Review
Agronomy
Kun Luo, Dejia He, Jiao Guo, Guangwei Li, Boliao Li, Xiulin Chen
Summary: Wheat production worldwide is facing challenges from pests and pathogens, as well as the misuse of chemicals, leading to insecticide resistance. The need for sustainable agriculture has led to the breeding of wheat cultivars with durable resistance traits, which are crucial for wheat production. Various genetic breeding techniques have been successfully used to improve wheat cultivars, but there are still challenges in wheat molecular breeding programs. This review summarizes the recent advances and limitations of molecular breeding in common wheat cultivar improvement.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yongjun Li, Fan Shi, Zibei Lin, Hannah Robinson, David Moody, Allan Rattey, Jayfred Godoy, Daniel Mullan, Gabriel Keeble-Gagnere, Matthew J. Hayden, Josquin F. G. Tibbits, Hans D. Daetwyler
Summary: We investigated the benefit of introgression of external lines into a cereal breeding programme and strategies to accelerate introgression of favourable alleles. The study found that the benefit of introgression depended on the level of genetic variation for the target trait in the existing breeding programme. Introgression of external resources was beneficial when the existing population lacked variation in disease resistance or when minor disease QTL were already at medium or high frequency. No extra genetic gain was achieved from introgression when minor disease QTL were at low frequencies. More benefit was obtained from introgression if the major disease QTL had larger effect sizes, more selection emphasis was applied on disease resistance, or more external lines were introgressed. However, most strategies to increase introgression of major disease QTL had negative impacts on selection for grain yield. Breeding programmes should carefully consider the level of genetic variation in a trait before deciding to introgress germplasms.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Eleonora Barilli, Diego Rubiales
Summary: In this study, a large germplasm collection of cultivated lentils and its wild relatives were screened for resistance against lentil rust. The results showed the presence of accessions with hypersensitive reaction-based resistance and partial resistance, as well as the potential for developing a standard differential set for rust definition and monitoring.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kaichi Huang, Mojtaba Jahani, Jerome Gouzy, Alexandra Legendre, Sebastien Carrere, Jose Miguel Lazaro-Guevara, Eric Gerardo Gonzalez Segovia, Marco Todesco, Baptiste Mayjonade, Nathalie Rodde, Stephane Cauet, Isabelle Dufau, S. Evan Staton, Nicolas Pouilly, Marie-Claude Boniface, Camille Tapy, Brigitte Mangin, Alexandra Duhnen, Veronique Gautier, Charles Poncet, Cecile Donnadieu, Tali Mandel, Sariel Hubner, John M. Burke, Sonia Vautrin, Arnaud Bellec, Gregory L. Owens, Nicolas Langlade, Stephane Munos, Loren H. Rieseberg
Summary: This study analyzed the impacts of wild introgressions in cultivated sunflower on the genomic and phenotypic level, as well as the consequences of linkage drag. It was found that introgressions had negative effects on yield and quality traits, and high-frequency introgressions had larger effects than low-frequency ones.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Horticulture
Yuqing Wang, Shuozhen Deng, Ziyan Li, Wencai Yang
Summary: This article summarizes the pathogenicity of Clavibacter michiganensis in tomato plants and the molecular basis of bacterial canker pathogenesis. It introduces advances in the characterization of resistance to this pathogen in tomatoes and describes the current status of genetics-based research. Furthermore, potential future research on tomato canker resistance is proposed, including in-depth analysis of the host-pathogen interaction, accelerated identification and annotation of resistance genes and molecular mechanisms, diversification of resistance resources or exhibiting broad-spectrum disease resistance, and the production of novel and effective agents for control or prevention.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ljiljana Kuzmanovic, Gloria Giovenali, Roberto Ruggeri, Francesco Rossini, Carla Ceoloni
Summary: This study evaluated the breeding potential of six recombinant lines (RLs) of durum wheat-Thinopyrum spp., which included high-efficiency QTL for resistance to Fusarium head blight and Fusarium crown rot. The RLs showed excellent genetic stability and yield performance under both rainfed and irrigated conditions, making them promising candidates for breeding programs to enhance crop security and safety.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shibani Mohapatra, Saumya Ranjan Barik, Prasanta K. Dash, Devidutta Lenka, Kartika Chandra Pradhan, K. R. Reshmi Raj, Shakti Prakash Mohanty, Mihir Ranjan Mohanty, Ambika Sahoo, Binod Kumar Jena, Alok Kumar Panda, Debabrata Panigrahi, Sushanta Kumar Dash, Jitendriya Meher, Chitta Ranjan Sahoo, Arup Kumar Mukherjee, Lipi Das, Lambodar Behera, Sharat Kumar Pradhan
Summary: Ranidhan, a popular rice variety in Odisha state, India, is prone to damage from flash floods and susceptible to bacterial blight disease. In order to enhance its resistance and submergence tolerance, researchers used marker-assisted backcross breeding to introduce BB resistance genes and submergence tolerance genes into Ranidhan. Through selection and backcrossing, a new rice variety with high resistance and similar qualities to Ranidhan was developed.
Article
Plant Sciences
Samuel K. Mutiga, Felix Rotich, Vincent M. Were, John M. Kimani, David T. Mwongera, Emmanuel Mgonja, Geoffrey Onaga, Kadougoudiou Konate, Claudine Razanaboahirana, Joseph Bigirimana, Alexis Ndayiragije, Emily Gichuhi, Mary J. Yanoria, Miriam Otipa, Lusike Wasilwa, Ibrahima Ouedraogo, Thomas Mitchell, Guo-Liang Wang, James C. Correll, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: Rice is a key food security crop in Africa, and efforts are being made at country-specific, regional, and multinational levels to develop germplasm and policies to boost production. Rice blast disease remains a major constraint to rice production in sub-Saharan Africa, and multinational collaborative research efforts are essential in enhancing sustainable rice production and advancing regional policies. Through international partnerships, progress has been made in establishing networks for disease surveillance, engaging with farmers, monitoring pathogen virulence, and developing blast-resistant rice varieties.
Review
Plant Sciences
Sariel Hubner, Michael B. Kantar
Summary: The diversity and adaptability of crop wild relatives have attracted the attention of plant scientists and breeders, but the potential detrimental genetic variation must be considered when utilizing them in breeding. The ability to detect beneficial genetic variation in CWRs is strongly influenced by the sampling design, spatial and temporal variations, traits of interest, and analytical approach. Technological advancements in genomics, phenomics, biotechnology, and data science can enhance the identification and utilization of beneficial genetic variation in CWRs for higher-yielding and sustainable crops.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Paolo Salazar-Mendoza, Diego M. Magalhaes, Andre L. Lourencao, Jose Mauricio S. Bento
Summary: Compared to its wild relatives, cultivated tomato has lower levels of constitutive volatiles, reduced morphological and chemical defenses, and increased leaf nutritional quality, which affect its resistance against the specialist herbivore Tuta absoluta. The domestication process has unintentionally compromised certain traits, such as plant defense and nutritional value.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jang Hee Lee, Dae Jun Chung, Je Min Lee, Inhwa Yeam
Summary: Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a major threat to tomato production worldwide, with resistance genes such as Ty-2 showing potential for enhancing resistance. Gene-pyramiding can improve resistance levels, and breeding lines containing both Ty-1 and Ty-2 demonstrate the strongest resistance to TYLCV in field and artificial infections.
Review
Plant Sciences
Aliki Kapazoglou, Maria Gerakari, Efstathia Lazaridi, Konstantina Kleftogianni, Efi Sarri, Eleni Tani, Penelope J. J. Bebeli
Summary: Global climate change is a major constraint on plant growth, production, and sustainability. Utilizing crop wild relatives (CWRs) to increase genetic diversity and improve crop adaptability is a promising and sustainable approach. Research has shown progress in using CWRs to enhance abiotic stress tolerance in crops of high nutritional and economic value. Comparative genomics and transcriptomic profiling have provided important insights into the molecular basis of stress tolerance and offered tools for breeding programs.
Article
Horticulture
Caleb J. Orchard, Jonathan Kressin, Suchada Chompookam, Jutharat Chuapong, Karina Van Leeuwen, Namfon Onmanee, Darush Struss, Conrado Balatero, David M. Francis
Summary: Bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases of tomato are major causes of yield losses, especially in humid growing environments. Chromosome 11 of tomato contains genes that confer resistance to several prominent tomato pathogens. Marker-assisted selection and pedigree breeding strategy were used to combine these resistance genes into a linked cassette, which can be inherited in future crosses. The recombinant plants with combined resistance showed similar resistance levels to the controls, indicating the effectiveness of trait markers on chromosome 11 for selecting disease-resistant plants.
Article
Agronomy
Alex Beharav
Summary: The study conducted detailed screening of resistance to B. lactucae races in natural populations of L. georgica and L. altaica, with L. georgica showing the highest average resistance probability. L. aculeata was identified as a prioritized source of downy mildew resistance in domesticated lettuce breeding programs. In contrast, probabilities of resistance to the investigated B. lactucae races were very low for L. serriola and L. altaica.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PLANT PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Da-Gang Chen, Jie Guo, Ke Chen, Chan-Juan Ye, Juan Liu, You-Ding Chen, Xin-Qiao Zhou, Chuan-Guang Liu
Summary: This study successfully developed a new low-glutelin indica rice variety, Yishenxiangsimiao, with superior agronomic traits. This rice variety not only addresses the dietary needs of CKD patients but also offers a nutritious choice with disease resistance and high-quality grains.