Bearded or smooth? Awns improve yield when wheat experiences heat stress during grain fill in the southeastern United States.

The presence or absence of awns-whether wheat heads are 'bearded' or 'smooth' - is the most visible phenotype distinguishing wheat cultivars. Previous studies suggest that awns may improve yields in heat or water-stressed environments, but the exact contribution of awns to yield differences remains unclear. Here we leverage historical phenotypic, genotypic, and climate data for wheat (Triticum aestivum) to estimate the yield effects of awns under different environmental conditions over a 12-year period in the southeastern USA. Lines were classified as awned or awnless based on sequence data, and observed heading dates were used to associate grain fill periods of each line in each environment with climatic data and grain yield. In most environments, awn suppression was associated with higher yields, but awns were associated with better performance in heat-stressed environments more common at southern locations. Wheat breeders in environments where awns are only beneficial in some years may consider selection for awned lines to reduce year-to-year yield variability, and with an eye towards future climates.

Facile analysis of rice bran oil to compare free unsaturated fatty acid compositions of parental and hybrid rice lines.

Rice bran oil (RBO) has been a popular choice of cooking oil in several Asian countries for decades, and the interest in RBO is fast growing in Western countries due to the high levels of hearty unsaturated fats and other components beneficial to health. Further knowledge of unsaturated fatty acid content and composition in rice lines will assist in improving the quality of rice bran processing by allowing robust extraction of rice bran for oil production. The studies focused on the RBO composition of rice lines with beneficial genotypes are scarce. Accordingly, we investigated the total bran lipid content and composition of three of the most abundant, healthy, unsaturated fatty acids that freely exist in RBO: oleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids in nine parental lines (two male sterile lines and seven male lines) and seven hybrid rice lines, by utilizing an efficacious organic extraction to collect RBO and by developing a user-friendly reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methodology. Our results showed that the hybrid lines had the highest oil content (F ratio = 7.2017, p value = 0.0019), while the male lines had the highest levels of two of the three free unsaturated fatty acids analyzed (linoleic acid, x ¯ = 212.801 mg and oleic acid, x ¯ = 48.132 mg). Oil weight was negatively correlated with α-linolenic acid (r = -0.6535, p value <0.0001). All three free unsaturated fatty acids were positively correlated. Our samples' natural variation in lipid content suggests that some rice lines are more suitable for oil production.

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for Sucrose and Protein Content in Soybean Seed.

Protein and sugar content are important seed quality traits in soybean because they improve the value and sustainability of soy food and feed products. Thus, identifying Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for soybean seed protein and sugar content can benefit plant breeders and the soybean market by accelerating the breeding process via marker-assisted selection. For this study, a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed from a cross between R08-3221 (high protein and low sucrose) and R07-2000 (high sucrose and low protein). Phenotypic data for protein content were taken from the F2:4 and F2:5 generations. The DA7250 NIR analyzer and HPLC instruments were used to analyze total seed protein and sucrose content. Genotypic data were generated using analysis via the SoySNP6k chip. A total of four QTLs were identified in this study. Two QTLs for protein content were located on chromosomes 11 and 20, and two QTLs associated with sucrose content were located on chromosomes 14 and. 11, the latter of which co-localized with detected QTLs for protein, explaining 10% of the phenotypic variation for protein and sucrose content in soybean seed within the study population. Soybean breeding programs can use the results to improve soybean seed quality.

Decades of Genetic Research on Soybean mosaic virus Resistance in Soybean.

This review summarizes the history and current state of the known genetic basis for soybean resistance to Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), and examines how the integration of molecular markers has been utilized in breeding for crop improvement. SVM causes yield loss and seed quality reduction in soybean based on the SMV strain and the host genotype. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of SMV-soybean interactions and the genes conferring resistance to SMV has been a focus of intense research interest for decades. Soybean reactions are classified into three main responses: resistant, necrotic, or susceptible. Significant progress has been achieved that has greatly increased the understanding of soybean germplasm diversity, differential reactions to SMV strains, genotype-strain interactions, genes/alleles conferring specific reactions, and interactions among resistance genes and alleles. Many studies that aimed to uncover the physical position of resistance genes have been published in recent decades, collectively proposing different candidate genes. The studies on SMV resistance loci revealed that the resistance genes are mainly distributed on three chromosomes. Resistance has been pyramided in various combinations for durable resistance to SMV strains. The causative genes are still elusive despite early successes in identifying resistance alleles in soybean; however, a gene at the Rsv4 locus has been well validated.

Multiplex single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay for detection of soybean mosaic virus resistance genes in soybean.

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is one of the most destructive viral diseases in soybean (Glycine max). Three independent loci for SMV resistance have been identified in soybean germplasm. The use of genetic resistance is the most effective method of controlling this disease. Marker assisted selection (MAS) has become very important and useful in the effort of selecting genes for SMV resistance. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), because of its abundance and high-throughput potential, is a powerful tool in genome mapping, association studies, diversity analysis, and tagging of important genes in plant genomics. In this study, a 10 SNPs plus one insert/deletion (InDel) multiplex assay was developed for SMV resistance: two SNPs were developed from the candidate gene 3gG2 at Rsv1 locus, two SNPs selected from the clone N11PF linked to Rsv1, one 'BARC' SNP screened from soybean chromosome 13 [linkage group (LG) F] near Rsv1, two 'BARC' SNPs from probe A519 linked to Rsv3, one 'BARC' SNP from chromosome 14 (LG B2) near Rsv3, and two 'BARC' SNPs from chromosome 2 (LG D1b) near Rsv4, plus one InDel marker from expressed sequence tag (EST) AW307114 linked to Rsv4. This 11 SNP/InDel multiplex assay showed polymorphism among 47 diverse soybean germplasm, indicating this assay can be used to investigate the mode of inheritance in a SMV resistant soybean line carrying Rsv1, Rsv3, and/or Rsv4 through a segregating population with phenotypic data, and to select a specific gene or pyramid two or three genes for SMV resistance through MAS in soybean breeding program. The presence of two SMV resistance genes (Rsv1 and Rsv3) in J05 soybean was confirmed by the SNP assay.

A Coordinated Suite of Wild-Introgression Lines in Indica and Japonica Elite Backgrounds.

Rice, Oryza sativa L., is a cultivated, inbreeding species that serves as the staple food for the largest number of people on earth. It has two strongly diverged varietal groups, Indica and Japonica, which result from a combination of natural and human selection. The genetic divergence of these groups reflects the underlying population structure of their wild ancestors, and suggests that a pre-breeding strategy designed to take advantage of existing genetic, geographic and ecological substructure may provide a rational approach to the utilization of crop wild ancestors in plant improvement. Here we describe the coordinated development of six introgression libraries (n = 63 to 81 lines per library) in both Indica (cv. IR64) and Japonica (cv. Cybonnet) backgrounds using three bio-geographically diverse wild donors representing the Oryza rufipogon Species Complex from China, Laos and Indonesia. The final libraries were genotyped using an Infinium 7K rice SNP array (C7AIR) and analyzed under greenhouse conditions for several simply inherited (Mendelian) traits. These six interspecific populations can be used as individual Chromosome Segment Substitution Line libraries and, when considered together, serve as a powerful genetic resource for systematic genetic dissection of agronomic, physiological and developmental traits in rice.

Corrigendum: A Coordinated Suite of Wild-Introgression Lines in Indica and Japonica Elite Backgrounds.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.564824.].

Temperature affects expression of symptoms induced by soybean mosaic virus in homozygous and heterozygous plants.

Seven strains (G1 to G7) of soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and 3 resistance loci (Rsv1, Rsv3, and Rsv4) have been identified in soybean. The interaction of SMV strains and host resistance genes results in resistant (symptomless), susceptible (mosaic), or necrotic (leaf and stem necrosis) reactions. The necrotic reaction may be gene dosage dependent and influenced by temperature. Using a set of soybean isolines and hybrids containing homozygous or heterozygous alleles of rsv, Rsv1, Rsv1-n, Rsv3, or Rsv4, this study has explored the relationship of SMV-induced symptoms and resistance gene dosage at different temperatures. Results showed that SMV-inoculated plants carrying Rsv3 or Rsv4 were symptomless at both homozygous and heterozygous states at all temperature regimes. Threshold temperatures for symptoms changing from stem tip necrosis (STN) to mosaic were 30, 33, and 33 degrees C in G7-inoculated homozygous genotypes V94-3971(Rsv1) and PI 96983 (Rsv1) and G1-inoculated V262 (Rsv1-n), respectively. However, at the heterozygous state, threshold temperature was 30 degrees C in G7-inoculated V94-3971 x Essex F(1) for the symptom change from STN to mosaic, 31 degrees C in G7-inoculated Essex x PI 96983 F(1) from STN to mixture of necrosis and mosaic (N-M), and 32 degrees C in G1-inoculated V262 x Essex F(1) from N-M to mosaic. Incomplete necrosis was observed in the heterozygous state in G1-inoculated V262 x Essex F(1) and G7-inoculated PI 96983 x Essex F(1) where necrotic and mosaic symptoms were mixed. High temperature (37 degrees C) tends to mask the expression of mosaic symptoms in both homozygous and heterozygous plants. STN expression in response to temperature was affected by resistance gene, gene dosage, host genetic background, and specific SMV strains. Thus, Rsv3 and Rsv4 are a better choice as source of genetic resistance for breeding SMV-resistant cultivars.

Validation of Yield Component Traits Identified by Genome-Wide Association Mapping in a tropical japonica × tropical japonica Rice Biparental Mapping Population.

The Rice Diversity Panel 1 (RDP1) was developed for genome-wide association (GWA) studies to explore five rice ( L.) subpopulations (, , , , and ). The RDP1 was evaluated for over 30 traits, including agronomic, panicle architecture, seed, and disease traits and genotyped with 700,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Most rice grown in the southern United States is and thus the diversity in this subpopulation is interesting to U.S. breeders. Among the RDP1 accessions, 'Estrela' and 'NSFTV199' are both phenotypically and genotypically diverse, thus making them excellent parents for a biparental mapping population. The objectives were to (i) ascertain the GWA QTLs from the RDP1 GWA studies that overlapped with the QTLs uncovered in an Estrela × NSFTV199 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population evaluated for 15 yield traits, and (ii) identify known or novel genes potentially controlling specific yield component traits. The 256 RILs were genotyped with 132 simple sequence repeat markers and 70 QTLs were found. Perl scripts were developed for automatic identification of the underlying candidate genes in the GWA QTL regions. Approximately 100 GWA QTLs overlapped with 41 Estrela × NSFTV199 QTL (RIL QTL) regions and 47 known genes were identified. Two seed trait RIL QTLs with overlapping GWA QTLs were not associated with a known gene. Segregating SNPs in the overlapping GWA QTLs for RIL QTLs with high values will be evaluated as potential DNA markers useful to breeding programs for the associated yield trait.

Genetic architecture of cold tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa) determined through high resolution genome-wide analysis.

Cold temperature is an important abiotic stress which negatively affects morphological development and seed production in rice (Oryza sativa L.). At the seedling stage, cold stress causes poor germination, seedling injury and poor stand establishment; and at the reproductive stage cold decreases seed yield. The Rice Diversity Panel 1 (RDP1) is a global collection of over 400 O. sativa accessions representing the five major subpopulations from the INDICA and JAPONICA varietal groups, with a genotypic dataset consisting of 700,000 SNP markers. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the RDP1 accessions for the complex, quantitatively inherited cold tolerance traits at the germination and reproductive stages, and to conduct genome-wide association (GWA) mapping to identify SNPs and candidate genes associated with cold stress at these stages. GWA mapping of the germination index (calculated as percent germination in cold divided by warm treatment) revealed 42 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with cold tolerance at the seedling stage, including 18 in the panel as a whole, seven in temperate japonica, six in tropical japonica, 14 in JAPONICA, and nine in INDICA, with five shared across all subpopulations. Twenty-two of these QTLs co-localized with 32 previously reported cold tolerance QTLs. GWA mapping of cold tolerance at the reproductive stage detected 29 QTLs, including seven associated with percent sterility, ten with seed weight per panicle, 14 with seed weight per plant and one region overlapping for two traits. Fifteen co-localized with previously reported QTLs for cold tolerance or yield components. Candidate gene ontology searches revealed these QTLs were associated with significant enrichment for genes related to with lipid metabolism, response to stimuli, response to biotic stimuli (suggesting cross-talk between biotic and abiotic stresses), and oxygen binding. Overall the JAPONICA accessions were more tolerant to cold stress than INDICA accessions.