Article
Genetics & Heredity
Ranjita Thapa, Matthew Edwards, Matthew W. Blair
Summary: This study evaluated the genetic diversity in a collection of cultivated and wild species of Amaranthus using SNP markers, revealing high variability with an average polymorphism information content of 0.365. Population structure analysis identified two sub populations, and phylogeny demonstrated the relationships among the different species.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chu-Yu Ye, Longjiang Fan
Summary: The article provides an overview of genomic studies on orphan crops, focusing on orphan cereals and their wild relatives. Genomes of at least 12 orphan cereals and/or their wild relatives have been sequenced, with potential for genetic improvement in both orphan and major crops in the genomic era.
Article
Plant Sciences
Simon Kallow, Bart Panis, Dang Toan Vu, Tuong Dang Vu, Janet Paofa, Arne Mertens, Rony Swennen, Steven B. Janssens
Summary: This study compared the genetic representation of seed collections with source populations for three wild relatives of bananas, showing that different species mating systems profoundly affected genetic representation in seed collections.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Diane R. Wang, Michael B. Kantar, Varunseelan Murugaiyan, Jeffrey Neyhart
Summary: Crop wild relatives have unique adaptation strategies for thriving in diverse habitats. Understanding the genetic variation underlying this adaptation can unlock the potential of wild materials for improving crops in the face of climate change. In this study, environmental association analyses were conducted in the wild ancestor of Asian rice to identify genomic regions associated with adaptation to different environmental variables. The results suggest the presence of adaptive variation in cultivated rice populations, highlighting the potential utility of wild genetic resources for rice improvement.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Nikolaos Tourvas, Ioannis Ganopoulos, Georgios Koubouris, George Kostelenos, Ioannis Manthos, Christos Bazakos, Vasileios Stournaras, Athanassios Molassiotis, Filippos Aravanopoulos
Summary: The genetic relationships between Greek wild olive tree populations and cultivars were investigated. The study found that the wild populations exhibit high levels of genetic diversity and inbreeding was observed within populations. The genetic differentiation between cultivars and wild individuals, as well as within wild populations, was low, but three gene pools of wild trees were detected corresponding to different geographic areas.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Peterson W. Wambugu, Robert Henry
Summary: The past decade has seen significant technological advancements in genomics, specifically in DNA sequencing. Genomics has the potential to support in situ conservation of crop wild relatives (CWRs) by aiding in the prioritization of protection, identification of novel alleles for conservation, identification of potential sources of adaptive traits, and establishment of genetic reserves. It also has the potential to develop monitoring frameworks to track genetic diversity changes associated with land use and climate change. However, the widespread application of genomics in conservation is hindered by funding and lack of genomic expertise among conservation practitioners.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Timo Hellwig, Shahal Abbo, Amir Sherman, Ron Ophir
Summary: Genetic diversity of Pisum fulvum was found to be low to medium, distributed between well diverged populations, with a surprising selfing rate lower than expected at 56%. There was a strong genetic bottleneck during the last glacial period, and only limited patterns of isolation by distance and environment explained 13%-18% of the genetic variation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanfeng Duan, Shaoguang Duan, Jianfei Xu, Jiayi Zheng, Jun Hu, Xiaochuan Li, Baoju Li, Guangcun Li, Liping Jin
Summary: Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease in potato-producing regions. Cultivation of resistant varieties and identification of germplasms with late blight resistance are effective ways to control the disease. A diverse population of 189 genotypes was screened for resistance, revealing broad-spectrum and isolate-specific resistant resources. Genetic analysis found abundant variation, with differentiation among populations and potential for gene improvement in breeding programs. Results provide valuable information for cultivar improvement and resistance gene mining.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dainis E. Rungis, Una Andersone-Ozola, Astra Jekabsone, Gederts Ievinsh
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of Trifolium fragiferum populations in Latvia and the Baltic Sea region. The wild populations showed lower genetic diversity compared to the cultivar 'Palestine'. The populations in Latvia were differentiated into clusters, with the populations near Riga being genetically distinct from each other. The results can be used for further studies and conservation strategies for this crop wild relative species in the Baltic Sea region.
Article
Agronomy
Tania Sagar, Nisha Kapoor, Ritu Mahajan
Summary: The present study developed genomic simple sequence repeat (gSSR) markers for wild pomegranate using genomic sequences obtained through the Illumina platform. The research revealed high genetic diversity and provided a basis for breeding programs for wild pomegranates. Cross-species amplification demonstrated the transferability of these markers to cultivated pomegranate cultivars and other plant families.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sariel Hubner, Dana Sisou, Tali Mandel, Marco Todesco, Maor Matzrafi, Hanan Eizenberg
Summary: Globalization and increased trade and transport have accelerated the rate of biological invasions. Understanding the colonization processes of invasive species in new habitats is crucial. However, our knowledge of the initial stages of invasion is currently limited. In this study, we used a citizen science approach and social media to investigate the distribution of invasive sunflower in Israel. We found that the invasive sunflower is rapidly establishing throughout Israel, probably from a recent introduction from Texas, while maintaining high genetic diversity through ongoing gene flow.
Article
Ecology
Timo Hellwig, Shahal Abbo, Ron Ophir
Summary: Climate factors were the most important predictors of genetic differentiation, while land cover was more significant in clusters influenced by human land use. 3623 SNPs were found to be significantly associated with environmental variables, with most correlated with latitude and temperature.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jose Goncalves-Dias, Markus G. Stetter
Summary: The combination of genomic, physiological, and population genetic research has accelerated the understanding and improvement of numerous crops. Research on grain amaranth shows that genetic diversity in stress-related genes declined during domestication, and there is evidence for convergent saponin reduction between amaranth and quinoa.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Diego A. A. Sotomayor, David Ellis, Alberto Salas, Rene Gomez, Rosa A. A. Sanchez, Fredesvinda Carrillo, Carolina Giron, Violeta Quispe, Norma C. C. Manrique-Carpintero, Noelle L. L. Anglin, Cinthya Zorrilla
Summary: Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are valuable sources of novel genes due to their high variability in response to stresses. However, they are threatened by factors like land-use changes and climate change. In Peru, a comprehensive wild potato collection was conducted after 20 years, resulting in the collection of 322 wild potato accessions for ex situ conservation and further genetic improvement research.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuqian Xue, Rong Liu, Jingqi Xue, Shunli Wang, Xiuxin Zhang
Summary: The study revealed that there are differences in genetic diversity among the wild tree peony species, and the genetic diversity of different populations varies. Through primer analysis, it was found that P. lutea and P. delavayi had the highest genetic diversity, suggesting that they may have a closer phylogenetic relationship.
HORTICULTURAL PLANT JOURNAL
(2021)