Phenotypic and genetic variability of a tetraploid wheat collection grown in Kazakhstan

New cultivars adapted to major durum wheat growing environments are essential for the cultivation of this crop. The development of new cultivars has required the availability of diverse genetic material and their extensive field trials. In this work, a collection of tetraploid wheat consisting of 85 accessions was tested in the field conditions of Almaty region during 2018 and 2019. The accessions were ranged according to nine agronomic traits studied, and accessions with the highest yield performance for Almaty region of Kazakhstan were revealed. The ANOVA suggested that the performance of agronomic traits were influenced both by Environment and Genotype. Also, the collection was analyzed using seven SSR (simple sequence repeats) markers. From 3 to 6 alleles per locus were revealed, with an average of 4.6, while the effective number of alleles was 2.8. Nei’s genetic diversity was in the range of 0.45–0.69. The results showed high values of polymorphism index content (PIC) in the range of 0.46–0.70, with an average of 0.62, suggesting that 6 out of 7 SSRs were highly informative (PIC > 0.5). Phylogenetic analysis of the collection has allowed the separation of accessions into six clusters. The local accessions were presented in all six clusters with the majority of them grouped in the first three clusters designated as A, B, and C, respectively. The relations between SSR markers and agronomic traits in the collection were studied. The results can be efficiently used for the enhancement of local breeding projects for the improvement of yield productivity in durum wheat

Mosquitoes of Anopheles hyrcanus (Diptera, Culicidae) group: species diagnostic and phylogenetic relationships

Herein, we report the results of study of Anopheles species in Primorsk and Khabarovsk regions of Russia. Three species of the Anopheles hyrcanus group: An. kleini, An. pullus, and An. lesteri were identified by molecular taxonomic diagnostics for the first time in Russia. Surprisingly, An. sinensis, which earlier was considered the only species of Anopheles in Russian Far East, was not observed. We analyzed nucleotide variation in the 610-bp fragment of the 5' end of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region. All species possessed a distinctive set of COI sequences. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed for members of the hyrcanus group. The examined Anopheles hyrcanus group members could be divided into two major subgroups: subgroup 1 (An. hyrcanus and An. pullus) and subgroup 2 (An. sinensis, An. kleini, and An. lesteri), which were found to be monophyletic

Analysis of the metaphase chromosome karyotypes in imaginal discs of Aedes communis, Ae. punctor, Ae. intrudens, and Ae. rossicus (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes

In this study, cytogenetic analysis of the metaphase chromosomes from imagina

First record of the invasive mosquito species Aedes koreicus (Diptera, Culicidae) in the Republic of Kazakhstan

The natural distribution range of Aedes koreicus is Korea, China, Japan, and the Russian Far East. Since 2008, this species has been recorded as an invasive species in some European countries (Belgium, European Russia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland). The invasive mosquito species Ae. koreicus is reported from the Republic of Kazakhstan for the first time. Its morphological identification was confirmed by molecular-genetic analyses of ND4 sequences using specific primers. Aedes koreicus larvae were found in an artificial water reservoir together with the larvae of Culiseta longiareolata and Culex pipiens s.l. Aedes koreicus successfully overwintered in Almaty at low winter temperatures in 2018–2019. This suggests that the Ae. koreicus acclimation capacity is greater than it has been considered until now. We assume that Ae. koreicus will spread over the west and south of the Republic of Kazakhstan and territories of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Republics bordering the Almaty region

Relevance of Environmental Surveys on the Design of a New Municipal Waste Management System on the City of Kokshetau (Kazakhstan)

[EN] The increasing amount of municipal solid waste is one of the most urgent problems for many countries in the world, including Kazakhstan. In 2021, a new environmental code was adopted in the country. In accordance with this code, some types of garbage (such as plastic, paper, cardboard or glass) are not accepted at sanitary landfills. Besides this, a separate collection system of municipal solid waste in Kokshetau is practically absent, and only a few points for the collection of secondary raw materials are currently available. The state bodies are faced with the task of introducing dual waste collection technology. This work shows the results obtained by a sociological online survey performed among the residents of the city in order to identify their attitudes with respect to the separation and classification of waste. This survey allowed us to study the level of environmental awareness and interest in solving waste-related issues in the population of Kokshetau. The results show that the majority of the population is concerned about the problem of municipal waste management and is ready to cooperate on the classification of waste at the original source. Additionally, it was revealed that the survey participants have weak environmental knowledge, so it is necessary to conduct environmental education activities for the population. The existence of a statistically significant relationship between the variables under consideration in terms of the Pearson Chi-squared criterion was observed.This research was funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, grant number IRN: AP09259015 included in the grant financing of scientific and scientific and technical projects for 2021-2023 with a period of implementation of 36 months. Project topic: Development of technology for the efficient processing of organic waste using the thermophilic fermentation method to produce biological fertilizers.Bayazitova, ZE.; Rodrigo-Ilarri, J.; Rodrigo-Clavero, M.; Kurmanbayeva, AS.; Safronova, NM.; Belgibayeva, AS.; Zhaparova, SB.... (2022). Relevance of Environmental Surveys on the Design of a New Municipal Waste Management System on the City of Kokshetau (Kazakhstan). Sustainability. 14(21):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114368116142

First record of the invasive mosquito species Aedes koreicus (Diptera, Culicidae) in the Republic of Kazakhstan

The natural distribution range of Aedes koreicus is Korea, China, Japan, and the Russian Far East. Since 2008, this species has been recorded as an invasive species in some European countries (Belgium, European Russia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland). The invasive mosquito species Ae. koreicus is reported from the Republic of Kazakhstan for the first time. Its morphological identification was confirmed by molecular-genetic analyses of ND4 sequences using specific primers. Aedes koreicus larvae were found in an artificial water reservoir together with the larvae of Culiseta longiareolata and Culex pipiens s.l. Aedes koreicus successfully overwintered in Almaty at low winter temperatures in 2018–2019. This suggests that the Ae. koreicus acclimation capacity is greater than it has been considered until now. We assume that Ae. koreicus will spread over the west and south of the Republic of Kazakhstan and territories of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Republics bordering the Almaty region

Quantitative trait loci for agronomic traits in tetraploid wheat for enhancing grain yield in Kazakhstan environments

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum) is one of the top crops in Kazakhstan, where it is cultivated in different ecological niches, mainly at higher latitudes in the steppe zone of the northern region. Therefore, local breeding programs for durum wheat are primarily focused on selection for high productivity in Northern Kazakhstan based on the introduction of promising foreign germplasm and the adoption of marker-assisted selection. In this study, a world tetraploid wheat collection consisted of 184 primitive and domesticated accessions, which were previously genotyped using 16,425 polymorphic SNP markers, was field-tested in Northern and South-eastern Kazakhstan. The field tests have allowed the identification of 80 durum wheat promising lines in Northern Kazakhstan in comparison with a local standard cultivar. Also, GGE (Genotype and Genotype by Environment) biplot analyses for yield performance revealed that accessions of T. dicoccum, T. carthlicum, and T. turanicum also have potential to improve durum wheat yield in the region. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) has allowed the identification of 83 MTAs (marker-trait associations) for heading date, seed maturation time, plant height, spike length, number of fertile spikes, number of kernels per spike, and thousand kernel weight. The comparison of the 83 identified MTAs with those previously reported in GWAS for durum wheat suggests that 38 MTAs are presumably novel, while the co-localization of a large number of MTAs with those previously published confirms the validity of the results of this study. The MTAs reported herewith will provide the opportunity to implement marker-assisted selection in ongoing durum wheat breeding projects targeting higher productivity in the region

Quantitative trait loci for agronomic traits in tetraploid wheat for enhancing grain yield in Kazakhstan environments

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum) is one of the top crops in Kazakhstan, where it is cultivated in different ecological niches, mainly at higher latitudes in the steppe zone of the northern region. Therefore, local breeding programs for durum wheat are primarily focused on selection for high productivity in Northern Kazakhstan based on the introduction of promising foreign germplasm and the adoption of marker-assisted selection. In this study, a world tetraploid wheat collection consisted of 184 primitive and domesticated accessions, which were previously genotyped using 16,425 polymorphic SNP markers, was field-tested in Northern and South-eastern Kazakhstan. The field tests have allowed the identification of 80 durum wheat promising lines in Northern Kazakhstan in comparison with a local standard cultivar. Also, GGE (Genotype and Genotype by Environment) biplot analyses for yield performance revealed that accessions of T. dicoccum, T. carthlicum, and T. turanicum also have potential to improve durum wheat yield in the region. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) has allowed the identification of 83 MTAs (marker-trait associations) for heading date, seed maturation time, plant height, spike length, number of fertile spikes, number of kernels per spike, and thousand kernel weight. The comparison of the 83 identified MTAs with those previously reported in GWAS for durum wheat suggests that 38 MTAs are presumably novel, while the co-localization of a large number of MTAs with those previously published confirms the validity of the results of this study. The MTAs reported herewith will provide the opportunity to implement marker-assisted selection in ongoing durum wheat breeding projects targeting higher productivity in the region

Видовая специфика распределения гетерохроматинового блока и локализации рДНК в митотических хромосомах комаров видов Aedes excrucians, Ae. behningi and Ae. punctor

A karyotypic analysis of three mosquito species Aedes excrucians

Mosquitoes of Anopheles hyrcanus (Diptera, Culicidae) group: species diagnostic and phylogenetic relationships

Herein, we report the results of study of Anopheles species in Primorsk and Khabarovsk regions of Russia. Three species of the Anopheles hyrcanus group: An. kleini, An. pullus, and An. lesteri were identified by molecular taxonomic diagnostics for the first time in Russia. Surprisingly, An. sinensis, which earlier was considered the only species of Anopheles in Russian Far East, was not observed. We analyzed nucleotide variation in the 610-bp fragment of the 5' end of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region. All species possessed a distinctive set of COI sequences. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed for members of the hyrcanus group. The examined Anopheles hyrcanus group members could be divided into two major subgroups: subgroup 1 (An. hyrcanus and An. pullus) and subgroup 2 (An. sinensis, An. kleini, and An. lesteri), which were found to be monophyletic