Simple sequence repeat (SSR) analysis for assessment of genetic variability in wild cherry germplasm

Conservation of genetic resources is vital for future breeding programs and food security for humans. Before conservation of genetic resources, it requires objective characterization and a proper assignation of individual genotypes to species. The aim of this study was to characterize of 58 Prunus accessions which belong to Prunus avium, Prunus cerasus and Prunus mahaleb by using 12 SSR markers. All twelve SSR markers produced successful amplifi cations and revealed DNA polymorphisms. The number of allele per loci varied from 6 (UDP96-019) to 12 (PS12A02) with an average of 9 per allele. The average of observed and expected heterozygosity was found to be 0.609 and 0.720. The allele size varied from 95 to 276 bp. The number of genotypes per allele were 7 (UCD-CH13) and 24 (UDP96-005). Genetic distance analysis based on SSRs divided the cherry accessions in three main groups based mainly on their species characteristics. P. cerasus genotypes had higher similarity ratio within species than P. mahaleb and P. avium

Genetic characterization and relatedness among autochthonous grapevine cultivars from Northeast Turkey by Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR)

25 autochthonous grapevine cultivars from Northeast Anatolia in Turkey together with two well-known standard cultivars, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were fi ngerprinted using six pairs of SSR primers to assess their genetic diversity and relatedness. All six SSR primers produced successful amplifi cations and revealed DNA polymorphisms that were subsequently used to assess genetic relatedness of the cultivars. A total of 52 alleles were detected with a mean value of 8.67 alleles per locus indicating allele richness. The average expected heterozygosity (He) and observed heterozygosity (Ho) were 0.759 and 0.809, respectively. Considering the number of alleles generated, the highest number was observed in VVS2 loci (14 alleles/locus), while the lowest in VrZAG83 loci (5 alleles/locus). The Unweighted Pair-Group Method with Arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram constructed based on the SSR data yielded two main clusters. First cluster included only cv. Kibris and the second cluster included rest of the cultivars including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The results showed that SSR markers have proved to be an effi cient tool for fi ngerprinting grapevine cultivars and conducting genetic diversity studies in grapevine

Activities of two Major Lichen Compounds, Diffractaic Acid and Usnic Acid against Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, 1824 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Two major lichen compounds (diffractaic and usnic acids), isolated from Usnea longissima Ach. were tested against 4th instar larvae and adults of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h under laboratory conditions. Durations and mortalities were recorded at various concentrations (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg. ml-1). Results showed that secondary metabolites of U. longissima had a significant insecticidal potential against larvae and adults of L. decemlineata. Mortality rates after 96 h of treatment, with the highest concentration (10 mg. ml-1) of diffractaic and usnic acids, were 100 and 70% for adults and 100 and 80% for larvae, respectively. No mortality was observed in the control treatment. Bioassay tests with diffractaic and usnic acids revealed that the 96 h median lethal concentration (LC50) values were 1.783 and 4.048 mg. ml-1 for adults and 1.509 and 2.759 mg. ml-1, for larvae of L. decemlineata, respectively. The present results suggest that the lichen secondary metabolites may have a potential action for control of L. decemlineata 4th instar larvae and adults

Erratum

Genetic relationships among grapevine cultivars native to Croatia, Greece and TurkeyVitis 44 (2),73-77 (2005

Genetic relationships among grapevine cultivars native to Croatia, Greece and Turkey

Three sets of grapevine cultivars were analysed: (1) 6 Croatian cultivars from the island of Hvar, (2) 5 Greek cultivars from the island of Paros and (3) 9 Turkish cultivars from the region of Anatolia. These cultivars were assayed by molecular markers (RAPDs with 8 primers and SSRs on 8 loci) and analyzed in terms of genetic similarity. Cluster analysis based on Dice genetic similarity indices resulted in dendrograms using two types of data. The cultivar DNA profiles showed that there were no synonyms among the groups of cultivars tested. Cluster analysis did not point to any particular relationship among cultivars from different regions, although AMOVA analysis showed greater genetic similarity between Greek and Croatian cultivars in contrast to Turkish cultivars.

Physico-chemical characteristics of main pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars grown in Dalmatia region of Croatia

Consumers are increasingly expecting the fruits to be tasty and attractive while being safe and healthful. We determined the external and internal fruit quality properties of main pomegranate cultivars widely grown in Croatia. Of the three cultivars, ‘Pastun’ produced the biggest fruits (460 g) followed by ‘Konjski zub’ as 309 g and ‘Ciparski’ as 341 g. Cultivars exhibited a range of fl avor (from sour to sweet) and acidity (0.9 to 4.3% in juice). Aril colour of ‘Ciparski’ and ‘Pastun’ were red while ‘Konjski zub’ had light pink aril colour. ‘Pastun’ had the highest soluble solids and acidity in both fruit juice and peel. ‘Ciparski’ was in high for total anthocyanins content (12.8 mg of cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside equivalents per 100 g of fresh mass) while ‘Pastun’ is high for total phenolics content (144.7 mg gallic acid equivalent per 100 g fresh mass) in juice. Our results indicated that there were important quality differences among pomegranate cultivars grown in Croatia

Genetic relationships among olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars native to Croatia and Turkey

The aim of the study is to determine genetic diversity and relationships among olive cultivars native to Croatia and Turkey. A total of twenty olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars including fourteen from Croatia and six common cultivars from Turkey were analyzed for genetic diversity and relationships by using six microsatellite markers (DCA05, DCA09, DCA18, GAPU71B, GAPU101, UDO43). The number of polymorphic alleles ranged from 2 (UDO43) to 5 (DCA09), with an average of 3.6  fragments per marker. UPGMA cluster analysis based on simple matching similarity matrix grouped cultivars into three main clusters. Two pairs of cultivars from Croatia ("Buža muška" and Levantinka"; "VLMD6" and "Drobnica") were thought to be different, although they produced identical SSR profi les. Cluster analysis points to some genetic relationships between Croatian and Turkish olive cultivars. The results also indicate effi ciency of SSR markers to evaluate genetic diversity in olive and identify misnamed or synonym individuals

Phytochemical and antioxidant characteristics of medlar fruits (Mespilus germanica L.)

Eleven medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) genotypes sampled from Turkey were analyzed for their fruit weight, fruit dimensions, fruit firmness, ostiole diameter, shape index, skin color, moisture (%), ash (%), reducing sugar (%), crude protein (%), pH, soluble solid content (%), vitamin C (mg/100 g), minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn), total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity. A wide variation among genotypes on most of the searched parameters was evident. Fruit weight varied from 11.21 g to 33.24 g indicating high variability among genotypes. Determination of antioxidant activities by β-carotene–linoleic acid and 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assays resulted in average 80.8%, and 46.6 μg/ml FW DPPH, respectively. The total phenolic contents of eleven medlar genotypes varied from 114 to 293 mg gallic acid equivalent in 100 g fresh weight basis. The medlar fruits were found to be rich in terms of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron

Self-incompatibility alleles in Esatern European and Asian almond (Prunus dulcis) genotypes: a preliminary study

Almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb.] as one of the oldest domesticated plants is thought to have originated in central Asia.Gametophytic self-incompatibility of almond is controlled by the highly polymorphic S-locus. The S-locus encodes for an S-ribonuclease(S-RNase) protein in the pistils, which degrades RNA in self-pollen tubes and hence stops their growing. This study was carried out to detectS-RNase allelic variants in Hungarian and Eastern European almond cultivars and Turkish wild growing seedlings, and characterize theirS-allele pool. Five new alleles were identifi ed, S31H, S36-S39 in Eastern European local cultivars. The village Bademli and Akdamar islandare two distinct places of almond natural occurrence in Turkey. Trees growing wild around Bademli city showed greater genetic diversitythan those originated on Akdamar island. Many of the previously described 45 S-RNase alleles have been also detected in these regions.Homology searches revealed that Turkish almonds carried some P. webbii alleles indicating hybridization between the two cultivars andmassive introgression events. Our results supply long-awaited information on almond S-allele diversity from regions between the maincultivation centres and the centre of origin of this species; and are discussed from the aspect of methodological developments and evolutionof the cultivated almond

Rapid Mass Spectrometric Study of a Supercritical CO2-extract from Woody Liana Schisandra chinensis by HPLC-SPD-ESI-MS/MS

Woody liana Schisandra chinensis contains valuable lignans, which are phenylpropanoids with valuable biological activity. Among green and selective extraction methods, supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) was shown to be the method of choice for the recovery of these naturally occurring compounds. Carbon dioxide (CO2) was the solvent with the flow rate (10−25 g/min) with 2% ethanol as co-solvent. In this piece of work operative parameters and working conditions were optimized by experimenting with different pressures (200–400 bars) and temperatures (40–60 °C). The extraction time varied from 60 to 120 min. HPLC-SPD-ESI -MS/MS techniques were applied to detect target analytes. Twenty-six different lignans were identified in the S. chinensis SC-CO2 extracts