Search

Copyright of Biologija is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We used RAPDs (random amplified polymorphic DNAs) to analyze genetic diversity in the arctic-alpine yellow marsh Saxifrage (Saxifraga hirculus L.) which is considered to be a glacial relict. Five populations from different regions of Lithuania were studied. A total of 76 individuals were examined in this research. By RAPD analysis 93 loci were detected, of them 71% were polymorphic. All the plants showed different RAPD phenotypes. The percentage of polymorphic bands within populations correlated with population size. UPGMA and PCO analyses showed the genetic specificity of the populations. The genetic distance among individuals in different populations ranged from 0.225 (Juodle population) to 0.29 (Merkine population). Some population-specific minor loci were identified in the Merkinė and Juodlė populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blue-berried honeysuckle (Lonicera L.) is considered a non-traditional horticultural plant in Lithuania that grows in individual plots and botanical gardens. The extra-early ripening of berries is the most important feature of this plant. Berries are an excellent source of dietary phytochemicals (phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, etc.) and can be used as natural antioxidants. Since 1814 the blue-berried honeysuckle was known as dendrology object at the collection of VU Botanical Garden. The breeding of honeysuckle as berry plant started in 1975, when the Pomology Department was established. In the fifteen years since 1994 researchers of the department participated in the Lithuanian fruit plants genetic resources programme and the collection was supplemented by new accessions. The collection of blue-berried honeysuckle contains four species, four subspecies, 37 cultivars and 35 genetic lines. Plants of genetic lines were grown from seeds of wild populations (collected in forests of the Russian Altay region). Morphological characterization of accessions (weight, size and chemical composition of fruits, shrub and leaves characteristics) was carried out. Identification of plant disease agents of the aboveground part of bushes and plant resistance was carried out in 2003-2006 and 2009-2010. 24 fungal agents from 22 genera were identified. Diaporthe pardalota, Nectria cinnabarina and Fusarium oxysporum var. orthoceras made the most serious damages for plants. In 2007 we started working on genetic variation and phylogenetic analysis of species, genetic lines and cultivars using molecular markers techniques (RAPD, ISSR, cpDNA sequencing). AMOVA and UPGMA analyses of RAPD variation showed that the group of genetic lines is significantly different from the group of elite cultivars and can be used as a source of additional diversity in honeysuckle breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]