Inheritance of determinants of flower colour in tetraploid roses

The choice of selection breeding for crop improvement in cut roses requires a better understanding of biological mechanisms and knowledge of the inheritance of the major target traits which can lead to new or improved screening methods. Colour is still the most important trait in cut roses. A tetraploid mapping population will be characterized for flower colour, by using colour charts such as the official chart of the Royal Horticultural Society, and additionally, by image analysis and measuring reflectance using a spectrocolorimeter. The genetics of flower colour will be studied. In addition, flower petals of all genotypes will be analysed by HPLC to characterize secondary metabolic components that determine flower colour, such as anthocyanins. The inheritance of these components will also be assessed and compared to that of flower colour. Preliminary results show that the most effective method to quantify colour is by HPLC analysis of the extracted anthocyanins. The highest pelargonidin concentrations occur at relatively low cyanidin concentrations. Absorbance and reflectance measurements illustrate the accumulated effect of all the individual antho¬cyanins present in the peta

Specific mapping of disease resistance genes in tetraploid cut roses

Control of fungal diseases is a major constraint of cut-rose cultivation in greenhouses and in transportation around the world. Therefore, development of resistant cultivars is a promising way to reduce the use of chemicals required for controlling the diseases. Genetic analyses and breeding for resistance, however, are hampered by the high degree of heterozygosity and the polyploid nature of cultivated roses. Nucleotide-binding site (NBS) profiling of Van der Linden et al. (2004) was used as a tool enabling a more directed way of studying the genetics of resistance to pathogens responsible for diseases such as powdery mildew. NBS profiling is a multiplex screening technique, producing amplified resistance gene (R-gene) and resistance gene analogue (RGA) fragments by using degenerated primers based on the conserved motifs present in the NBS domain of resistance genes. Since RGAs are abundantly distributed and highly polymorphic within the plant genome, NBS profiling generates multiple markers of putative resistance genes. Twelve NBS degenerated primer/ restriction enzyme combinations were used to genotype the whole rose tetraploid K5 population (Yan, 2005) and its parents. To generate RGA profiles, the restriction enzymes: AluI, HaeIII, Mse and RsaI were used in combination with degenerated primers NBS1, NBS3, and NBS5a6. The profiles were dominantly scored resulting in 106 polymorphic RGA markers which segregated in a 1:1 or 3:1 ratio. Uni-and bi-parental simplex markers will be mapped on the two available AFLP/SSR K5 maps (Yan, 2005) with Joinmap 4.0. The resulting parental tetraploid maps will be used to dissect the genetic variation for resistance to powdery mildew resistance. Additional Rosaceae SSRs mentioned in the literature are currently tested on the K5 population to obtain allelic bridges between the tetraploid and diploid genetic maps in rose and related species in order to align them. These bridges will improve cross-ploidy comparisons in roses in order to strengthen cut rose breedin

The mode of inheritance in tetraploid cut roses

Tetraploid hybrid tea roses (Rosa hybrida) represent most of the commercial cultivars of cut roses and form the basis for breeding programmes. Due to intensive interspecific hybridizations, modern cut roses are complex tetraploids for which the mode of inheritance is not exactly known. The segregation patterns of molecular markers in a tetraploid mapping population of 184 genotypes, an F1 progeny from a cross of two heterozygous parents, were investigated for disomic and tetrasomic inheritance. The possible occurrence of double reduction was studied as well. We can exclude disomic inheritance, but while our observations are more in line with a tetrasomic inheritance, we cannot exclude that there is a mixture of both inheritance modes. Two novel parental tetraploid linkage maps were constructed using markers known from literature, combined with newly generated markers. Comparison with the integrated consensus diploid map (ICM) of Spiller et al. (Theor Appl Genet 122:489–500, 2010) allowed assigning numbers to each of the linkage groups of both maps and including small linkage groups. So far, the possibility of using marker-assisted selection in breeding of tetraploid cut roses and of other species with a tetrasomic or partly tetrasomic inheritance, is still limited due to the difficulties in establishing marker-trait associations. We used these tetraploid linkage maps to determine associations between markers, two morphological traits and powdery mildew resistance. The knowledge on inheritance and marker-trait associations in tetraploid cut roses will be of direct use to cut rose breeding

Rosa

Presently, about 100–250 species are usually recognized in the genus Rosa. The low levels of DNA sequence divergence found across the genus suggest that it is a young genus with much speciation taking place after the last glaciation. Poor phylogenetic resolution and commonly occurring contradictions between chloroplast and nuclear gene phylogenies suggest that hybridization has been a strong driving force in the evolution of roses, often accompanied by polyploidization. In addition, extensive anthropogenic impact has led to the development of many new semi-wild and/or cultivated rose varieties. Some wild species have become invasive. This chapter describes the taxonomy of roses. It presents examples of interesting traits in wild species that may valuable to broaden the genetic base of cultivated roses, such as thornlessness, winter hardiness, drought resistance, and improved shelf-life. Also fragrance and compounds with possible health effects are discussed. The highest priority in rose breeding research is the development of disease resistant roses. Different resistance mechanisms have been found for black spot and powdery mildew in various wild rose species. We describe how resistance genes are being mapped using crosses between wild, diploid rose species, and how other genes for traits of interest are being identified. We proceed with a discussion of various ways to overcome the taxonomic and ploidy level barriers for introgression of traits into cultivated hybrid rose or garden rose germplasm, including dihaploidization, polyploidization, and transgenics. Even so, breeding programs with wild species are usually time-consuming. For garden roses, the genetic and morphological distance between modern cultivars and the wild species is smaller, which makes the use of wild species easier than in the case of cut roses

Avaliacao do contributo da expressao genética na tolerância à desidratacao em Rosa x hybrida coltivada em humidade relativa elevada

Cultivation of cut flowers with high postharvest longevity is of extreme importance for consumer’s satisfaction. A negative water balance is indicated as the most important factor reducing longevity. This problem is more severe in plants grown at high relative air humidity (i.e. RH > 85%) mainly due to a poor stomatal functioning associated to lower abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations, leading to higher water loss. In this paper it is analysed whether a sensitive cut rose cultivar to high RH show different gene expression related to ABA metabolism when grown at moderate (60%) or high (90%) RH. RNA was isolated from fully developed leaves, harvested 180 min after the beginning of the dark period (stomatal closing stimulus) and the relative gene expression was evaluated in genes involved in: biosynthesis (AAO3 and NCED1), oxidation (CYP707A1 and CYP707A3) and conjugation (UGT75B2) of ABA. The stomatal conductivity in the dark period was 5.6-fold higher in intact plants developed at high RH compared to moderate RH-grown plants, showing the reduced closure capacity of the stomata during darkness. After 4 h of leaflet desiccation, leaflets grown at high RH showed a relative water content (RWC) 69% lower than the moderate RH-grown leaflets, validating the sensitivity of K023 to high RH during growth. At last, from the five studied genes only the expression of CYP707A3 was significantly reduced by high RH, without significant differences found in the other genes. In conclusion, the sensitivity of the genotype K023 to high RH cannot be explained by the expression of the genes evaluated in this study, using leaves harvested 180 min after the beginning of the dark period (closing stimulus). We expect that after transferring the plants to the postharvest conditions, inducing water stress, a more contrasting gene expression among RH levels will appear

Genetic variation among Fusarium isolates from onion, and resistance to Fusarium basal rot in related Allium species

The aim of this research was to study levels of resistance to Fusarium basal rot in onion cultivars and related Allium species, by using genetically different Fusarium isolates. In order to select genetically different isolates for disease testing, a collection of 61 Fusarium isolates, 43 of them from onion (Allium cepa), was analysed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Onion isolates were collected in The Netherlands (15 isolates) and Uruguay (9 isolates), and received from other countries and fungal collections (19 isolates). From these isolates, 29 were identified as F. oxysporum, 10 as F. proliferatum, whereas the remaining four isolates belonged to F. avenaceum and F. culmorum. The taxonomic status of the species was confirmed by morphological examination, by DNA sequencing of the elongation factor 1-¿ gene, and by the use of species-specific primers for Fusarium oxysporum, F. proliferatum, and F. culmorum. Within F. oxysporum, isolates clustered in two clades suggesting different origins of F. oxysporum forms pathogenic to onion. These clades were present in each sampled region. Onion and six related Allium species were screened for resistance to Fusarium basal rot using one F. oxysporum isolate from each clade, and one F. proliferatum isolate. High levels of resistance to each isolate were found in Allium fistulosum and A. schoenoprasum accessions, whereas A. pskemense, A. roylei and A. galanthum showed intermediate levels of resistance. Among five A. cepa cultivars, `Rossa Savonese¿ was also intermediately resistant. Regarding the current feasibility for introgression, A. fistulosum, A. roylei and A. galanthum were identified as potential sources for the transfer of resistance to Fusarium into onion

The mode of inheritance in tetraploid cut roses

Tetraploid hybrid tea roses (Rosa hybrida) represent most of the commercial cultivars of cut roses and form the basis for breeding programmes. Due to intensive interspecific hybridizations, modern cut roses are complex tetraploids for which the mode of inheritance is not exactly known. The segregation patterns of molecular markers in a tetraploid mapping population of 184 genotypes, an F1 progeny from a cross of two heterozygous parents, were investigated for disomic and tetrasomic inheritance. The possible occurrence of double reduction was studied as well. We can exclude disomic inheritance, but while our observations are more in line with a tetrasomic inheritance, we cannot exclude that there is a mixture of both inheritance modes. Two novel parental tetraploid linkage maps were constructed using markers known from literature, combined with newly generated markers. Comparison with the integrated consensus diploid map (ICM) of Spiller et al. (Theor Appl Genet 122:489–500, 2010) allowed assigning numbers to each of the linkage groups of both maps and including small linkage groups. So far, the possibility of using marker-assisted selection in breeding of tetraploid cut roses and of other species with a tetrasomic or partly tetrasomic inheritance, is still limited due to the difficulties in establishing marker-trait associations. We used these tetraploid linkage maps to determine associations between markers, two morphological traits and powdery mildew resistance. The knowledge on inheritance and marker-trait associations in tetraploid cut roses will be of direct use to cut rose breeding