Publications by authors named "Kenneth McNally"

The rice genome underpins fundamental research and breeding, but the Nipponbare (japonica) reference does not fully encompass the genetic diversity of Asian rice. To address this gap, the Rice Population Reference Panel (RPRP) was developed, comprising high-quality assemblies of 16 rice cultivars to represent , , , and varietal groups. The RPRP has been consistently annotated, supported by extensive experimental data and here we report the computational assignment, characterization and dissemination of stably identified pan-genes.

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Populations can adapt to stressful environments through changes in gene expression. However, the fitness effect of gene expression in mediating stress response and adaptation remains largely unexplored. Here, we use an integrative field dataset obtained from 780 plants of ssp.

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Unlabelled: A growing interest in uses for food, fiber, and medicine, and recent changes in regulations have spurred numerous genomic studies of this once-prohibited plant. Cannabis research uses Next Generation Sequencing technologies for genomics and transcriptomics. While other crops have genome portals enabling access and analysis of numerous genotyping data from diverse accessions, leading to the discovery of alleles for important traits, this is absent for cannabis.

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Populations can adapt to stressful environments through changes in gene expression. However, the fitness effect of gene expression in mediating stress response and adaptation remains largely unexplored. Here, we use an integrative field dataset obtained from 780 plants of ssp (rice) grown in a field experiment under normal or moderate salt stress conditions to examine selection and evolution of gene expression variation under salinity stress conditions.

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Background: As the number of genome-wide association study (GWAS) and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mappings in rice continues to grow, so does the already long list of genomic loci associated with important agronomic traits. Typically, loci implicated by GWAS/QTL analysis contain tens to hundreds to thousands of single-nucleotide polmorphisms (SNPs)/genes, not all of which are causal and many of which are in noncoding regions. Unraveling the biological mechanisms that tie the GWAS regions and QTLs to the trait of interest is challenging, especially since it requires collating functional genomics information about the loci from multiple, disparate data sources.

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Phosphorylation is the most studied post-translational modification, and has multiple biological functions. In this study, we have reanalyzed publicly available mass spectrometry proteomics data sets enriched for phosphopeptides from Asian rice (). In total we identified 15,565 phosphosites on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues on rice proteins.

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Background: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most widely used form of molecular genetic variation studies. As reference genomes and resequencing data sets expand exponentially, tools must be in place to call SNPs at a similar pace. The genome analysis toolkit (GATK) is one of the most widely used SNP calling software tools publicly available, but unfortunately, high-performance computing versions of this tool have yet to become widely available and affordable.

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Phosphorylation is the most studied post-translational modification, and has multiple biological functions. In this study, we have re-analysed publicly available mass spectrometry proteomics datasets enriched for phosphopeptides from Asian rice (). In total we identified 15,522 phosphosites on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues on rice proteins.

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Traditional rice varieties have been critical for developing improved stress-tolerant rice varieties. Tools to analyze the genome sequences of traditional varieties are accelerating the identification and deployment of genes conferring climate change resilience.

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Bacterial blight resistance gene has received little attention since it was first described in 1950. A near-isogenic line (NIL) of cotton, Ac, was generated in an otherwise bacterial-blight-susceptible 'Acala 44' background. The introgressed locus in Ac conferred strong and broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight.

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Breeding staple crops with increased micronutrient concentration is a sustainable approach to address micronutrient malnutrition. We carried out Multi-Cross QTL analysis and Inclusive Composite Interval Mapping for 11 agronomic, yield and biofortification traits using four connected RILs populations of rice. Overall, MC-156 QTLs were detected for agronomic (115) and biofortification (41) traits, which were higher in number but smaller in effects compared to single population analysis.

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Understanding and exploiting genetic diversity is a key factor for the productive and stable production of rice. Here, we utilize 73 high-quality genomes that encompass the subpopulation structure of Asian rice (Oryza sativa), plus the genomes of two wild relatives (O. rufipogon and O.

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Seed deterioration during storage results in poor germination, reduced vigour, and non-uniform seedling emergence. The aging rate depends on storage conditions and genetic factors. This study aims to identify these genetic factors determining the longevity of rice (Oryza sativa L.

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Background: Asian rice Oryza sativa, first domesticated in East Asia, has considerable success in African fields. When and where this introduction occurred is unclear. Rice varieties of Asian origin may have evolved locally during and after migration to Africa, resulting in unique adaptations, particularly in relation to upland cultivation as frequently practiced in Africa.

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Drought stress in Southeast Asia greatly affects rice production, and the rice root system plays a substantial role in avoiding drought stress. In this study, we examined the phenotypic and genetic correlations among root anatomical, morphological, and agronomic phenotypes over multiple field seasons. A set of >200 rice accessions from Southeast Asia (a subset of the 3000 Rice Genomes Project) was characterized with the aim to identify root morphological and anatomical phenotypes related to productivity under drought stress.

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Article Synopsis
  • Crop wild relatives are important for breeding due to their genetic diversity, but they face threats in their habitats and are not well represented or characterized in genebanks.
  • This study focuses on the wild progenitor of Asian rice, exploring a collection of 240 accessions characterized through advanced genetic analysis and phenotyping for various plant traits.
  • The research utilized a Bayesian model to identify distinct phenotype-based groups, linking specific traits to plant morphology and reproductive habits, ultimately identifying key accessions for domestic breeding efforts.
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  • Crop landraces are valuable for both their unique traits and contributions to plant breeding, leading to increased efforts to preserve them globally.
  • A study assessed how well these landrace groups from various crops are represented in genebank collections, finding that about 63% of their distributions are preserved, though this varies by crop.
  • Significant conservation gaps exist for certain crops and regions, particularly in South Asia, the Mediterranean, and sub-Saharan Africa, indicating opportunities for enhanced collection efforts to meet global conservation goals.
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  • The aus rice variety group has potential for developing stress-resistant rice strains, focusing on root traits that enhance deep root growth.
  • In field trials, a positive relationship was found between deep root growth and stable grain yield, indicating adaptability to varying soil moisture conditions.
  • Key root traits, especially the presence of large-diameter nodal roots, showed strong links to both grain yield and deep root growth, suggesting they could be crucial for future rice improvement initiatives.
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Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), induced by unexpected weather events, such as typhoons, at the late seed maturity stage, is becoming a serious threat to rice production, especially in the state of California, USA, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, where japonica varieties (mostly susceptible to PHS) are mainly cultivated. A projected economic loss by severe PHS in these three countries could range between 8-10 billion USD per year during the next 10 years. Here, we present promising rice germplasm with strong resistance to PHS that were selected from a diverse rice panel of accessions held in the International Rice Genebank (IRG) at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

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As the human population grows from 7.8 billion to 10 billion over the next 30 years, breeders must do everything possible to create crops that are highly productive and nutritious, while simultaneously having less of an environmental footprint. Rice will play a critical role in meeting this demand and thus, knowledge of the full repertoire of genetic diversity that exists in germplasm banks across the globe is required.

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Background And Aims: Understanding variation in seed longevity, especially within closely related germplasm, will lead to better understanding of the molecular basis of this trait, which is particularly important for seed genebanks, but is also relevant to anyone handling seeds. We therefore set out to determine the relative seed longevity of diverse Indica rice accessions through storage experiments. Since antioxidants are purported to play a role in seed storability, the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of caryopses were determined.

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