Genetic diversity and population structure of castor (Ricinus communis L.) germplasm within the US collection assessed with EST-SSR markers.

Castor is an important oilseed crop and although its oil is inedible, it has multiple industrial and pharmaceutical applications. The entire US castor germplasm collection was previously screened for oil content and fatty acid composition, but its genetic diversity and population structure has not been determined. Based on the screening results of oil content, fatty acid composition, and country origins, 574 accessions were selected and genotyped with 22 polymorphic EST-SSR markers. The results from cluster analysis, population structure, and principal component analysis were consistent, and partitioned accessions into four subpopulations. Although there were certain levels of admixtures among groups, these clusters and subpopulations aligned with geographic origins. Both divergent and redundant accessions were identified in this study. The US castor germplasm collection encompasses a moderately high level of genetic diversity (pairwise dissimilarity coefficient = 0.53). The results obtained here will be useful for choosing accessions as parents to make crosses in breeding programs and prioritizing accessions for regeneration to improve germplasm management. A subset of 230 accessions was selected and will be planted in the field for establishing a core collection of the US castor germplasm. Further evaluation of the US castor germplasm collection is also discussed.

First Report of Tomato spotted wilt virus Infecting African Clover (Trifolium tembense) in Georgia.

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV; family Bunyaviridae, genus Tospovirus), which is vectored by several species of thrips (order Thysanoptera, family Thripidae), causes a destructive disease that affects many economically important host plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and peanuts. Controlling the spread of this disease is challenging, and currently, only limited strategies are available to prevent and/or control its dissemination, including early diagnosis, destruction of infected material, and elimination of the vector. TSWV has been previously reported in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum), white clover (T. repens), and various unidentified wild clovers (Trifolium spp.) in North America and Australia (1,3), but never before in an African species. T. tembense (Fresen.), an herbaceous annual African clover that is mainly used for grazing, is part of the national germplasm collection housed at the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit in Griffin, GA. TSWV was found naturally infecting several accessions of this species being grown for regeneration in a greenhouse during 2008. Initial putative identification of the virus was done by visual inspection of host symptoms that included ringspots, necrotic and chlorotic local lesions, sometimes mild systemic wilting, and eventually an overall decline of healthy tissue in the infected plants. This was subsequently confirmed by double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Primers (5'-ATGTCTAAGGTTAAGCTC-3' forward and 5'-TTAAGCAAGTTCTGTGAG-3' reverse) targeted the nucleocapsid gene of TSWV and amplified an expected product of approximately 800 bp (2). No product was amplified in any of the negative controls. Twenty-six individuals representing twelve plant accessions (PI 517788, 517790, 517792, 517793, 517809, 517832, 517842, 517845, 517851, 517871, 517876, and 517889) were screened for TSWV. Two to three individuals were targeted from each accession. Samples were chosen on the basis of the availability of leaf tissue to perform two diagnostic assays, ELISA and RT-PCR. Samples chosen for this study were all naturally infected by thrips. All but four individuals representing two plant accessions tested positive for the virus. The RT-PCR data substantiated the DAS-ELISA results and confirmed the suspected infection. More than 26% of the positive samples naturally infected by TSWV were further characterized by purifying and sequencing (bidirectionally) the RT-PCR product on an automated CEQ 8000 sequencer (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA). The resulting sequences were aligned and edited using AlignIR (LI-COR, Lincoln, NE). More than 700 bp of sequence data (GenBank Accession No. FJ183743-FJ183746) was compiled and they displayed 98% identity with deposited TSWV nucleocapsid gene sequences in GenBank, with no similarity to any other targets. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TSWV infection in T. tembense. Accessions potentially resistant to TSWV within this species were identified and need to be further substantiated. T. tembense is a wild, native clover in Africa and could serve as a weed host for infection of nearby agronomically important crops. References: (1) I. Bitterlich and L. S. MacDonald. Can. Plant Dis. Surv. 73:137, 1993. (2) R. J. Holguín-Peña and E. O. Rueda-Puente. Plant Dis. 91:1682, 2007. (3) C. R. Wilson. Plant Pathol. 47:171, 1998.

Genetic diversity of Crotalaria germplasm assessed through phylogenetic analysis of EST-SSR markers.

The genetic diversity of the genus Crotalaria is unknown even though many species in this genus are economically valuable. We report the first study in which polymorphic expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers derived from Medicago and soybean were used to assess the genetic diversity of the Crotalaria germplasm collection. This collection consisted of 26 accessions representing 4 morphologically characterized species. Phylogenetic analysis partitioned accessions into 4 main groups generally along species lines and revealed that 2 accessions were incorrectly identified as Crotalaria juncea and Crotalaria spectabilis instead of Crotalaria retusa. Morphological re-examination confirmed that these 2 accessions were misclassified during curation or conservation and were indeed C. retusa. Some amplicons from Crotalaria were sequenced and their sequences showed a high similarity (89% sequence identity) to Medicago truncatula from which the EST-SSR primers were designed; however, the SSRs were completely deleted in Crotalaria. Highly distinguishing markers or more sequences are required to further classify accessions within C. juncea.

Assessment of the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of a temperate bamboo collection by using transferred EST-SSR markers.

Polymorphic expressed sequence tag - simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers derived from major cereal crops were used to assess the genetic diversity of the USDA temperate bamboo collection consisting of 92 accessions classified in 11 separate genera and 44 species. A total of 211 bands were detected with a mean number of alleles per locus of 8.440. Phylogenetic relationships were determined by calculating genetic distances between all pairwise combinations and assessing differences in character data. The resulting dendrograms (unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) and parsimony) clustered the accessions into 2 main clades, which corresponded to accessions characterized morphologically as either clumping (sympodial) or running (monopodial) bamboos. The majority of the accessions clustered according to their current taxonomic classification. These markers were also beneficial in identifying contaminated and (or) misidentified plots. Overall, these transferred markers were informative in differentiating the various bamboo accessions and determining the level of genetic variation within and among species and genera.

Pathogenicity of Macrophomina phaseolina to Mature Plant Tissues of Alfalfa and White Clover.

Macrophomina phaseolina has been observed on alfalfa and white clover in North America, but its pathogenicity to mature plants of these species has not been adequately documented and Koch's postulates have not been fulfilled. Isolates of M. phaseolina from alfalfa and white clover were evaluated for pathogenicity by inoculating tissues of mature plants with infested toothpick pieces. Excised leaf tissues also were inoculated with mycelium. In stolons of white clover and stems of alfalfa, M. phaseolina caused a brown-black, basipetally progressive necrosis of vascular tissue with subsequent collapse of the surrounding pith and epidermis to produce radially constricted, expanding lesions. In taproots and crowns of alfalfa, M. phaseolina caused dark discoloration of vascular tissues in bands or streaks above and below inoculation points with subsequent invasion and death of cortical tissues, lateral roots, and stems. Sclerotia formed in all tissues of both species. Excised leaf tissues were rapidly parasitized, but significant differences in rates of parasitism between genotypes suggested that differences in host resistance to M. phaseolina may be present in both species. Pycnidia formed on leaves of bean, lima bean, and cotton. All isolates of M. phaseolina were reisolated from margins of necrosis in all types of inoculated tissues and regrown in pure culture. These results fulfill Koch's postulates for M. phaseolina as a pathogen of mature white clover and alfalfa in North America, and they demonstrate its capacity to parasitize a variety of tissues of both species in the absence of other pathogens. Results indicate that M. phaseolina should be considered a potential cause for lack of persistence of white clover and alfalfa during summer months in the southeastern United States.

Comparison of Reproduction by Meloidogyne graminicola and M. incognita on Trifolium Species.

The reproductive potential of Meloidogyne graminicola was compared with that of M. incognita on Trifolium species in greenhouse studies. Twenty-five Trifolium plant introductions, cultivars, or populations representing 23 species were evaluated for nematode reproduction and root galling 45 days after inoculation with 3,000 eggs of M. graminicola or M. incognita. Root galling and egg production by the two root-knot nematode species was similar on most of the Trifolium species. In a separate study, the effect of initial population densities (Pi) of M. graminicola and M. incognita on the growth of white clover (T. repens) was determined. Reproductive and pathogenic capabilities of M. graminicola and M. incognita on Trifolium spp. were similar. Pi levels of both root-knot nematode species as low as 125 eggs per 10-cm-d pots severely galled white clover plants after 90 days. Meloidogyne graminicola has the potential to be a major pest of Trifolium species in the southeastern United States.

Reaction of Trifolium repens Cultivars and Germplasms to Meloidogyne incognita.

Ten cultivars and 13 germplasms of white clover (Trifolium repens) were evaluated in the greenhouse for resistance to the southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita race 4. One hundred plants of each cultivar or germplasm were rated for percentage of the root system galled (PRSG) at 60 days after inoculation with root-knot nematode eggs. Tillman (9%) and SRVR (19%) had the highest percentage of resistant plants (PRSG = 0 or 1 on a scale of 0-5 ) for the cultivars and germplasms, respectively. No resistant plants were selected from the cultivars California Ladino or Sacramento, or from the germplasms Brown Loam population or Brown Loam Synthetic #6. Resistant plants identified in this study were used to initiate are current selection program for resistance to M. incognita.