Microchip electrophoretic analysis of Phaseolin patterns and Its comparison with currently used SDS-PAGE techniques

The goal of this work was to compare reproducibility of phaseolin patterns of common bean obtained by two electrophoretic protein separation techniques including the conventional SDS-PAGE and an automated chip electrophoresis system. Five standard cultivars of common bean provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (Beltsville, Maryland) that represented five phaseolin types, T (Tendergreen), C (Contender) and S (Sanilac), B (Boyaca) and P (Pampa), were used in this study. Comparison of the phaseolin patterns revealed that the chip-on-a-lab electrophoresis provided a good reproducibility. The phaseolin polymorphism included four to seven polypeptides typical for the pattern composition of the T, C and S types. The polymorphism of the B and P patterns was also established. Phaseolin polypeptides separated by the microchip electrophoresis exhibited differences with respect to the molecular weights and electrophoretic mobility as compared to the SDS-PAGE technique. This phenomenon could be attributed to the absence of a solid separation phase in the microchip electrophoresis. Moreover, this technique has potential to substantially accelerate screening of large bean germplasm collections since it allows for the accurate analysis of the higher number of individual plants within accessions than the conventional, tedious and time consuming SDS-PAGE method.At the USDA-United States Department of Agriculture for ceding species Phaseolus vulgaris L. standards used in this studyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the maize (Zea mays L.) diversity on the Archipelago of Madeira

The variability of 43 open-pollinated populations of maize (Zea mays L.), representing a wide range of ecological conditions on the Archipelago of Madeira, was evaluated based on the morphological and reproductive traits. Individual data of 41 traits related to earliness, plant and tassel structure and the shape of the ear and grain were analysed using multivariate analysis. The populations belonging to two major maize varieties were grouped into four groups by their degree of dissimilarity, based on discriminant analysis. The dissimilarity of these groups was confirmed by the values of the Tukey test. The racial rank of these groups was proposed and a brief description of the maize landraces was presented. This work represents the first morphological characterization and analysis of diversity of maize germplasm for the Archipelago of Madeira where the traditional agricultural practices are still keeping this Portuguese region free from corn hybrids. The description of the Madeiran corn landraces allows us to preserve the existing corn biodiversity and could be used for their registration as conservation landraces or for conservation and breeding proposes worldwide.Portuguese Foundation for the Science and Technology (FCT, Fundac¸a˜o para a Cieˆncia e Tecnologia) has sponsored this work, through the Centre of Macaronesian Studies (CEM) and the project POCTI no35003/AGR/2001. The Authors are grateful to the Madeiran farmers who assisted with collection of maize samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genetic variability of high molecular weight glutenin subunits in bread wheat from continental Portugal, Madeira and Canary Islands

The genetic variability of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMWGS) composition at the Glu-1 loci in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was studied electrophoretically using the SDS–PAGE in 3,470 individuals representing 159 populations originated from the Canary Islands (Spain), the Archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) and the continental Portugal. A total of 25 alleles were detected, resulting in 69 different allele combinations. The geographical distribution of the high molecular weight glutenin alleles confirms historical data regarding circulation of wheat germplasm between the Iberian Peninsula and Madeira and between Madeira and the Canary Islands and vice versa.This research was supported by the European Community through the project AGRICOMAC and GERMOBANCO INTERREG III-B. We thank to Bank of Germplasm INIA (CRF, Alcala´ de Henares, Spain), to Maria Teresa Carvalho e Vasconcelos from Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Lisbon) and the National Small Grain Collection (Aberdeen, USA) for supplying the wheat accessions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A review of the genus Semele (Ruscaceae) systematics in Madeira

The present study attempts to review the systematics of Semele (Ruscaceae) in Madeira, based on phenotypic diversity. The variation in some vegetative (climbing shoot, second-order branches or ‘phylloclades’) and sexual (inflorescence and flowers) characters was analysed in 115 plant specimens from 30 field populations, herbaria of the Costa collection and Madeira Botanical Garden (MADJ) and certain gardens. Thirty-one quantitative and qualitative characters have been utilized in the analysis. Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) analysis indicates adequate sampling. Principal component analysis (PCA) reveals that the spatial distribution of individuals has a discontinuous behaviour. Principal coordinate analysis (PCO) utilizing the Gower coefficient on standardized data revealed a significantly discontinuous distribution of individuals, such that two different clusters can be defined. The Student’s t-test and Tukey test on separate characters, when individuals were classified according to the Costa classification, confirms the significant differences between grouping accessions. This leads to the recognition of two species within the genus in Madeira. Literature and herbarium studies show that these two taxa are conspecific with Semele androgyna (L.) Kunth sensu stricto (s.s.) and Semele menezesi Costa sensu lato (s.l.). A separated statistical analysis of the S. androgyna cluster shows the possible existence of additional subgroups. Based on field population distribution, ecological behaviour and variation in features, we propose the recognition of two species, S. androgyna (L.) Kunth and S. menezesi (Costa) Pinheiro de Carvalho, and two subspecies S. androgyna (L.) Kunth androgyna Pinheiro de Carvalho and S. androgyna (L.) Kunth pterygophora Pinheiro de Carvalho.The authors are grateful to Mr Francisco Fernandes, Madeira Botanical Garden, Priest Nóbrega and Mr Rogério Correia for help in the monitoring of plant populations and fieldwork and to Dr Grahm Queen curator of MADM herbarium for access to the Costa herbarium collection. This work has been financially supported by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) and PRAXIS XXI, through the CEM (Centre for Macaronesian Studies) and CRUP (Dean Council of Portuguese University)/British Council.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Origem fitogeográfica de feijões da Madeira com base em perfis de faseolina

The objective of this work was to determine the geographic origin of the Madeiran common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) gene pool. Phaseolin patterns of 50 accessions representing the diversity of common bean collected in Madeira, Portugal, and conserved in the ISOPlexis Germplasm Bank, were analysed using the Experion automated electrophoresis system, based on lab-on-a-chip technology. Five common bean standard varieties with typical phaseolin patterns were used to determine the phytogeographical origin of the Madeiran common bean accessions. Ninety two percent of the accessions exhibited a phaseolin pattern consistent with the one of common bean types belonging to the Andean gene pool, while the origin of the remaining 8% of the accessions was indistinguishable. The application of a similarity coefficient of 85%, based on Pearson correlations, increases the number of accessions with uncertain pattern. The analytical approach used permitted the determination of the origin of the common bean gene pool, which is Andean in 98% of the cases, and clustering of the observed variability among the Madeiran common beans.O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a origem geográfica do "pool" genético do feijoeiro-comum (Phaseolus vulgaris) da ilha da Madeira, Portugal. Os perfis de faseolinas de 50 acessos que representam a diversidade do feijoeiro-comum coletados na ilha da Madeira, conservados no banco de germoplasma ISOPlexis, foram analisados por meio do sistema de eletroforese automática Experion, baseado na tecnologia "lab-on-a-chip". Cinco variedades padrão de feijoeiro, com perfis típicos de faseolina, foram usadas para determinar a origem fitogeográfica dos acessos de feijoeiro-comum da ilha da Madeira. Noventa e dois por cento dos acessos exibiram um perfil consistente com o dos tipos pertencentes ao "pool" genético Andino, enquanto não foi possível determinar a origem de 8% dos acessos restantes. A aplicação de um coeficiente de similaridade de 85%, com base em correlações de Pearson, aumentou o número de acessos com perfil incerto. A abordagem analítica utilizada permitiu determinar a origem andina do "pool" genético em 98% dos casos, e o agrupamento da variabilidade observada entre os feijões da Madeira

Phytogeographical origin of Madeiran common beans based on phaseolin patterns

The objective of this work was to determine the geographic origin of the Madeiran common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) gene pool. Phaseolin patterns of 50 accessions representing the diversity of common bean collected in Madeira, Portugal, and conserved in the ISOPlexis Germplasm Bank, were analysed using the Experion automated electrophoresis system, based on lab-on-a-chip technology. Five common bean standard varieties with typical phaseolin patterns were used to determine the phytogeographical origin of the Madeiran common bean accessions. Ninety two percent of the accessions exhibited a phaseolin pattern consistent with the one of common bean types belonging to the Andean gene pool, while the origin of the remaining 8% of the accessions was indistinguishable. The application of a similarity coefficient of 85%, based on Pearson correlations, increases the number of accessions with uncertain pattern. The analytical approach used permitted the determination of the origin of the common bean gene pool, which is Andean in 98% of the cases, and clustering of the observed variability among the Madeiran common beans

Encapsulation with Natural Polymers to Improve the Properties of Biostimulants in Agriculture

Encapsulation in agriculture today is practically focused on agrochemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers to enhance the protective or nutritive aspects of the entrapped active ingredients. However, one of the most promising and environmentally friendly technologies, biostimulants, is hardly explored in this field. Encapsulation of biostimulants could indeed be an excellent means of counteracting the problems posed by their nature: they are easily biodegradable, and most of them run off through the soil, losing most of the compounds, thus becoming inaccessible to plants. In this respect, encapsulation seems to be a practical and profitable way to increase the stability and durability of biostimulants under field conditions. This review paper aims to provide researchers working on plant biostimulants with a quick overview of how to get started with encapsulation. Here we describe different techniques and offer protocols and suggestions for introduction to polymer science to improve the properties of biostimulants for future agricultural applications