Selection of desirable genotypes or progenies is perhaps the most important practical method in plant and animal breeding programs. The selection index method is the most useful method to choose ...superior genotypes based on using simultaneous several traits. The optimum and base selection indices are the two indicators that are most used in plant and animal breeding. In this paper, a simple and practical code was developed for the analysis of optimum, base, and Pesek and Baker selection indices. Four different criteria were used to evaluate the selection index, and the phenotypic and genotypic variance-covariance matrix of traits was obtained based on statistical or genetical design. Moreover, an index that was more efficient on these coefficients was used for the breeding program. The results showed that simultaneous selection for the important traits desired by the breeder through economic values such as heritability, genetic, or phenotypic correlation is the most effective method for selecting the best genotypes. Therefore, the best progeny or genotype can be selected to use in breeding programs. This program provides detailed information on selection indices of segregation and natural populations involving any number of individuals or genotypes. These codes are much easier and simpler than other programs and provide more information than other programs. This code is easy to execute in both R and SAS programs.
Heavy metal contamination (HMs) in water and soil is the most serious problem caused by industrial and mining processes and other human activities. Mycoremediation is a biotechnology that employs ...fungi to remove toxic contaminants from the environment in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Pleurotus spp. have been shown to either increase plant growth on metal-contaminated soils by providing more nutrients or by reducing metal toxicity. Pleurotus species (J. Lange), a mushroom that can be eaten, has been observed growing on plantations of wood trees in Kerman's orchards. P. sp. was the subject of this study, which examined the effects of different concentrations of various heavy metals Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), and Nickel (Ni) (0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 mg/L) on fungal colony diameters, mycelial dry weights, accumulation of heavy metals, and antioxidative enzymes. The findings revealed that P. sp. was more tolerant of Co than other metals, so the fungus grew more in the presence of low concentrations of Co and Cu. However, even at concentrations as low as 15 mg/L, Ni greatly inhibited the growth of biomass and colony diameter. Heavy metals increased the activity of superoxide dismutases (SOD) and catalase (CAT) up to 45 mg/L, but an increase in metal concentration above 45 mg/L resulted in a significant decrease in SOD. Metals in mycelium also increased as the concentrations of these heavy metals increased.
The adsorption and removal of hazardous materials such as fenitrothion by adsorbents with high adsorption capacities and easy separation from sample solutions are highly desirable. In this research, ...the removal of trace amounts of fenitrothion (FNT) in real specimens was developed using an active-shaped metal-organic framework (AE-MOF UiO-66) as an adsorbent. The adsorption and removal processes were followed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, SEM, XRD, TGA,
31
P NMR, and BET analysis. The adsorption of fenitrothion on AE-MOF Uio-66 was optimized by considering various factors including pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, and sample concentration. Adsorption isotherms including Freundlich, Langmuir, Redlich-Peterson, and Temkin models have been applied to study the equilibrium of adsorption behavior and we also investigated the kinetics of the adsorption process by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Langmuir isotherm model suggests monolayer adsorption and the data showed that the kinetics follows a pseudo-second-order model and that the interactions between adsorbates and adsorbents are chemical in nature.
The adsorption and removal of hazardous materials such as fenitrothion by adsorbents with high adsorption capacities and easy separation from sample solutions are highly desirable.
Sickleweed (Falcaria vulgaris) is the name of a species of annual, and perennial herbaceous plants of the genus Falcaria. Climate change could negatively influnces the performance of various plant ...species in plant kingdom. In this study, 15 different sickleweed populations from seven provinces of the country were collected based on an unbalanced nest design with 10 replications and the percentage of essential oil, types of chlorophyll, phenol, proline, protein, and carotenoids were measured on them. The results showed that there was a significant difference between populations at the level of one percent for the studied traits. The results of the mean comparison showed that populations Ard-Shaban and Qaz-Ilan in terms of the evaluated traits and especially the percentage of essential oil were at the upper of the studied samples and selected as suitable populations. In addition, populations Gilan-Deylaman and Kur-Gerger-e Sofla were also identified as superior populations in terms of studied traits by cluster analysis and principle component analysis (PCA). Since the high level of proline and biochemical and physiological traits in plants can play a role in plants' tolerance to stresses, therefore, populations with high values of these traits can be used in stress tolerance breeding programs. Therefore, in this study, populations Gilan-Deylaman and Kur-Gerger-e Sofla can be suitable populations for this purpose. In addition, the essential oil of this plant is used in the treatment of diseases, and therefore populations Ard-Shaban and Qaz-Ilan, which showed a high percentage of essential oil, can be used in breeding programs to increase the performance of this trait.
Moringa oleifera Lam. is a common edible plant, famous for several nutritional and therapeutic benefits. This study investigates the salt -induced modulations in plant growth, physio-biochemical ...responses, and antioxidant performance of M. oleifera grown under 0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl concentrations. Results showed that the plant effectively managed moderate salinity (50 mM NaCl) by maintaining succulence, weight ratios, and biomass allocation patterns of both shoot and root with minimal reduction in dry biomass. However, high salinity (100 mM NaCl) remarkably declined all growth parameters. The plant accumulated more Na
and Cl
, while less K
under salinity as compared to the control. Consequently, osmotic potentials of both root and leaf decreased under salinity, which was corroborated by the high amount of proline and soluble sugars. Increased level of H
O
with significantly unchanged membrane fluidity indicating its role in perceiving and managing stress at moderate salinity. In addition, increased activities of superoxide dismutase, and catalase, with increased glutathione and flavonoid contents suggest an integrated participation of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant components in regulating ROS. On the other hand, high salinity caused an outburst of ROS indicated by high H
O
, MDA, and electrolyte leakage. As a response, moringa drastically increased the activities of all antioxidant enzymes and contents of antioxidant molecules including ascorbic acid, glutathione, total phenols, and flavonoids with high radical scavenging and reducing power capacities. However, a considerable amount of energy was used in such management resulting in a significant growth reduction at 100 mM NaCl. This study suggests that moringa effectively resisted moderate salinity by modulating physio-biochemical attributes and effectively managing ion toxicity and oxidative stress. Salt stress also enhanced the medicinal potentials of moringa by increasing the contents of antioxidant compounds including ascorbic acid, glutathione, total phenols, and flavonoids and their resulting activities. It can be grown on degraded/ saline lands and biomass of this plant can be used for edible and medicinal purposes, besides providing other benefits in a global climate change scenario.
One of the well-known medicinal plants in the Falcaria genus is Sickleweed. Falcaria species exhibit a high degree of genetic variability, posing challenges in the examination of genetic diversity ...due to the significant potential for hybridization and introgression among them. Utilizing morphological traits and molecular markers may prove to be a valuable approach in evaluating and harnessing germplasm, considering the current obstacles faced in breeding this medicinal herb. In 2021, fifteen Sickleweed populations were cultivated in pots under field conditions, employing a randomized complete block design with three replications. This aimed to assess genetic diversity and conduct marker-trait association analyses utilizing morpho-physiological characteristics and SSR markers. The Sickleweed populations displayed considerable genetic diversity across all traits. Through cluster analysis of traits and the utilization of the UPGMA method based on the Gower distance matrix, the population was classified into three distinct clusters. Upon examining all genotypes, 52 polymorphic bands were detected, with an average of 8.68 bands per primer. The average expected heterozygosity across all loci was 0.864, while the average PIC was 0.855. Molecular data analysis employing the Jaccard similarity index and UPGMA method revealed the division of Sickleweed populations into two major groups. Furthermore, the results of molecular variance analysis indicated that variation within the population exceeded that between populations. Thirty-two SSR fragments were found to be significantly associated with genomic regions controlling the studied traits, determined through the application of stepwise regression. Selection based on molecular markers offers a rapid method for breeding programs, with the genetic information obtained from these markers playing a crucial role. Therefore, alongside traits, selecting superior genotypes and populations of high value in breeding programs becomes feasible. The findings highlight that certain markers are linked to multiple traits, emphasizing the critical importance of this characteristic in plant breeding for the simultaneous improvement of numerous traits. The study's insights regarding markers hold potential for application in Sickleweed breeding programs.
In this paper, we define a new version of topological pressure, called
average topological pressure
, for dynamical systems. We present some of its properties and prove an Abramov-Rokhlin-like ...relation using the new defined quantity. It connects the topological pressure of the skew product of a random dynamical system to the topological entropy of the noise map and the average topological pressure. The topological pressure of random dynamical systems is connected to the average topological pressure via a variational principle.
Understanding how environmental factors shape patterns of genetic and phenotypic variations in a species is necessary for conservation and plant breeding. However, these factors have not yet been ...completely understood in tuberous orchid species used to make 'Salep', an important ingredient in traditional medicine and beverages in middle eastern countries and India. In many areas, increasing demand has pushed species to the brink of extinction. In this study, 198 genotypes from 18 populations of the endangered species Orchis mascula L. spanning a large-scale climatic gradient in northern Iran were used to investigate patterns of genetic diversity and plant functional traits. Populations were sampled from three land cover types (woodland, shrubland, and pastureland/grassland). Plant height, stem length, number of flowers, bulb fresh and dry weight, glucomannan, and starch concentrations showed high variation among populations and were significantly related to land cover type. In general, genetic diversity was high, particularly in those from eastern Hyrcanian; additionally, populations showed a high level of genetic differentiation (G'
= 0.35) with low gene flow (Nm = 0.46). The majority of genetic differentiation occurred within populations (49%) and land cover types (20%). The population structural analysis using the AFLP marker data in K = 4 showed a high geographical affinity for 198 O. mascula genotypes, with some genotypes having mixed ancestry. Temperature and precipitation were found to shape genetic and phenotypic variation profoundly. Significant isolation by the environment was observed, confirming the strong effect of environmental variables on phenotypic and genetic variation. Marker-trait association studies based on MLM1 and MLM2 models revealed significant associations of P-TGG + M-CTT-33 and E-AGG + M-CGT-22 markers with plant height and glucomannan content. Overall, a combination of large-scale climatic variables and land cover types significantly shaped genetic diversity and functional trait variation in O. mascula populations.
Basil is one of the most famous herbs, which has broad usage as a fresh vegetable and therapeutic and pharmaceutical services. The main abiotic stress limiting basil production globally is drought. ...As a result, appropriate drought screening-which effectively separates high-yielding but drought-sensitive genotypes from drought-tolerant genotypes-is necessary for the optimal selection of high-yielding basil cultivars under drought stress conditions. So, a split plot experiment with three replications based on a completely randomized design were carried out in a pot under field conditions for this investigation. Water levels (full irrigation or control, moderate stress, and severe stress) were assigned as main plots, while 22 basil accessions were given as sub-plots. In this study, leaf yield as well as physio-biochemical traits had measured on accessions. Our results revealed large variation in yield, essential oil (%), protein, proline, chlorophyll, total phenol and flavonoids traits across the 22 accessions. The percentage of leaf yield reduction in moderate drought stress than normal conditions showed that G1 (-6.5%), G17 (-7.05%), G20 (-9.01%), and G12 (-10.9%) accessions had the least changes, respectively. Although in severe drought stress than normal conditions, the G1 (-32.01%), G12 (-33.12%), G4 (-33.24%), G7 (-34.11%), and G17 (-34.93%) accessions had the least amount of change in plant leaf yield, respectively. Furthermore, the highest yield reduction occurred in moderate and severe stress conditions in G18 (-25.36%) and G8 (-42.98%) accessions, respectively. Cluster analysis based on the ward method in both conditions (moderate and severe drought conditions) placed the accessions in three groups, and accessions were identified as tolerant, whose average traits in that group were higher than the total average. The principal component analysis also showed that in moderate drought conditions, the first two components explained about 95.28% of the total variation, while in severe drought conditions, these two components explained about 96.37% of the total variation. The different multivariate analyses (cluster analysis, PCA, mean comparison) were used to identify tolerant and sensitive accessions based on all traits. The accessions G3, G4, G6, and G7 were found to be tolerant to stress, while G10, G15, G16, and G20 were found to be sensitive to drought. These accessions are a useful step in producing drought-tolerant, high-yielding accessions and can be utilized in breeding programs for basil.
Opioid use accelerates normal aging in adults that raises a question on whether it may trans-generationally affect aging and aging biomarkers in the offspring of users as well? In the present ...research, we investigated the relative telomere length in umbilical cord blood of newborns born to opioid consuming mothers compared to normal controls. Telomere length shortening is a known biomarker of aging and aging related diseases. Its measure at birth or early in life is considered as a predictor of individual health in adulthood. Here, we performed a case-control study to investigate whether maternal opioid use affects newborns relative telomere length (RTL). 57 mother-newborn dyads were included in this study, 30 neonates with opioid using mothers (OM), and 27 with not-opioid using mothers (NOM)). RTL was measured in leukocyte cells genomic DNA using real-time PCR. The correlation of maternal opioid use with neonates telomer length was assessed using logistic regression analysis. The results displayed a significant association between odds ratio of long RTL and maternal opioid use when sensitivity analysis was performed by neonate sex; where the data indicates significantly increased odds ratio of long leukocyte RTL in association with maternal opioid use in male neonates only. Further work is necessary to assess this association in larger samples and test the potential underlying mechanisms for this observation.
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