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Carotenes have been identified as the most essential carotenoids in the human body, together with lycopene, lutein, and β-cryptoxanthin due to their beneficial antioxidant activities. Because of these properties, we have designed and conducted in 2018--2021 an experiment where various tomato accessions were metabolically profiled for their antioxidant content and other fruit parameters for further usage in crop improvement programs. Same genotypes were phenotyped and profiled with DNA markers to characterize their relative genetic distance. Aggregated data from metabolic and genetic profiling were complemented by the phenotypic data to select for the most promising cross (Pl. karotina x L1116) that was performed and developed into F1 and F2 generations. After phenotyping and genetic profiling of the 104 F2 individuals obtained from that cross, 24 individuals were selected for metabolic profiling for antioxidant contents. In relation to carotenoids accumulated in fully matured fruits the highest lycopene concentration detected in our study was 587.03 µg/g DW, while β-carotene reached 440.29 µg/g DW. Our results support the use of such integrative approach to accelerate tomato breeding when improved metabolic content of the fruits is aimed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current state of development and interpretation of vegetation indices makes them relatively difficult for practical use in farming. In this review, we briefly describe the key bottlenecks, together with discussing possible solutions to overcoming some of them. Based on our own experience with developing working precision agriculture solutions for field crops we propose an integrated approach to working towards building systems that can prove easily understandable outputs with low management requirements for the farmers that plan to use them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation of genetic resources in livestock is of rising interest in recent years. The introduction of highly intensive selected breeds results in reducing the size of local ones, leading to narrowing of their genetic diversity. Therefore, estimating the remaining genetic variation is becoming of key importance for prioritizing conservation efforts and developing future breeding programs. In this respect, two local goat breeds with a distinctive exterior, stably transmitted in the progeny, were selected for the present study and their within-breed genetic variation assessed with ISSR markers. Our results demonstrate that ISSR markers are capable of revealing substantial genetic diversity in the autochthonous Bulgarian goat breeds. Furthermore, unique genetic profiles were obtained for each of the studied animals, thus providing usable tool for paternity testing in future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing has a potential application in assessing and monitoring the plants’ biophysical properties using the spectral responses of plants and soils within the electromagnetic spectrum. However, only a few reports compare the performance of different remote sensing approaches against in-situ spectral measurement. The current study assessed potential applications of open data source satellite images (Sentinel 2 and Landsat 9) in estimating the biophysical properties of a crop on a study farm. A Landsat 9 (30 m resolution) and Sentinel-2 (10 m resolution) satellite images with less than 10% cloud cover have been extracted from the open data sources for the period of December 2021-April 2022. In addition, SpectraVue 710s Leaf Spectrometer was used to measure the spectral response of the crop in April at five different locations within the same field. Results obtained by different data collection methods were compared to evaluate them for applicability in precision agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented regarding the negative effects of restriction of funding for the Bulgarian science in the research landscape of the European Union (EU).

The potato cyst nematodes (PCNs), Globodera rostochiensisand Globodera pallida are economically important parasites of the potato and are recognized as quarantine pests. In Bulgaria G. rostochiensis was identified for the first time in 1978, while G. pallida in 1992. Identifications of PCNs populations have been based only on morphological characters and G. rostochiensis is prevailing species in potato fields. The present work was aimed to introduce a faster and more reliable method for identifying and differentiating the PCN species in three potato-producing regions in Bulgaria. For the morphological identification of both PCN species, 30 cysts and 30 second-stage juveniles (J2S) were studied. For a more accurate and rapid identification of G. rostochiensis and G. pallida, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method was applied. Multiplex PCR reaction was performed with primers designed for a small region between internal transcribed spacer 1 and the 5.8 S ribosomal RNA gene regions in order to identify the Globodera species. The mean morphometric values of the 30 experimental cysts and J2S were common within the expected range for G. pallida and G. rostochiensis with some variations observed. The present results demonstrate the occurrence of both species of PCNs, as G. pallida was identified in 24 from the soil samples and G. rostochiensis in 6 of them. The correct and rapid identification of PCN species in Bulgarian potato fields is essential for adopting more effective measures for its control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat marker technique was applied to a set of tomato genotypes that were found to diverge in antioxidant compounds in fruits. As marker-assisted selection is becoming a tool that brings major advantages for breeding programs need is rising to use it to quickly respond to consumer demand. Being part of a system for effi cient plant breeding in many crops the aim of the present study was to test Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats as candidate tool for incorporating in a breeding program aiming to improve antioxidant properties of tomato fruits. Application of Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat markers resulted in obtaining adequate representation of every accession from the selected group. This opens the opportunity for using the system in confirming the hybrid nature of the F1 progenies and further accelerating the breeding of genotypes for use as healthy food [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture faces many challenges to maximize yields while it is required to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. In the present study, we analyze the major agricultural challenges identified by European farmers (primarily related to biotic stresses) in 13 countries, namely Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, UK and Turkey, for nine major crops (barley, beet, grapevine, maize, oilseed rape, olive, potato, sunflower and wheat). Most biotic stresses (BSs) are related to fungi or insects, but viral diseases, bacterial diseases and even parasitic plants have an important impact on yield and harvest quality. We examine how these challenges have been addressed by public and private research sectors, using either conventional breeding, marker-assisted selection, transgenesis, cisgenesis, RNAi technology or mutagenesis. Both national surveys and scientific literature analysis followed by text mining were employed to evaluate genetic engineering (GE) and non-GE approaches. This is the first report of text mining of the scientific literature on plant breeding and agricultural biotechnology research. For the nine major crops in Europe, 128 BS challenges were identified with 40% of these addressed neither in the scientific literature nor in recent European public research programs. We found evidence that the private sector was addressing only a few of these “neglected” challenges. Consequently, there are considerable gaps between farmer’s needs and current breeding and biotechnology research. We also provide evidence that the current political situation in certain European countries is an impediment to GE research in order to address these agricultural challenges in the future. This study should also contribute to the decision-making process on future pertinent international consortia to fill the identified research gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat marker technique was applied to parental tomato genotypes and their F1 hybrids differing in the antioxidant compounds in the fruits. As the marker-assisted selection is becoming a tool that brings major advantages for breeding programs, the need to use it to quickly respond to the consumer demand has greatly increased. Modern genetic technology opens the possibility for effective application of a system for efficient plant breeding in many crops, including tomatoes. The aim of the present study was to test the Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats as a candidate tool to use in Marker-Assisted Selection in tomatoes. The application of the Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat markers allowed for efficient verification of the hybrid origin of the progeny from parental genotypes that were crossed for improving the antioxidant content in tomato fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]