14 research outputs found
Molecular breeding of grapevine for aromatic quality and other traits relevant to viticulture
No full textGrapevine has never been considered as a model plant in classical genetic studies due to its high level of heterozygosity, its long juvenile phase and its perennial nature. As a consequence, studies on the genetic transmission of agronomical traits are relatively scarce. Most of the grapevine relevant traits are quantitative or polygenic in nature. A classical example of a quantitative trait is wine quality, which is governed by multiple genes and is enormously affected by the environment.
Muscat cultivars as well as some non-muscat aromatic cultivars exhibit a rather particular aroma strongly related to the accumulation of monoterpenols in berries which is greatly appreciated for fresh grape consumption and plays an essential role in high-quality winemaking. Therefore the identification of genome regions involved in the determinism of Muscat aroma represents a major contribution to understanding the genetic control of traits of large interest for grape breeding
Somaclonal Variation Causes Changes in the Inter-Relationships between Traits in Hexaploid Triticale.
No full textBreeding for Fruit Nutritional and Nutraceutical Quality
No full textThe global demand for high quality fruits that are rich in nutrients and that can endure the demands of worldwide supply chains is growing rapidly. Fruits are an important component of the human diet, providing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. All of these qualities contribute to the nutritional needs and health maintenance of humans. Breeding for Fruit Quality reviews the application of modern plant breeding methods to the development of improved varieties of fruits
Phenotypic characterization and quality traits of Greek garlic (Allium sativum L.) germplasm cultivated at two different locations
No full textIn the present study, we examined the phenotypic diversity of Greek garlic (Allium sativum L.) genotypes using morphological descriptors derived from IPGRI and UPOV. Thirty-four garlic genotypes were cultivated at two different locations: (a) Velestino, Magnesia, Region of Thessaly, and (b) Kavasila, Ilia, Region of Western Greece. The garlic genotypes were characterized using twenty-seven morphological descriptors and four quantitative characters, namely bulb dry matter, chlorophyll content in the leaf, yield and total soluble solids (°Brix) of plants and raw bulbs. The Shannon–Weaver (H′) phenotypic diversity index varied among the genotypes, although identical mean values (0.79) were recorded for both fields. Traits, such as flowering stem length, bulb skin color, skin color of the clove presented low (H′) values indicating a high coefficient of heritability and less environmental effect. Principal component analysis based on morphological characters showed that the first seven axes could explain 71.49% and 75.86% of total variation for Kavasila and Velestino fields respectively. Significant differences were also observed among the garlic genotypes for the quantitative characters studied. Furthermore, significant statistical correlations were recorded for specific characters between the two cultivation sites e.g. yield with weight of cloves (r = 0.55 and r = 0.62) and number of cloves per bulb with weight of cloves (r = −0.51 and r = −0.55), which could be exploited further in future breeding programs. In conclusion, the high phenotypic diversity observed among the garlic genotypes could be attributed to various factors such as the genotype, the cultivation practices and the environmental conditions. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V
Impact of organic practices on growth, yield, and greenhouse gas emissions by pea landraces
No full textImpact of organic practices on growth, yield, and greenhouse gas emissions by pea landraces
No full textLegume crops constitute an essential component of rotations in organic farming systems due to their ability to provide plant available nitrogen to agricultural ecosystems arising from symbiotic N2 fixation. However, there is a general need to increase grain legume protein production in Europe so as to meet the increasing demand while reducing resource utilization, thereby contributing to mitigation of global climate change. Taking this need into consideration, a field-based experiment with pea (Pisum sativum L.) was carried out in a field certified for organic agriculture from November 2014 to June 2015. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with two main treatments (conventional and organic farming system) and four subplots per main plot corresponding to four different pea genotypes, particularly one commercial cultivar ('Onward'), and three local landraces ('Amorgos', 'Andros' and 'Schinousa'). Standard inorganic fertilizer (11-15-15, N:P2O5:K2O) and sheep manure were used as base dressings in the conventional and the organically-treated plots, respectively. The aim of the experiment was to test the performance of each pea genotype in organic farming crops as compared to conventional cropping, in terms of: green seed yield, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results of this study indicate that 'Andros' increased significantly the above-ground biomass and the fresh green seed production on the harvesting date when compared with all the other genotypes. In addition, there were significant differences in cumulative N2O fluxes between the pea cultivars with 'Schinousa' producing the highest N2O amounts and 'Andros' the lowest. In conclusion, the pea genotype seems to have a strong influence on both GHG emissions and production and therefore, appropriate selection of cultivars is imperative for efficient use of this legume in organic cropping systems
Variability in Bulb Organosulfur Compounds, Sugars, Phenolics, and Pyruvate among Greek Garlic Genotypes: Association with Antioxidant Properties
No full textIn order to assess the diversity of Greek garlic (Allium sativum L.) landraces, 34 genotypes including commercial ones were grown in the same field and their content in organosulfur compounds, pyruvate, total sugars, and total phenolics, alongside antioxidant capacity, was determined. The organosulfur compounds were studied by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) after ultrasound-assisted extraction in ethyl acetate, identifying 2-vinyl-4H-1,3-dithiin and 3-vinyl-4H-1,2-dithiin as the predominant compounds, albeit in different ratios among genotypes. The bioactivity and the polar metabolites were determined in hydromethanolic extracts. A great variability was revealed, and nearly one-third of landraces had higher concentration of compounds determining bioactivity and organoleptic traits than the imported ones. We recorded strong correlations between pyruvate and total organosulfur compounds, and between antioxidant capacity and phenolics. In conclusion, chemical characterization revealed great genotype-dependent variation in the antioxidant properties and the chemical characters, identifying specific landraces with superior traits and nutritional and pharmaceutical value
Phenotypic changes in different spinach varieties grown and selected under organic conditions
No full textOrganic and low-input agriculture needs flexible varieties that can buffer environmental stress and adapt to the needs of farmers. We implemented an experiment to investigate the evolutionary capacities of a sample of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) population varieties for a number of phenotypic traits. Three farmers cultivated, selected and multiplied one or several populations over two years on their farms. The third year, the versions of the varieties cultivated and selected by the different farmers were compared to the original seed lots they had been given. After two cycles of cultivation and on-farm mass selection, all the observed varieties showed significant phenotypic changes (differences between the original version and the version cultivated by farmers) for morphological and phenological traits. When the divergence among versions within varieties was studied, the results show that the varieties conserved their identity, except for one variety, which evolved in such a way that it may now be considered two different varieties. The heterogeneity of the population varieties was assessed in comparison with a commercial F1 hybrid used as control, and we found no specific differences in phenotypic diversity between the hybrid and population varieties. The phenotypic changes shown by the population varieties in response to on-farm cultivation and selection could be useful for the development of specific adaptation. These results call into question the current European seed legislation and the requirements of phenotypic stability for conservation varietie
