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Lung inflammation caused by fine particulate matter (PM), particularly PM2.5, poses a significant public health challenge, with oxidative stress and inflammation playing central roles in its pathophysiology. This study evaluates the protective effects of phytosome-encapsulated extract of purple waxy corn tassel (PPT) against PM2.5-induced lung inflammation. Male Wistar rats received PPT at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 days prior to exposure and continued to receive the same doses for 27 days during PM2.5 exposure. Significant reductions in inflammatory markers, including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-II), various interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), were observed, indicating that PPT effectively regulates the inflammatory response. Additionally, PPT improved oxidative stress markers by reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), thereby restoring lung antioxidant defenses. Notably, the study revealed that PPT modulates epigenetic mechanisms, as evidenced by decreased histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and upregulation of sirtuins in lung tissue. These epigenetic modifications likely contribute to the reduction in inflammation and oxidative stress, suggesting a multifaceted protective role of PPT that involves both direct biochemical pathways and epigenetic regulation. The interplay between reduced inflammatory signaling, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and epigenetic modulation underscores PPT's potential as a therapeutic agent for managing respiratory inflammation-related diseases and its promise for the development of future functional food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In chickpea breeding, drought is a major concern and a complex trait controlled by several genes. To develop drought-tolerant varieties, it is essential to use the available germplasm and genomic resources. Over the years, the landraces have proven to be a good source for the dissection of genes for different yield and yield-related traits. The present investigation for marker-trait associations (MTAs) and candidate gene identification was conducted by studying 125 chickpea landraces collected from the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region, along with 4 varieties suitable for irrigated and rainfed environments. This study analyzed 13 physio-morphological traits in 2 consecutive years at two isolated locations (IARI, New Delhi, and Dharwad). A strong correlation coefficient was observed between the trait seed yield (SY) and biological yield (BY) under both conditions. The Drought Susceptibility Index (DSI) ranged from 0.02 to 1.84 and 0.10 to 2.04 at the IARI, New Delhi and Dharwad locations, respectively. The genotypic data of 6,367 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed across the genome were used for genetic diversity study, population structure, and genome-wide association study (GWAS). The average polymorphic information content (PIC) value observed was 0.25, and the average linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay distance was 152,269 bp across the genome. A total of four subgroups were observed within the population for genotypic data. Fixed and random model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU) was used for the GWAS analysis, which considered both fixed- and random-effect models. A total of 52 significant SNPs were reported in both irrigated and rainfed conditions at low locations; 7 SNPs were associated with more than one trait, which may have pleiotropic effects. Significant SNPs were annotated in the pulse database. The identified genomic region found in or near MTA under rainfed conditions encodes for guard cell hydrogen peroxideresistant1 (GHR1), late embryogenesis-abundant, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, walls are thin1 (WAT1), and beta-galactosidase that are known to be associated with drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-friendly materials receive more attention due to the necessity of addressing pollution and resource depletion in the face of exponential industrial expansion. Natural fibers provide a sustainable substitution, especially in green composites. This study investigated the feasibility of Allium fistulosum L. (Scallion) as a fiber resource for composite applications by using its tassel. Allium fistulosum L. is derived from a widely available plant and its waste tassels of the plant provide fiber properties and have the potential to be a reinforcing component in composites. The investigation involves characterizing Allium fistulosum L. (AfL) fibers through various analyses. The density of the AfL was determined approximately 1.35 – 1.45 g/cm3. The percentages of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose were found to be 24.31%, 29.73%, and 38.36%, respectively. FTIR and XRD analysis affirm AfL's cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin presence. SEM images indicate a rough surface, necessitating modification for better matrix compatibility. TGA shows suitable thermal stability, majorly degrading beyond 267°C. Tensile testing demonstrates a tensile strength of 22.19 ±3.75 MPa and 0.87 ±0.16 GPa modulus, exceeding some natural fibers like aerial banyan tree roots and Cordia dichotoma. Results show promising features, indicating the viability of AfL fibers in composites with reduced environmental impact and economic benefits.

This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for screening continuous rain tolerant germplasm materials of maize tassels by studying the effects of continuous rain on the development of maize tassels. In the study, 73 maize inbred lines and 14 maize hybrid combinations were used as experimental materials to determine the characteristics related to maize tassel abortion, including tassel length, main axis length, main axis abortion length, first lateral branch length, first lateral branch abortion length, main axis abortion rate, and first lateral branch abortion rate after 6 days of continuous rain. Genetic variation and principal component clustering analysis were conducted. The results showed that under continuous rain, the tassel abortion characteristics of maize inbred lines and hybrid combinations showed rich variation. The main axis abortion rates of inbred lines and hybrid combinations were 0-100% and 18.40%-100%, respectively, with an average of 37.15% and 35.16%. The abortion rates of the first lateral branch were 0-100% and 8.59%-100%, respectively, with an average of 38.48% and 46.31%. According to the characteristics of tassel abortion, both inbred lines and hybrid combinations could be classified into three categories. The first category of inbred lines and hybrid combinations consisted of 34 and 4 materials, respectively. The tassel, main axis, and first lateral branch were longer, but the main axis abortion rate and first lateral branch abortion rate were lower, indicating a continuous rain tolerance type. There were 24 and 9 materials in the second type of inbred lines and hybrid combinations, respectively. The tassel, main axis, and first lateral branch were shorter, but the tassel main axis abortion rate and first lateral branch abortion rate were higher, indicating a continuous rain sensitive type. There were 15 inbred lines and 1 hybrid combination in type III materials, respectively, with a moderate degree of tassel abortion. 34 inbred lines and 4 hybrid combinations were selected as the continuous rain tolerant materials for tassels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung inflammation caused by fine particulate matter (PM), particularly PM2.5, poses a significant public health challenge, with oxidative stress and inflammation playing central roles in its pathophysiology. This study evaluates the protective effects of phytosome-encapsulated extract of purple waxy corn tassel (PPT) against PM2.5-induced lung inflammation. Male Wistar rats received PPT at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW for 21 days prior to exposure and continued to receive the same doses for 27 days during PM2.5 exposure. Significant reductions in inflammatory markers, including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-II), various interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), were observed, indicating that PPT effectively regulates the inflammatory response. Additionally, PPT improved oxidative stress markers by reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), thereby restoring lung antioxidant defenses. Notably, the study revealed that PPT modulates epigenetic mechanisms, as evidenced by decreased histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and upregulation of sirtuins in lung tissue. These epigenetic modifications likely contribute to the reduction in inflammation and oxidative stress, suggesting a multifaceted protective role of PPT that involves both direct biochemical pathways and epigenetic regulation. The interplay between reduced inflammatory signaling, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and epigenetic modulation underscores PPT’s potential as a therapeutic agent for managing respiratory inflammation-related diseases and its promise for the development of future functional food products.

The intelligent acquisition of phenotypic information on male tassels is critical for maize growth and yield assessment. In order to realize accurate detection and density assessment of maize male tassels in complex field environments, this study used a UAV to collect images of maize male tassels under different environmental factors in the experimental field and then constructed and formed the ESG-YOLO detection model based on the YOLOv7 model by using GELU as the activation function instead of the original SiLU and by adding a dual ECA attention mechanism and an SPD-Conv module. And then, through the model to identify and detect the male tassel, the model's average accuracy reached a mean value (mAP) of 93.1%; compared with the YOLOv7 model, its average accuracy mean value (mAP) is 2.3 percentage points higher. Its low-resolution image and small object target detection is excellent, and it can be more intuitive and fast to obtain the maize male tassel density from automatic identification surveys. It provides an effective method for high-precision and high-efficiency identification of maize male tassel phenotypes in the field, and it has certain application value for maize growth potential, yield, and density assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-friendly materials receive more attention due to the necessity of addressing pollution and resource depletion in the face of exponential industrial expansion. Natural fibers provide a sustainable substitution, especially in green composites. This study investigated the feasibility of Allium fistulosum L. (Scallion) as a fiber resource for composite applications by using its tassel. Allium fistulosum L. is derived from a widely available plant and its waste tassels of the plant provide fiber properties and have the potential to be a reinforcing component in composites. The investigation involves characterizing Allium fistulosum L. (AfL) fibers through various analyses. The density of the AfL was determined approximately 1.35 - 1.45 g/cm3. The percentages of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose were found to be 24.31%, 29.73%, and 38.36%, respectively. FTIR and XRD analysis affirm AfL's cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin presence. SEM images indicate a rough surface, necessitating modification for better matrix compatibility. TGA shows suitable thermal stability, majorly degrading beyond 267°C. Tensile testing demonstrates a tensile strength of 22.19 ±3.75 MPa and 0.87 ±0.16 GPa modulus, exceeding some natural fibers like aerial banyan tree roots and Cordia dichotoma. Results show promising features, indicating the viability of AfL fibers in composites with reduced environmental impact and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In chickpea breeding, drought is a major concern and a complex trait controlled by several genes. To develop drought-tolerant varieties, it is essential to use the available germplasm and genomic resources. Over the years, the landraces have proven to be a good source for the dissection of genes for different yield and yield-related traits. The present investigation for marker–trait associations (MTAs) and candidate gene identification was conducted by studying 125 chickpea landraces collected from the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region, along with 4 varieties suitable for irrigated and rainfed environments. This study analyzed 13 physio-morphological traits in 2 consecutive years at two isolated locations (IARI, New Delhi, and Dharwad). A strong correlation coefficient was observed between the trait seed yield (SY) and biological yield (BY) under both conditions. The Drought Susceptibility Index (DSI) ranged from 0.02 to 1.84 and 0.10 to 2.04 at the IARI, New Delhi and Dharwad locations, respectively. The genotypic data of 6,367 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed across the genome were used for genetic diversity study, population structure, and genome-wide association study (GWAS). The average polymorphic information content (PIC) value observed was 0.25, and the average linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay distance was 152,269 bp across the genome. A total of four subgroups were observed within the population for genotypic data. Fixed and random model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU) was used for the GWAS analysis, which considered both fixed- and random-effect models. A total of 52 significant SNPs were reported in both irrigated and rainfed conditions at low locations; 7 SNPs were associated with more than one trait, which may have pleiotropic effects. Significant SNPs were annotated in the pulse database. The identified genomic region found in or near MTA under rainfed conditions encodes for guard cell hydrogen peroxide-resistant1 (GHR1), late embryogenesis-abundant, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, walls are thin1 (WAT1), and beta-galactosidase that are known to be associated with drought tolerance.

High temperature (HT) at flowering hinders pollen shedding, but the mechanisms underlying stress-induced spikelet closure are poorly understood in maize. In this study, yield components, spikelet opening, and lodicule morphology/protein profiling upon HT stress during flowering were examined in two contrasting maize inbred lines, Chang 7-2 and Qi 319. HT induced spikelet closure and reduced pollen shed weight (PSW) and seed set in both lines, but Qi 319 had a 7-fold lower PSW than Chang 7-2, and was thus more susceptible to HT. In Qi 319, a smaller lodicule size reduced the spikelet opening rate and angle, and relatively more vascular bundles hastened lodicule shrinking compared with Chang 7-2. Lodicules were collected for proteomics analysis. In lodicules of HT-stressed plants, proteins involved in stress signals, cell wall, cell constructure, carbohydrate metabolism, and phytohormone signaling were associated with stress tolerance. HT down-regulated the expression of ADP-ribosylation factor GTPase-activating protein domain2 , SNAP receptor complex member11 , and sterol methyltransferase2 in Qi 319 but not in Chang 7-2, which was in good agreement with the observed changes in protein abundance. Exogenous epibrassinolide increased the spikelet opening angle and extended the duration of spikelet opening. These results suggest that dysfunction of the actin cytoskeleton and membrane remodeling induced by HT probably limits lodicule expansion. In addition, a reduction in the vascular bundles in the lodicules and application of epibrassinolide might confer spikelet tolerance to HT stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize grain yield is drastically reduced by heat stress (HTS) during anthesis and early grain filling. However, the mechanism of HTS in reproductive organs and kernel numbers remains poorly understood. From 2018 to 2020, two maize varieties (ND372, heat tolerant; and XY335, heat sensitive) and two temperature regimens (HTS, heat stress; and CK, natural control) were evaluated, resulting in four treatments (372CK, 372HTS, 335CK, and 335HTS). HTS was applied from the nine-leaf stage (V9) to the anthesis stage. Various morphological traits and physiological activities of the tassels, anthers, and pollen from the two varieties were evaluated to determine their correlation with kernel count. The results showed that HTS reduced the number of florets, tassel volume, and tassel length, but increased the number of tassel branches. HTS accelerates tassel degradation and reduces pollen weight, quantity, and viability. Deformation and reduction in length and volume due to HTS were observed in both the Nongda 372 (ND372) and Xianyu 335 (XY335) varieties, with the average reductions being 22.9% and 35.2%, respectively. The morphology of the anthers changed more conspicuously in XY335 maize. The number of kernels per spike was reduced in the HTS group compared with the CK group, with the ND372 and XY335 varieties showing reductions of 47.3% and 59.3%, respectively. The main factors underlying the decrease in yield caused by HTS were reductions in pollen quantity and weight, tassel rachis, and branch length. HTS had a greater effect on the anther shape, pollen viability, and phenotype of XY335 than on those of ND372. HTS had a greater impact on anther morphology, pollen viability, and the phenotype of XY335 but had no influence on the appearance or dissemination of pollen from tassel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wheat is a staple cereal food around the globe. It provides a significant source of proteins, carbohydrates, and other micronutrients to humans. When grown on cadmium (Cd) contaminated soils, the uptake of trace elements e.g., iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) has also been affected drastically that in turn affected the wheat grain. Methods: In this study, wheat accessions were used to investigate the impact of soil application of Zn (5 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg) and Cd (0 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg) on accumulation of these elements in wheat grains. A total of 45 Fe, Zn, and Cd transporter-related genes were used to design 101 gene-specific SSR (simple sequence repeat) markers. Results: In response to Cd stress, application of 20 mg/Kg Zn improved Fe (64.6 ug/g) and Zn (48.3 ug/g) accumulation in wheat grains as well as agronomic traits. Marker trait association revealed that SSR markers based on NAM-B1 gene (PR01 and PR02) were associated with Zn accumulation. Similarly, SSR markers based on TaVTL5-2B_5 (PR19 PR20), TaVTL5-2B_2 (PR25, PR26), TaVTL5-2D_3 (PR30), TaVTL2-2A (PR31), TaVTL1-6A (PR32), and TaVTL2-2D_1 (PR37) were significantly associated with Fe accumulation, while HMA3-5B1 (PR62) and TaNRAMP3-7D (PR89) were linked to Cd accumulation in grains. The highly associated markers may be used in marker-assisted selection of suitable wheat genotypes for breeding bio-fortified varieties with low Cd accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intelligent acquisition of phenotypic information on male tassels is critical for maize growth and yield assessment. In order to realize accurate detection and density assessment of maize male tassels in complex field environments, this study used a UAV to collect images of maize male tassels under different environmental factors in the experimental field and then constructed and formed the ESG-YOLO detection model based on the YOLOv7 model by using GELU as the activation function instead of the original SiLU and by adding a dual ECA attention mechanism and an SPD-Conv module. And then, through the model to identify and detect the male tassel, the model’s average accuracy reached a mean value (mAP) of 93.1%; compared with the YOLOv7 model, its average accuracy mean value (mAP) is 2.3 percentage points higher. Its low-resolution image and small object target detection is excellent, and it can be more intuitive and fast to obtain the maize male tassel density from automatic identification surveys. It provides an effective method for high-precision and high-efficiency identification of maize male tassel phenotypes in the field, and it has certain application value for maize growth potential, yield, and density assessment.

Tassel size affects the nutrient allocation synthesized by photosynthesis in maize, which in turn affects ears development and the yield components, such as kernel rows, kernel number per row, seeding rate, and kernels weight per one hundred. In this study, haploids were induced using the F2:3 families, which were constructed from the elite inbred lines Zheng 58 and B73. Genotypes were obtained by 48K liquid phase hybridization capture probes technique, and phenotypes were evaluated in multi-environment trails. QTL mapping was performed using the inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) method. The RRBLUP model was used for genomic selection to explore the effects of training population size and the number of SNP markers on prediction accuracy. The results showed that the heritabilities of tassel length, tassel primary branch number, tassel secondary branch number, and tassel branch number were 0.82, 0.88, 0.84, and 0.88, respectively. Two QTL, located in bins 1.03 and 4.09, were detected for tassel length with phenotypic variation explained (PVE) of 6.02% and 11.10%, respectively. Two QTL, located in bins 1.05 and 4.05, were detected for tassel primary branch with PVE of 9.17% and 11.75%, respectively. Two QTL, located in bins 2.03 and 3.06, were detected for the tassel secondary branch with PVE of 5.51% and 5.65%, respectively. Two QTLs, located in bins 1.04 and 4.05, were detected for the tassel branch number with PVE of 9.37% and 10.83%, respectively. Tassel primary branch number and tassel branch number identified a same QTL located in bin 4.05 with multiple effects. The prediction accuracy of five-fold cross-validation for genomic selection was 0.36, 0.41, 0.28, and 0.37, respectively. When the training population reached 60% of the total population and the marker density reached 500, a high prediction accuracy could be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of South China Agricultural University is the property of Gai Kan Bian Wei Hui and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Wool Textile Journal is the property of National Wool Textile Science & Technology Information Center and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

شناسایی مکان­های کنترل­کننده صفات کمی به ویژه در وضعیت تنش از موضوع­های مهم حوزة به نژادی است. پژوهش حاضر در راستایی شناسایی نشانگر­های مولکولی که ارتباط معنی­داری با صفات مرتبط در برنج با استفاده از نشانگر ISSR و 59 ژنوتیپ برنج و 21 صفت زراعی در شرایط غرقاب و تنش خشکی انجام شد. ژنوتیپ­های مورد بررسی براساس نشانگر­های بین ریزماهواره­ای در مجموع 144 باند با میانگین 4/14 باند به ازای هر جایگاه نشانگری ایجاد نمود و از 144 باند تشکیل شده 17/69 درصد از باند­ها چندشکل بودند. بیشترین محتوای اطلاعات چند شکل(PIC) را آغازگر ISSR-7 با 49/0 و آغازگرهایی ISSR-2، ISSR-8، ISSR-9 و ISSR-10 با 47/0 کمترین مقدار PIC را به خود اختصاص دادند. تجزیه ارتباط با استفاده از ماتریس ساختار جمعیت و با مدل­های آماری GLM و MLM با استفاده از نرم افزار TASSEL برای 21 متغیر انجام شد. مدل MLM توانست در شرایط نرمال 96 نشانگر و در شرایط تنش خشکی 80 نشانگر معنی­دار را مرتبط با 21 صفت مورد بررسی در سطح احتمال پنج درصد شناسایی نماید. مطابق نتایج تجزیه ارتباط در شرایط نرمال بالاترین ضریب تبین (در مدل MLM) مربوط به آلل ISSR7-2 به میزان 27/29 درصد و در شرایط تنش خشکی بالاترین ضریب تبین (در مدل GLM) مربوط به آلل ISSR1-6 به مقدار 77/22 درصد بود. با توجه به نتایج، پیش بینی می­شود استفاده از نشانگرهای ISSR ردیابی شده در این پژوهش درصورت تأیید و پس از اختصاصی شدن، با اطمینان زیادی در برنامه­های انتخاب به کمک نشانگر امکان پذیر باشد.

The genome‐wide association studies (GWASs) are essential to determine the genetic bases of either ecological or economic phenotypic variation across individuals within populations of the model and nonmodel organisms. For this research question, the GWAS replication testing different parameters and models to validate the results' reproducibility is common. However, straightforward methodologies that manage both replication and tetraploid data are still missing. To solve this problem, we designed the MultiGWAS, a tool that does GWAS for diploid and tetraploid organisms by executing in parallel four software packages, two designed for polyploid data (GWASpoly and SHEsis) and two designed for diploid data (GAPIT and TASSEL). MultiGWAS has several advantages. It runs either in the command line or in a graphical interface; it manages different genotype formats, including VCF. Moreover, it allows control for population structure, relatedness, and several quality control checks on genotype data. Besides, MultiGWAS can test for additive and dominant gene action models, and, through a proprietary scoring function, select the best model to report its associations. Finally, it generates several reports that facilitate identifying false associations from both the significant and the best‐ranked association Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) among the four software packages. We tested MultiGWAS with public tetraploid potato data for tuber shape and several simulated data under both additive and dominant models. These tests demonstrated that MultiGWAS is better at detecting reliable associations than using each of the four software packages individually. Moreover, the parallel analysis of polyploid and diploid software that only offers MultiGWAS demonstrates its utility in understanding the best genetic model behind the SNP association in tetraploid organisms. Therefore, MultiGWAS probed to be an excellent alternative for wrapping GWAS replication in diploid and tetraploid organisms in a single analysis environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Micronutrient deficiency is a serious and underestimated global health concern. Identifying existing micronutritional richness in traditional crops, and breeding this potential into staple crops that are more frequently consumed, could offer a potential low‐cost, sustainable solution to micronutrient deficiency. Here, we provide the first insight into genetic control of grain micronutrient content in the staple food crop finger millet (Eleusine coracana). Quantifying the existing natural variation in nutritional traits, and identifying the regions of the genome associated with these traits, will underpin future breeding efforts to improve not only global food and nutrition security, but also human health. Summary: Finger millet is an excellent cereal crop to alleviate micronutrient malnutrition in marginal communities because of its nutrient‐dense grains. Identification of the alleles governing these characteristics will help to develop improved germplasm.An assembly of 190 genotypes was evaluated for six minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium) and protein content. A combination of genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS) and genome‐wide association study (GWAS) was applied to identify marker‐trait associations (MTAs). Candidate genes underlying significant associations were predicted through comparative mapping with other cereals.A wide range of variation was observed for all traits. GBS generated 169,365 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms and three subpopulations were identified. GWAS, using general linear and mixed model approaches to correct for population structure and genetic relatedness, identified 418 common markers (p‐value ≤ 10–3, FDR < 0.1) linked with mineral content. Of these, 34 markers crossed the Bonferroni threshold, out of which 18 showed homology with candidate genes having putative functions in binding, remobilization or transport of metal ions.This is the first report to utilize the phenotypic variability of grain minerals in finger millet genotypes to identify MTAs and predict associated putative candidate genes. Postvalidation, these markers may be employed to improve grain nutrient quality through marker‐assisted breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Xinjiang Agricultural Sciences is the property of Xinjiang Agricultural Sciences Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background The maize male inflorescence (tassel) produces pollen necessary for reproduction and commercial grain production of maize. The size of the tassel has been linked to factors affecting grain yield, so understanding the genetic control of tassel architecture is an important goal. Tassels are fragile and deform easily after removal from the plant, necessitating rapid measurement of any shape characteristics that cannot be retained during storage. Some morphological characteristics of tassels such as curvature and compactness are difficult to quantify using traditional methods, but can be quantified by image-based phenotyping tools. These constraints necessitate the development of an efficient method for capturing natural-state tassel morphology and complementary automated analytical methods that can quickly and reproducibly quantify traits of interest such as height, spread, and branch number. Results This paper presents the Tassel Image-based Phenotyping System (TIPS), which provides a platform for imaging tassels in the field immediately following removal from the plant. TIPS consists of custom methods that can quantify morphological traits from profile images of freshly harvested tassels acquired with a standard digital camera in a field-deployable light shelter. Correlations between manually measured traits (tassel weight, tassel length, spike length, and branch number) and image-based measurements ranged from 0.66 to 0.89. Additional tassel characteristics quantified by image analysis included some that cannot be quantified manually, such as curvature, compactness, fractal dimension, skeleton length, and perimeter. TIPS was used to measure tassel phenotypes of 3530 individual tassels from 749 diverse inbred lines that represent the diversity of tassel morphology found in modern breeding and academic research programs. Repeatability ranged from 0.85 to 0.92 for manually measured phenotypes, from 0.77 to 0.83 for the same traits measured by image-based methods, and from 0.49 to 0.81 for traits that can only be measured by image analysis. Conclusions TIPS allows morphological features of maize tassels to be quantified automatically, with minimal disturbance, at a scale that supports population-level studies. TIPS is expected to accelerate the discovery of associations between genetic loci and tassel morphology characteristics, and can be applied to maize breeding programs to increase productivity with lower resource commitment.

The tassel architecture of maize (Zea mays L.), which plays an important role in F1 hybrid seed production and yield performance, is genetically controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Here, we constructed a high-density SNP-based genetic map using an F2 population containing 148 individuals. This genetic map included 7613 SNPs whose average genetic distance was 0.19 cM. On account of the F2 population, we detected 14 QTLs responsible for tassel branch number (TBN), tassel weight (TW), central spike length (CSL), and meristem length (ML); eight of these QTLs demonstrated a relatively high level of phenotypic variation explanation (PVE) (PVE ≥ 10%), at a high level of significance. qTW-2 was a major QTL (LOD = 10.11 and PVE = 28.82%), and this QTL and qTBN-2 shared the same region, indicating a possible pleiotropic effect. An F2:3 population was developed to further verify QTLs in the F2 population. Finally, qTBN-5, qTW-2 and qCSL_N-10 were detected reproducibly. To help screen potential candidate genes, we chose 12 genes within the regions of qTBN-5, qML-6, qCSL_N-7 and qTW-2 and that were possibly involved in tassel morphogenesis according to Gene Ontology (GO) annotation analysis and performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression of eight of the 12 genes was significantly (P < 0.05) or extremely significantly different (P < 0.01) between parents of the F2 population during the young tassel development stage, suggesting that those eight were possible candidate genes. These results provide insights into the genetic mechanisms controlling tassel architecture and will benefit both tassel-related QTL fine mapping and causal gene cloning in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In maize breeding, diallel crosses are commonly used to identify superior combinations. This methodology aims to estimate the genotypes combining ability. The objective of this study was to quantify the general and specific combining ability effects, as well as the reciprocal effect of 10 elite endogamic lines of maize. A total of 90 experimental hybrid combinations were obtained from diallel crosses, which were evaluated in three growing environments: Pato Branco-PR, Campos Novos-SC, and Frederico Westphalen-RS in the 2012/2013 growing season. The GCA indicates that the parents 7 and 10 are promising for the reduction of plant height, length, and number of tassel ramifications. The parent 5 promotes reduction of plant height and number of tassel ramifications. The parent 6 presents favorable estimates for reducing the length and number of tassel ramifications. The parents that are better combined with others according to GCA for grain yield are 2, 5, 6, and 7. The SCA indicates that hybridization between the parents 2 × 7, 5 × 9, 7 × 8, 2 × 9, 4 × 5, 1 × 5, 5 × 8, and 2 × 8 increases grain yield in the environments of study. Hybrids from the cross 5 × 10 were promising because they presented negative SCA values for plant height reduction. The hybrid combination 1 × 10 presents an estimate for tassel length reduction. The hybrids 5 × 10 and 4 × 6 are the most promising for reducing the number of tassel ramifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflorescence capacity plays a crucial role in reproductive fitness in plants, and in production of hybrid crops. Maize is a monoecious species bearing separate male and female flowers (tassel and ear, respectively). The switch from open-pollinated populations of maize to hybrid-based breeding schemes in the early 20th century was accompanied by a dramatic reduction in tassel size, and the trend has continued with modern breeding over the recent decades. The goal of this study was to identify selection signatures in genes that may underlie this dramatic transformation. Using a population of 942 diverse inbred maize accessions and a nested association mapping population comprising three 200-line biparental populations, we measured 15 tassel morphological characteristics by manual and image-based methods. Genome-wide association studies identified 242 single nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with measured traits. We compared 41 unselected lines from the Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic (BSSS) population to 21 highly selected lines developed by modern commercial breeding programs, and found that tassel size and weight were reduced significantly. We assayed genetic differences between the two groups using three selection statistics: cross population extended haplotype homozogysity, cross-population composite likelihood ratio, and fixation index. All three statistics show evidence of selection at genomic regions associated with tassel morphology relative to genome-wide null distributions. These results support the tremendous effect, both phenotypic and genotypic, that selection has had on maize male inflorescence morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tassel architecture is an important trait in maize breeding and hybrid seed production. In this study, we investigated total tassel length (TTL) and tassel branch number (TBN) in 266 F2:3 families across six environments and in 301 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) across three environments, where all the plants were derived from a cross between 08-641 and Ye478. We compared the genetic architecture of the two traits across two generations through combined analysis. In total, 27 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) (15 in F2:3; 16 in RIL), two QTL × environment interactions (both in F2:3), 11 pairs of epistatic interactions (seven in F2:3; four in RIL) and four stable QTLs in both the F2:3 and RILs were detected. The RIL population had higher detection power than the F2:3 population. Nevertheless, QTL × environment interactions and epistatic interactions could be more easily detected in the F2:3 population than in the RILs. Overall, the QTL mapping results in the F2:3 and RILs were greatly influenced by genetic generations and environments. Finally, fine mapping for a novel and major QTL, qTTL-2-3 (bin 2.07), which accounted for over 8.49% of the phenotypic variation across different environments and generations, could be useful in marker-assisted breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize ( Zea mays) tassels underwent profound morphological changes during maize domestication and improvement. Although a number of genes affecting maize inflorescence development have been identified, the genetic basis of the morphological changes in maize tassels since domestication is not well understood., Here, using a large population of 866 maize-teosinte BC2S3 recombinant inbred lines genotyped using 19 838 single nucleotide polymorphism ( SNP) markers, we performed high-resolution quantitative trait locus ( QTL) mapping for five tassel morphological traits., We showed that the five tassel traits were associated with different genetic architecture features. Known genes for maize inflorescence development identified by mutagenesis were significantly enriched in the tassel trait QTLs, and many of these genes, including ramosa1 ( ra1), barren inflorescence2 ( bif2), unbranched2 ( ub2), zea floricaula leafy2 ( zfl2) and barren stalk fastigiate1 ( baf1), showed evidence of selection. An in-depth nucleotide diversity analysis at the bif2 locus identified strong selection signatures in the 5′-regulatory region. We also found that several known flowering time genes co-localized with tassel trait QTLs. A further association analysis indicated that the maize photoperiod gene Zm CCT was significantly associated with tassel size variation. Using near-isogenic lines, we narrowed down a major-effect QTL for tassel length, qTL9-1, to a 513-kb physical region., These results provide important insights into the genetic architecture that controls maize tassel evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The maize male inflorescence (tassel) produces pollen necessary for reproduction and commercial grain production of maize. The size of the tassel has been linked to factors affecting grain yield, so understanding the genetic control of tassel architecture is an important goal. Tassels are fragile and deform easily after removal from the plant, necessitating rapid measurement of any shape characteristics that cannot be retained during storage. Some morphological characteristics of tassels such as curvature and compactness are difficult to quantify using traditional methods, but can be quantified by image-based phenotyping tools. These constraints necessitate the development of an efficient method for capturing natural-state tassel morphology and complementary automated analytical methods that can quickly and reproducibly quantify traits of interest such as height, spread, and branch number. Results: This paper presents the Tassel Image-based Phenotyping System (TIPS), which provides a platform for imaging tassels in the field immediately following removal from the plant. TIPS consists of custom methods that can quantify morphological traits from profile images of freshly harvested tassels acquired with a standard digital camera in a field-deployable light shelter. Correlations between manually measured traits (tassel weight, tassel length, spike length, and branch number) and image-based measurements ranged from 0.66 to 0.89. Additional tassel characteristics quantified by image analysis included some that cannot be quantified manually, such as curvature, compactness, fractal dimension, skeleton length, and perimeter. TIPS was used to measure tassel phenotypes of 3530 individual tassels from 749 diverse inbred lines that represent the diversity of tassel morphology found in modern breeding and academic research programs. Repeatability ranged from 0.85 to 0.92 for manually measured phenotypes, from 0.77 to 0.83 for the same traits measured by image-based methods, and from 0.49 to 0.81 for traits that can only be measured by image analysis. Conclusions: TIPS allows morphological features of maize tassels to be quantified automatically, with minimal disturbance, at a scale that supports population-level studies. TIPS is expected to accelerate the discovery of associations between genetic loci and tassel morphology characteristics, and can be applied to maize breeding programs to increase productivity with lower resource commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main wheat breeder's goals is determining specific genomic regions which control important agronomical traits. Association analysis is a new strategy with high resolution in plant molecular breeding that could be used to improve the efficiency of marker assisted selection (MAS) for finding important QTLs (quantitative trait loci) or genes. A set of 96 diverse wheat genotypes was phenotypically measured during three growing seasons (2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09). Microsatellite markers located near important QTLs were carefully chosen in accordance with existing literature data to validate marker trait associations (MTA). Genomic DNA was extracted using the CTAB method and PCR products were separated by capillary electrophoresis. The population structure was assigned based on molecular data in Structure v. 2.0 software, while association analysis was done by the Tassel program using the Q matrix. Nine significant associations were stable in all years investigated and eight MTA were detected to be significant in two growing seasons. Microsatellite markers which showed significant associations and stability in different seasons can be useful and suitable for marker assisted selection (MAS) in Serbian wheat breeding programs.