Morphological and molecular characterization of native Heliconia sp. accessions of the Amazon region

Heliconias are tropical plants with ornamental potential. These plants are particularly used in the floriculture industry because of their exotic colors and shapes. Species characterization is important for the selection of genotypes for the ornamental plant market and subsequent application in studies of genetic improvement. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic divergence of Heliconia densiflora and Heliconia psittacorum accessions based on quantitative morphological and molecular markers. The mor- phological and molecular descriptors revealed genetic variability among the accessions evaluated. The greatest genetic variability was observed among H. psittacorum accessions, whose sample number was also larger compared to H. densiflora. Morphological characterization was efficient in differentiating the two Heliconia species, especially to characteristics such as bract and inflores- cence length, postharvest durability, and flower stem diameter, which contributed most to the divergence in this study. On the other hand, molecular characterization identified one H. densiflora individual that was grouped with the H. psittacorum genotypes. The results showed that ISSR markers can differentiate closely related H. densiflora and H. psittacorum individuals. The materials evaluated can contribute to the maintenance of local genetic diversity through the germplasm bank of the local breeding program of ornamental tropical plants

Contribuição de variáveis de produção e de semente para a divergência genética em maracujazeiro-azedo sob diferentes disponibilidades de nutrientes

The objective of this work was to evaluate the relative contribution of variables related to fruit production and to seed morphophysiological characteristics to the genetic divergence in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) progenies, aiming at selecting progenies potentially responsive to fertilization. Ten progenies were evaluated under conditions of low (50% of the recommended dose of fertilizers) and high soil fertility (dose 50% higher than the recommended one), regarding variable sets related to production and to the morphological and physiological characteristics of seeds. The association between these sets was determined by the canonical correlation analysis and by the nearest-neighbor clustering method. The nutritional environments interfered in the relative contribution of the variables to the genetic divergence of the progenies. The accelerated aging test of seeds – from the set of seed physiological quality – did not contribute significantly to the selection of genotypes responsive to soil fertilization. The most responsive progenies to the increased availability of nutrients were grouped according to the production variables that were evaluated under high soil fertility. Irrespectively of the evaluated environment, the set of production variables is the one that contributes more expressively to the identification of the genetic divergence of passion fruit progenies.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a contribuição relativa de variáveis relacionadas à produção de frutos e a características morfofisiológicas das sementes para a divergência genética em progênies de maracujazeiro-azedo (Passiflora edulis), com vistas à seleção de progênies potencialmente responsivas à fertilização. Dez progênies foram avaliadas em condições de baixa (50% da dose recomendada de fertilizantes) e alta fertilidade do solo (dose 50% superior à recomendada), quanto a conjuntos de variáveis de produção e de características morfológicas e fisiológicas das sementes. A associação entre esses conjuntos foi determinada pela análise de correlação canônica e pelo método de agrupamento do vizinho mais próximo. Os ambientes nutricionais interferiram na contribuição relativa das variáveis para a divergência genética das progênies. O teste de envelhecimento acelerado das sementes – do conjunto de variáveis de qualidade fisiológica – não contribuiu significativamente para a seleção de genótipos responsivos à adubação. As progênies mais responsivas ao aumento da disponibilidade de nutrientes foram agrupadas de acordo com as variáveis de produção avaliadas em condições de alta fertilidade do solo. Independentemente do ambiente avaliado, o conjunto de variáveis de produção é o que mais expressivamente contribui para a identificação da divergência genética de progênies de maracujazeiro-azedo

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Resistance to Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus in in vitro germinated genotypes of Passiflora setacea

ABSTRACT Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is a fruit species of great relevance for Brazilian economy. However, it is highly susceptible to the Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV). The species P.setacea, on the other hand, is resistant to the disease. The present study aimed to identify CABMV-resistant P. setacea genotypes for the introgression of genes into sour passion fruit genetic breeding programs. The seeds of passion fruit genotypes were germinated in vitro in MS culture medium. The seedlings were acclimatized in a growth chamber at the temperature of 27 ± 2ºC, photoperiod of 16:8 hours and 80% of relative humidity. Thirty plants of each genotype were mechanically inoculated with extract prepared from leaves collected from passion fruit plants with symptoms of CABMV for the assessment of resistance to CABMV. The severity of leaf symptoms was evaluated by means of a grading scale of visual signs. After the visual evaluation and identification of the asymptomatic genotypes of P. setacea, the PTA-ELISA test was carried out for 30 selected genotypes. According to the visual evaluation, all P. setacea genotypes were highly resistant to CABMV, while the P. edulis genotypes were highly susceptible. Out of the 30 genotypes selected, only PsRJ 4 was considered susceptible by PTA-ELISA. The other genotypes of P. setacea were considered resistant and present great potential for use in passion fruit genetic breeding programs

SELEÇÃO RECORRENTE INTRAPOPULACIONAL EM MARACUJAZEIRO-AZEDO VIA MODELOS MISTOS

RESUMO O maracujazeiro pertence ao gênero Passiflora, considerado o de maior importância econômica da família Passifloraceae. O objetivo do trabalho foi estimar para o maracujazeiro-azedo parâmetros e valores genotípicos pelo procedimento REML/BLUP em nível de progênie. Foram avaliadas 27 progênies de meios-irmãos oriundas do segundo ciclo de seleção recorrente conduzido na UENF, selecionadas via índice de seleção. As características avaliadas foram: número de frutos por parcela (NF); massa total de frutos por parcela (MTF) e massa média de frutos (MMF). Os valores genéticos foram estimados por meio do Software SELEGEN, utilizando o procedimento REML/BLUP. Nas estimativas dos parâmetros genéticos via REML, as duas características ligadas diretamente à produção e, portanto, consideradas as mais importantes, NF e MTF apresentaram estimativas de herdabilidade média de progênies de 0,395 e 0,439, respectivamente. Na seleção e nas estimativas dos ganhos via BLUP, o coeficiente de coincidência revelou concordância do resultado da seleção entre as progênies, mostrando que para as três características avaliadas, as mesmas 8 progênies são superiores para as três características simultaneamente. A metodologia REML/BLUP mostrou-se adequada para a avaliação, possibilitando obter estimativas dos parâmetros genéticos e fenotípicos que revelaram a possibilidade de sucesso com a seleção de progênies superiores, com ganhos simultaneamente de 18,02%, 23,08% e 9,65% para NF, MTF e MMF, respectivamente

Genetic diversity in Coffea canephora genotypes for leaf nutrient concentration

This study analyzed the genetic diversity in Coffea canephora genotypes by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, based on concentrations of macro- and micronutrients in coffee leaves in the stages of pre-flowering and grain filling. The experiment was arranged in randomized blocks with three replications, in a 42x2 factorial design, in which factor one represented the evaluated genotypes and factor two the periods of leaf sampling, i.e., pre-flowering and grain filling. The data of leaf nutrient concentrations were subjected to analysis of variance by the F test (p <0.01), and genetic parameters were estimated. For the study of genetic diversity, the genotypes were grouped by the hierarchical unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA). The relative importance of a trait to predict genetic diversity was also studied. There is genetic divergence for leaf nutrient concentration in C. canephora genotypes. With a maximum limit of 60% of dissimilarity between genotypes, four groups were also formed by UPGMA. For the 42 evaluated genotypes, leaf S concentration was the most important trait for genetic diversity; this genotypic variability should be investigated to enhance the efficiency of nutritional diagnosis

Diversidade genética de espécies do gênero Passiflora com o uso da estratégia Ward-MLM

O uso de espécies silvestres de maracujá tem resultado em progresso no melhoramento genético da cultura. No entanto, o uso dessas tem sido incipiente, devido à existência de poucas informações sobre a diversidade genética disponível. Tais atividades são essenciais para que os recursos genéticos do gênero Passiflora sejam utilizados com sucesso. Este trabalho objetivou quantificar a diversidade genética existente entre onze espécies do gênero Passiflora (Passiflora edulis, P. mucronata, P. setacea, P. pentagona, P. caerulea, P. gibertii, P. cincinnata, P. suberosa, P. micropetala, P. alata e P.coccinea). Foram utilizados descritores morfológicos qualitativos e quantitativos, sendo analisados conjuntamente por meio do procedimento Ward-MLM (Modified Location Model). Os acessos foram reunidos em cinco grandes grupos, sendo os caracteres relacionados às flores os que mais contribuíram para a diversidade genética dos acessos. O método de Ward-MLM possibilitou distinguir os subgêneros analisados, e houve uma clara separação entre as espécies. Vasta diversidade foi encontrada no gênero Passiflora, que pode ser explorada em programas de melhoramento do maracujazeiro