The definition of the European Almond Core collection

The European project 068 AGRI GEN RES 870/2004 has as an aim the definition of the European almond core collection. The methodology for creation of any core collection has to define how best to select entries using complex and incomplete accession data, as well as how and when to revise these decisions over time. The acquisition of data has been based on specific varietal descriptors, including morphological, physiological, phytopathological, genetic and chemical traits, following the descriptors defined by IBPGR/Bioversity, UPOV and the ECP/GR Prunus Working Group. Newly defined traits, not included in these descriptors, have also been considered because they are very important in defining the range of variability of the species. These traits include chilling and heat requirements for blooming, the molecular markers for genotype identification and the different chemical components of the kernel, as possible parameters for defining almond quality. As a result, a strategy to define the almond core collection was identified by highlighting the main steps to achieve in the near future.Peer ReviewedPrunus amygdalus Batschcore collectiongenetic resourcesgermplasmPublishe

Proyecto europeo para la valorización de recursos genéticos autóctonos de almendro y avellano. Trabajos realizados en España

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Genetic assessment of the pomological classification of plum Prunus domestica L. accessions sampled across Europe

The genotyping of European fruit tree collections has helped to identify synonyms, determine parentage, reveal key specimens in the collections and provide information on the development of modern cultivars from one or several progenitors. However, studies on European plum Prunus domestica have been lagging behind, mainly because of the hexaploid chromosome number. In this co-operative study, 104 accessions conserved by 14 partners across Europe were phenotyped for 20 descriptors, and genotyped for 8 SSR loci together with 8 reference cultivars. Based on the descriptors as well as additional information supplied by the partners, as well as the scientific and horticultural literature, each accession was assigned to one of six pomological groups; (1) egg plums sensu lato (E), (2) prunes of the French d’Agen type (P/A), (3) prunes of the Central-Southeast European Zwetschen type (P/Z), (4) greengages (G), (5) mirabelles (M) and (6) bullaces, damsons and var. pomariorum (D/B). A MANOVA conducted on descriptor data revealed significant differentiation among the pomological groups as well as a geographic impact on the differentiation of local plum accessions in Europe. SSR data showed that two trios and seven pairs of genotypes had very similar allele profiles and possibly are genetically identical in spite of different accession names. An AMOVA indicated sparse genetic differentiation when accessions were grouped according to geographic origin whereas significant differences were obtained among pomological groups. A Bayesian analysis of genetic structure, as well as a discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), further revealed levels of similarity among and within the different pomological groups, suggesting that egg plums sensu lato (E) and greengages (G) can be referred to subsp. domestica while damsons and bullaces (D/B) but also Central-Southeast European prunes (P/Z) show more affinity to subsp. insititia. The small and possibly heterogeneous groups with mirabelles (M) and prunes of the d’Agen type (P/A) take an intermediate position suggesting a hybridogenic origin

Fruit quality traits and genotypic characterization in a pomegranate ex situ (Punica granatum l.) collection in greece

Pomegranate is one of the oldest known fruit crops, well adapted to hot and dry areas and successfully grown in Mediterranean countries. During the last two decades, numerous pub-lications have revealed the traditionally known associations between pomegranate consumption and health benefits, which led to increased demand by consumers and expansion in cultivation areas. Pomegranate is well adapted to areas with diverse pedoclimatic conditions and local cultivars could provide an essential source of genes for breeding. In this study, fruit phenotypic and genetic variability, and relationships, were studied in 26 Greek and foreign pomegranate cultivars/accessions grown in an ex situ collection located in Naoussa Greece, using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) molecular markers. Results from the principal component analysis made on fruit phenotypic characters revealed five components that accounted for 74.8% of the total variance, the first being related to skin color parameters and the second to juice antioxidant contents and aril color. Clustering from phenotypic data allocated individuals into four clusters. A total of 184 bands were generated for all markers applied across the 26 pomegranate cultivars/accessions, with an average of 77 bands per ISSR markers and 82 bands for SCoT markers. Low variability in the phenotypic and genotypic level was indicated; nevertheless, results from the association study between phenotypic traits and molecular markers that were obtained using Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) could prove valuable for marker-assisted breeding programs, especially from SCoT markers that were found to be strongly or averagely associated with the morphological traits and chemical components. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

SNPs identification and association study of fruit quality genes from selected whole-genome sequenced peach cultivars grown in Greece

In Greece, peach is one of the largest cultivations both in terms of hectares and in economic profit, with table peaches representing a 40% and industrial peaches the 60%. Next generation sequence technologies can prove valuable in evaluating present peach cultivars and getting the necessary knowledge to develop new cultivars with appreciable quality traits. Whole genome sequencing was performed on selected peach cultivars (‘Romea’, ‘Virgil’, ‘Catherina’, ‘Fergold’, ‘Crimson Lady’, ‘Rubirich’, ‘Rebus 028’, ‘Early Top’) and a local cultivar called ‘Lemonato’. These cultivars were selected according to their differences in specific fruit quality traits, such as slow melting flesh, stone adhesion and hardness, fruit color (skin and flesh), fruit size, along with maturity date and fruit productivity. Sequencing was performed using Illumina Nextseq 550 platform, with Nextera DNA Flex indexes, resulting in over 150 million reads with an average GC of 38.5%. The aim of this study is the identification of SNPs associated with genes that control important fruit quality characteristics and the development of molecular markers linked to these traits. The number of SNPs associated with each of these genes and the number of useful SNPs for marker-assisted selection varied accordingly. A total of 1,535 SNPs with high impact effect on known and putative genes were identified across all cultivars. SNPs identified in genes that are involved in biological processes (cellular and metabolic process) were the most abundant. © 2022 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved

Comparative genomics of Botrytis cinerea strains with differential multi-drug resistance

[No abstract available