Spectrum and Density of Gamma and X-ray Induced Mutations in a Non-Model Rice Cultivar.

Physical mutagens are a powerful tool used for genetic research and breeding for over eight decades. Yet, when compared to chemical mutagens, data sets on the effect of different mutagens and dosages on the spectrum and density of induced mutations remain lacking. To address this, we investigated the landscape of mutations induced by gamma and X-ray radiation in the most widely cultivated crop species: rice.

Fragmentation of Pooled PCR Products for Highly Multiplexed TILLING.

Improvements to massively parallel sequencing have allowed the routine recovery of natural and induced sequence variants. A broad range of biological disciplines have benefited from this, ranging from plant breeding to cancer research. The need for high sequence coverage to accurately recover single nucleotide variants and small insertions and deletions limits the applicability of whole genome approaches.

Induction and recovery of copy number variation in banana through gamma irradiation and low-coverage whole-genome sequencing.

Traditional breeding methods are hindered in bananas due to the fact that major cultivars are sterile, parthenocarpic, triploid and thus clonally propagated. This has resulted in a narrow genetic base and limited resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. Mutagenesis of in vitro propagated bananas is one method to introduce novel alleles and broaden genetic diversity.

Efficient CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing of in Cassava.

CRISPR/Cas9 has become a powerful genome-editing tool for introducing genetic changes into crop species. In order to develop capacity for CRISPR/Cas9 technology in the tropical staple cassava (), the () gene was targeted in two cultivars using constructs carrying gRNAs targeting two sequences within exon 13. After -mediated delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 reagents into cassava cells, both constructs induced visible albino phenotypes within cotyledon-stage somatic embryos regenerating on selection medium and the plants regenerated therefrom.

Gene-based microsatellites for cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz): prevalence, polymorphisms, and cross-taxa utility.

Background: Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), a starchy root crop grown in tropical and subtropical climates, is the sixth most important crop in the world after wheat, rice, maize, potato and barley. The repertoire of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for cassava is limited and warrants a need for a larger number of polymorphic SSRs for germplasm characterization and breeding applications.

Results: A total of 846 putative microsatellites were identified in silico from an 8,577 cassava unigene set with an average density of one SSR every 7 kb.