Mapping of QTLs for lateral and axile root growth of tropical maize

Maize genotypes may adapt to dry environments by avoiding desiccation by means of a deeper root system or by maintaining growth and water extraction at low water potentials. The aim of this study was to determine the quantitative genetic control of root growth and root morphology in a population of 236 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from the cross between CML444 (high-yielding)×SC-Malawi (low-yielding), which segregates for the response to drought stress at flowering. The RILs and the parental lines were grown on blotting paper in growth pouches until the two-leaf stage under non-stressed conditions; the parents were additionally exposed to desiccation stress induced by polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 8000 Dalton (PEG-8000). The lengths of axile and lateral roots were measured non-destructively at 2, 5, 7 and 9days after germination, by scanning with an A4 scanner followed by digital image analysis. CML444 had a lower rate constant of lateral root elongation (kLat) than SC-Malawi, but the two genotypes did not differ in their response to desiccation. QTLs affecting root vigor, as depicted by increments in kLat, the elongation rate of axile roots (ERAx) and the number of axile roots (NoAx) were identified in bins 2.04 and 2.05. QTLs for NoAx and ERAx collocated with QTLs for yield parameters in bins 1.03-1.04 and 7.03-04. The correspondence of QTLs for axile root traits in bins 1.02-1.03 and 1.08 and QTLs for lateral roots traits in bins 2.04-2.07 in several mapping populations suggests the presence of genes controlling root growth in a wide range of genetic background

Planarizing cytosine: The S 1 state structure, vibrations, and nonradiative dynamics of jet-cooled 5,6-trimethylenecytosine

We measure theS0→S1spectrum and time-resolvedS1state nonradiative dynamics of the “clamped”cytosine derivative 5,6-trimethylenecytosine (TMCyt) in a supersonic jet, using two-color resonanttwo-photon ionization (R2PI), UV/UV holeburning, and ns time-resolved pump/delayed ionization.The experiments are complemented with spin-component scaled second-order approximate cou-pled cluster (SCS-CC2), time-dependent density functional theory, and multi-state second-orderperturbation-theory (MS-CASPT2)ab initiocalculations. While the R2PI spectrum of cytosine breaksoff∼500 cm1above its 000band, that of TMCyt extends up to +4400 cm1higher, with over a hun-dred resolved vibronic bands. Thus, clamping the cytosine C5–C6bond allows us to explore theS1state vibrations andS0→S1geometry changes in detail. The TMCytS1state out-of-plane vibra-tionsν′1,ν′3, andν′5lie below 420 cm1, and the in-planeν′11,ν′12, andν′23vibrational fundamentalsappear at 450, 470, and 944 cm1.S0→S1vibronic simulations based on SCS-CC2 calculationsagree well with experiment if the calculatedν′1,ν′3, andν′5frequencies are reduced by a factorof 2–3. MS-CASPT2 calculations predict that the ethylene-typeS1S0conical intersection (CI)increases from +366 cm1in cytosine to>6000 cm1in TMCyt, explaining the long lifetime andextendedS0→S1spectrum. The lowest-energyS1S0CI of TMCyt is the “amino out-of-plane”(OPX) intersection, calculated at +4190 cm1. The experimentalS1S0internal conversion rateconstant at theS1(v′=0) level iskIC=0.98–2.2·108s1, which is∼10 times smaller than in1-methylcytosine and cytosine. TheS1(v′=0) level relaxes into theT1(3ππ∗) state by intersystemcrossing withkISC=0.41–1.6·108s1. TheT1state energy is measured to lie 24 580±560 cm1above theS0state. TheS1(v′=0) lifetime isτ=2.9 ns, resulting in an estimated fluorescencequantum yield ofΦfl=24%. Intense two-color R2PI spectra of the TMCyt amino-enol tautomersappear above 36 000 cm1. A sharpS1ionization threshold is observed for amino-keto TMCyt,yielding an adiabatic ionization energy of 8.114±0.002 eV

Molecular mapping across three populations reveals a QTL hotspot region on chromosome 3 for secondary traits associated with drought tolerance in tropical maize

Identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) of sizeable effects that are expressed in diverse genetic backgrounds across contrasting water regimes particularly for secondary traits can significantly complement the conventional drought tolerance breeding efforts. We evaluated three tropical maize biparental populations under water-stressed and well-watered regimes for drought-related morpho-physiological traits, such as anthesis-silking interval (ASI), ears per plant (EPP), stay-green (SG) and plant-to-ear height ratio (PEH). In general, drought stress reduced the genetic variance of grain yield (GY), while that of morpho-physiological traits remained stable or even increased under drought conditions. We detected consistent genomic regions across different genetic backgrounds that could be target regions for marker-assisted introgression for drought tolerance in maize. A total of 203 QTL for ASI, EPP, SG and PEH were identified under both the water regimes. Meta-QTL analysis across the three populations identified six constitutive genomic regions with a minimum of two overlapping traits. Clusters of QTL were observed on chromosomes 1.06, 3.06, 4.09, 5.05, 7.03 and 10.04/06. Interestingly, a ~8-Mb region delimited in 3.06 harboured QTL for most of the morpho-physiological traits considered in the current study. This region contained two important candidate genes viz., zmm16 (MADS-domain transcription factor) and psbs1 (photosystem II unit) that are responsible for reproductive organ development and photosynthate accumulation, respectively. The genomic regions identified in this study partially explained the association of secondary traits with GY. Flanking single nucleotide polymorphism markers reported herein may be useful in marker-assisted introgression of drought tolerance in tropical maize

Phenotypic assessment of genetic gain from selection for improved drought tolerance in semi-tropical maize populations

Most maize production across the globe is rain-fed, and production is set to be negatively impacted as duration and occurrence of droughts increases due to climate change. Development of water-deficit tolerant maize germplasm has been a major focus for most breeding programmes. Here, we sought to assess the genetic gain for grain yield in two maize populations developed for drought tolerance at CIMMYT by evaluating their cycle progeny through hybrid performance. Inbreds derived from different cycles of the Drought Tolerant Population (DTP) and La Posta Sequia (LPS) were mated to a tester (CML550), and resulting hybrids were evaluated under managed water-deficit stress and well-watered conditions. The difference in yield between water-deficit and well-watered treatments was 27% and 36% for the DTP and LPS, respectively. Genetic gain for grain yield across cycles for the two populations was confirmed in the study. Genetic gain was observed for both treatments indicating that selection for water-deficit stress tolerance simultaneously improves grain yield in well-watered conditions. The DTP population had a genetic gain of 0.07 t ha−1 cycle−1, while the LPS had 0.16 t ha−1 cycle−1 under water-deficit conditions. Significant genetic gain was also observed in the well-watered treatments for both populations. Anthesis to silking interval was significantly reduced under water-deficit stress conditions in both populations. Plant and ear height were reduced in the LPS population in both treatments, while no reductions were observed for the trait in the DTP population. Potential water-deficit stress tolerance donor lines with yields comparable to commercial check varieties were identified

Last phase of the Little Ice Age forced by volcanic eruptions

During the first half of the nineteenth century, several large tropical volcanic eruptions occurred within less than three decades. The global climate effects of the 1815 Tambora eruption have been investigated, but those of an eruption in 1808 or 1809 whose source is unknown and the eruptions in the 1820s and 1830s have received less attention. Here we analyse the effect of the sequence of eruptions in observations, global three-dimensional climate field reconstructions and coupled climate model simulations. All the eruptions were followed by substantial drops of summer temperature over the Northern Hemisphere land areas. In addition to the direct radiative effect, which lasts 2–3 years, the simulated ocean–atmosphere heat exchange sustained cooling for several years after these eruptions, which affected the slow components of the climate system. Africa was hit by two decades of drought, global monsoons weakened and the tracks of low-pressure systems over the North Atlantic moved south. The low temperatures and increased precipitation in Europe triggered the last phase of the advance of Alpine glaciers. Only after the 1850s did the transition into the period of anthropogenic warming start. We conclude that the end of the Little Ice Age was marked by the recovery from a sequence of volcanic eruptions, which makes it difficult to define a single pre-industrial baseline

The excited-state structure, vibrations, lifetimes, and nonradiative dynamics of jet-cooled 1-methylcytosine

We have investigated the S0 → S1 UV vibronic spectrum and time-resolved S1 state dynamics of jet-cooled amino-keto 1-methylcytosine (1MCyt) using two-color resonant two-photon ionization, UV/UV holeburning and depletion spectroscopies, as well as nanosecond and picosecond timeresolved pump/delayed ionization measurements. The experimental study is complemented with spin-component-scaled second-order coupled-cluster and multistate complete active space second order perturbation ab initio calculations. Above the weak electronic origin of 1MCyt at 31 852 cm−1 about 20 intense vibronic bands are observed. These are interpreted as methyl group torsional transitions coupled to out-of-plane ring vibrations, in agreement with the methyl group rotation and out-of-plane distortions upon 1ππ∗ excitation predicted by the calculations. The methyl torsion and ν′1 (butterfly) vibrations are strongly coupled, in the S1 state. The S0 → S1 vibronic spectrum breaks off at a vibrational excess energy Eexc ∼ 500 cm−1, indicating that a barrier in front of the ethylene-type S1 S0 conical intersection is exceeded, which is calculated to lie at Eexc = 366 cm−1. The S1 S0 internal conversion rate constant increases from kIC = 2 · 109 s−1 near the S1(v = 0) level to 1 · 1011 s−1 at Eexc = 516 cm−1. The 1ππ∗ state of 1MCyt also relaxes into the lower-lying triplet T1 (3ππ∗) state by intersystem crossing (ISC); the calculated spin-orbit coupling (SOC) value is 2.4 cm−1. The ISC rate constant is 10–100 times lower than kIC; it increases from kISC = 2 · 108 s−1 near S1(v = 0) to kISC = 2 · 109 s−1 at Eexc = 516 cm−1. The T1 state energy is determined from the onset of the time-delayed photoionization efficiency curve as 25 600 ± 500 cm−1. The T2 (3nπ∗) state lies >1500 cm−1 above S1(v = 0), so S1 T2 ISC cannot occur, despite the large SOC parameter of 10.6 cm−1. An upper limit to the adiabatic ionization energy of 1MCyt is determined as 8.41 ± 0.02 eV. Compared to cytosine, methyl substitution at N1 lowers the adiabatic ionization energy by ≥0.32 eV and leads to a much higher density of vibronic bands in the S0 → S1 spectrum. The effect of methylation on the radiationless decay to S0 and ISC to T1 is small, as shown by the similar break-off of the spectrum and the similar computed mechanismsThis research has been supported by the Schweiz. Nationalfonds (Grant Nos. 121993 and 132540), the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) from Catalonia (Spain) (Grant No. 2014SGR1202), the Ministerio de Economía y Competividad (MINECO) from Spain (Grant No. CTQ2015-69363-P), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21303007

Gas-Phase Cytosine and Cytosine-N 1 -Derivatives Have 0.1–1 ns Lifetimes Near the S 1 State Minimum

Ultraviolet radiative damage to DNA is inefficient because of the ultrafast S1 ⇝ S0 internal conversion of its nucleobases. Using picosecond pump–ionization delay measurements, we find that the S1(1ππ*) state vibrationless lifetime of gas-phase keto-amino cytosine (Cyt) is τ = 730 ps or ∼700 times longer than that measured by femtosecond pump–probe ionization at higher vibrational excess energy, Eexc. N1-Alkylation increases the S1 lifetime up to τ = 1030 ps for N1-ethyl-Cyt but decreases it to 100 ps for N1-isopropyl-Cyt. Increasing the vibrational energy to Eexc = 300–550 cm–1 decreases the lifetimes to 20–30 ps. The nonradiative dynamics of S1 cytosine is not solely a property of the amino-pyrimidinone chromophore but is strongly influenced by the N1-substituent. Correlated excited-state calculations predict that the gap between the S2(1nOπ*) and S1(1ππ*) states decreases along the series of N1-derivatives, thereby influencing the S1 state lifetime

The elusive S2 state, the S1/S2 splitting, and the excimer states of the benzene dimer

We observe the weak S 0 → S 2 transitions of the T-shaped benzene dimers (Bz)2 and (Bz-d 6)2 about 250 cm−1 and 220 cm−1 above their respective S 0 → S 1 electronic origins using two-color resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy. Spin-component scaled (SCS) second-order approximate coupled-cluster (CC2) calculations predict that for the tipped T-shaped geometry, the S 0 → S 2 electronic oscillator strength f el (S 2) is ∼10 times smaller than f el (S 1) and the S 2 state lies ∼240 cm−1 above S 1, in excellent agreement with experiment. The S 0 → S 1 (ππ ∗) transition is mainly localized on the “stem” benzene, with a minor stem → cap charge-transfer contribution; the S 0 → S 2 transition is mainly localized on the “cap” benzene. The orbitals, electronic oscillator strengths f el (S 1) and f el (S 2), and transition frequencies depend strongly on the tipping angle ω between the two Bz moieties. The SCS-CC2 calculated S 1 and S 2 excitation energies at different T-shaped, stacked-parallel and parallel-displaced stationary points of the (Bz)2 ground-state surface allow to construct approximate S 1 and S 2 potential energy surfaces and reveal their relation to the “excimer” states at the stacked-parallel geometry. The f el (S 1) and f el (S 2) transition dipole moments at the C 2v -symmetric T-shape, parallel-displaced and stacked-parallel geometries are either zero or ∼10 times smaller than at the tipped T-shaped geometry. This unusual property of the S 0 → S 1 and S 0 → S 2 transition-dipole moment surfaces of (Bz)2 restricts its observation by electronic spectroscopy to the tipped and tilted T-shaped geometries; the other ground-state geometries are impossible or extremely difficult to observe. The S 0 → S 1/S 2 spectra of (Bz)2 are compared to those of imidazole ⋅ (Bz)2, which has a rigid triangular structure with a tilted (Bz)2 subunit. The S 0 → S 1/ S 2 transitions of imidazole-(benzene)2 lie at similar energies as those of (Bz)2, confirming our assignment of the (Bz)2 S 0 → S 2 transition

The excited-state structure, vibrations, lifetimes, and nonradiative dynamics of jet-cooled 1-methylcytosine

We have investigated the S0 → S1 UV vibronic spectrum and time-resolved S1 state dynamics of jet-cooled amino-keto 1-methylcytosine (1MCyt) using two-color resonant two-photon ionization, UV/UV holeburning and depletion spectroscopies, as well as nanosecond and picosecond timeresolved pump/delayed ionization measurements. The experimental study is complemented with spin-component-scaled second-order coupled-cluster and multistate complete active space second order perturbation ab initio calculations. Above the weak electronic origin of 1MCyt at 31 852 cm−1 about 20 intense vibronic bands are observed. These are interpreted as methyl group torsional transitions coupled to out-of-plane ring vibrations, in agreement with the methyl group rotation and out-of-plane distortions upon 1ππ∗ excitation predicted by the calculations. The methyl torsion and ν′1 (butterfly) vibrations are strongly coupled, in the S1 state. The S0 → S1 vibronic spectrum breaks off at a vibrational excess energy Eexc ∼ 500 cm−1, indicating that a barrier in front of the ethylene-type S1 S0 conical intersection is exceeded, which is calculated to lie at Eexc = 366 cm−1. The S1 S0 internal conversion rate constant increases from kIC = 2 · 109 s−1 near the S1(v = 0) level to 1 · 1011 s−1 at Eexc = 516 cm−1. The 1ππ∗ state of 1MCyt also relaxes into the lower-lying triplet T1 (3ππ∗) state by intersystem crossing (ISC); the calculated spin-orbit coupling (SOC) value is 2.4 cm−1. The ISC rate constant is 10–100 times lower than kIC; it increases from kISC = 2 · 108 s−1 near S1(v = 0) to kISC = 2 · 109 s−1 at Eexc = 516 cm−1. The T1 state energy is determined from the onset of the time-delayed photoionization efficiency curve as 25 600 ± 500 cm−1. The T2 (3nπ∗) state lies >1500 cm−1 above S1(v = 0), so S1 T2 ISC cannot occur, despite the large SOC parameter of 10.6 cm−1. An upper limit to the adiabatic ionization energy of 1MCyt is determined as 8.41 ± 0.02 eV. Compared to cytosine, methyl substitution at N1 lowers the adiabatic ionization energy by ≥0.32 eV and leads to a much higher density of vibronic bands in the S0 → S1 spectrum. The effect of methylation on the radiationless decay to S0 and ISC to T1 is small, as shown by the similar break-off of the spectrum and the similar computed mechanismsThis research has been supported by the Schweiz. Nationalfonds (Grant Nos. 121993 and 132540), the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) from Catalonia (Spain) (Grant No. 2014SGR1202), the Ministerio de Economía y Competividad (MINECO) from Spain (Grant No. CTQ2015-69363-P), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21303007