Pigeonpea is an important food legume crop of semi‐arid tropical regions. Plateauing of pigeonpea yield has been worrying breeders for the past 6–7 decades. Serious breeding efforts made during this period resulted in various high‐yielding and disease resistant cultivars. However, the gains in pigeonpea productivity have been modest. The authors, while reviewing this situation, conclude that long generation

Rice production is severely constrained by the moisture stress. The present study was undertaken to transfer two important QTLs viz., (qDTY2.2 and qDTY4.1), which controls yield under moisture stress (DTY) into two elite varieties, that is, MTU1010 and NLR34449 through marker‐assisted breeding. Foreground and background selections of backcross generations, that is, BC1F1, BC2F1 and BC2F2 identified

Columnar growth in apples can have considerable positive consequences for orchard maintenance, but the lack of columnar cultivars producing fruits with desired market quality prevents their broader utilization in orchards. New crossings focused on their breeding are therefore conducted throughout the world every year. Unfortunately, the reliable discrimination between columnar growth and normal phenotype

In arid or semi‐arid regions, deep‐sowing is an effective treasure to ensure seeds absorbing water from deep soil layer at present. However, the existing maize varieties have poor tolerance to deep‐sowing, which is attributed to that few genes are explored and utilised. In this study, 243 IBM Syn4 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) constructed with B73 and Mo17 as parents and 1,339 DNA markers evenly distributed

Development of durable resistance to soybean rust (SBR) is challenging due to the pathogenic diversity of Phakopsora pachyrhizi populations. The objective of this research was to investigate and confirm the genomic locations of Rpp genes in the Ugandan line UG‐5 that confer resistance to different SBR pathotypes. Bulked segregant analysis revealed two genomic regions associated with resistance in a

Pollen sterility (PS) in mother lines is crucial for hybrid crossings in plant breeding. 21 di‐ (2x) and tetraploid (4x) accessions of the hermaphroditic chamomile were screened for spontaneous, thermic or gametocide induced PS. Two crossing trials with the diploid accessions 'Bona' (BON) and 'Hungary 2' (HUN2) should specify maternally inherited cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). Progeny thereof showed

The yield and fibre quality of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) cultivars are very difficult to improve simultaneously. Attempts to breed upland cotton cultivars with high‐quality fibre that can spin more than 40 yarn count (Ne) and present yields equal to those of commercial cultivars have not been successful. The seeds of the high‐yield upland cotton line Tai 8033 were mutagenized in a Chinese

Rice yield is frequently impaired by abiotic adverse conditions in several parts of the globe. One of these constraints is soil iron toxicity. Plants respond to adverse conditions by activating different mechanisms, some of which have already been elucidated. Recently, autophagy has been associated with plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, however, the involvement of this mechanism in the response

Training populations for pedigree and genomic prediction in plant breeding programmes are largely updated with superior genotypes from multi‐environment trials, where they are tested with the goal of variety development. Such a selective phenotyping has, however, a negative impact on prediction abilities, especially when only a subset of breeding lines can be tested, as for laborious and costly to

Doubled haploids (DHs) are an important breeding tool for creating maize inbred lines. One bottleneck in the DH process is the manual separation of haploids from among the much larger pool of hybrid siblings in a haploid induction cross. Here, we demonstrate the ability of single‐kernel near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy (skNIR) to identify haploid kernels. The skNIR is a high‐throughput device

Seed size is a major determinant of grain yield in soybean, however their genetic basis remains largely unknown. In order to delimit map‐based position of a major locus qSS3, we evaluated three mapping populations, including RILs, NILs and a sub‐F2 in three environments for six seed size‐related traits. For these traits, the kurtosis and skewness ranged between 0.0 and 1.16, while h2b ranged from 0

Since wheat and other annual cereal crops are often harvested for forage instead of grain in California, replacing them with perennial crops could save energy and reduce the release of heat‐trapping gases. To assess the potential for perennial crops based on wheat, biomass yield and stand persistence were studied for nine wheat×wheatgrass amphiploids (8x to 14x) and five wheatgrass species (2x to 10x)

Pythium root rot (PRR) caused by Pythium spp. is an important root rot disease affecting common bean productivity. The objective of this study was to conduct a genome‐wide association analysis of resistance to PRR in the common bean of Andean gene pool using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. About 260 genotypes of the Andean diversity panel (ADP) were evaluated under screen house conditions

Development of sorghum hybrids can immensely benefit from an enhanced anther culture protocol since the resultant doubled haploids would accelerate, as in other major cereal crops, the attainment of homozygosity and fixation of alleles. Production of the hybrids that have got high yielding, stress tolerance and other traits of industrial significance in a shorter time as compared to the current trend

Suwan germplasm plays important roles in maize breeding in tropical/subtropical regions, especially in southern China. To analyze the genetic characteristics of Suwan maize germplasm, one panel of 73 lines derived from the Suwan population and temperate resources were collected and genotyped using 56,110 single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The results revealed four subgroups, namely, QR273

Brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), is one of the most destructive insects that impair rice productivity per year. Till to date, 38 BPH resistance loci have been mapped from cultivated and wild species of rice. Of 38 resistance genes, eight genes (Bph14, Bph3, Bph26, bph29, Bph18, Bph6, Bph32 and Bph9 ) were positionally cloned. Four genes (Bph14, Bph26, Bph18 and Bph9 ) encode a typical

The “100‐seed weight (100‐SW)” trait is an important component of soybean quality and yield. Phosphorus (P) deficiency induces a wide array of metabolic effects that limits plant growth, especially in soybean. In this study, the 100‐SW values of a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population constructed by a cross between “Zhongdou27” and “Jiunong20” were evaluated in three tested environments under regular

Tomato leaf mould disease is a serious foliar disease caused by Cladosporium fulvum , resulting in a significant reduction in yield and quality, especially under protected cultivation. Finding new resistant genes against leaf mould has become one of the important goals of tomato breeding. Cf‐12‐tomato showed good resistance to several C. fulvum races. The Cf‐12 was mapped using re‐sequencing and BSA

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) remains a severe agricultural problem in rice and other crops. This study investigated the exact effect of Rc gene on PHS resistance along with seed and milled rice quality using two sets of near‐isogenic line‐derived populations, and showed the advantages of the Rc gene over other dormancy‐associated genes in protecting against PHS. Rc gene has a significant effect on PHS

Leafy (Lfy1 ) is a typical late‐flowering mutant with locus being fine‐mapped, but its underlying molecular mechanism is unknown. In this study, two near‐isogenic lines, with and without the Lfy1 locus, were developed for phenotypic and transcriptional analysis of Lfy1‐mediated floral transition. Phenotypic observation showed that wild‐type (WT) plants transited into the tassel primordium at the V6

The consequences of recurrent drought events compared with a single drought, and drought's interaction with deliberate selfing compared with open‐pollination on postdrought recovery and persistence of smooth bromegrass, are not clear. This research was conducted to investigate the effects of recurrent drought stresses compared with a single drought on stress response, poststress recovery and persistence

The purpose of this study was to examine the genotypic variation in maize doubled haploid (DH) lines response to brassinosteroid and gibberellin inhibitors. Plant responses to hormone inhibitors were determined in growth chamber experiments using germination paper for three different seedling treatments: application of propiconazole (Pcz), uniconazole (Ucz) or water (control). Mesocotyl length (ML)

Online databases containing genetic information are crucial to extract new candidate genes from existing data and web‐based resources. The objective of this study was, therefore, to predict putative candidate genes associated with resistance to SBR in line UG‐5 and understand their functions using different bioinformatics tools from the online available databases. The physical positions for the flanking

A series of DNA markers for various agronomic traits may accelerate the success of marker‐assisted selection in practical plant breeding programmes. Here, we developed DNA markers for the blast resistance gene Pi‐cd . In this study, we examined the effects of the Pi‐cd locus on not only blast resistance but also agronomic traits in agriculture. We developed three pyramiding lines (PLs) coupling Pi‐cd

Onion is one of the major vegetable crops in terms of production as well as consumption. In the current research, available onion genetic stock was evaluated to identify male‐sterile lines and produce high‐yielding F1 hybrids for future breeding programmes. A mitochondrial DNA‐based marker was mapped and correlated with phenotypic traits to isolate male‐sterile plants. Based on the floral and pollen

Crop improvement in sorghum has progressed extensively availing the variation available in the primary gene pool of S. bicolor . Crossing further, the yield plateau can be accomplished by bringing in the genes from tertiary gene pool into the cultivated gene pool. Earlier efforts for wide hybridization in sorghum with tertiary gene pool were not successful due to inhibition of wild pollen germination

Using prediction and experimental determination, we compared the RNA‐editing sites in chloroplast protein‐coding genes in an early‐maturity mutant (KFJT‐1) induced by carbon‐ion beam irradiation in sweet sorghum and its wild type (KFJT‐CK). Twenty‐two and 20 editing sites were identified in the KFJT‐CK and KFJT‐1 chloroplast, respectively, and the differential editing sites between KFJT‐CK and KFJT‐1

The agricultural practice of manure cropping can result in the accumulation of surplus phosphorus (P) in soils with consequent losses by leaching. Two Italian alfalfa landraces originating from intensive (“Cremonese”) versus extensive (“Senese”) cattle farming regions were studied in order to investigate their variation for (a) efficiency in exploiting different P sources–farm dairy effluents (FDE)

The green peach aphid, here abbreviated as green peach aphid (GPA), is a significant global pest of pepper. Conventional insecticide use risks the development of resistance and harms beneficial insects, whereas the deployment of resistant pepper cultivars offers an effective, economical and eco‐friendly management strategy. However, no GPA resistance gene has yet been identified in pepper. In this

In this paper, the aims were (a) to test the usefulness of using genomic and phenotypic information from public databases (open access) to predict genetic values for tropical maize inbred lines regarding plant and ear height; (b) to identify how the population structure, the use of optimized training sets (OTSs) and the amount of information originating from public databases affect the predictive ability

The article presents the results of a study on obtaining mutant doubled haploids of turnip rape (Brassica rapa L. ssp. oleifera). The culture medium for producing embryos in isolated microspore culture was optimized. The optimal medium formula was NLN + 13% S + 0.05 mg/L NAA + 0.05 mg/L BA. Embryos derived from isolated microspore culture were treated with EMS mutagen in three concentrations (4 mM

An interspecific peanut hybrid population was generated from a cross between Arachis diogoi, a wild species with resistance to spotted wilt, and “Gregory”, a susceptible cultivar. The objectives of the study are to identify successful introgression of A. diogoi's genome and to evaluate the spotted wilt resistance in the introgression population. Sixty‐three putative introgression lines were genotyped

The rice crop is affected by diseases throughout its cycle, impacting negatively on grain yield and quality. The control of the disease impact can be accomplished via crop breeding, using highly multiple resistant genotypes. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of multiple‐character and specific selection of multiple resistance to major culture‐associated diseases (neck blast, leaf scald and

The regeneration of haploid plantlets is considered as a bottleneck in rice anther culture. In this study, an antimitotic chromosome doubling method, simple and efficient, of androgenic haploid plantlets resulted in an efficient doubled haploid obtainment. Through chromosome doubling capacity comparison of the three antimitotic compounds (colchicine, trifluralin and oryzalin), colchicine at 500 and

Determining the gene actions governing the inheritance of traits of interest has paramount importance in designing a breeding approach to improve the progeny populations. This study was undertaken to determine the combining ability of nine selected parental lines in the F2/F3 segregating populations for low P tolerance. The experiment was laid out in an alpha lattice design in two locations, that is

Genomic selection in tea plant (Camellia sinensis) breeding has the potential to accelerate efficiency of choosing parents with desirable traits at the seedling stage. The study evaluated different genome‐enabled prediction models for black tea quality and drought tolerance traits in discovery and validation populations. The discovery population comprised of two segregating tea populations (TRFK St

Plant height (PH) plays a very important role for plant breeding and also serves as a model trait to dynamic development study. The dynamic quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for PH of Agropyron Gaertn. was carried out in a cross‐pollination (CP) hybrid population of A. Gaertn. based on the phenotypic data of PH at different developmental stages in four year‐sites and the constructed single‐nucleotide

The aim of this study was to investigate long‐term genetic trends and the genetic architecture of grain yield, seed characteristics and correlated agronomic traits in triticale. Therefore, a panel of 846 diverse triticale genotypes was assessed for three agronomic and three seed shape‐ and size‐related traits. We observed a high genotypic variation and a high heritability for all traits. Analysing

Identification of heterotic groups and efficient testers, which are important prerequisites for the development of outstanding hybrids, has been a major challenge to its success, especially for early and extra‐early germplasm. This study was carried out to (a) identify the most efficient heterotic grouping method for classifying a set of inbred lines and (b) determine the efficiency of testers in classifying

Thirty‐one tropical japonica derived Rf gene carrying rice hybrids were classified into three classes as Rf3, Rf4 and Rf3 + Rf4 hybrids. These hybrids were tested under three different mega‐environments. Between Rf3 class and both the classes of hybrids possessing Rf4 genes, significant variation for spikelet and pollen fertility and grain yield was found. The pollen fertility was five times higher

Multiparent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) populations have recently been developed to allow the high‐resolution mapping of complex quantitative traits. This article describes the development of one MAGIC population and verifies its potential application for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in Brassica juncea. A total of 170 RILs were genotyped using 346 intron length polymorphism (ILP)

One of the most important diseases of barley (Hordeum vulgare) is powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei. Spring barley line 173‐1‐2 was selected from a Moroccan landrace and revealed broad‐spectrum resistance to powdery mildew. The objective of this study was to map and characterize the gene for seedling powdery mildew resistance in this line. After crossing with the susceptible

Accurate hybrid prediction and knowledge about the relative contribution of general (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) are of utmost importance for efficient hybrid breeding. We therefore evaluated 91 triticale single‐cross hybrids in field trials at seven environments for plant height, heading time, fresh biomass, dry matter content and dry biomass. Fresh and dry biomass showed the highest

Iron deficiency chlorosis is an important abiotic stress affecting groundnut production worldwide in calcareous and alkaline soils with a pH of 7.5–8.5. To identify genomic regions controlling iron deficiency chlorosis resistance in groundnut, the recombinant inbred line population from the cross TAG 24 × ICGV 86031 was evaluated for associated traits like visual chlorosis rating and SPAD chlorophyll

Grain yield and its component traits are essential targets in maize breeding. These traits are genetically complex and controlled by a large number of quantitative trait loci (QTL). The aim of this study was to compile reported QTL and major genes for grain yield and its component traits in a QTL atlas, as a valuable resource for the maize community. To this end, 1,177 QTL related to maize yield were

Rye is a multi‐purpose cereal crop grown in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in Western Canada. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the diseases that have a severe negative impact on rye, but knowledge about FHB resistance at the genomic level is totally missing in rye. The objective of this study was to elucidate the genetic architecture of FHB resistance in winter rye using genome‐wide association

Elderberry fruits are a good source of minerals and antioxidants; however, the presence of anti‐nutrients like oxalates may limit their utilization. The presented study which involves chemical evaluation of numerous interspecific hybrids is based on a hypothesis that interspecific genetic recombination may significantly improve the production and the nutritional quality of elderberry fruits. The aim

The photoperiod/temperature‐sensitive genic male sterile (P/TGMS) character is important for use of heterosis in hybrid wheat. In the present study, the fertility of 172 doubled haploid (DH) lines derived from the cross between a P/TGMS wheat line BS366 and a restorer wheat line Baiyu149 was investigated under both fertile and sterile environments during three cropping seasons. The phenotype was recorded

Drought is a major abiotic stress affecting banana production worldwide, leading to yield losses of up to 65%. Consequently, numerous efforts to understand and mitigate drought effects that include developing tolerant crop varieties are ongoing in several banana breeding programmes. The breeding efforts, however, have been greatly slowed down by inherent banana problems (polyploidy and male or female

Genomic selection has been adopted in many plant breeding programmes. In this paper, we cover some aspects of information necessary before starting genomic selection. Spring oat and barley breeding data sets from commercial breeding programmes were studied using single, multitrait and trait‐assisted models for predicting grain yield. Heritabilities were higher when estimated using multitrait models

Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) is a relatively higher drought‐tolerant crop than common bean (P. vulgaris), serving as genetic resource for food and genetic enhancement of related legumes. Tepary bean production is hampered by cultivation of low yielding and abiotic stress‐susceptible cultivars. Targeted selection of agronomic, physiological and biochemical traits that maximizes yield

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide and is a model organism among cereal crops. Abiotic and biotic stresses are often present simultaneously and severely influence maize production, causing great yield losses worldwide. Therefore, the selection and cultivation of stress‐tolerant maize lines that adapt to various stresses is instrumental in addressing the problem of yield

To study the salt tolerance genetics of sorghum, 181 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were used to locate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) underlying salt stress adaptability. Six traits, namely, plant height (PH), stem diameter (SD), total biomass (TB), stem fresh weight (SFW), juice weight (JW) and Brix, were investigated under normal and salt stress conditions in two years. A total of 53 QTLs for the

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to the grain iron and zinc contents of brown rice were mapped by using a doubled haploid population derived from an intra‐japonica cross between 'Hwaseonchal' and 'Goami 2'. QTL–QTL, background–QTL, and background–background interactions and candidate genes that affect grain iron and zinc contents were preliminarily identified. Twenty‐one iron‐ and zinc‐related

Some sorghum cultivars are sensitive to organophosphate insecticides, which cause red to purple injury spots and, in severe cases, leaf death. Sensitivity to organophosphates is conditioned by a single locus on chromosome 5. We constructed a high‐density genetic map around the locus, termed osr, using DNA markers, and delimited osr to a 377‐kb region on the short arm of chromosome 5. Sequence analysis

High‐density marker‐based QTL mapping can serve as an effective strategy to identify novel genomic information to facilitate crop improvement. In this study, we genotyped an F2 population (KB12‐1 × PP12‐1) using a RAD‐seq approach and constructed a high‐density linkage map for radish. After a series of filtering procedures were performed, 17,124 SNPs and 3,336 indels with aa × bb genotyping were retained

Besides its popular refreshing value, tea is globally consumed as a potential health beverage. Health benefit traits primarily rely on some regulatory networks of different metabolic pathways. In tea, the trait‐specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are still insufficient, which could be used for marker‐assisted breeding technique. MicroRNAs are endogenous, non‐coding, short RNAs directly involved

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) infections can cause significant reduction in soybean yield and seed quality. Identifying SMV resistance genes in soybean and accordingly breeding resistant soybean varieties is an important approach to control soybean loss caused by SMV. Here, whole genome resequencing was performed on a pair of near‐isogenic line (NIL), one resistant (R) line and one susceptible (S) line