Phenotyping of a Nepali spring wheat (triticumaestivum, l.) diversity panel for physio-morphological traits associated with drought tolerance

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)Results of this study clearly show the possibility for identification of drought tolerant wheat varieties using a physiological approach of breeding. The poster illustrates correlation among the traits considered in the analysis; for instance there was a significant negative correlation between plant height and grain yield. Figures / images depict how genotypes differed significantly for plant height, grain yield and physiological traits such as: variation in leaf/stem waxiness; waxiness and leaf rolling; variation in spikes, lodging and plant height. Figure 1D shows the experimental field, and through photographs of plants, visually identifies these diverse traits

Sesamin alleviates defects in seizure, behavioral symptoms, and hippocampus electroencephalogram in a pentylenetetrazol rat model

Objective(s): Seizure is a prevalent disorder reflected by powerful and sudden activity of neural networks in the brain that leads to tonic-clonic attacks. These signs may be due to an increase in excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmitters ratio. So, the current experiment aimed to examine the seizure and neurobehavioral parameters, as well as the hippocampus local electroencephalogram (EEG) after seizure with and without sesamin pretreatment.   Materials and Methods: Sesamin (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg/5 ml, intraperitoneal or IP, vehicle: dimethyl sulfoxide or DMSO, for 3 days) was administrated before pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) (60 mg/kg/10 ml, IP, vehicle: saline), which induces acute seizure in adult male Wistar rats (230 ± 20 g, six weeks old). Different phases of seizures (score, latency, duration, and frequency), behavioral parameters (passive avoidance memory, anxiety, and locomotor activity), and hippocampus local EEG were evaluated after the injections. At the end of the experiments, oxidative stress markers plus gene expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B or PI3K/Akt mRNA were measured in the hippocampus.  Results: Pretreatment with sesamin (30 mg/kg) could significantly decrease seizure scores and oxidative stress in the hippocampus. PTZ injection induced EEG deficits and neurobehavioral impairments which were significantly decreased by sesamin, especially in Beta, Theta, and delta EEG waves.  Also, the expression of PI3K/Akt significantly increased in the sesamin (30 mg/kg) group in comparison with the PTZ group. Conclusion: Sesamin could prevent seizure attacks and neurobehavioral and EEG deficits induced by pentylenetetrazol, probably through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

A comparison of the molecular organization of genomic regions associated with resistance to common bacterial blight in two Phaseolus vulgaris genotypes

Resistance to common bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli, in Phaseolus vulgaris is conditioned by several loci on different chromosomes. Previous studies with OAC-Rex, a CBB-resistant, white bean variety of Mesoamerican origin, identified two resistance loci associated with the molecular markers Pv-CTT001 and SU91, on chromosome 4 and 8, respectively. Resistance to CBB is assumed to be derived from an interspecific cross with Phaseolus acutifolius in the pedigree of OAC-Rex. Our current whole genome sequencing effort with OAC-Rex provided the opportunity to compare its genome in the regions associated with CBB resistance with the v1.0 release of the P. vulgaris line G19833, which is a large seeded bean of Andean origin, and (assumed to be) CBB susceptible. In addition, the genomic regions containing SAP6, a marker associated with P. vulgaris-derived CBB-resistance on chromosome 10, were compared. These analyses indicated that gene content was highly conserved between G19833 and OAC-Rex across the regions examined ( \u3e 80%). However, fifty-nine genes unique to OAC Rex were identified, with resistance gene homologues making up the largest category (10 genes identified). Two unique genes in OAC-Rex located within the SU91 resistance QTL have homology to P. acutifolius ESTs and may be potential sources of CBB resistance. As the genomic sequence assembly of OAC-Rex is completed, we expect that further comparisons between it and the G19833 genome will lead to a greater understanding of CBB resistance in bean

Identification of Fusarium head blight sources of resistance and associated QTLs in historical and modern Canadian spring wheat

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one the most globally destructive fungal diseases in wheat and other small grains, causing a reduction in grain yield by 10–70%. The present study was conducted in a panel of historical and modern Canadian spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties and lines to identify new sources of FHB resistance and map associated quantitative trait loci (QTLs). We evaluated 249 varieties and lines for reaction to disease incidence, severity, and visual rating index (VRI) in seven environments by artificially spraying a mixture of four Fusarium graminearum isolates. A subset of 198 them were genotyped with the Wheat 90K iSelect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) array. Genome-wide association mapping performed on the overall best linear unbiased estimators (BLUE) computed from all seven environments and the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) RefSeq v2.0 physical map of 26,449 polymorphic SNPs out of the 90K identified sixteen FHB resistance QTLs that individually accounted for 5.7–10.2% of the phenotypic variance. The positions of two of the FHB resistance QTLs overlapped with plant height and flowering time QTLs. Four of the QTLs (QFhb.dms-3B.1, QFhb.dms-5A.5, QFhb.dms-5A.7, and QFhb.dms-6A.4) were simultaneously associated with disease incidence, severity, and VRI, which accounted for 27.0–33.2% of the total phenotypic variance in the combined environments. Three of the QTLs (QFhb.dms-2A.2, QFhb.dms-2D.2, and QFhb.dms-5B.8) were associated with both incidence and VRI and accounted for 20.5–22.1% of the total phenotypic variance. In comparison with the VRI of the checks, we identified four highly resistant and thirty-three moderately resistant lines and varieties. The new FHB sources of resistance and the physical map of the associated QTLs would provide wheat breeders valuable information towards their efforts in developing improved varieties in western Canada

Economics of Genotypic Selection: The Role of Prediction Accuracy and Relative Genotyping Costs

We provide a general framework for quantifying the effects of genotypic selection prediction accuracy and varying cost ratios of phenotyping to genotyping on the economic performance of genotypic selection relative to traditional phenotypic selection. Economic performance is measured using normalized average cost per unit of genetic gain. The economic performance of genotypic selection declines with (1) trait heritability, (2) relative cost of genotyping, and (3) the number of QTL (genes) affecting the trait. The benefits of increasing the training population size tend to be higher for traits with low heritability and traits affected by a larger number of QTL. The economically optimal sizes of the training population tend to be larger than the sizes that are typically used in current plant breeding programs

Allelic variation of vernalization and photoperiod response genes in a diverse set of North American high latitude winter wheat genotypes.

The major physiological determinants of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) phenology in a given area are a response to vernalization temperature and day length, which are at least in part, regulated by the allelic variation at the vernalization (VRN) and photoperiod (PPD) loci, respectively. Characterization of the existing genetic variation for plant phenology in winter wheat can assist breeding programs improve adaptation to local environments and to optimize wheat phenology for the changing climate. The objectives of this research were to characterize the allelic variation at the major VRN and PPD loci in a diverse panel of high latitude winter wheat genotypes (n = 203) and to associate the allelic variation with phenologic, agronomic and adaptation traits. The panel was genotyped using allele-specific markers at vernalization (VRN-A1, VRN-B1, VRN-D1 and VRN-B3) and photoperiod (PPD-A1, PPD-B1, and PPD-D1) loci and phenotyped for agronomically-important traits. Though photoperiod sensitivity was more prevalent, most of the variation in the phenology of the winter wheat panel was explained by allelic variation at PPD-D1, PPD-A1, and the interaction between these loci. While a typical high latitude winter wheat genotype is one that carries winter alleles at all major VRN loci and photoperiod sensitive alleles at the major PPD loci, in lower latitudes where winters are milder, the presence of one or two photoperiod insensitive alleles seems to contribute to higher yield and wider adaptation

The effect of educational intervention on weight loss in adolescents with overweight and obesity: Application of the theory of planned behavior

BACKGROUND: The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is associated with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) efficiently explains the ability of perceived behavioral control and possibly attitude to enhance the motivations of the obese people to lose weight. Our aim was to investigate the effect of TPB-based education on weight loss in obese and overweight adolescents. METHODS: In an interventional study, simple random sampling was used to select 86 overweight and obese adolescents aged 13-18 years in the pediatric clinic at the Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute. Anthropometric measures and TPB constructs were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaires were filled out before and six weeks after the intervention. Participants received 5 sessions of training based on the constructs of the TPB. RESULTS: A significant increase was observed in the mean score for knowledge and TPB constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intention, and behavior) six weeks after the educational intervention (P &lt; 0.001). Moreover, significant decrease in body mass index (P &lt; 0.001), weight (P = 0.001), and waist circumference (P &lt; 0.001) of adolescents were found after the educational intervention. CONCLUSION: The TPB-based interventions seem to be effective in losing weight in obese and overweight adolescents. This theory serves as a helpful theoretical framework for health-related behaviors and can be an appropriate pattern to plan for educational interventions. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p

Zealand hard red spring wheat

Zealand hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed using a modified bulk breeding method at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Zealand is apically awn-letted, hollow-stemmed cultivar with a combination of high yield potential, tall plant type, large leaves and early maturity. In three years of testing in the Western Bread Wheat Cooperative Registration Test during 2013-15, Zealand exhibited grain yield similar to Glenn and Carberry, and 5-6% lower than Unity and AAC Viewfield, though this difference was not significant (P > 0.05). Zealand yielded 37 % greater than the highest yielding CWRS check cultivar CDC Osler in A-level testing at a certified organic farm. Zealand matured 1-4 days earlier than the check cultivars, and was taller than all checks but exhibited lodging resistance better than Unity and similar to the other checks. Test weight of Zealand (79.1 kg hL-1) was lower than Glenn and similar to the other checks, while seed mass was in the range of the check cultivars. Overall, Zealand was rated resistant (R) to the prevalent races of leaf rust , moderately resistant (MR) to stripe rust and loose smut; intermediate (I) to stem rust and leaf spot, and moderately susceptible (MS) to common bunt and Fusarium head blight. Three years of end-use quality evaluation indicated that Zealand is acceptable for the Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) class, with relatively few weaknesses. The tall plant type, large leaves and early maturity render Zealand suitable for organic / high weed environments.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author