With the expanding population, there is an urgent demand to increase crop productivity to meet the rising food demand. Producing climate-smart crop varieties together with developing new agronomic management strategies are strategies that may help address this issue. Recent advances

Peanut is a primary oil crop that is cultivated on a large scale in Shandong province, China. This study evaluated the oil, protein, and fatty acid compositions of different types of peanut cultivars growing in different ecological regions (Yantai and Heze) in Shandong province from 2019–2020. The results showed that the oil content ranged from 38.83% to 56.48% and the protein content ranged from 21

Strawberry (Fragaria ×annanassa Duchesne ex Rozier) is cultivated and enjoyed globally for its health properties and flavor. Improvements in agronomic performance and fruit quality attributes highlight the successes of strawberry breeding in recent decades. Nevertheless, sweetness and flavor continue to fall below the ideal for the average consumer. While flavor is an important trait of focus, it is

Ploidy manipulation has been used in many crop improvement programs to develop plant species with wider adaptability and desirable traits. The objectives of this study were to create stable tetraploid centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.), lines and evaluate them for beneficial traits. To generate polyploid lines, ‘TifBlair’ (2n = 2x = 18) seeds were exposed to gamma radiation and callus

Vegetative phase change is a key trait in plant development and marks the transition from juvenile to adult growth phases. In maize (Zea mays L.), juvenile plants and plants with a late phase change can be identified by the increased production of tillers, aerial roots, and distinctive epicuticular wax. Resistance to agronomically significant pathogens can also differ between juvenile and adult plants

The narrow genetic base of the US soybean (G. max [L.] Merr.) crop makes it vulnerable to emerging abiotic and biotic stress challenges, and limits resiliency of the soybean crop to meet changes in consumer demand for improved seed composition and agronomic performance. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Glycine soja (Siebold & Zucc.) germplasm collection provides a valuable genetic

Stress-induced accumulation of ethylene exacerbates drought damages in plants and suppressing stress induction of ethylene may promote plant tolerance to drought stress. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of endophytic bacteria (Paraburkholderia aspalathi) with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase enzymes in suppressing ethylene production on plant tolerance

Molecular markers such as SNPs and SilicoDArT are important in dissecting the genetic diversity of a population at DNA level. The two marker types were analyzed using the same genotyping platform. Although the two marker types were analyzed using the same genotyping platform, they were filtered using different marker stringency, therefore, informativeness. We determined the genetic diversity of 623

Depending on the trait architecture and reproduction system, selection strategies in plant breeding focus on the accumulation of additive, dominance effects, or both. Innovation in the exploitation of dominance-effect-based heterosis has been limited since the proposal of GCA-based approaches. We propose the use of a new surrogate of genetic complementation between genetic pools to increase accumulation

Recently, crossbred animals have begun to be used as parents in the next generations of dairy and beef cattle systems, which has increased the interest in predicting the genetic merit of those animals. The primary objective of this study was to investigate three available methods for genomic prediction of crossbred animals. In the first two methods, SNP effects from within-breed evaluations are used

Theobroma grandiflorum is a perennial fruit tree native to the Amazon region. As a perennial species with continuous production throughout the years, breeders should seek well-conducted trials, accurate phenotyping and adequate statistical models for genetic evaluation and selection that can leverage the information provided by the repeated measures. We evaluated 13 models with different covariance

Low-pass sequencing followed by sequence variant genotype imputation is an alternative to the routine microarray-based genotyping in cattle. However, the impact of haplotype reference panels and their interplay with the coverage of low-pass whole-genome sequencing data have not been sufficiently explored in typical livestock settings where only a small number of reference samples is available. Sequence

Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel has been widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. With the deepening of clinical application, the research on its plant resources has attracted much attention. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of distinct germination during Pulsatilla seed development are still mostly unknown. Therefore, in this study, four germination stages of P. chinensis seeds,

ABSTRACT GM crops, as a widely researched and applied biotechnology, hold significant strategic and practical implications for promoting the commercialization of GM crops in China, driving agricultural industry upgrading, and fostering economic and social development. However, despite their potential benefits, the commercialization of GM crops in China has been consistently delayed. Therefore, this

ABSTRACT Many African nations place a high priority on enhancing food security and nutrition. However, unfavorable environmental conditions interfere with the achievement of food security in Africa. The production of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) presents intriguing possibilities for improving food security on the continent. In Africa, countries in the same regions have different GMO usage

Canadienne cattle are the oldest breed of dairy cattle in North America. The Canadienne breed originates from cattle that were brought to America by the mid-seventeenth century French settlers. The herd book was established in 1886 and the current breed characteristics include dark coat color, small size compared to the modern Holstein breed, and overall rusticity shaped by the harsh environmental

The Western honeybee is an economically important species globally, but has been experiencing colony losses that lead to economical damage and decreased genetic variability. This situation is spurring additional interest in honeybee breeding and conservation programs. Stochastic simulators are essential tools for rapid and low-cost testing of breeding programs and methods, yet no existing simulator

Leaf rolling is an adaptive mechanism associated with water deficiencies; however, the physiological processes and environmental factors contributing to leaf rolling are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to examine (i) a possible relationship between the degree of leaf rolling and soil water content, and (ii) the possible influence of vapor pressure deficit on the degree of leaf

The Rice Diversity Panel 1 (RDP1) is a resource for genome-wide association (GWA) studies to explore the five major rice (Oryza sativa L.) subpopulations indica, aus, aromatic, temperate japonica and tropical japonica (TRJ). Previously collected phenotype data for yield-related traits in RDP1 was reanalyzed using a recently released 4.8 million SNP dataset to enhance GWA mapping precision. GWA mapping

Wheat (Triticum spp. L) production needs to be improved to meet the needs of a global population of more than 9 billion people by 2050. Increasing the productivity of the crop under conditions of abiotic and biotic stress to achieve food security continues to be a challenging proposition. Wheat stem sawfly (WSS) (Cephus cinctus Norton) has been considered as a serious pest of wheat since the late 19th

Plant genetic resources (PGR) underpin the security of global agriculture. Rapid global climate change presents formidable challenges for ex situ and in situ PGR management programs that operate over extended timeframes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) maintains more than 605,000 PGR accessions representing over 16,300 plant species in 20 genebank locations

A comprehensive study was performed to investigate the kernel phenolics content and profile of a broad range of maize inbreds varying in disease resistance to gibberella ear rot. Three phenolic fractions (soluble free, soluble conjugated, and insoluble bound) at different kernel developmental stages in two growing seasons were analyzed. The phenolics content and profile revealed a genotype dependency

The introduction of hybrid breeding in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) requires novel and efficient cropping systems for potato production based on true potato seed (TPS). Such systems address the limitations of conventional seed-tuber based systems including low multiplication rates, high degeneration rates and high costs of transport and storage. Of the possible cultivation pathways of TPS, we introduce

Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. (2n = 6x = 90)] is a highly heterozygous, clonally propagated crop for which population hybrid breeding is expected to result in yield jumps and large genetic gain increases. The main objective of this study was to select parents for a heterosis exploiting breeding scheme in Uganda using general combining ability and index selection aggregating yield and biotic

Reducing generation time is critical to achieving the goals of genetic gain in important crops like wheat (Triticum aesitvum). Speed breeding (SB) has been shown to considerably reduce generation times in crop plants. Unlike spring wheat cultivars, winter wheat varieties require typically, 6–9 weeks of cold treatment, called vernalization, for flowering which extends the generation time for the development

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the main source of natural fiber for the textile industry. Cotton fibers are unicellular trichomes that emerge from the epidermal cells of the seed. In cultivated cotton species, seed trichomes differentiate into two distinct types, spinnable lint, and short fuzz. The main priority for cotton growers is fiber yield, whereas the textile industry also demands

ABSTRACT DP915635 maize was genetically modified (GM) to express the IPD079Ea protein for corn rootworm (Diabrotica spp.) control. DP915635 maize also expresses the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) protein for tolerance to glufosinate herbicide and the phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) protein that was used as a selectable marker. A field study was conducted at ten sites in the United States and

Viral nervous necrosis (VNN) is a major disease that affects European sea bass, and understanding the biological mechanisms that underlie VNN resistance is important for the welfare of farmed fish and sustainability of production systems. The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions and genes that are associated with VNN resistance in sea bass. We generated a dataset of 838,451 single nucleotide

This work evaluated the efficiency of different genomic prediction (GP) methods in a diverse Mesoamerican panel of 339 common bean accessions, genotyped with 3398 SNP markers. Field experiments were carried out for three consecutive years, with adequate water supply (non-stress—NS) and water restriction imposition (water-stress—WS), analyzing seed weight (SW) and grain yield (GY). Two methods to predict

Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata, is a legume adapted to regions with a tropical climate and limited water resources, and it has become a basic food source and income generator. Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) cause substantial damage to the root system, resulting in yield losses. Genetic resistance is one of the most efficient management methods. The objective of this study was to generate information

Gut microbial composition plays an important role in numerous traits, including immune response. Integration of host genomic information with microbiome data is a natural step in the prediction of complex traits, although methods to optimize this are still largely unexplored. In this paper, we assess the impact of different modelling strategies on the predictive capacity for six porcine immunocompetence

Univariate genomic selection (UVGS) is an important tool for increasing genetic gain and multivariate GS (MVGS), where correlated traits are included in genomic selection, which can improve genomic prediction accuracy. The objectives for this study were to evaluate MVGS approaches to improve prediction accuracy for four agronomic traits using a training population of 351 soft red winter wheat (Triticum

Applying cover crops to reduce nitrogen (N) fertilizer application while ensuring crop productivity is a major challenge for sustainable agricultural production. However, few studies have quantified N fertilizer application reduction through the use of February orchid (Orychophragmus violaceus) cover crops with the goal of ensuring cotton productivity. We conducted field experiments in the Yellow River

Determining the stability and consistency of grain yield performance requires accurate evaluation of genotypes in different environments. In Mexico, annual national spring wheat irrigated trials are conducted to assess elite bread (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum (Triticum durum L.) wheat performance in different testing environments (TEs) in the main wheat-growing areas. These trials provide data

As a warm-season turfgrass, bermudagrass (Cynodon) is sensitive to low ambient temperature. The objectives of this study were to evaluate cold tolerance of a new variant Chuannong-3 under field condition and to further elucidate metabolic and molecular bases of cold tolerance in the Chuannong-3 as compared to triploid Tifdwarf (Cynodon transvaalensis × Cynodon dactylon) and tetraploid common bermudagrass

The absence of seeds has been one of the most valued traits in grapes (Vitis spp.) for fresh consumption. However, the simultaneous selection of superior genotypes for multiple traits is complex. The objective of this study was to select genotypes of superior seedless table grapes in semiarid regions of Brazil. Multiple traits were considered by using the factor analysis and genotype–ideotype best

Some wild relatives have higher grain zinc (Zn) concentrations than common wheat and were widely used for wheat biofortification. However, little is known about the mechanisms controlling Zn accumulation in wheat and its wild relatives. This study is aimed to shed light on the causes of different grain Zn concentrations in wheat at a physiological level. Six genotypes, including one Triticale, one

Accelerating the rate of genetic gain of major crops is required to meet the projected global demand for food. Genomic selection (GS) has made valuable contributions to the genetic progress of different species and is currently a routine procedure in most wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding programs (WBP). Accounting for gene × gene (G × G) and genotype × environment interactions (G × E) in GS can

ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has generated significant economic loss and an unprecedented challenge to people’s livelihoods. Using household data collected in November 2020, this study shows that the COVID-19 outbreak has significantly affected consumers’ perceptions and consumption of genetically modified (GM) food in China. Their perceptions and purchase intentions have

Aeschynomene (Aeschynomene americana L.) is a warm-season annual legume forage used in tropical and subtropical regions; however, there is limited information on agronomic and environmental benefits of aeschynomene when overseeded into bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) swards. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of overseeding aeschynomene or applying N fertilizer to existing

Stripe (yellow) rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is a devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) worldwide. In commercial production, stripe rust reduces grain quality, grain yield, and forage yield. This study was conducted to identify quantitative trait locus (QTL) associated with field resistance to stripe rust in hard winter wheat. Stripe rust infection type and severity

Genetic diversity is a necessary condition for populations to evolve under natural adaptation, artificial selection, or both. However, genetic diversity is often threatened, in particular in domestic animal populations where artificial selection, genetic drift and inbreeding are strong. In this context, cryopreserved genetic resources are a promising option to reintroduce lost variants and to limit

The construction of covariance matrices that account for the genetic relationships among individuals, using pedigree or genotype data, is integral to genetic evaluations, which are now routinely used in the field of animal breeding. The objective of the present study was to estimate the standard deviation in the proportion of the segregating genome that is shared between pairs of full-sibling cattle

The potential of biofortified crops and their critical role in Rwandan diets motivated the Ministry of Agriculture through Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) to adopt a national policy of combating micronutrients’ deficiencies by developing and releasing fortified crop varieties. In this context, 37 biofortified potato (Solanum tuberosum) clones were introduced from the

Correction: Genetics Selection Evolution (2022) 54:66 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-022-00752-4 After publication of this work [1], we noticed that there was an error in Eqs. (14) to (19) presented on page 4 of the paper, where we refer to the term \(\mathrm{var}(\widehat{\mathbf{a}})\) as the prediction error covariance (PEC) of SNP effects which is not correct. The correct equations should be:$

Methionine is a nutritionally limiting amino acid in poultry diets based on maize (Zea mays L.) grain. Synthetic dietary supplements are available but are costly and not preferred by organic poultry producers. The development of high methionine maize varieties would reduce the need for supplementation. Several approaches have been reported for achieving this goal. Here, we report a novel approach that

The Asteraceae with up to 30,000 species occurs on all continents except Antarctica and in all major vegetation zones on earth. Our primary aim was to consider cypselae dormancy-break and germination of Asteraceae in relation to ecology, vegetation zones and evolution. Cypselae are desiccation-tolerant and in various tribes, genera, species and life forms of Asteraceae are either non-dormant (ND) or

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris Doell.) was originally selected from white fodder beet in the 1780s and was then specifically bred for sucrose production. The relatively recent inception of the crop has led to a narrow genetic base that has bottlenecked sustainable improvement. To evaluate the potential of publicly available germplasm for sugar beet improvement, genetic diversity analysis

Reliance on summer annual crops in the Upper Midwest results in fallow land from late fall through early spring, providing opportunities to integrate winter crops, such as pennycress (Thlapsi arvense L.), onto the landscape. Pennycress agronomics have primarily been studied using unimproved wild-type lines prone to seed shatter, resulting in significant yield loss if not harvested early. However, high

Correction: Genetic Selection Evolution (2023) 55:9 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-023-00783-5 After publication of original article [1], the authors identified two errors in the paper. 1. Under the heading Building long‑read reference populations for SV discovery, phasing and imputation, point number 2, “Existing short read databases with many sequenced individuals would continue to be invaluable

Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) plays a major role in the economy of Peru and the world. The present study aims to elucidate the agro-morphological variability of coffee genotypes maintained in the INIA´s germplasm collection. Therefore, 20 vegetative, reproductive, and phytosanitary traits of 162 coffee accessions of INIA's germplasm collection were evaluated and analyzed. Correlation results indicate