Morphology, biochemistry, and management of Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) accessions in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L., Elagnaceae) is a native multi-purpose medicinal shrub or tree of Asian regions and an integral component of high altitude terraced agroforestry systems of Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan. The strong increase in deforestation, urbanisation, and the loss of ethnically-based medication practices in local communities are gradually leading to depletion of its stands and knowledge of its use. In view of these circumstances, this study was undertaken to characterise Russian olive accessions as a first step towards the conservation of this important wild plant genetic resource. Ninety-three fruits (including seeds) and leaves were sampled to determine morphological variability among accessions. In addition, the phenolic composition of fruit pulp of 40 fruits was used for determination of phenolic compounds. To assess the local importance of the fruit, 42 Russian olive collectors and traders were interviewed. Data were analysed using PCA and clustering approaches. Fruit traits across groups were equally shared. Elevation had a positive effect on fruit and seed dimensions especially on length (r = 0.606 and 0.515, respectively) and weight (r = 0.618 and 0.695, respectively). Bioactive substances such as DPPH and flavonoids in the sampled fruits exceeded most values found in the literature by a factor of 100 and 30, respectively. The socio-economic household analysis highlighted that Russian olive harvest and trade is a purely additional income strategy. On average, about 90 € (ca. 16000 PKR) were earned by one household ranging from about 35 € to about 205 € per year. Data yielded a mixed picture on morphological and biochemical diversity as well as the socio-economic background, but indicated that northern regions of Pakistan might be an important centre for biodiversity of this species in Central Asia, which merits improved marketing

Inheritance of <i>er1</i>-Based Broad-Spectrum Powdery Mildew Resistance in Pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.)

The knowledge about the nature and number of gene(s) controlling resistance is the pre-requisite for the success of powdery mildew resistance breeding program in pea. Seven biparental cross combinations involving three highly resistant (It-96, No. 267 and JI 2302) and two highly susceptible (Climax and PF-400) pea genotypes were evaluated for their response to powdery mildew disease. The quantitative microscopic scale of disease assessment coupled with detached leaf assay was employed for the evaluation of disease response of the crosses and their generations (F1, F2, BCs, and BCr) against two highly virulent conidial isolates of Erysiphe pisi. The disease response of 677 F2 plants has revealed a typical monohybrid Mendelian 3 (susceptible): 1 (resistant) segregation, moreover, the evaluation of 254 BCr plants gave a perfect 1 (susceptible): 1(resistant) segregation. No complementation was observed among all the F1 plants of three complementation crosses, suggesting that the same allele (er-1) conditions complete and broad-spectrum resistance in all the powdery mildew resistant pea genotypes in homozygous recessive form

Selection Criteria for Drought-Tolerant Bread Wheat Genotypes at Seedling Stage

Diminishing water resources as a result of excessive use of water for irrigation and climate change posture a severe global threat to food security. Herein, an experiment was conducted to determine the selection criteria for drought-tolerant bread wheat genotypes at the seedling stage using morphological and photosynthetic pigmentation-related traits. A panel of 105 wheat landraces, historical Pakistani varieties, and advance breeding lines were evaluated under normal and drought stress using factorial completely randomized design. The root length, fresh weight, dry weight, cell membrane thermo-stability, and chlorophyll b were positively correlated among themselves under both normal and stress conditions. Hence, selection of any one of these traits enhances the performance of other traits. The shoot length was non-significant and negatively associated with all other studied characters except relative water content. The results suggested that selection for shoot length could not improve genetic gain for drought tolerance. Out of 10 principal components (PCs), the first three PCs were showed significant genetic variation under both conditions. The first three PCs showed 74.6% and 76% cumulative genetic variation under normal and drought conditions, respectively. Based on PCA, 10 drought-tolerant and five drought-susceptible genotypes were identified. Overall results suggested that selection for root length, fresh weight, dry weight, cell membrane thermo-stability, and chlorophyll b at the seedling stage would improve genetic gain for drought tolerance. The outperforming genotypes under drought stress conditions can be useful in future wheat breeding programs, and early selection for the traits recommended in this study will be effective for developing high-yielding and drought-tolerant wheat varieties

Additional file 2 of Comparative analysis of SIMILAR to RCD ONE (SRO) family from tetraploid cotton species and their diploid progenitors depict their significance in cotton growth and development

Additiona file 2: Fig. S1. Chromosomal distribution and gene duplication analysis of GhSRO genes

Additional file 1 of Comparative analysis of SIMILAR to RCD ONE (SRO) family from tetraploid cotton species and their diploid progenitors depict their significance in cotton growth and development

Additional file 1: Table S1. Nomenclature of cotton SRO genes. Table S2. Domains and properties of cotton SRO genes. Table S3. Peptide Sequence identity between diploid speceis of cotton. Table S4. Chromosomal location of cotton SRO genes. Table S5. Gene duplication among GhSRO genes. Table S6. Prediction of miRNA and their target GhSRO genes in upland cotton