Induced polygenic variability using combination treatment of gamma rays and ethyl methane sulphonate in blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper)

Induced mutation in plant improvement has been proven to be one of the alternative ways to generate new sources of genetic variation in blackgram. In this study, dry seeds of VBN 4 blackgram were treated with combination treatment of both gamma rays (400, 500 and 600 Gy) and ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) (50, 60 and 70 mM) to study the polygenic characters in M2 generation. The mean values for plant height, number of primary branches, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and single plant yield decreased below the control in most of the treatments. The mean single plant yield was more than for the control at 400 Gy+60 mM and 600 Gy+50 mM. Moderate and high phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV) were recorded in yield component characters such as plant height, number of primary branches, number of clusters per plant and number of pods per plant. A high amount of heritability and GA as per cent of mean was noted for plant height, number of clusters per plant, number of primary branches per plant, number of pods per plant, pod length, number of seeds, 100 seed weight and single plant yield. This denoted that these characters are governed largely by additive gene effect, which may be favorably exploited for improvement through simple selection in M2 generation.Key words: Gamma rays, ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), blackgram, polygenic variability, M2 generation

Mechanical transmission of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus to cucurbit germplasm: selection of tolerance sources in Cucumis melo

[EN] Cucurbits are major crop species, including fruits and vegetables cultivated worldwide that supply essential vitamins and minerals to current diets in developed and developing countries. Viral diseases are main factors affecting cucurbits cultivation. The most widespread and damaging have been aphidborne viruses belonging to the Potyviridae family. Whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses (Geminiviridae) have been identified more recently in different cucurbit species. A severe outbreak of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) occurred in pumpkins and melons in the main production area of Southern Spain in 2012 2014. We developed a mechanical inoculation method to facilitate the screening of germplasm against this virus. Mechanical transmission with this method was confirmed in 4 genera and 13 species of the family, including the main crops, cucumber, melon, watermelon and pumpkins, and also crop related exotic germplasm (landraces and wild species) used for cucurbits breeding. Diversity in the response was observed within and among species. Tolerance to mechanical transmission of ToLCNDV was identified in melon, within Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. momordica and in wild agrestis accessions. All the tolerant accessions came from India, the country in which this virus was firstly reported. Some of these accessions have been previously reported to be tolerant or resistant to other viruses and as they are fully crossable to commercial melons, they are good sources to develop new melon varieties with tolerance to ToLCNDV.This work was supported by Project E_RTAE2013-00020-C04-03 from the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA). Authors thank M. Arnedo (Ramiro Arnedo S.A.) for providing zucchini infected plants from affected greenhouses in Almeria.López Del Rincón, C.; Ferriol Molina, M.; Picó Sirvent, MB. (2015). Mechanical transmission of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus to cucurbit germplasm: selection of tolerance sources in Cucumis melo. Euphytica. 204:679-691. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-015-1371-x679691204Álvarez JM, González-Torres R, Mallor C (2005) Potential sources of resistance to Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew in melons. HortScience 40:1657–1660Bandaranayake WMEK, Wickramarachchi WART, Wickramasinghe HAM, Rajapakshe RGAS, Dissanayake DMKK (2014) Molecular detection and characterization of begomoviruses associated with cucurbitaceae vegetables in Skingri Lanka. J Natl Sci Found Sri Lanka 42:239–245Chang HH, Ku HM, Tsai WS, Chien RC, Jan FJ (2010) Identification and characterization of a mechanical transmissible begomovirus causing leaf curl on oriental melon. Eur J Plant Pathol 127:219–228Dhillon NPS, Monforte AJ, Pitrat M, Pandey S, Singh PK, Reitsma KR, Garcia-Mas J, Sharma A, McCreight JD (2012) Melon landraces of India: contributions and importance. 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Transient transformation of sunflower leaf discs via an Agrobacterium-mediated method: applications for gene expression and silencing studies

The sunflower belongs to the Compositae family and is an economically important crop because of the quality of its oil. Unfortunately, molecular analyses are limited due to the lack of genomic information, mutant libraries and efficient and rapid transformation protocols. In a wide variety of species, Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation is a useful tool that can provide valuable insight into many biological processes. However, this technology has not been routinely applied to the sunflower because of difficulties with infiltration. Here, we present an optimized protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation of leaf discs. Using this procedure, we were able to quickly overexpress or silence a given gene, enabling us to study several biochemical processes and characterize sunflower regulatory sequences. One of the major advantages of this approach is that in only 1 work-week it is possible to acquire considerable molecular information while avoiding the use of controversial heterologous systems. Transforming heterologous species is frequently unacceptable, as the conservation of molecular events in many cases is not well documented.Fil: Manavella, Pablo Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Chan, Raquel Lia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; Argentin