Tracing post-domestication historical events and screening pre-breeding germplasm from large gene pools in wheat in the absence of phenotype data.

Wheat, particularly common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), is a major crop accounting for 25% of the world cereal production and thriving in diverse ecogeographic regions. Its adaptation to diverse environments arises from its three distinct genomes adapted to different environments and post-domestication anthropogenic interventions.

Effects of vanilla odor on hypoxia-related periodic breathing in premature newborns: A pilot study.

Background: Periodic breathing (PB)-related intermittent hypoxia can have long-lasting deleterious consequences in preterm infants. Olfactory stimulation using vanilla odor is beneficial for apnea of prematurity in the first postnatal days/weeks. We aimed to determine for the first time whether vanilla odor can also decrease PB-related intermittent hypoxia.

Bradyrhizobium ontarionense sp. nov., a novel bacterial symbiont isolated from Aeschynomene indica (Indian jointvetch), harbours photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation and nitrous oxide (NO) reductase genes.

A novel bacterial symbiont, strain A19, was previously isolated from a root-nodule of Aeschynomene indica and assigned to a new lineage in the photosynthetic clade of the genus Bradyrhizobium. Here data are presented for the detailed genomic and taxonomic analyses of novel strain A19. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of genes of practical or ecological significance (photosynthesis, nitrous oxide reductase and nitrogen fixation genes).

The Genetic Dissection of Nitrogen Use-Related Traits in Flax ( L.) at the Seedling Stage through the Integration of Multi-Locus GWAS, RNA-seq and Genomic Selection.

Nitrogen (N), the most important macro-nutrient for plant growth and development, is a key factor that determines crop yield. Yet its excessive applications pollute the environment and are expensive. Hence, studying nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops is fundamental for sustainable agriculture.

Genome scans capture key adaptation and historical hybridization signatures in tetraploid wheat.

Tetraploid wheats (Triticum turgidum L.), including durum wheat (T. turgidum ssp.

Genome-wide association studies using multi-models and multi-SNP datasets provide new insights into pasmo resistance in flax.

Introduction: Flax ( L.) is an economically important crop due to its oil and fiber. However, it is prone to various diseases, including pasmo caused by the fungus .

Lifting of the 1,000 wheat exome project SNPs from Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring assembly RefSeq v1.0 to RefSeq v2.1.

Objective: The 1,000 wheat exome project captured the single nucleotide variants in the coding regions of a diverse set of 890 wheat accessions to analyse the contribution of introgression to adaptation of wheat. However, this highly useful single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset is based on RefSeq v1.0 of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) assembly of the bread wheat genome of Chinese Spring.

sp. nov. strain T173 isolated from (sweet clover) in Canada possesses recombinant plasmid pT173b harbouring symbiosis and type IV secretion system genes apparently acquired from .

A bacterial strain, designated T173, was previously isolated from a root-nodule of a plant growing in Canada and identified as a novel lineage that shared a clade with the non-symbiotic species, Strain T173 was also previously found to harbour a symbiosis plasmid and to elicit root-nodules on and species but not fix nitrogen. Here we present data for the genomic and taxonomic description of strain T173. Phylogenetic analyses including the analysis of whole genome sequences and multiple locus sequence analysis (MLSA) of 53 concatenated ribosome protein subunit () gene sequences confirmed placement of strain T173 in a highly supported lineage distinct from named species with Lc04 as the closest relative.

Benchmarking Enrichment Efforts in the US & Canada Across Species and Enrichment Categories.

Enrichment is important for animal welfare and data quality. Provision of enrichment opportunities varies between species and enrichment category. However, data benchmarking these differences does not exist.

Historical Selection, Adaptation Signatures, and Ambiguity of Introgressions in Wheat.

Wheat was one of the crops domesticated in the Fertile Crescent region approximately 10,000 years ago. Despite undergoing recent polyploidization, hull-to-free-thresh transition events, and domestication bottlenecks, wheat is now grown in over 130 countries and accounts for a quarter of the world's cereal production. The main reason for its widespread success is its broad genetic diversity that allows it to thrive in different environments.

Global transcriptome analysis of allopolyploidization reveals large-scale repression of the D-subgenome in synthetic hexaploid wheat.

Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) lines are created as pre-breeding germplasm to diversify the D subgenome of hexaploid wheat and capitalize upon the untapped genetic diversity of the Aegilops tauschii gene pool. However, the phenotypes observed in the Ae. tauschii parents are not always recovered in the SHW lines, possibly due to inter-subgenome interactions.

Genetic architecture of rust resistance in a wheat () diversity panel.

Introduction: Wheat rust diseases are widespread and affect all wheat growing areas around the globe. Breeding strategies focus on incorporating genetic disease resistance. However, pathogens can quickly evolve and overcome the resistance genes deployed in commercial cultivars, creating a constant need for identifying new sources of resistance.

Variations in exons 11 and 12 of the multi-pest resistance wheat gene are independently additive for leaf rust resistance.

Introduction: Characterization of germplasm collections for the wheat leaf rust gene Lr34 previously defined five haplotypes in spring wheat. All resistant lines had a 3-bp TTC deletion (null) in exon 11, resulting in the absence of a phenylalanine residue in the ABC transporter, as well as a single nucleotide C (Tyrosine in Lr34+) to T (Histidine in Lr34-) transition in exon 12. A rare haplotype present in Odesskaja 13 and Koktunkulskaja 332, both of intermediate rust resistance, had the 3-bp deletion typical of Lr34+ in exon 11 but the T nucleotide of Lr34- in exon 12.

Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping of Marsh Spot Disease Resistance in Cranberry Common Bean ( L.).

Common bean ( L.) is a food crop that is an important source of dietary proteins and carbohydrates. Marsh spot is a physiological disorder that diminishes seed quality in beans.

Insights into the Genetic Architecture and Genomic Prediction of Powdery Mildew Resistance in Flax ( L.).

Powdery mildew (PM), caused by the fungus in flax, can cause defoliation and reduce seed yield and quality. To date, one major dominant gene () and three quantitative trait loci (QTL) on chromosomes 1, 7 and 9 have been reported for PM resistance. To fully dissect the genetic architecture of PM resistance and identify QTL, a diverse flax core collection of 372 accessions augmented with an additional 75 breeding lines were sequenced, and PM resistance was evaluated in the field for eight years (2010-2017) in Morden, Manitoba, Canada.

Genome-wide signatures in flax pinpoint to adaptive evolution along its ecological gradient.

Background: Flax is one of the eight founder crops of agriculture. It is believed to have been domesticated as a long-day plant that has since spread to survive in a wide range of eco-geographic regions extending from the warm Indian subcontinent to the low latitude east African highlands and to the cool and high-latitude Eurasia. Understanding the genetic basis underlying its adaptation and selection events throughout its dispersion is essential to develop cultivars adapted to local environmental conditions.

sp. nov. (sv. septentrionale) and sp. nov. (sv. septentrionale) associated with legumes native to Canada possess rearranged symbiosis genes and numerous insertion sequences.

Six bacterial strains isolated from root nodules of soybean plants that had been inoculated with root-zone soil of legumes native to Canada were previously characterized and 1) placed in two novel lineages within the genus and 2) assigned to symbiovar septentrionale. Here we verified the taxonomic status of these strains using genomic and phenotypic analyses. Phylogenetic analyses of five protein encoding partial gene sequences as well as 52 full length ribosome protein subunit gene sequences confirmed placement of the novel strains in two highly supported lineages distinct from named species.

Genetic dissection of flowering time in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) through single- and multi-locus genome-wide association studies.

In a rapidly changing climate, flowering time (FL) adaptation is important to maximize seed yield in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). However, our understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying FL in this multipurpose crop remains limited.

Identification of New Leaf Rust Resistance Loci in Wheat and Wild Relatives by Array-Based SNP Genotyping and Association Genetics.

Leaf rust caused by is the most widespread rust disease of wheat. As pathogen populations are constantly evolving, identification of novel sources of resistance is necessary to maintain disease resistance and stay ahead of this plant-pathogen evolutionary arms race. The wild genepool of wheat is a rich source of genetic diversity, accounting for 44% of the genes identified.

Multiple wheat genomes reveal global variation in modern breeding.

Advances in genomics have expedited the improvement of several agriculturally important crops but similar efforts in wheat (Triticum spp.) have been more challenging. This is largely owing to the size and complexity of the wheat genome, and the lack of genome-assembly data for multiple wheat lines.

Genome-wide identification of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter and heavy metal associated (HMA) gene families in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.).

Background: The recent release of the reference genome sequence assembly of flax, a self-pollinated crop with 15 chromosome pairs, into chromosome-scale pseudomolecules enables the characterization of gene families. The ABC transporter and HMA gene families are important in the control of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in crops. To date, the genome-wide analysis of these two gene families has been successfully conducted in some plant species, but no systematic evolutionary analysis is available for the flax genome.

Loci harboring genes with important role in drought and related abiotic stress responses in flax revealed by multiple GWAS models.

QTNs associated with drought tolerance traits and indices were identified in a flax mini-core collection through multiple GWAS models and phenotyping at multiple locations under irrigated and non-irrigated field conditions. Drought is a critical phenomenon challenging today's agricultural sector. Crop varieties adapted to moisture deficit are becoming vital.

Changing Human Behavior to Improve Animal Welfare: A Longitudinal Investigation of Training Laboratory Animal Personnel about Heterospecific Play or "Rat Tickling".

Despite evidence for rat tickling's animal welfare benefits, the technique is rarely implemented in part because of a lack of training. This study's purpose was to determine the efficacy of online-only or online + hands-on training programs on key outcomes for rat tickling in comparison to a waitlist control condition. After completing a baseline survey, laboratory animal personnel currently working with rats in the United States were semi-randomized to receive online-only training ( = 30), online + hands-on training ( = 34), or waitlist control ( = 32).

Strains of sp. nov., isolated from contrasting habitats in Japan and Canada possess photosynthesis gene clusters with the hallmark of genomic islands.

The taxonomic status of two previously characterized strains (58S1 and S23321) isolated from contrasting habitats in Canada and Japan was verified by genomic and phenotypic analyses. Phylogenetic analyses of five and 27 concatenated protein-encoding core gene sequences placed both strains in a highly supported lineage distinct from named species in the genus with as the closest relative. Average nucleotide identity values of genome sequences between the test and reference strains were between 84.