Participatory Barley Variety Selection and Farmers’ Selection Criteria in the Bale Highlands of Southeastern Ethiopia

The aim of the study was to identify farmers’ selection criteria, preferences and generate baseline information on the importance of participatory  barley breeding in Southeastern part of Ethiopia. The experiment was  conducted in non-replicated plots at each location on plot size of 16m2 in 2007 Bona and on 25m2 in 2008 Ganna and Bona cropping seasons. Yield data was taken in kg plot-1 and converted in to t ha-1 .Selection criteria was set together with farmers; and ranked by farmers and breeders. Farmers and breeders made visual score of each plot on 1-5 scale beside variety selection. Some farmers were supported by the staff in case of datarecording problem. The result showed that grain yield, disease resistance, effective tillers, early maturity and kernel size (plumpness) were among the most important selection criteria commonly used farmers. While, breeders preferred high yielding variety with insect and disease resistant and early maturing types. And farmers were able to identify the higher yielding barley varieties as breeders. Varieties such as Guta, Dinsho, Biftu and Abdane were selected as the best varieties preferred by most of the local farmers across locations except at Hora Soba (Upper Dinsho) site. Shage, Dimtu varieties and 27th IBON 73/99 (semi-dwarf advanced line) were preferred by the Hora Soba local farmers. Thus, attention should be given to seed multiplication and dissemination of barley varieties which have been highly preferred by the local farmers. It is important to consider farmers preferences in crop improvement to improve the adoption of  agricultural technologies which ultimately have significant contribution in production and productivity

RAPD markers in wild and cultivated Vitis vinifera

Some Vitis vinifera cultivars and V. vinifera ssp. silvestris individuals have been subjected to the RAPD analysis in order to estimate the genetic diversity existing within this germplasm. 44 decamer primers of arbitrary sequence have been used for PCR and reproducible band profiles have been obtained. The distribution of the individualized polymorphic DNA markers has not turned out to be different in a remarkable way between cultivated and wild grapevines but this RAPD approach provides for some characteristics useful to analyze genetic relationships even within the Vitis vinifera species

In vitro screening of interspecific hybrids (Malus spp.) for resistance to apple proliferation

A breeding programme was set up six years ago in Trentino as part of the Project “Scopazzi del Melo - Apple Proliferation” (SMAP) in order to obtain AP resistant apple rootstocks.Twenty-six hybrids generated from the crossings (Malus sieboldii, second generation, x Malus domestica) were micropropagated and studied in standardised conditions. An in vitro screening system for AP resistance previously set for the parents of the crosses was adopted and modified. Specific symptoms of the disease, as well as height and basal proliferation of the shoot and size of the leaves, were recorded in vitro at 3 months post-inoculation. At the same time, phytoplasma concentration was determined in the whole shoot by quantitative RT-PCR. An in vitro disease index taking into account all the above-mentioned parameters was developed.Each healthy genotype was graft-inoculated in triplicate with two different phytoplasma strains after plant rooting and acclimatisation. Phenotype and phytoplasma titre were evaluated in the roots the year after infection.Preliminary results indicated that the resistance trait segregates in the progenies. The resistant genotypes had lower phytoplasma concentrations than the susceptible controls, did not show AP-specific symptoms and their growth was not affected by infection. By comparing the resistant behaviour of the same genotypes, the in vitro screening allows for a quick selection of genotypes that are worth evaluating in the field for agronomic traits.Keywords: Apple Proliferation, Malus sieboldii, resistance screening, quantitative real-time PCR, disease inde

Genetic relationships among local Vitis vinifera cultivars from Campania (Italy)

A total of 114 accessions putatively corresponding to 69 local grape cultivars from Campania (Southern Italy) were analysed with 8 microsatellite markers (VVS2, VVMD5, VVMD7, VVMD25, VVMD27, VVMD31, VrZAG62 and VrZAG79) in order to evaluate their genetic diversity and relationships. According to their unique genotype at SSR loci finally 56 varieties were found. Interesting cases of synonymy, i.e. Greco di Tufo and Asprinio, Palummina and Piedirosso, and homonymy were disclosed. Pairwise genetic distances were calculated between all cultivars. Clustering of cultivars did not reflect their current distribution and this suggests that grape cultivars of Campania might have been introduced from various and distinct geographic areas

Patterns of genetic diversity and linkage disequilibrium in a highly structured Hordeum vulgare association-mapping population for the Mediterranean basin

Population structure and genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) were investigated in 192 Hordeum vulgare accessions providing a comprehensive coverage of past and present barley breeding in the Mediterranean basin, using 50 nuclear microsatellite and 1,130 DArT® markers. Both clustering and principal coordinate analyses clearly sub-divided the sample into five distinct groups centred on key ancestors and regions of origin of the germplasm. For given genetic distances, large variation in LD values was observed, ranging from closely linked markers completely at equilibrium to marker pairs at 50 cM separation still showing significant LD. Mean LD values across the whole population sample decayed below r 2 of 0.15 after 3.2 cM. By assaying 1,130 genome-wide DArT® markers, we demonstrated that, after accounting for population substructure, current genome coverage of 1 marker per 1.5 cM except for chromosome 4H with 1 marker per 3.62 cM is sufficient for whole genome association scans. We show, by identifying associations with powdery mildew that map in genomic regions known to have resistance loci, that associations can be detected in strongly stratified samples provided population structure is effectively controlled in the analysis. The population we describe is, therefore, shown to be a valuable resource, which can be used in basic and applied research in barle

The parentage of 'Sangiovese', the most important Italian wine grape

A previous microsatellite study pointed out a possible parent-offspring relationship between 'Sangiovese', the most widespread red grape cultivar in Italy, and 'Ciliegiolo', an ancient Tuscan variety. Testing 'Sangiovese' as a parent of 'Ciliegiolo', we searched for the putative other parent in our extensive, private and standardized database, but we did not find any candidate. Testing 'Ciliegiolo' as a parent of 'Sangiovese', we found four candidate cultivars. After the analysis of 50 microsatellites, only one stood the paternity test and we established with a strong statistical support that 'Sangiovese' is a progeny of 'Ciliegiolo' and 'Calabrese di Montenuovo', an obscure grapevine from Campania, Italy. This cultivar does not have a registered name and is supposed to have been introduced from Calabria. Among 180 additional local grape cultivars from Calabria, Campania or Tuscany, we did not find any matching variety. As a consequence, we propose to adopt the name 'Calabrese di Montenuovo' for this grape cultivar. In addition, we found relatives of 'Sangiovese' and 'Calabrese di Montenuovo' in Calabria, thus strongly suggesting a Calabrian origin for 'Calabrese di Montenuovo' and indicating that 'Sangiovese' has ancestors and/or progenies in Tuscany and in Southern Italy.

Malting quality and genetic diversity in brazilian elite barley germplasm.

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State of the Knowledge for Gender in Breeding: Case Studies for Practitioners

Debates around gender-responsive agricultural research, particularly plant and animal breeding, invariably circulate around similar topics: the recognition that considering gender is important to developing varieties that lead to equitable benefits, coupled with questions around an evidence base that proves this point. Without convincing evidence—exemplified by case studies across commodities and countries—our arguments for gender-responsive research fall on deaf ears. This synthesis seeks to compile available cases from two workshops organized by the CGIAR Gender and Agriculture Research Network: “Gender, Breeding and Genomics” (18–21 October 2016) and “Innovation in Gender-Responsive Breeding” (5–7 October 2017). While by no means comprehensive, with these 10 cases we hope to emphasize the point that considering gender in breeding program design, working with women in the breeding process, and acting on these findings can have dramatic consequences on breeding programs. We begin the synthesis by setting the scene with a chapter reflecting on how taking gender into account matters for the success of plant or animal breeding programs with welfare or development goals and a focus on smallholders. This chapter illustrates how the use of a conceptual framework for gender analysis can help breeding programs make sense of gender-differentiated traits and tease out the likely impact of taking gender into account in program-level policies and strategies. The following case studies are structured around steps of a plant breeding cycle (see Figure 1.1), examining cases that consider gender in setting breeding priorities, selection, testing experimental varieties, and seed production and distribution. The cases cover a wide range of commodities: beans, cassava, forage grasses, poultry, maize, sorghum, matooke, barley, and groundnuts. Although cases mostly focus on sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi), we also present cases from China and Syria. What is particularly compelling about these cases is that they not only provide evidence that men and women have different trait preferences; access to resources; or opportunities to engage in production, processing, and marketing of diverse commodities. They also illustrate steps taken by breeding programs to address these issues. These steps range from incorporating “cooking time” as a must-have trait in bean breeding to creating opportunities for maize seed production and sale for women; from changing the structure of matooke breeding programs to add participatory processing for food quality, new breeding targets for adaptation, to nutrient poor soils in sorghum. These are powerful illustrations and positive examples that documenting differences is a means to an end—the real focus should be on change. The synthesis ends with a chapter drawing lessons from the case studies for future action aiming to integrate gender and gender analysis in breeding. We hope that these cases, together with the companion publications from the GBI on design principles1, gender and social targeting2, breeding decisions3, and uptake pathways4, compel and challenge breeding programs to become truly gender responsive

Global millets improvement and its relevance to India and developing world

Sorghum and millets are the important food and fodder crops predominantly in semi-arid regionsaregaining importance in a woridthat is increasingly becoming populous, malnourished and facing large climatic uncertainties. These crops are adapted to range of temperatures, moisture- regimes and input conditions supplying food and feed to millions of dryland farmers, particularly in the developing world. Besides they also form important raw material for potable alcohol and starch production in industrialized countries. Among these crops, sorghum is the world's fifth most important cereal, in terms of both production and area planted. Millet, a general category for several species of small-grained cereal crops, is the world's seventh most important cereal grain (FAO, 1995). Roughly 90 percent of the world's sorghum area and 95 percent of the world's millet area lie in the developing countries, mainly in Africa and Asia (Table 1). These crops are primarily grown in agro-ecologies subjected to low rainfall and drought. Most such areas are unsuitable for the production of other grains unless irrigation is available. Sorghum is widely grown both for food and as a feed grain, while millet is produced almost entirely for food. These crops are also moving to new niches like rice-fallow sorghums in India..

Mapping adaptation of barley to droughted environments

Identifying barley genomic regions influencing the response of yield and its components to water deficits will aid in our understanding of the genetics of drought tolerance and the development of more drought tolerant cultivars. We assembled a population of 192 genotypes that represented landraces, old, and contemporary cultivars sampling key regions around the Mediterranean basin and the rest of Europe. The population was genotyped with a stratified set of 50 genomic and EST derived molecular markers, 49 of which were Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs), which revealed an underlying population sub-structure that corresponded closely to the geographic regions in which the genotypes were grown. A more dense whole genome scan was generated by using Diversity Array Technology (DArT®) to generate 1130 biallelic markers for the population. The population was grown at two contrasting sites in each of seven Mediterranean countries for harvest 2004 and 2005 and grain yield data collected. Mean yield levels ranged from 0.3 to 6.2 t/ha, with highly significant genetic variation in low-yielding environments. Associations of yield with barley genomic regions were then detected by combining the DArT marker data with the yield data in mixed model analyses for the individual trials, followed by multiple regression of yield on markers to identify a multi-locus subset of significant markers/QTLs. QTLs exhibiting a pre-defined consistency across environments were detected in bins 4, 6, 6 and 7 on barley chromosomes 3H, 4H, 5H and 7H respectivel