Inheritance analysis and identification of SNP markers associated with ZYMV resistance in Cucurbita pepo

[EN] Cucurbit crops are economically important worldwide. One of the most serious threats to cucurbit production is Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV). Several resistant accessions were identified in Cucurbita moschata and their resistance was introgressed into Cucurbita pepo. However, the mode of inheritance of ZYMV resistance in C. pepo presents a great challenge to attempts at introgressing resistance into elite germplasm. The main goal of this work was to analyze the inheritance of ZYMV resistance and to identify markers associated with genes conferring resistance. An Illumina GoldenGate assay allowed us to assess polymorphism among nine squash genotypes and to discover six polymorphic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between two near-isogenic lines, "True French" (susceptible to ZYMV) and Accession 381e (resistant to ZYMV). Two F-2 and three BC1 populations obtained from crossing the ZYMV-resistant Accession 381e with two susceptible ones, the zucchini True French and the cocozelle "San Pasquale," were assayed for ZYMV resistance. Molecular analysis revealed an approximately 90% association between SNP1 and resistance, which was confirmed using High Resolution Melt (HRM) and a CAPS marker. Co-segregation up to 72% in populations segregating for resistance was observed for two other SNP markers that could be potentially linked to genes involved in resistance expression. A functional prediction of proteins involved in the resistance response was performed on genome scaffolds containing the three SNPs of interest. Indeed, 16 full-length pathogen recognition genes (PRGs) were identified around the three SNP markers. In particular, we discovered that two nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) protein-encoding genes were located near the SNP1 marker. The investigation of ZYMV resistance in squash populations and the genomic analysis performed in this work could be useful for better directing the introgression of disease resistance into elite C. pepo germplasm.This work was supported by the Ministry of University and Research (GenHORT project).Capuozzo, C.; Formisano, G.; Iovieno, P.; Andolfo, G.; Tomassoli, L.; Barbella, M.; Picó Sirvent, MB.... (2017). Inheritance analysis and identification of SNP markers associated with ZYMV resistance in Cucurbita pepo. Molecular Breeding. 37(8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-017-0698-5S378Addinsoft (2007) XLSTAT, Analyse de données et statistique avec MS Excel. Addinsoft, NYAndolfo G, Ercolano MR (2015) Plant innate immunity multicomponent model. Front Plant Sci 6:987Andolfo G, Sanseverino W, Rombauts S et al (2013) Overview of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) candidate pathogen recognition genes reveals important Solanum R locus dynamics. 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Vegetable Grafting; Principles and Practices

Although grafting has been practised on fruit trees for thousands of years, thecommercial application of grafting on vegetables constitutes a relatively recentinnovation in most countries. After more than 50 years of vegetable crop improvement,dedicated principally to selecting for above-ground traits, scientistsnow perceive root system engineering as an opportunity for integrating dynamicnovel approaches in fostering sustainable vegetable production under changingenvironmental conditions, while minimizing the demand for new resources.Introduction of excellent rootstocks possessing multiple resistances and efficientgrafting systems will greatly encourage the extended application of vegetablegrafting all over the world. Although the benefits of using grafted transplantsare now fully recognized worldwide, the need to enlighten the scientific basis ofrootstock–scion interactions under variable environmental pressures remainsvital for extracting grafting-mediated crop improvement. This has promptedthe COST Action FA1204 entitled ‘Vegetable grafting to improve yield and fruitquality under biotic and abiotic stress conditions’ aimed at systematizing researchfindings (http://www.vegetablegrafting.unitus.it). The COST action allowed thedevelopment of a multidisciplinary network of partners targeting the root systemand employing rootstock breeding to unravel the mechanisms behind rootstock-mediatedcrop improvement: the enhancement of productivity and fruit quality,and the sustainability of vegetable crops under multiple and combined stresses.The current book is the major output of the COST Action and contains ninechapters drawing on the 2012–2016 activities of four Working Groups (WGs)dealing with ‘Genetic resources and rootstock breeding’ (WG1), ‘Rootstock–scioninteractions and graft compatibility’ (WG2), ‘Rootstock-mediated resistance tobiotic and abiotic stresses’ (WG3) and ‘Rootstock-mediated improvement of fruitquality’ (WG4). While recent advances of scientific knowledge constitute thecore of this COST book, valuable practical information is also provided on rootstock–scion combinations, on applicable grafting methods, on the establishment of grafted transplants and on recommendations for the use of grafted plants as aneffective tool for sustainable vegetable production.This book could not have been produced without the dedication and help ofmany, and we would like to thank the authors and co-authors who contributed tothe compiled chapters. However, we would also like to express our appreciation toa large number of scientists and experts who served as reviewers and contributedto improving the quality of the book. Finally, we would like to thank the COSTAssociation in Brussels (Belgium) for funding COST Action FA1204 and providingadditional financial support for publishing the current book.We planned and compiled this book as a collection of scientific informationand as a practical tool aimed at both the people involved in the commercial productionand cultivation of grafted plants, as well as researchers interested in anunderstanding of the science and technology behind a grafted plant. We hope allreaders benefit from this book and we remain open to ideas and proposals on howto amend a future edition.</p

Does the photo-thermal environment limit post-flowering maize growth?

After canopy closure and in the absence of limitations by water or nutrient availability, crop growth rate (CGR) of maize (Zea mays L.) is ultimately constrained by the daily incident radiation and temperature of the environment. Sustaining maximal canopy photosynthetic capacity after-flowering is, then, a necessary but not a sufficient condition to increase maize dry-matter production. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent of the photo-thermal environment limitation to CGR during the post-flowering period in current maize crops. Dynamic of CGR was studied in two well-irrigated and nourished maize field experiments (Exp. 1 and Exp. 2 for 2010−11 and 2011−12 cropping seasons, respectively) on conventional crops (i.e. full-season hybrid planted early in the season) at Balcarce, Argentina (37° 45’ S, 58° 18’ W; 130 m a.s.l.). Two independent methods were performed to benchmark the CGR of these conventional crops during the post-flowering period: i) empirical CGR values obtained under the same weather conditions from younger maize crops, and ii) theoretically estimated potential CGR, obtained as a function of daily incident radiation and potential radiation use-efficiency (RUE). Conventional crops reached the maximal CGR near flowering in mid-January, being 51.2 g m−2 d−1 and 58.8 g m−2 d−1 in Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, respectively. Afterwards, CGR decreased progressively towards crops maturity late in March. Estimates, from either the empirical or the theoretical method, indicated that although attainable-CGR decreases progressively towards the end of the cropping season, it sustains higher values than those achieved by conventional crops after flowering. Differences in attainable vs. actual-CGR was almost exclusively attributable to RUE, which, in turn, could not be explained solely by the post-flowering foliar nitrogen withdrawal. Differences between actual (1987 g m−2 in Exp. 1 and 1614 g m−2 in Exp. 2) and potential post-flowering dry-matter production defined gaps that were in the range 18.2%–47.8%. From these results, it can be concluded that the photo-thermal environment is not, at least so far, the limiting factor to the post-flowering maize growth. Further research is needed, however, to analyze the viability of increasing potential yield of maize through the closure of these estimated gaps.EEA BalcarceFil: Bonelli, Lucas Emmanuel. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cerrudo, Aníbal Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Olmedo Pico, Lía Belén. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Investigación Animal del Chaco Semiárido; Argentina. Purdue University. Departament of Agronomy; Estados UnidosFil: Di Matteo, Javier. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Monzon, Juan Pablo. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rizzalli, Roberto Héctor. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Andrade, Fernando Héctor. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. . Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentin

Dietary patterns and their relationship with the perceptions of healthy eating in European adolescents : the HELENA study

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify dietary patterns (DPs) in European adolescents and to examine the association between perceptions of healthy eating and the obtained DPs. Method: A multinational cross-sectional study was carried out in adolescents aged 12.5 to 17.5?years and 2,027 (44.9% males) were considered for analysis. A self-reported questionnaire with information on food choices and preferences, including perceptions of healthy eating, and two 24-hour dietary recalls were used. Principal component analysis was used to obtain sex-specific DPs, and linear analyses of covariance were used to compare DPs according to perceptions of healthy eating. Results: Three and four DPs for boys and girls were obtained. In boys and girls, there were significant associations between some perceptions about healthy food and the Breakfast-DP (p?<?0.05). In boys, Breakfast-DP and Healthy Beverage-DP were associated with the perception of the own diet as healthy (p?<?0.05). Healthy Beverage-DP was associated with those disliking fruits and vegetables (p?<?0.05). Girls considering the own diet as healthy were associated with Mediterranean-DP, Breakfast-DP, and Unhealthy Beverage and Meat-DP (p?<?0.05). The perception of snacking as a necessary part of a healthy diet was associated with Breakfast-DP in both genders (p?<?0.05). Conclusions: In European adolescents, perceptions of healthy eating were mainly associated with a DP characterized by foods consumed at breakfast. Future studies should further explore these findings in order to implement health promotion programs to improve healthy eating habits in adolescents

The International Network for Evaluating Outcomes (iNeo) of neonates: evolution, progress and opportunities

Neonates born very preterm (before 32 weeks’ gestational age), are a significant public health concern because of their high-risk of mortality and life-long disability. In addition, caring for very preterm neonates can be expensive, both during their initial hospitalization and their long-term cost of permanent impairments. To address these issues, national and regional neonatal networks around the world collect and analyse data from their constituents to identify trends in outcomes, and conduct benchmarking, audit and research. Improving neonatal outcomes and reducing health care costs is a global problem that can be addressed using collaborative approaches to assess practice variation between countries, conduct research and implement evidence-based practices. The International Network for Evaluating Outcomes (iNeo) of neonates was established in 2013 with the goal of improving outcomes for very preterm neonates through international collaboration and comparisons. To date, 10 national or regional population-based neonatal networks/datasets participate in iNeo collaboration. The initiative now includes data on >200,000 very preterm neonates and has conducted important epidemiological studies evaluating outcomes, variations and trends. The collaboration has also surveyed >320 neonatal units worldwide to learn about variations in practices, healthcare service delivery, and physical, environmental and manpower related factors and support services for parents. The iNeo collaboration serves as a strong international platform for Neonatal-Perinatal health services research that facilitates international data sharing, capacity building, and global efforts to improve very preterm neonate care