Apple breeding is a laborious and long-lasting process that requires qualified resources, land, time, and funds. In this study, more than 5000 F
apple hybrids from direct and testcrosses were ...analyzed. The results revealed how the phenotypic expression of the main quantitative traits of interest assessed in five half-sib families was controlled by the additive genetic effects and by non-additive effects of dominance and epistasis. The statistical number of hybrids required to ensure efficient selection increased exponentially with the number of desirable traits. The minimum number of progenies required to obtain a hybrid with associated quantitative traits of agronomic interest was highly variable. For two independent traits essential in selection (fruit size and quality), but incorporated together in the same hybrid, the statistical number was between about 30 and 300. If three more cumulative traits were added (a large number of fruits per tree, resistance/tolerance to apple scab, and powdery mildew attack), the limits increased to between 1500 and 18,000. The study highlighted the need for new apple varieties due to the narrowing of the genetic diversity of the cultivated species and how the choice of parents used in hybridizations (as well as the objectives pursued in the selection) can increase the efficiency of apple breeding.
Abstract
Biological invasions represent a major threat to natural ecosystems. A primary source of invasive plants is ornamental horticulture, which selects traits related to invasiveness. This study ...evaluated the responses to water stress during germination and vegetative growth of six species used as ornamental or medicinal plants. Three of them are recognised as invasive weeds in many world areas. Seeds were exposed to increasing concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) mimicking drought stress, and young plants in the vegetative growth stage were subjected to two levels of water stress. Results indicated that in the absence of stress in control conditions, the most competitive species were those reported as weeds, namely
Bidens pilosa
L
.
,
Oenothera biennis
L
.
, and
Centaurea cyanus
L
.
, the last regarding germination velocity. Under stress, only two species,
Limonium sinuatum
(L.) Mill. and
C. cyanus
, maintained germination at –1 MPa osmotic potential, but in the recovery experiment, an osmopriming effect of PEG was observed. The most tolerant species during growth were two natives in the Mediterranean region,
L. sinuatum
and
Lobularia maritima
(L.) Desv., both accumulating the highest proline concentrations. The sixth species studied,
Echinacea purpurea
(L.) Moench., proved to be more susceptible to stress in the two developmental stages. This study reveals that the most significant traits associated with invasiveness were related to germination, especially in the absence of stress.
The Norway spruce (Picea abies), the most important tree species in European forests, is relatively sensitive to salt and does not grow in natural saline environments. Yet many trees are actually ...exposed to salt stress due to the common practice of de-icing of mountain roads in winter, using large amounts of NaCl. To help develop strategies for an appropriate use of reproductive seed material on reforestation sites, ensuring better chances of seedling survival in salt-affected areas, we have studied the responses of young spruce seedlings to salt treatments. The specific aim of the work was to identify the optimal salt stress biomarkers in Picea abies, using as experimental material seedlings obtained by germination of seeds with origin in seven populations from the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. These responses included general, conserved reactions such as the accumulation of ions and different osmolytes in the seedlings needles, reduction in photosynthetic pigments levels, or activation of antioxidant systems. Although changes in the contents of different compounds involved in these reactions can be associated to the degree of stress affecting the plants, we propose that the (decreasing) levels of total phenolics or total carotenoids and the (increasing) levels of Na+ or K+ ions in Picea abies needles, should be considered as the most reliable and useful biomarkers for salt stress in this species. They all show very high correlation with the intensity of salt stress, independently of the genetic background of the seeds parental population, and relatively easy, quantitative assays are available to determine their concentrations, requiring simple equipment and little amount of plant material.
The pear is an important fruit tree in temperate areas, but due to its sensitivity, fruit yield and quality are often affected by disease and pest attacks. Pear genotypes from a germplasm collection ...comprising 13
species, 17 Romanian varieties, and 50 non-Romanian varieties from a worldwide assortment were investigated in this study. Throughout four years, response to attack of the principal pathogens and pests was investigated phenotypically under natural conditions of infection and infestation. SSR markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity of the genotypes. A standardized method for the evaluation of responses to biotic stressors was proposed, which highlighted significant differences between genotypes. The species and varieties with the lowest degrees of attack (
%), calculated based on the frequency and intensity of attack, were identified for pear scab (
), septoria (
), fire blight (
), and psyllids (
sp.). These accessions could provide valuable sources of genes of interest to develop resistant varieties in new pear breeding programs. By combining phenotypic and molecular analyses, significant information was obtained that can be exploited to generate high variability for selection through artificial hybridization by harnessing accessions with complementary molecular fingerprints and high genetic distances.
The papers published in Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, Issue 2, Volume 52, 2024 represent new exciting research in different topics of life science, respectively in plant science, ...horticulture, agronomy, crop science, and forestry. Among the interesting articles, we invite you to find news about: Enhancing plant resistance to biotic stresses through rhizobacteria for sustainable agriculture; Efficacy of different bioagents in suppressing Meloidogyne incognita, and evaluation of some physio-biochemical changes in Phaseolus vulgaris L.; Diagnostic study of nitrogen nutrition in cotton based on unmanned aerial vehicle RGB images; Changes in growth, antioxidant, anti-Alzheimer, and antidiabetic potential of lamb’s lettuce Valerianella locusta grown hydroponically and on soil in response to salinity; Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) effect on germination and morphological parameters in alfalfa, tomato, and pepper; Synthesize of bio-based encapsulated nano urea modified hydroxyapatite for controlling release of nitrogen and enhancing green bean yield; Comparison of pepper accessions acting as rootstocks: A case with low P inputs; Marine actinomycetes for biocontrol of Fusarium solani in tomato plants: In vitro and in vivo studies; How the application of supporting substances affects the formation of fertile embryos of crossbred cherries and its germination.
The papers published in Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, Issue 1, Volume 52, 2024 represent new exciting research in different topics of life science, respectively in plant science, ...horticulture, agronomy, crop science, and forestry. Among the interesting articles we invite you to find news about: Battling arid adversity: unveiling the resilience of cotton in the face of drought and innovative mitigation approaches; Cereal crop genome editing tools and their applications to sustainable agriculture; Nutraceutical and antioxidant potential of selected wild edible plants from the cold-arid desert of Ladakh, India; Phytochemical profile, antioxidant capacity and wound healing potential of Viscum album L. growing on Robinia pseudoacacia L.; In vitro multiplication, antimicrobial, and insecticidal activity of Capparis spinosa L.; Optimizing the potential utilization of bioreactors for the mass propagation of Indonesian Dendrobium varieties; Grafting in Capsicum peppers as a strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change on yield and quality factors; Outcrossing mating system in natural populations of the endangered aquatic fern Ceratopteris thalictroides in China as revealed by microsatellite markers: implications for conservation; Chemometric and ICP-OES analyses of Forsythia europaea Degen & Bald. and its extracts; The effects of salinity stress on Amorpha fruticosa Linn. seed germination, physiological and biochemical mechanisms; The use of genetic resources in rose breeding and creation of new rose cultivars through hybridization and selection; Changes in mango postharvest quality due to nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium dose and production season; An analysis of plant palatability on pastures of the delta: Case study, Danube Delta area, Romania; Combining visual interpretation and image segmentation to derive canopy cover index from high resolution satellite imagery in functionally diverse coniferous forests.
The evaluation of the diversity of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) populations and the reproductive traits of the trees are of great importance for the conservation of genetic resources and forest ...management. Therefore, important reproductive characteristics of A. alba from seven Romanian provenances, considered as different geographical populations, were evaluated. Significant differences between the provenances were observed for the female cones, seed morphology, and germination. Due to the relatively low germination of silver fir seeds, germination tests were conducted to identify treatments that can stimulate the germination capacity. Thus, the seed germination capacity was determined using four different stimulation treatments and the data were compared with those of untreated seeds, designed as the control. Considerable differences were recorded not only depending on the seed provenances, but also regarding the treatments applied to stimulate germination (Atonik biostimulator, scarification, acetone, H2SO4). The biostimulator seed treatment gave the highest germination percentage, while sulfuric acid caused the lowest germination. The research also revealed that not all the forest seed sources provide high-quality reproductive material. Furthermore, for some of the seed resources, even the germination stimulation treatments did not result in adequate germination. The findings are pertinent and valuable for identifying suitable forest populations as seed sources, as well as for their use in silver fir reforestation programs.
Notulae Scientia Biologicae (http://www.notulaebiologicae.ro), Issue 3, Volume 15, 2023: The papers published in this issue represent interesting novelties in different topics of life science. Among ...the exciting research or reviews, we invite readers to find news about: Acute oral toxicity of Cannabis sativa L. co-products in mice; Modulation of antioxidant activities, markers of hepatic and renal dysfunctions in alloxan-induced diabetic rats by Combretum dolichopetalum; Phytochemical screening, total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of Marrubium vulgare L. collected in three development stages; Comparison of different drying methods for phytochemical quality of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bert.); Evaluation of reproduction biology of Prunus cerasoides; Edible mushrooms – perspectives and considerations; Production of an important antidiabetic compound mangiferin through elicitation in Salacia chinensis under in vivo condition; Analysis of the antibacterial potentials of the leaf extracts of selected medicinal plants against pathogenic bacterial strains; Phytochemical fingerprinting and evaluation of in silico anti-thrombotic properties of Justicia adhatoda L. and Cordia dichotoma Frost.; Extraction of nutrients from Rumex vesicarius, a wild indigenous edible plant from United Arab Emirates; Effects of pre-harvest chitosan application on growth parameters and total phenolic - antioxidant contents of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.).
Introduction pages SESTRAS, Radu E.
Notulae botanicae Horti agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca,
07/2022, Letnik:
50, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The papers published in Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, Issue 2, Volume 50, 2022 represent new exciting research in different topics of life science, respectively in plant science, ...horticulture, agronomy, and crop science. Among the interesting articles we invite you to find news about: Regulation mechanism of long non-coding RNA in plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis; CRISPR/Cas9 applications for improvement of soybeans, current scenarios, and future perspectives; Antioxidant activity of mustard green and Thai rat-tailed radish grown from cold plasma treated seeds and their anticancer efficacy against A549 lung cancer cells; Chemical constituents, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of bee pollen from various floral sources in Taiwan; Antioxidant and cytoprotective properties of seeds and seed by-products from lotus (Nelumbo nucifera); Pot Aloe vera gel – a natural source of antioxidants; In vitro direct organogenesis of the Cretan dittany (Origanum dictamnus L.), an important threatened Greek endemic species; Microscopical characteristics, phytochemical investigation and biological activities of different Lysimachia species growing in Vietnam; Deciphering the stem variations in ginseng plant using RNA-Seq; Biofortification with nanoparticles and zinc nitrate plus chitosan in green beans – effects on yield and mineral content etc.
Introduction pages SESTRAS, Radu E.
Notulae botanicae Horti agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca,
03/2022, Letnik:
50, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The papers published in Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, Issue 4, Volume 49, 2021 represent new exciting researches in different topics of life science, respectively in plant ...science, horticulture, agronomy and crop science. Among the interesting articles we invite you to find news about: Trehalose induced drought tolerance in plants: physiological and molecular responses; Taxonomy, distribution, epidemiology, disease cycle and management of brown rot disease of peach (Monilinia spp.); Promoter activity analysis and transcriptional profile of Ginkgo biloba 1-Deoxy-D- Xylulose 5-Phosphate reductoisomerase gene (GbDXR) under abiotic stresses; Identifying strawberry DOF family transcription factors and their expressions in response to crown rot; Analysis of codon usage pattern in Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ based on chloroplast genome; Biofortification with copper nanoparticles (Nps Cu) and its effect on the physical and nutraceutical quality of hydroponic melon fruits; Effect of gibberellin, nano-nutrition with titanium, zinc and iron on yield and some physiological and qualitative traits of white beans; Seasonal variation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in ecotone forests of the northern region of Brazilian Amazonia.
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