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  • Review
    LAN Mengjiao,KOU Meng,XIAO Manqiu,LI Chen,PAN Hao,ZHANG Yungang,LU Lingzhi,HOU Longying,GE Ruihua,WU Wensheng,LI Qiang
    AP2/ERF(APETALA2/ethylene responsive factor) is one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families in plants, which contains at least one specific AP2 domains composed of 60-70 highly conserved amino acids. Depending on the number and sequence similarity of AP2 domains, this family can be classified into five subfamilies: AP2 (APETALA2), DREB (dehydration-responsive element binding proteins), ERF (ethylene-responsive factor), RAV (related to AB13/VP), and Soloist. AP2/ERF TFs regulate their expression by binding to target genes through YRG and RAYD conserved elements in the AP2 domain. At present,AP2/ERF TFs have become a hot candidate gene for studying plant stress resistance mechanisms and biosynthesis of active ingredients. More and more AP2/ERF families and their members have been reported. In this review, we summarized the latest research achievements on plant AP2/ERF family, including the structural characteristics and classification, and the research progress of AP2/ERF TFs involved in regulation of plant secondary metabolites synthesis, participation in biological and abiotic stress response was mainly introduced.Meanwhile, possible hot research topics and fields of AP2/ERF were proposed,which may provide a reference for further mining and utilization of such transcription factor genes for plant genetic improvement and germplasm innovation.
  • Review
    LYU Guang-de,JIN Xue-mei,GUO Ying,ZHAO Yan,QIAN Zhao-guo,WU Ke and LI Si-shen
    Plant height is one of the important agronomic traits and controlled by a consequence interacting among the genetic factors, the endogenous hormones and external environment. In common wheat, plant height is recognized as a quantitative trait modulated by multiple genes that are found on 21 chromosomes. Several molecular markers associating with plant height are available for marker-assisted breeding. The important progress on determining the genetic factors, genetic localization and gene isolation, regulation mechanism and marker assisted selection have been achieved. This paper summarizes the factors that contribute to wheat plant height, as well as the achievements on genetic localization, gene cloning, allelic mining, marker-assisted wheat breeding, followed by the prospective on future focuses in wheat.
  • GERMPLASM RESOURCES
    LIU Xu,LI Yu,LI Li-hui,JIA Ji-zeng
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2023, 24(1): 1-10. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20221127001
    Crop germplasm are basic resources for global food security and sustainable development and material base for original innovation of agricultural science and technology and development of modern seed industry. The science of crop germplasm resources is a scientific discipline devoting to the research on diversity and its use of crops and their wild relatives. The three basic theories of the science include the theory of centers of origin of cultivated plants, the law of homologous series in variation and the synergistic evolution theory of crop germplasm resources and cultural environments and social development. The basic attributes of the science include genetic diversity, genetic specificity, genetic integrity and genetic accumulativeness. The science covers theories, technologies, management and systems involving in survey, conservation, evaluation, research, germplasm enhancement and sharing service of crop germplasm resources. This paper establishes the theoretical framework of the science of crop germplasm resources, defines basic concepts and attributes related, and proposes development strategies of the science, esp. in China.
  • Research Articles
    WANG Chu,YIN Yan,WANG Hao,LI Shi-hui,ZHAO Chun-hua,QIN Ran,SUN Han,WU Yong-zhen,MU Yan-jun,KONG Jun-jie,XU Ling,HUANG Xiao-mei,XIN Qing-guo,WANG Jiang-chun,CUI Fa
    Wheat variety Yannong 999 (YN999) shows stably high yield potential with strong environment adaptability. Unlocking its genetic basis and key chromosomal regions underlying high yield performance will provide theoretical support for the further application. In this study, a 55K wheat SNP array was used for genotyping the YN999, its 46 derived varieties (lines) and a natural mapping population containing 243 wheat varieties (lines). The genetic effects of the key chromosomal segments undergone strong selection was elucidated. The genetic cause of high-yielding potential in YN999 was dissected based on the composition of excellent alleles underlying the three yield components. The characteristics of high thousand kernel weight were preferentially selected and present in the derived varieties (lines). Genotyping using the wheat 55K SNP array revealed that the average genetic similarity coefficient of YN999 if compared to 46 derived varieties (lines) was 0.87. The genetic contribution of YN999 to its derived varieties (lines) of F3, F5, F6 and F7 were 84.94%, 86.19%, 86.67% and 87.65%, respectively. A total of 222 segments of YN999 with over 95% transmission rate were detected in the offspring of YN999, and the length of the segment varied from 5.04 Mb to 108.75 Mb, among which 2A contained the longest segment with high frequency selection, being 483.37 Mb, and 7D contained the shortest of 13.84 Mb. A total of 135 identified QTL related to yield traits were coincided with the 222 high-frequency selection regions, with 80, 48 and 7 QTL in the A, B and D genome, respectively. A total of 1195, 267, 790 and 678 significant SNPs, which were correlated with yield per plant, kernel number per spike, 1000-grain weight and spike number per plant, respectively, were detected by single marker QTL analysis using a natural mapping population. Among those, approximately 84.02%, 51.69%, 94.18% and 13.42% alleles contributing to the higher yield performance were identified from YN999. These results indicate that YN999 has enriched the superior alleles of yield per plant and 1000-grain weight, which might be the important genetic basis for the high and stable yield in YN999. This study provided theoretical reference in application of YN999 as key parent in molecular breeding programs, and identification and cloning of the genes with high yield performance.
  • Short Communications
    ZHANG Lei-lei,FAN A-qi,HONG Mei,MA Zhi-hua,CHEN Jin-rui,ZHAO Shuang-yin,ZHENG Kai,Tu'er-xun Tu'er-hong
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2023, 24(1): 307-316. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220815003
    The variation coefficient analysis, genetic diversity analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis of 647 island cotton germplasm resources were carried out in order to screen more diverse types of island cotton germplasm resources for parent selection and variety breeding in the future. The variation range of quantitative index of 647 sea island cotton germplasm resources was 2.4608%~36.4320%, indicating the rich diversity among sea island cotton germplasm resources. The number of stem hairs, leaf color, leaf hairs, petal basal spot size, main stem hardness, fruit branch type and style length of island cotton germplasm resources were variable, and these external descriptive traits could be directly used for the improvement of plant morphology. Genetic diversity analysis of quantitative indicators showed that the diversity of indicators reflecting fiber quality was more abundant than that reflecting yield, and germplasm resources could be used for improving fiber quality and maturity. Correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between different quantitative traits. Among them, the first fruit branch node was significantly negatively correlated with the average length of the upper half, the uniformity index and the breaking strength, the sub-index was significantly negatively correlated with the micronaire value, and the lint percentage was significantly negatively correlated with the average length of the upper half. The above correlation is consistent with previous research results on upland cotton, The complicated interaction mode implied a comprehensive evaluation by integrating multiple datasets in germplasm innovation. The principal component analysis showed that the cumulative contribution rate of the first five eigenvalues reached 75.761%. The first principal component was related to fiber quality, the second principal component was related to seed cotton yield, the third principal component was related to elongation, the fourth principal component was related to maturity, and the fifth principal component was related to lint percentage. When the genetic distance was 10, the germplasm resources were divided into 6 groups by cluster analysis. The comprehensive performance of cluster II was better. In actual breeding, targeted selection and improvement can be carried out according to breeding objectives.
  • Review
    OUYANG Suying,WANG Zhiquan,LI Qing,XU Qing,HE Huan,ZHANG Hongguan,ZOU Xuexiao,HU Bowen
    Chili(Capsicum annuum L.)crops have high economic value and extensive planting, and most of the chili cultivars in China have high plant type, many branches, easy lodging, not conducive to mechanized production, and the cost of artificial production is rising. With the improvement of agricultural production technology and the increasing shortage of labor, the transformation of traditional agriculture to modern mechanized agriculture is imminent. The proposal of ideal plant type makes plant type regulation a hot spot in genetic breeding, which can provide reference for the analysis of the regulation mechanism of chili plant type. This paper reviews the research results of recent domestic and foreign scholars on the genetic factors and molecular mechanisms of plant type regulation, the biological relationship between plant hormones and plant type, and the influence of the environment on plant type, and puts forward the idea of ideal plant type of chili. Good chili plant type can improve plant production capacity, facilitate management, alleviate labor shortage, and accelerate the process of mechanized production. At present, there are few research reports on the regulation mechanism of chili plant type, so exploring the breeding mechanism and genetic basis of plant type regulation is conducive to providing theoretical support for the creation of good plant type germplasm resources and accelerating the selection and breeding of new varieties, and laying the foundation for the genetic breeding .
  • Research Articles
    YUAN Kai,ZHANG Wei,WEN Hong-wei,ZHANG Ting,YANG Bin,SHI Xiao-fang,JI Hu-tai,ZHANG Ming-yi and LU La-hu
    In order to enrich the genetic diversity of common wheat, an EMS (Ethyl Methane Sulfonate)-induced mutagenesis population using the elite variety Jimai 22 was produced and the phenotypic variation in M2 generation plants was analyzed. The seed quality-related traits in M8 mutants showing excellent agronomical performance were further investigated. The results showed that: (1) out of 22599 M2 mutant plants, 5002 showed visible phenotypic variations with a rate of 22.13%. The phenotypic variations on fertility, growth period, ear, awn, leaf, plant type, tiller, plant height, grain color were observed. These mutants with bigger spike, multiple tillers, short stem, single stem, increased grains, no wax, leaf degradation and sterility were detected. (2) In M8 mutagenized lines, the morphological variations on grain shape, grain length, fullness and grain color were found. The variation coefficient regarding to eight quality-related traits was calculated (maximum tensile resistance > tensile area > stability time > sedimentation value > hardness >protein content > wet gluten content > water absorption). Eight mutant lines showing improved performance (in relative to Jimai 22) had been identified. For example, four lines including 403-1, 403-2, 403-3 and 85-2 showed significant improvement on at least 3 characters. Collectively, these mutants provided germplasm resource valuable for wheat breeding and deciphering the gene function.
  • GENE MINING
    Liu Huiyun, Liu Chang, Wang Kunyang, Du Lipu, Wang Ke, She Maoyun and Ye Xingguo
    High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) are the most important components in the storage protein of wheat grains. Their compositions, expressions and contents determine the dough elasticity and baking quality. This article summarized the progress of cloning, molecular characterization and functional studies of HMW-GS as well as their marker development and application in wheat breeding. Update status of different HMW-GS effects on flour processing quality, genetic transformation of several HMW-GS genes, small-scale mixograph analysis by adding prokaryotic expressed HMW-GS, and mutant developing on HMW-GS loci, were also reviewed. Besides, crucial issues in current studies on wheat HMW-GS were discussed. It is suggested that the key point on HMW-GS in the future will be to pyramid some desirable HMW-GS genes by marker assisted selection and transgenic strategies for the development of wheat varieties with good bread-making quality and the functional dissection of each HMW-GS gene accurately.
  • Review
    LI Jian-feng,LI Ting and JIA Xiao-ping
    The PRRs family gene, which serves as a major component of the core clock of the circadian clock, plays important role in inhibiting the plant flowering, and manipulating ABA-dependent stress resistance and the accumulation of plant biomass. This article reviews the structural characteristics of the PRRs family genes, the photoperiod regulation model and its responses under stress treatments, in order to provide a theoretical reference for further study of the function of PRRs family genes and the cultivation of high-quality and broad-suit crop varieties.
  • Research Articles
    LI Zhen-zhu,PENG Qing-xiang,QIU Xian-jin,XU Jun-ying,LI Zhi-xin,LIU Hai-yang
    The tiller angle is one of the most important traits in the plant architecture of rice, which significantly determines the rice yield. At present, the major tiller angle genes in rice are TAC1Tiller Angle Control 1) and TIG1Tiller Inclided Growth 1). It is necessary to further explore new loci and molecular markers to promote ideal plant architecture breeding in rice. In this study, a BC3F2 population was developed using large-angled wild rice as the donor and small-angled cultivar Zhenshan 97 as the recipient, and tiller angle separation was observed in the 54th line. QTL mapping of tiller angel was performed using QTL-seq, and a QTL was detected on chromosome 8. TIG1 was identified as the candidate gene through sequence comparison of known genes within the interval. A KASP functional molecular marker was designed based on the causal variation of C?T at -449 bp in the promoter of TIG1. The marker was verified in the mapping population and varieties, and it was confirmed that the KASP marker can accurately identify the genotype of the TIG1 locus. In Geng/JaponicaTIG1 with large angle is dominant, while 61.40% and 38.40% of Xian/Indica varieties carry tig1 with small angle and TIG1 with large angle, respectively. This marker has significant potential utilization value for improvement of rice plant architecture. The development of this KASP marker provides a new tool for molecular marker-assisted improvement of rice tiller angle and is expected to speed up the breeding process for the ideal rice plant architecture.
  • Review
    li yuan dong,JIANG Hai-xia and XIE Li-qiong
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2022, 23(6): 1585-1593. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220518003
    Salt stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses, which seriously threatens the growth and development of plants. Understanding the adaptive mechanisms of plant to salt stress is beneficial for the breeding of salt tolerant crops and the effective use of saline land to meet the increasing demand of food supply. Salt stress causes ion imbalance, osmotic derangement, and accumulation of toxic substances, especially reactive oxygen species (ROS), in plants. To adapt to salt stress, the plants have to balance cellular ions, remodel osmotic potential and maintain ROS. The former researches on the genetic, physiological and biochemical subjects have revealed a large number of plant regulators responding salt stresses, which might modulate plant salt tolerance through multiple and complex stress signal pathways. This paper reviews the salt sensing, signal transduction, gene expression regulation, phytohormone regulation and adaptive response of plants under salt stress, and provides a relatively complete summary of plant salt stress response mechanisms.
  • Review
    Zhang Ju,,,,,, and
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2022, 23(6): 1604-1612. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220426003
    The establishment of Adaxial-Abaxial polarity of plant leaves is one of the important processes in leaf morphogenesis. ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1/ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2 (AS1/AS2) are key transcription factors that modulate the Adaxial-Abaxial polarity in plant leaf development. These factors are able to cooperate with multiple proteins or miRNAs in the direct or indirect manners, in order to coordinate the development and formation of plant leaves. This review summarized the conserved structural features of AS1/AS2 and their regulatory functions involved in leaf development and morphogenesis, which might provide insights for further deciphering the molecular mechanisms of AS1/AS2.
  • Review
    LIU Ju,ZHANG Hui-ling,ZHANG Zhong-hua,ZHAO Ya-nan,ZHANG Ju-ping
    Anthocyanins, which are natural pigments and serve as important natural antioxidants scavenging free radicals, are rich in a variety of compounds that are important in health care. Anthocyanins affect the ripening, taste and color of fruits and vegetables, and prevent plants from abiotic and biotic stresses. Therefore, optimizing anthocyanin content is regarded as the breeding goal in many horticultural crops. As the secondary ethylene signaling transcription factors, ethylene response factors (ERFs) respond to plant hormone signaling and can result in feedback regulation, and these genes are known to modulate the process of ethylene regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis via various mechanisms. In terms of the molecular mode, ERFs in regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis rely on the physical interaction with transcription factors, activating transcription factors, forming regulatory complexes with MBW or directly activating structural gene promoters. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for further elucidating the mechanism of ERF regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis, and to explore the relationship between the rapid accumulation of anthocyanins and the increase of ethylene release in fruits and vegetables at the late ripening stage.
  • Research Articles
    LI Yan-zhe,XIONG Ya-wen,XU Ya-nan,TANG Wei,ZHANG Hong-mei,ZHANG Wei,LIU Xiao-qing,WANG Qiong,XU Wen-jing,ZHANG Qun,CHEN Hua-tao
    Soybean is rich in nutrients and active substances. Oligosaccharides are beneficial functional components for human health, and identification of soybean oligosaccharide specific germplasms is of great practical significance. In this study, the content of oligosaccharides, including sucrose, raffinose, stachyose and total oligosaccharide, were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method in a population of 264 soybean genotypes that were cultivated at two environments. It was shown that among the three oligosaccharides, sucrose accounts for the highest proportion of total oligosaccharides, and raffinose accounts for the lowest proportion. The total oligosaccharide content in Sanya city of Hainan province and Nanjing city of Jiangsu province ranged from 6.18%-11.46% and 4.19%-13.80%, respectively. Ten oligosaccharide specific genotypes with stable performance at different environments were obtained. Genome-wide association study(GWAS) was carried out by combining phenotypic and genotypic data of oligosaccharide content in natural soybean population. SNPs significantly associated with oligosaccharides content were identified and candidate genes were considered to be related with oligosaccharide/sucrose. Collectively, this study provided germplasm resources applicable for the selection and breeding of special soybean varieties, and also provided foundation for further exploring oligosaccharide candidate genes and developing their molecular markers in soybean.
  • Research Articles
    HE Mi-lan,LI Hai-yang,HUANG Ze-rong,KONG Fan-jiang and ZHAO Xiao-hui
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2022, 23(3): 787-799. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20211218001
    DELLA proteins are known as negative regulators of gibberellin involved in plant flowering. Eight DELLA genes were identified in soybean genome by sequence alignment with Arabidopsis thaliana(L.) Heynh. DELLA orthologs GmGAI3a has only one GRAS domain,and the other seven DELLA proteins have both DELLA domain and GRAS domain. By performing gene-based association analysis of flowering time in natural population,soybean DELLA haplotypes associating with early-flowering have been detected in soybean accessions collected from the middle and high latitude of China,speculating DELLA genes as negative factors in regulating flowering. CRISPR/Cas9-based editing in soybean hairy root system revealed the editing efficiency at the target sites. Identification of the CRISPR/Cas9 targets of seven DELLA genes provided references for generating stable transgenic DELLA mutants for deciphering their biological functions.
  • Research Articles
    LI Ying,LIU Haicui,SHI Xiaoxu,SHI Lyu,HAN Xiao,LIU Jian,WEI Yafeng
    In order to improve the utilization efficiency of naked barley germplasm resources in China, 398 accessions of naked barley from different regions were used to analyze the phenotypic diversity at 18 traits, followed by the analysis of coefficient of variation analysis, diversity index analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The results revealed abundant variations among phenotypic traits in different resources. The diversity index of the nine quality traits was 0.66 to 2.06, with an average value of 1.42, and the highest value in plant height, kernels per spike and the smallest value in kernel rows. The traits had 4.71% (kernel color) to 61.03% (heading date) of the coefficient of variation, with an average value of 26.59%. The correlation analysis of nine quantitative traits indicated that spikes per plant, spike length, kernels per spike, thousand kernels weight and setting rate could be deployed as the main target traits for high yield naked barley varieties breeding in the future. The results of principal component analysis showed that the cumulative contribution rate of the five principal component factors was 64.297%. Among them, heading date, plant height, row type and thousand kernels weight were the main factors contributing to the phenotypic differences of naked barley. Combined with the membership function analysis, the comprehensive scores (F value) were calculated. Jiangsuyuanmai No. 33, VII-131, Yumimai, Jiangsu yuan mai No. 58, Jianhutuanliulengzi, Daimaoyuanmai, Jiangsuyuanmai No. 65, Jiangsuyuanmai No. 23, Jiangsuyuanmai No. 20 and Jiangsuyuanmai No. 22 had the highest scores. These materials were divided into four groups by systematic clustering analysis and the clustering results were not strongly correlated with geographic location. These results could provide an important reference for the utilization of naked barley accessions and variety breeding.
  • Research Articles
    HUANG Wan-ting,WANG Qian,ZHANG Ze-yan,ZHU Hui-jun,YAN Hu-bin,ZHANG Yao-wen
    Seed coat color is an important agronomic trait that associates with crop domestication and serves as morphological marker. In mung bean, the seed coat color was related to the content of flavonoids. Cloning and application of seed coat color-related genes becomes of interest in development of new mung bean varieties with improved nutritional properties. In this study, the varieties 'Jilv 9' (black seed coat) and 'Ziyuan 330' (yellow seed coat) were used as parents to generate an F2 segregating population. The BSA-seq approach was applied for mapping of the genes underlying the seed coat color. The association analysis using integrated SNPs and InDels suggested an interval of 3.26 Mb harboring 324 predicted genes, of which 49 genes were found with non-synonymous mutation and 15 genes were detected with frameshift mutation. By further use of 11 high-quality KASP markers in fine mapping, the candidate interval was finally delimited between KA330 and KA421 in the physical interval of 16,302,330-18,013,421 bp (1.71 Mb) on chromosome 4. The transcriptome data analysis and qRT-PCR expression analysis suggested six differently-expressed candidate genes, of which the LOC106758748 was annotated as a transcription factor MYB90 that was reported with a function in the flavonoid biosynthesis and served as key candidate gene regulating the seed coat color in mung bean. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the cloning and utilization of the genes related to seed coat color in mung bean seed breeding.
  • Review
    PAN Qi,LI Zai-yun
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2023, 24(2): 340-348. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220905001
    The crucifer Orychophragmus violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulz (syn. Moricandia sonchifoli (Bunge) Hook. f.) is an ornamental plant native to China and serves as the germplasm resource in the genetic improvement of the Brassica L. crops. In this paper, the research progress and status of its cytogenetics, cytological behavior of its intergeneric hybrids with the Brassica L. crops, the chromosomal localization of some traits, and the discovery of the dihydroxylated fatty acids are summarized. O. violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulz (2n=24) has the large genome size of about 1.3 Gb and the long chromosomes with the homogenous staining. The meiotic pairing patterns of O. violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulz and its haploid reveal the polyploidy nature of its genome. The latest results from the genome sequencing revealed that the ancestral diploid of this species should likely have the tPCK karyotype with x=7, and experienced one specific tetraploidization event occurring at 600-800 million years ago, which gave rise to the extant genome of n=12 by chromosomal rearrangements and the inactivation of centromeres. With O. violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulz as the male parent, the intergeneric hybrids with six cultivated Brassica L. species give the cytogenetical behaviors specific to each Brassica L. parent, which are likely associated with the genome structures and inherent cytological patterns of two parents. The chromosomes from O. violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulz are clarified easily from those of Brassica L. species in these hybrids, as they are of larger size and more deeply stained. The traits of the serrated leaves, the basal clustering stems, purple petals and dihydroxylated fatty acids are localized on different chromosomes via the development of the Brassica napus L.- O. violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulzadditional lines. The dihydroxy fatty acids with high content are discovered in its seed oil and present the better lubricant effect than the castor oil. O. violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulz has also potential medicinal value. Finally, the future research area and utilization for Orychophragmus Bunge species are discussed.
  • Research Articles
    GUO Dong,DU Mei,ZHOU Bao-yuan,LIU Ying-hui and ZHAO Ming
    In order to study the small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) family of maize, this study identified by the genome-wide prediction approach 91 SAUR genes which named ZmSAURs, and analyzed the gene structure, amino acid characteristics, chromosomal location and genetic evolutionof ZmSAURs. The results showed that, the SAUR gene family were unevenly distributed on the chromosome, while the chromosome 2 up to 22 ZmSAURs. The amplification pattern of the gene was dispersed replication and fragment replication. The SAUR gene family has a relatively conserved structure, e.g. a conserved RNA DNA structure and the 3D structure of the deduced proteins that generally contained three alpha helices and three beta sheets. The phylogenetic tree analysis revealed 9 branches of SAUR proteins among species. As expected, SAURs in corn and relative millet (Setaria italic) were clustered together. Thus, this information provided by this work might be useful in future functional characterization of the maize SAUR gene family.
  • Review
    WANG Dong-lei,WANG Zhi-quan,LI Qing,OU YANG Su-yin,YANG Bo-zhi,ZHANG Zhi-shuo,LIU Feng,HU Bo-wen and ZOU Xue-xiao
    Dwarfing is an important agronomic trait in crops, which can reduce lodging, enhance stress resistance and increase yield. Brassinosteroid is an important new plant hormone that regulates plant height during plant growth and development. Mutations that cause a decrease in Brassinosteroid level or impair Brassinosteroid signaling will produce a dwarf phenotype. This article focuses on the mutated genes that induce the dwarf phenotype in each pathway. The discovery of these genes has expanded the germplasm and genetic basis of dwarf crop breeding, and provides a theoretical basis for the creation of dwarf germplasm resources and rapid breeding of new dwarf varieties.
  • Research Articles
    Peng Yan,Liu Ting-ting,Ruan Jing-jun,Yao Xin,Tang Yong,Gao An-jing and Cheng Jian-ping
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2022, 23(5): 1508-1520. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220407001
    In this study, we generated a mutant population of tartary buckwheat cultivar 'Chuanqiao 2' treated by 50 mmol ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) solution. We recorded the phenotypic variations of M2 to M3 lines, and also measured the content of chlorophyll and anthocyanin in the mutant plants with leaf and stem color variation in the M3 population as well as the transcription level of flavonoid synthesis and metabolite related genes (CHS, F3H, F3'H, FLS and UFGT). 177 mutant plants showing alternations on stem and/or leaf morphology and/or growth stages were found in M2 population with a mutation rate of 10.56%. 665 mutant plants in M3 population were found, including leaves, growth stages, stems, and other types of mutant plants, accounting for 45.86% of the M3 population. We also observed that the shape, color and size of grains in M3 generation changed in varying degrees. We found that the change trend of chlorophyll and anthocyanin content in plants with color variation were almost the same, the content of the red plant at the base of the leaf was higher than that of the normal plant, and the content of the other types of mutant plants were lower than that of the normal plant. Among them, the yellow-green spotted leaf had the lowest content. We also found that CHS and F3H genes had the highest expression level in red stem plants, the FLS genes had the highest expression level in yellow leaf plants, and the expression of F3'H was higher in the two types of plants with red leaf than the other types, and the content was the highest in the plants with the leaf edge turned red. It is speculated that leaf and stem color variations in the M3 population may be contributed by the expression of flavonoid synthesis-related genes. Collectively, these mutants gained from this study provided the basic material for future deciphering the rutin metabolism mechanism.
  • Review
    CHI Xiaona,ZHANG Huanhuan,GU Wenyuan,ZHANG Xingmin,WANG Yuping
    As one of the important mechanisms of epigenetic regulation, usually occurs in plant cytosine bases, including CG, CHG and CHH. DNA methylation mainly affects chromatin structure and gene transcription level. DNA methylation plays important roles in transcriptional regulation and maintaining the genome stability. Abiotic stresses affect plant growth and reproduction and ultimately lead to plant death. Based on existing research findings, DNA methylation can induce phenotypic alterations in plants under stress.To cope with abiotic stresses, the change mechanism of DNA methylation level during growth is affected by methylase and demethylase. The signal transduction pathways can change the expression of some stress response genes, thus causing changes in plant morphology, physiology and biochemistry to adapt to adversity. Some genes are upregulated (initiate) or downregulated (close down) in expression in order to assure the adaptive growth and development of plant, thus enabling plants to adapt and resist stress damage to a certain extent. This article reviews the DNA methylation modification and its role in transcriptional regulation, research progress in the growth and development of horticultural plants, and the epigenetic regulation of abiotic stress as well as the problems and prospective of horticultural plants. It provides a reference for the genetic improvement of horticultural plants and deciphering the mechanism of stress resistance.
  • Research Articles
    LI Qinghua,ZHU Yebao,ZHENG Changlin,CHEN Wenjie,JIANG Chuan,WANG Jinying
    This study reported the evaluation of the grain quality traits of rice landraces that were collected from "The Third National Action on Crop Germplasm Resources Survey and Collection" in 2017-2021. Out of 165 white and red grain samples, the highest variation coefficient was observed on the chalkiness of sticky rice, of which the coefficient of indica white grain was as high as 148.91%. The transparency was also detected with high variation coefficient, while the coefficient of brownish was below 5.0%. The variation coefficient of the waxy ratio amongst waxy rice was over 70.0%, the whiteness and the amylose content have lower value of the variation coefficient, while that of the three indexes including brownish, alkali elimination value and gel consistency were below 10.0%. In terms of the grain quality indexes that reaching the standard, the qualified ratio of whole grains or their chalkiness of sticky rice were below 50%, while the qualified ratio of other indexes were above 65.0%. For the glutinous rice, the qualified ratio of whole grains and the amylose content were around 50.0%, and that of the other indexes was higher than 65.0%. The cooking and edible quality is an important aspect in evaluating high-quality rice as well. Among all the varieties of sticky rice and glutinous rice, 60.7% and 35.4%, respectively, of which have reached or above the Grade 3 level issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on the three indexes of cooking and edible quality. Compared with the landraces that were collected during the second national survey in Fujian, the amount of landraces with high value of cooking and edible quality has increased significantly within the third survey. Through this study, 10 landraces were identified reaching the high-quality standard issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, which provide a material basis for the development of high-quality rice varieties in the future. In addition, 15 germplasms with high amylose content have been identified, which can be used as new raw materials for processing purpose specifically. The mid-colored rice were found with relatively rich amount in local landraces, accounting for about 20.0% of the total, they can provide valuable resources for future breeding and production of rice varieties with special function. In the future, works on the evaluation of grain quality for local landraces should be improved, and excellent germplasm resources would provide a material basis as well as promote the breeding of new superior rice varieties.
  • GENETIC RESOURCES
    wanshuwei,,,,, and
    Pea is the third largest legume crops globally, and the demand for peas is increasing in the developing world. In order to understand the genetic diversity of foreign pea genetic resources and improve the efficiency of pea breeding programs in China, nine agronomic traits of 271 foreign peas from 57 countries had been analyzed for genetic diversity by using cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The results demonstrated a high level of genetic diversity among these peas. The genetic diversity index of first fruiting nodes (2.0590) was highest, followed by nods number of the main stem (2.0421). The coefficient variation (CV) of seed weight per plot (64.874%) was highest, followed by 100-seed weight (61.870%). In recent study, the principal components of 7 quantitative traits were analyed, and the results showed that the accumulation indices of the top three principal components was up to 66.022%. Cluster analysis showed that 271 pea accessions were classified into 4 groups. The Group Ⅱ had traits of tall stalks,big seeds and high yield, providing useful resources for hybridization breeding. The resources from the 17 countries of 4 continents showed significant genetic diversity, the genetic diversity index of India was highest. Comprehensive analysis of agronomic traits provided scientific information for effective use of pea genetic resources in pea breeding programs of China.
  • gexuanliang,,, and
    For the purposes of crop breeding, earliness is an excellent comprehensive resistant character. Therefore, exploring how to combine conventional breeding methods with molecular biotechnology to shorten the growth period of the main crop varieties has very important significance for the development of crop production. This paper summarizes the crop earliness related traits, focuses on the current situation of related traits location and genetic analysis of crop earliness and proposes existing problems in current crop earliness breeding and future research prospects.
  • Research Articles
    QU Ke-jia,SHI Xiao-lei,WANG Xing-zhou,GENG Hong-wei,DING Sun-lei,ZHANG Heng,YAN Yong-liang
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2023, 24(2): 396-407. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220911002
    Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of important food crops in many countries, whereas drought seriously destabilizes its growth and yield production. In this study, the genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to mine SNP loci and candidate genes that associate with drought resistance of wheat root traits at seedling stage. 183 Xinjiang spring wheat varieties (lines) were examined under 20% PEG-6000 or normal nutrient solution treatment conditions, to simulate drought stress at seedling stage. The measurement of root traits were statistically analyzed, and the correlation analysis of drought resistance coefficient was carried out. Genome-wide association analysis of drought resistance coefficients of eight traits including total root length, root surface area, root volume, root mean diameter, root fresh weight, root dry weight, root tip number and maximum root length was performed using a hybrid linear model MLM (Q+K) using 55K SNPs, and candidate genes were identified for significant inherited association loci. The results showed that the variation coefficient of eight root traits were 17.81%~70.71% and 20.01%~61.62% under normal and PEG stress conditions, respectively. Correlation analysis results showed that the drought resistance coefficient of average root diameter was significantly negatively correlated with those of total root length, number of root tips and maximum root length. The drought resistance coefficient of total root length and root surface area had the largest correlation coefficient of 0.74. Genome-wide association scanning enabled identification of 54 SNPs associated to root drought resistance (P≤0.001), distributed on 16 chromosomes except 3B, 3D, 5D, 6D and 7D. Each single locus could explain the phenotypic variation ranging from 6.18% to 18.74%. In addition, six pleiotropic loci were detected, which were located on chromosomes 1A, 5A, 7A, 1B, 5B and 2D, each explaining the phenotypic variation ranging from 6.55% to 18.74%. The locus AX-110482078-AX-110400975 was significantly associated with the number of root tips, root volume and maximum root length on chromosome 5A, with the contribution rate ranging from 8.74% to 15.44%. Nine candidate genes were proposed based on 54 significantly-associated SNPs. With gene annotation information, three genes TraesCS4A01G424000TraesCS6A01G047200 and TraesCS5B01G056600 were proposed to be involved in physiological regulation of wheat stress by regulating translipoprotein, peroxidase and MYB transcription factors, respectively.
  • Research Articles
    Tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs), localizing on the tonoplast or the vacuole formed body, belong toone subclass of aquaporins and are known to play important roles in plant abiotic stress responses. In the present study, 23 GmTIP genes were identified on the genomic level, using soybean genome database. Chromosomal distribution analyses suggested GmTIP genes were distributed on 17 chromosomes. Protein multiple sequence alignment analyses showed that all GmTIP proteins contained six representative trans-membrane domains (TM1 to TM6) and two conserved NPA (Asp-Pro-Ala box) domains. Protein feature analyses indicated that the number of amino acids of GmTIPs ranged from 237 to 255, the molecular masses ranged from 27.0 to 27.2 KDa and the isoelectronic points ranged from 5.08 to 10.01. Evolutionary relationship analyses showed that GmTIPs were divided into five clades (TIP1 to TIP5), which was consistent with Arabidopsis AtTIPs. And each clade was composed of the homologous TIPs from soybean and Arabidopsis, which may be functionally conserved. Furthermore, the responsiveness of 5 GmTIP candidate genes in response to abiotic stresses (drought and salt) and hormone signals (abscisic acid (ABA) and amino cyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC)) were investigated using qRT-PCR. The results revealed that these environmental stresses and exogenous hormones could induce the up-regulation or down-regulation of these tested GmTIP genes in leaves or roots. Among them, GmTIP2;6 was most significantly up-regulated in roots after drought or salt treatment. However, for GmTIP2;1, GmTIP2;2 and GmTIP4;1, drought treatment provoked their dramatic down-regulation expression in roots and their dramatic up-regulation expression in leaves . For ACC hormone treatment, GmTIP2;2 was strong up-regulation in roots. These findings will facilitate further study of the functional roles and molecular mechanisms of GmTIP genes during abiotic stress responses and promote the application of GmTIP genes in molecular breeding of vegetable soybean.
  • Research Articles
    JIANG Yun,HAO Ming,LIU Deng-cai,LYU Ji-juan,TANG Shu-yao,XUAN Pu,GUO Yuan-lin,CHEN Qian,WANG Ying,XIAO Jun,ZHANG Jie
    The high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) compositions and the quality parameters in 184 Sichuan wheat varieties (released from 1949 to 2018), one introduced variety and two landraces were analyzed. The results showed that there were three alleles at Glu-1A including 1, N, 2*eight at Glu-1B including 7, 20, 22, 7+8, 7+9, 6+8, 14+15 and 23+18, and three at Glu-1D including 5+10, 2+12 and 3.1t+11*t. These subunits on sub-genomes A, B, D formed 23 allele combinations, and the combination (N/7+9/5+10) was found with a frequency of 12.3%. Taking advantage of breeding effects, the allele diversity at the Glu-1 locus, as well as the ratio of high-quality strong gluten 1 (Glu-1A) and 5+10 (Glu-1D) were gradually increased. The medium-weak gluten wheat varieties were found with predominant proportion in Sichuan province. The increase on test weight and sedimentation value, but the increase followed by decreased on other quality traits were observed. This study can provide reference for further improvement of wheat quality in Sichuan province, China.
  • Research Articles
    MA Xiao-ding,CUI Di,HAN Bing,JIAO Cheng-zhi,HAN Long-zhi
    DNA fingerprinting analysis that enables assigning uniform identity information for each rice germplasm is of great significance for identifying the genetic basis of rice germplasm resources, improving their utilization efficiency and protecting the intellectual property rights of the seed industry in China. In this study, using 5374 rice accessions that have been genotyped by the whole-genome resequencing, two sets of genome-wide DNA fingerprinting standards were established through the selection of reference sample resources, analysis of high-quality SNP loci, and selection of the optimal number of SNPs and SNP combinations. Through principal component analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis, SNPs in the collection of fingerprinting standards 1 and 2 could represent 94,197 high-quality population common SNPs applicable for the population genetic diversity. In addition, population genetic similarity analysis verified the effectiveness of fingerprinting standards 1 and 2 to uncover the genetic similarity identification of rice germplasm resources. This study is expected to provide technical support for the conservation and utilization of rice germplasm resources and the protection of intellectual property rights in the seed industry, and to provide reference for the development of DNA fingerprinting standards for other crops.
  • Review
    QIU Lin,ZHAO Lin-shu,XIE Yong-dun,XIONG Hong-chun,GU Jia-yu,BI Xiu-li,LIU Lu-xiang and GUO Hui-jun
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2022, 23(2): 346-357. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20210930001
    Senescence,as the final stage of natural development of plants,has an important influence on crop yield. In order to promoting the selection and breeding of new crop varieties and yield improvement, it is important to deeply analyze the regulatory mechanism and influencing factors of premature senescence. Except the stress of natural environment,genetic network of crops is an important factor in regulating plant premature senescence. A variety of metabolic pathways in plants affect the period of senescence onset. Here we reviewed the various physiological,biochemical and yield changes during premature senescence in plants. Premature senescence caused degradation of chlorophyll and other macromolecules,significantly reducd leaf photosynthetic and transportion of nutrients from senescent tissues to young tissues and reproductive organs. The process was accompanied by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS),decreased the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the cells and upregulated of senescence-associated gene (SAG) expression,which eventually led to premature senescence and reduced plant yield. Premature senescence is a complex and sequential process regulated by multiple genes. We summarized the gene networks regulating premature senescence among different species,and introduced the mechanisms of premature senescence regulation through transcription factor regulation,hormone and protein metabolism. It provides suggestions on the research of premature senescence mechanism and breeding utilization in the future.
  • Research Articles
    ZHAO Qi,,RU Jing-na,LI Yi-tong,WANG Chao,XU Zhao-shi and WANG Rui-hui
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2022, 23(6): 1766-1781. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220401001
    Light harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding protein (Lhc) directly affects the efficiency of photosynthetic system and crop yield. Wheat is one of the staple food crops in China, while the abiotic stresses seriously destabilize the yield and quality in its lifecycle. In order to systematically study the characteristics of wheat Lhc gene family members, in this study, the bioinformatics analysis and the transcriptional profile analysis of differently expressed genes or highly expressed genes were carried out. 96 Lhc genes were identified based on wheat reference genome sequence. Except that four genes (TaLhca5.1, TaLhcb1.31, TaLhcb1.39 and TaLhcb1.29) were not assigned to the chromosomes, the remaining genes were found on 19 chromosomes except 3A and 3D. The Lhc genes belong to three subfamilies in phylogeny, with each family having the similarity on gene structure and motif. In the promoter region of Lhc genes, a large number of stress response elements and growth and development related response elements were found. Expression patterns of Lhc gene in root, stem, leaf, spike and grain are different, while a higher expression was observed in leaves. Transcripts of genes TaLhca3.3, TaLhcb1.7 and TaLhcb1.20 were increased initially, followed by a decrease, whereas a decrease on gene expression of the gene TaLhcb1.46 was detected.
  • Research Articles
    DENG Wei,LYU Ying,DONG Yang-jun,XU Yu-ran,YANG Hua-tao,Zhang Jin-wen,ZHANG Jian-hua,KUI Li-mei,TU Jian,XIANG Han-zhang,GUAN Jun-jiao,DONG Wei,GU An-yu,AN Hua,YANG Li-ping,ZHANG Xiao,LI Xiao-lin
    The genetic diversity analysis of 135 rice germplasm resources collected from different altitudes in Yunnan province, P.R. China, were genotyped by using the gene chip GSR40K. The rice germplasm resources at different altitudes were found with rich genetic diversity, and they were divided into five subgroups: indica, partial indica, intermediate, japonica and partial japonica. Eighty-two genes with expected breeding value were genotyped by haplotype markers and functional markers. All accessions were found with the genes related to the grain shattering. Nearly 70% of rice varieties were detected with rice blast resistant genes, whereas only a small proportion of accessions containing insect resistance and fragrance genes were identified. The accessions in this collection were divided into seven subgroups by cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The differentiation of each marker site among the 7 subgroups was evaluated by the Gst value of genetic differentiation index, indicating that there was high genetic differentiation among the 7 subgroups. Moreover, at least 0.09% of the genomic segments in this collection are completely different, and only 0.08% are frequently communicated and fixed, suggesting an extremely low frequency of gene exchange between different subpopulations. Based on the difference of altitude among subpopulations, the differential genomic regions among populations were proposed associating with altitude adaptability. Collectively, these results provided scientific basis for effective protection and efficient utilization of rice resources in rice breeding.
  • Review
    YU Mei,TANG Hua-li,YE Xing-guo
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2023, 24(1): 102-116. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220809001
    Wheat grain, with rich nutrition and various end-uses in markets, provides diets in over one-third of the global human population. However, with the increasing influence of biological and abiotic stresses, such as threats of diseases and pests, environmental damages of drought, high temperature and salinization, the sustainability of global wheat production is under increasing threats. In order to ensure the global food security supply and demands for high quality products, the desirable increases on wheat production and quality require to the constantly developing of new breeding methods and germplasm resources used for wheat breeding. In the past decade, significant progress on plant biotechnologies such as transgenic study and genome editing has been achieved, and gradually applied in wheat genetic improvement. To date, the efficient systems for wheat genetic transformation and genome editing have been established, in which the transformation efficiency for the model genotypes mediated by Agrobacterium is higher than 50% and the editing efficiencies of some target genes via CRISPR/Cas9 reach to 40%-70%. The genotype independency in wheat transformation and genome editing has been overcome almost. Some of wheat traits including disease resistance, stress tolerance, quality feature, yield potential, and growth and development regulation have been modified by using transgenic and gene editing methodologies; many new wheat genetic stocks showing disease resistances to powdery mildew, rusts, scab and yellow mosaic virus, tolerances to pre-harvest sprouting, drought and salt, low gliadin content, high gluten content, male sterility and haploid induction ability were created by the requirement of wheat improvement. This review aims to summarize the latest research progresses on transgene and genome editing in wheat, and to explore the current problems and possible solutions.
  • GENE MINING
    jiangnan,zhanglin,, and
    Identification of S-genotypes of pear cultivars is useful for allocating suitable pollination trees and pear breeding program. The fluorescently-labeled specific cDNA sequences of S-RNases were obtained by PCR amplification using Cy3-labeled specific primers. The S-RNase cDNA microarray was further improved with which the pear S-genotype was detected and novel S-RNase genes were discovered. The S-genotypes of thirty-five pear cultivars,in total, including ‘Luding Wangpili’, ‘Xingshan 24’ and ‘Midu Baihe’ etc, were identified and seven new P. pyrifolia S-RNase genes were discovered. Then the DNA sequences of the seven new S-RNase genes were identified by DNA cloning and sequencing combined with PCR-RFLP method. Sequence analysis demonstrates that the seven new genes showed typical structural features with specific domains of S-RNase. Evolution analysis indicates that the seven genes blong to the S-RNase group of Maloideae, Rosaceae and the evolutionary relationship among S-RNases is closer between species or genera than intra-species or intra-genus. The seven S-RNases were named PpS53 (Pyruspyrifolia S53), PpS54, PpS55, PpS56, PpS57, PpS58 and PpS59, and have been deposited under the GenBank database with accession numbers being KX581753, KX581754, KX581755, KX581756, KX581757, KX581751 and KX581752, respectively.
  • GENE MINING
    fanxilin,王国梁 and 王志龙
    Abstract:RING(Really Interesting New Gene) ubiquitin ligases play significant roles in rice, such as growth, development,resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study,we cloned the RING finger gene (OsRING6) from the Japonica cultivar Nipponbare (Oryza sativa) based on the sequence analysis of the rice genome and the RT-PCR method. The OsRING6 full cDNA consists of 1355 bp nucleotides and contains a CDS of 918 bp nucleotides,and encoding a protein of 315 amino acids with the deduced molecular weight of 32.96 kD and a pI value of 3.49. The similarity comparison revealed that the CDS sequence of OsRING6 shared 97% and 83% homology with Oryza sativa Indica (CT832014) and Oryza brachyantha (XM_006659599),respectively. The relative molecular weight of the MBP-OsRING6 recombinant protein induced by IPTG was about 100 kD,which was much bigger than deduced value of 76 kD. Promoter analysis indicated that it contains several regulatory elements related to drought stress, light response,ABA and GA signal transduction. Real-time PCR experiments showed that OsRING6 was expressed mainly in root,stem,leaves,leaf sheath,flowers and seed,and its expression level was the highest in germinated seeds and the lowest in flowers among these detected tissues. We also found that OsRING6 could be induced when treated with salt and ABA,respectively,and inhibited by PEG. These data suggest that OsRING6 might be involved in abiotic stresses such as slat and drought, and could be used for further functional study and breeding in rice.
  • Research Articles
    ZHANG Xiao-wei,CHEN Xiao-cui,CHEN Shi-ze,QIN Cheng,YANG Hong,TANG Xiang-qun,QIU Hua-rong,LUO Xi-rong
    As an important agronomic trait of pepper, fruit color directly affects the commercial value of pepper, and the analysis of its genetic mechanism can provide guidance for the improvement of pepper fruit appearance quality. In this study, the genome-wide association study (GWAS) was used to identify SNPs and candidate genes that significantly associated with the fruit color in pepper. By taking the natural population composed of 195 annual peppers, the fruit color including immature fruit color and mature fruit color were investigated in two calendar years (2020 and 2021). Through the DNA sequencing and SNP variation detection, the high-quality SNPs filtrated by quality control were used for GWAS. The results showed that the phenotypes at pepper fruit color traits collected from the two calendar years were completely consistent, indicating the inheritance of the traits. The frequency distribution of green fruit color and bright red fruit color was the highest, up to 89.74% and 60.51%, respectively. GWAS analysis revealed eight SNPs associating with the pepper fruit color, these loci were distributed on four chromosomes 0, 1, 3 and 4. LD block analysis was performed on significant SNP sites and candidate genes were screened, enabling the annotation of 31 candidate genes. It includes several strong candidates including the respiratory burst oxidase homologous protein A (capana01g000138), isoflavone 2' - hydroxylase-like (capana04g000616, capana04g000617, capana04g000618, capana04g000619, capana04g000620, capana04g000621 and capana04g000622) and F-box-like/WD repeat-containing protein TBL1Y-like (Capana04g000624). These results will provide a reference for molecular assisted breeding of fruit color in pepper.
  • Review
    WEN Yingjie,OU Liangxi,SHI Fachao,YAN Qian,CAI Changhe,JIANG Yonghua,LIU Hailun,CHEN Jiezhen
    Litchi, a subtropical evergreen woody fruit tree that originates in China and has been cultivated for over two thousand years, is essential to China’s fruit tree industry. The rich litchi germplasm resources hosted in China provide an important guarantee for litchi breeding and industrial development. The national litchi and banana germplasm repository (Guangzhou) serves as the primary unit for the preservation of litchi germplasm resources in China and is currently the most comprehensive and standardized litchi germplasm repository in the world. As of December 2022, the national litchi and banana germplasm repository (Guangzhou) has collected and preserved 652 litchi germplasm resources and successfully bred multiple high-quality litchi new varieties, including Hong xiu qiu, Xian jin feng, and Feng shan hong deng long. The repository has also established a population of over 500,000 natural hybrid offspring and more than 20,000 artificially hybrid offspring, promoting basic research on litchi genomics and origins, molecular markers, quality, and disease resistance. These measures have contributed to the adjustment of the litchi varieties and the promotion of the industry, playing an important role in rural poverty alleviation and the sustainable development of the litchi industry. This review presents an overview of the development history of the national litchi and banana germplasm repository (Guangzhou) and also summarizes the progress made in the past two decades regarding litchi germplasm resource collection and preservation, as well as their innovative utilization. Furthermore, we propose future research directions and focus in the national litchi and banana germplasm repository (Guangzhou), aiming to provide a reference for the effective utilization and industrial development of China's litchi germplasm resources.
  • Review
    JIANG Chun-xiu,YAO Wei,ZHANG Mu-qing,DENG Zu-hu
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2023, 24(2): 349-356. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20220801001
    Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization) is a powerful tool for molecular cytogenetics studies and is able to authentically allocate particular DNA or RNA sequences on chromosomes. With the development of the genome sequencing technology, the reduction of sequencing cost and the publishment of a large number of species genome information, Oligonucleotide (Oligo) probes based on high-throughput sequencing and reference genome were developed showing the advantages in FISH. In comparison with the traditional probes, Oligo-FISH can further reveal the evolution, inheritance and variation of chromosomes more precisely and deeply in plant evolution.This paper reviews the types and applications of target DNA and fluorescent probes in the development of fluorescence labeling, as well as the types and preparation techniques of oligonucleotide probes, mainly focusing on the origin and development of Oligo-FISH and its application in plants, which plays an important role in the identification of plant chromosomes and plant homologous chromosomes. Since the karyotype of species and genera can be constructed by Oligo-FISH technology, the results of Oligo-FISH can provide guidance for genome assembly of crops in this genus which have no complete genomes. Oligo painting can also solve the problem of fusion and exchange between chromosomes of heteropolyploid species and accurately detect whether there is translocation and heterologous recombination between chromosomes. Therefore, the development of Oligo-FISH technology provides strong support for the assembly of the genome at chromosome level. In the future, Oligo-FISH technology combined with signal amplification technology can overcome the challenge of low Oligo probes with high concentration of repeat sequences in regions, and visualize limited gene regions, such as the detection of promoters or enhancers or the localization of gene segments in transgenes. These studies will make better use of the research results of species genetics and evolution to further ensure, assist and innovate the improvement and development of crop genetics and breeding.
  • Research Articles
    DU Huaidong,LIU Xiaogang,LIU Yang,WANG Jiyuan,SONG Jiawei,SUN Zhiyong,MA Wei,CHEN Siyi,YANG Xiaoli,TIAN Lei,LI Peifu
    The yield and seed mineral nutrient quality are essential factors in breeding of rice varieties. Identification of rice germplasm resources with high yield and high quality can provide elite parents or intermediate lines in breeding. This study measured eight yield-related traits (plant height, spike length, grain number per panicle, filled grain number per panicle, thousand kernels weight, grain weight per panicle, seed setting rate and grain density) and six mineral nutrient quality-related traits (zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and manganese content) in 139 japonica rice germplasm accessions, followed by the correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). The plant height, spike length, grain number per panicle, filled grain number per panicle and grain weight per panicle were positively correlated (highly significant), and the content of mineral nutrient was positively correlated with each other in different degrees. The content of Zn and Mg was significantly and negatively correlated with grain weight per panicle. PCA using either eight or six indicators suggested three principal components (PCs), respectively, with the cumulative contribution rate of 78.432% and 71.697%, respectively. Four yield key indicators and five mineral nutrient quality key indicators were selected based on the loadings of these indicators in CI1-3. Two germplasm accessions with high yield and high content of mineral nutrient, namely, Hungarian No.1 and Mu 10-815, were identified by combining the results of comprehensive evaluation of yield and mineral nutritional quality. The cluster analysis suggested four groups within this collection, including Group-I that contained only two germplasms with very high mineral nutrient content, Group-II that contained 41 germplasms with relatively high Zn content but poor yield traits. Group-III and IV with 69 and 27 germplasms respectively, exhibited superior yield traits. Group-III, however, had relatively low mineral nutrient content, whereas Group-IV had relatively high amounts of Mn and Ca content. Collectively, this study can provide theoretical basis and excellent germplasm for the selection and breeding of new high yield and high quality rice varieties.
  • GERMPLASM RESOURCES
    ZHANG Xue-yong,HAO Chen-yang,JIAO Cheng-zhi,LI Tian,MAO Long,LIU Xu
    Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 2023, 24(1): 11-21. https://doi.org/10.13430/j.cnki.jpgr.20230104001
    Since 1990s, scientists have mapped many quantitative trait loci through bi-parental populations such as NILs, DH, and IBD in plants through co-segregation between traits and markers. A set of important genes have been isolated by fine mapping, which are relating to biotic and abiotic stress resistance, environment adaptation, quality, and yield. These bring a lot of new biological knowledge. However, most of these genes were selected successfully in domestication and breeding.By 2010, with the establishment of reference genome sequences for most crops, genome re-sequencing has broken the limitation of the number of molecular markers, driving crop genetic research fully entering the genome era. Millions of SNP markers have made genome-wide association study (GWAS) widely used in genetic resources research, making it the most important part of germplasm resources research in the past 10 years. In this golden period, dissecting genetic basis of important agronomic traits through GWAS has become the main content of CellNature and Science and their sub-publishers.In the last century, the establishment and development of crop breeding science promoted establishment of germplasm resource discipline. The development and wide application of genomics in this century has gradually formed a new situation in which research of germplasm resources promotes the development of breeding. Many problems that plague breeders have received important enlightenment or answers through GWAS analysis (such as tomato domestication, breeding history, contradiction between quality and yield, founder genotype, etc.). Further, the pan-genome research breaks through the limitations of a single reference genome, makes researchers realize the universality of genomic structural variations within a species, and provides a broader perspective for analyzing the formation of landmark cultivars, founder genotypes and the creation new super-cultivars. NAM, MAGIC, and the ideas and practice of constructing new multi-parents genetic mapping populations based on these can make the background level of the mapping population basically reaching the level of the breeding population at the same time, speeding up the fine mapping of agronomically important genes and pre-breeding. This has driven integration and interaction of germplasmics, genomics and breeding. Furthermore, in assistance of speed breeding and gene editing technology, the integration and interaction will surely promote the three disciplines to enter a new time.