Characterization of the national local maize landraces

Maize is one of the most important crops in Romania. In the mountainous and sub-mountainous areas there has been a great variety of local landraces, which have been replaced over time by maize hybrids. The local maize landraces preserved in the Suceava Genebank are the result of collecting from all country areas, both through the care of RICTP Fundulea and the Agricultural Research Stations: Suceava, Turda, Șimnic, Lovrin, Albota, Podu Iloaiei and Geoagiu (1957-1975), as well as of the collecting laboratory within Suceava Genebank (1990-2021). The paper presents the results of the characterization of 1358 local maize landraces obtained within 30 years. Morpho-physiological observations, biochemical and genetic analyzes were performed, both at Suceava Genebank and at the other research institutions. The characterization of local landraces has led to the identification of gene sources useful for maize breeding of the important characteristics (yield capacity, precocity and quality, resistance to low temperatures and to Fusarium infection). A significant number of populations have shown good agronomic stability, and can be considered potential sources of genes for improving the tolerance of maize to biotic and abiotic stress factors and the quality of new created hybrids, which in addition to high yield capacity to have a high protein content, to be resistant to low temperatures and to Fusarium infection

Genetic Diversity and Demographic History of Wild and Cultivated/Naturalised Plant Populations: Evidence from Dalmatian Sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae).

Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is a well-known aromatic and medicinal Mediterranean plant that is native in coastal regions of the western Balkan and southern Apennine Peninsulas and is commonly cultivated worldwide. It is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Knowledge of its genetic diversity and spatiotemporal patterns is important for plant breeding programmes and conservation. We used eight microsatellite markers to investigate evolutionary history of indigenous populations as well as genetic diversity and structure within and among indigenous and cultivated/naturalised populations distributed across the Balkan Peninsula. The results showed a clear separation between the indigenous and cultivated/naturalised groups, with the cultivated material originating from one restricted geographical area. Most of the genetic diversity in both groups was attributable to differences among individuals within populations, although spatial genetic analysis of indigenous populations indicated the existence of isolation by distance. Geographical structuring of indigenous populations was found using clustering analysis, with three sub-clusters of indigenous populations. The highest level of gene diversity and the greatest number of private alleles were found in the central part of the eastern Adriatic coast, while decreases in gene diversity and number of private alleles were evident towards the northwestern Adriatic coast and southern and eastern regions of the Balkan Peninsula. The results of Ecological Niche Modelling during Last Glacial Maximum and Approximate Bayesian Computation suggested two plausible evolutionary trajectories: 1) the species survived in the glacial refugium in southern Adriatic coastal region with subsequent colonization events towards northern, eastern and southern Balkan Peninsula; 2) species survived in several refugia exhibiting concurrent divergence into three genetic groups. The insight into genetic diversity and structure also provide the baseline data for conservation of S. officinalis genetic resources valuable for future breeding programmes

Within-population microsatellite diversity and genetic relationships of 30 Dalmatian sage populations.

<p>Populations are numbered as for <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0159545#pone.0159545.t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>. (A) Distribution of sampled populations: circles indicate indigenous populations; triangles indicate cultivated/naturalised populations. Symbol colours correspond to allelic richness (<i>N</i>_<i>ar</i>): white < 5, yellow 5–7, orange 7–9 and red >9. (B) Unrooted Fitch-Margoliash tree based on Cavalli-Sforza's chord distance. Bootstrap support values greater than 50% of 1,000 replicates are given near the branches.</p

Genetic structure of 30 Dalmatian sage populations as estimated by the software STRUCTURE.

<p>The population numbering corresponds to <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0159545#pone.0159545.t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>. (A) Population structure assuming K = 4. (B) Proportions of membership for K = 2 to 4 clusters are given. Each individual plant is represented by a single vertical line divided into colours. Each colour represents one cluster, and the length of the coloured segment shows the individual’s estimated proportion of membership in that cluster. White lines separate populations that are labelled below the figure.</p

Analysis of molecular variance for the partitioning of microsatellite diversity.

<p>Analysis of molecular variance for the partitioning of microsatellite diversity.</p

Ecological Niche Modelling of <i>Salvia officinalis</i> under (a) present, (b) Last Glacial Maximum CCSM conditions and (c) Last Glacial Maximum MIROC conditions.

<p>The colour codes indicate habitat suitability, from light blue (low suitability) to dark blue (high suitability) as calculated by the model.</p

Isolation by distance analysis among 23 indigenous Dalmatian sage populations.

<p>Isolation by distance analysis among 23 indigenous Dalmatian sage populations.</p

Genetic Diversity and Demographic History of Wild and Cultivated/Naturalised Plant Populations: Evidence from Dalmatian Sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae)

Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is a well-known aromatic and medicinal Mediterranean plant that is native in coastal regions of the western Balkan and southern Apennine Peninsulas and is commonly cultivated worldwide. It is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Knowledge of its genetic diversity and spatiotemporal patterns is important for plant breeding programmes and conservation. We used eight microsatellite markers to investigate evolutionary history of indigenous populations as well as genetic diversity and structure within and among indigenous and cultivated/naturalised populations distributed across the Balkan Peninsula. The results showed a clear separation between the indigenous and cultivated/naturalised groups, with the cultivated material originating from one restricted geographical area. Most of the genetic diversity in both groups was attributable to differences among individuals within populations, although spatial genetic analysis of indigenous populations indicated the existence of isolation by distance. Geographical structuring of indigenous populations was found using clustering analysis, with three sub-clusters of indigenous populations. The highest level of gene diversity and the greatest number of private alleles were found in the central part of the eastern Adriatic coast, while decreases in gene diversity and number of private alleles were evident towards the northwestern Adriatic coast and southern and eastern regions of the Balkan Peninsula. The results of Ecological Niche Modelling during Last Glacial Maximum and Approximate Bayesian Computation suggested two plausible evolutionary trajectories: 1) the species survived in the glacial refugium in southern Adriatic coastal region with subsequent colonization events towards northern, eastern and southern Balkan Peninsula; 2) species survived in several refugia exhibiting concurrent divergence into three genetic groups. The insight into genetic diversity and structure also provide the baseline data for conservation of S. officinalis genetic resources valuable for future breeding programmes