Association Mapping of Drought Tolerance Indices in Ethiopian Durum Wheat ( ssp. durum).

Ethiopia is a major producer of durum wheat in sub-Saharan Africa. However, its production is prone to drought stress as it is fully dependent on rain, which is erratic and unpredictable. This study aimed to detect marker-trait associations (MTAs) and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to indices.

The genetic diversity of Ethiopian barley genotypes in relation to their geographical origin.

Ethiopia is recognized as a center of diversity for barley, and its landraces are known for the distinct genetic features compared to other barley collections. The genetic diversity of Ethiopian barley likely results from the highly diverse topography, altitude, climate conditions, soil types, and farming systems. To get detailed information on the genetic diversity a panel of 260 accessions, comprising 239 landraces and 21 barley breeding lines, obtained from the Ethiopian biodiversity institute (EBI) and the national barley improvement program, respectively were studied for their genetic diversity using the 50k iSelect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array.

Genomic Prediction Can Provide Precise Estimates of the Genotypic Value of Barley Lines Evaluated in Unreplicated Trials.

Genomic prediction has been established in breeding programs to predict the genotypic values of selection candidates without phenotypic data. First results in wheat showed that genomic predictions can also prove useful to select among material for which phenotypic data are available. In such a scenario, the selection candidates are evaluated with low intensity in the field.

The barley leaf rust resistance gene Rph3 encodes a predicted membrane protein and is induced upon infection by avirulent pathotypes of Puccinia hordei.

Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia hordei, is an economically significant disease of barley, but only a few major resistance genes to P. hordei (Rph) have been cloned. In this study, gene Rph3 was isolated by positional cloning and confirmed by mutational analysis and transgenic complementation.

Identification and Validation of Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance in Wheat ( spp.).

(WDV) is transmitted by the leafhopper As a major pathogen in wheat and other cereals, WDV causes high yield losses in many European countries. Due to climate change, insect-transmitted viruses will become more important and the restrictions in the use of insecticides efficient against renders growing of WDV resistant/tolerant varieties the only effective strategy to control WDV. So far, there is little information about the possible sources of resistance and no known information about the genome regions responsible for the resistance.

Dissecting the Genetics of Early Vigour to Design Drought-Adapted Wheat.

Due to the climate change and an increased frequency of drought, it is of enormous importance to identify and to develop traits that result in adaptation and in improvement of crop yield stability in drought-prone regions with low rainfall. Early vigour, defined as the rapid development of leaf area in early developmental stages, is reported to contribute to stronger plant vitality, which, in turn, can enhance resilience to erratic drought periods. Furthermore, early vigour improves weed competitiveness and nutrient uptake.

Targeted Knockout of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E Confers Bymovirus Resistance in Winter Barley.

The Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E (EIF4E) is a well-known susceptibility factor for potyvirus infections in many plant species. The barley yellow mosaic virus disease, caused by the bymoviruses (BaYMV) and (BaMMV), can lead to yield losses of up to 50% in winter barley. In autumn, the roots of young barley plants are infected by the soil-borne plasmodiophoraceous parasite L.

Delineating the elusive BaMMV resistance gene in barley by medium-resolution mapping.

Unlabelled: (BaMMV), transmitted by the soil-borne protist , has a serious impact on winter barley production. Previously, the BaMMV resistance gene was mapped on chromosome 6HS, but the order of flanking markers was non-collinear between different maps. To resolve the position of the flanking markers and to enable map-based cloning of , two medium-resolution mapping populations Igri (susceptible) × Chikurin Ibaraki 1 (resistant) (I × C) and Chikurin Ibaraki 1 × Uschi (susceptible) (C × U), consisting of 342 and 180 F plants, respectively, were developed.

The barley HvSTP13GR mutant triggers resistance against biotrophic fungi.

High-yielding and stress-resistant crops are essential to ensure future food supply. Barley is an important crop to feed livestock and to produce malt, but the annual yield is threatened by pathogen infections. Pathogens can trigger an altered sugar partitioning in the host plant, which possibly leads to an advantage for the pathogen.

A Genome-Wide Association Study Pinpoints Quantitative Trait Genes for Plant Height, Heading Date, Grain Quality, and Yield in Rye ( L.).

Rye is the only cross-pollinating Triticeae crop species. Knowledge of rye genes controlling complex-inherited traits is scarce, which, currently, largely disables the genomics assisted introgression of untapped genetic variation from self-incompatible germplasm collections in elite inbred lines for hybrid breeding. We report on the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) in rye based on the phenotypic evaluation of 526 experimental hybrids for plant height, heading date, grain quality, and yield in 2 years and up to 19 environments.

The treasure inside barley seeds: microbial diversity and plant beneficial bacteria.

Background: Bacteria associated with plants can enhance the plants' growth and resistance against phytopathogens. Today, growers aim to reduce the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. Since phytopathogens cause severe yield losses in crop production systems, biological alternatives gain more attention.

Opportunities and limits of controlled-environment plant phenotyping for climate response traits.

Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns will affect agricultural production substantially, exposing crops to extended and more intense periods of stress. Therefore, breeding of varieties adapted to the constantly changing conditions is pivotal to enable a quantitatively and qualitatively adequate crop production despite the negative effects of climate change. As it is not yet possible to select for adaptation to future climate scenarios in the field, simulations of future conditions in controlled-environment (CE) phenotyping facilities contribute to the understanding of the plant response to special stress conditions and help breeders to select ideal genotypes which cope with future conditions.

Genome-Wide Approach to Identify Quantitative Trait Loci for Drought Tolerance in Tetraploid Potato ( L.).

Drought represents a major abiotic stress factor negatively affecting growth, yield and tuber quality of potatoes. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses were performed in cultivated potatoes for drought tolerance index DRYM (deviation of relative starch yield from the experimental median), tuber starch content, tuber starch yield, tuber fresh weight, selected transcripts and metabolites under control and drought stress conditions. Eight genomic regions of major interest for drought tolerance were identified, three representing standalone DRYM QTL.

Genetic Analysis and Fine Mapping of the Fire Blight Resistance Locus of on Linkage Group 12 Reveal First Candidate Genes.

× accession MAL0004 has been found to be resistant to moderately and highly virulent strains of the fire blight causal pathogen - the Gram-negative bacterium, . Genetic analyses with an F1 segregating population derived from crossing the highly susceptible apple cultivar 'Idared' and MAL0004 led to the detection and mapping of the fire blight resistance locus of to linkage group (LG)12 (). mapped at the distal end of LG12 below the apple SSR Hi07f01 in an interval of approximately 6 cM (Centimorgan), where both the fire blight resistance loci of 821 and 'Evereste' were located.

Transcriptional profile of AvrRpt2-mediated resistance and susceptibility response to Erwinia amylovora in apple.

Most of the commercial apple cultivars are highly susceptible to fire blight, which is the most devastating bacterial disease affecting pome fruits. Resistance to fire blight is described especially in wild Malus accessions such as M. × robusta 5 (Mr5), but the molecular basis of host resistance response to the pathogen Erwinia amylovora is still largely unknown.

Chromosome-scale genome assembly provides insights into rye biology, evolution and agronomic potential.

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is an exceptionally climate-resilient cereal crop, used extensively to produce improved wheat varieties via introgressive hybridization and possessing the entire repertoire of genes necessary to enable hybrid breeding. Rye is allogamous and only recently domesticated, thus giving cultivated ryes access to a diverse and exploitable wild gene pool.

Genetic diversity of Ethiopian durum wheat landraces.

Genetic diversity and population structure assessment in crops is essential for marker trait association, marker assisted breeding and crop germplasm conservation. We analyzed a set of 285 durum wheat accessions comprising 215 Ethiopian durum wheat landraces, 10 released durum wheat varieties, 10 advanced durum wheat lines from Ethiopia, and 50 durum wheat lines from CIMMYT. We investigated the genetic diversity and population structure for the complete panel as well as for the 215 landraces, separately based on 11,919 SNP markers with known physical positions.

How Population Structure Impacts Genomic Selection Accuracy in Cross-Validation: Implications for Practical Breeding.

Over the last two decades, the application of genomic selection has been extensively studied in various crop species, and it has become a common practice to report prediction accuracies using cross validation. However, genomic prediction accuracies obtained from random cross validation can be strongly inflated due to population or family structure, a characteristic shared by many breeding populations. An understanding of the effect of population and family structure on prediction accuracy is essential for the successful application of genomic selection in plant breeding programs.