Search

BACKGROUND: . Wheat is widely affected by drought. Low excised-leaf water loss (ELWL) has frequently been associated with improved grain yield under drought. This study dissected the genetic control of ELWL in wheat, associated physiological, morphological and anatomical leaf traits, and compared these with yield QTLs. Methods. Ninety-four hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) doubled haploids, mapped with over 700 markers, were tested for three years for ELWL from detached leaf 4 of glasshouse-grown plants. In one experiment, stomata per unit area and leaf thickness parameters from leaf cross-sections were measured. QTLs were identified using QTLCartographer. Results. ELWL was significantly negatively correlated with leaf length, width, area and thickness. Major QTLs for ELWL during 0-3 h and 3-6 h were coincident across trials on 3A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7A, 7B, 7D and frequently coincident (inversely) with leaf size QTLs. Yield in other trials was sometimes associated with ELWL and leaf size phenotypically and genotypically, but more frequently under non-droughted than droughted conditions. QTL coincidence showed only ELWL to be associated with drought/control yield ratio. Discussion. Our results demonstrated that measures of ELWL and leaf size were equally effective predictors of yield, and both were more useful for selecting under favourable than stressed conditions.

Background. Wheat is widely affected by drought. Low excised-leaf water loss (ELWL) has frequently been associated with improved grain yield under drought. This study dissected the genetic control of ELWL in wheat, associated physiological, morphological and anatomical leaf traits, and compared these with yield QTLs. Methods. Ninety-four hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) doubled haploids, mapped with over 700 markers, were tested for three years for ELWL from detached leaf 4 of glasshouse-grown plants. In one experiment, stomata per unit area and leaf thickness parameters from leaf cross-sections were measured. QTLs were identified using QTLCartographer. Results. ELWL was significantly negatively correlated with leaf length, width, area and thickness. Major QTLs for ELWL during 0-3 h and 3-6 h were coincident across trials on 3A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7A, 7B, 7D and frequently coincident (inversely) with leaf size QTLs. Yield in other trials was sometimes associated with ELWL and leaf size phenotypically and genotypically, but more frequently under non-droughted than droughted conditions. QTL coincidence showed only ELWL to be associated with drought/control yield ratio. Discussion. Our results demonstrated that measures of ELWL and leaf size were equally effective predictors of yield, and both were more useful for selecting under favourable than stressed conditions.

Background. Wheat is widely affected by drought. Low excised-leaf water loss (ELWL) has frequently been associated with improved grain yield under drought. This study dissected the genetic control of ELWL in wheat, associated physiological, morphological and anatomical leaf traits, and compared these with yield QTLs. Methods. Ninety-four hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) doubled haploids, mapped with over 700 markers, were tested for three years for ELWL from detached leaf 4 of glasshouse-grown plants. In one experiment, stomata per unit area and leaf thickness parameters from leaf cross-sections were measured. QTLs were identified using QTLCartographer. Results. ELWL was significantly negatively correlated with leaf length, width, area and thickness. Major QTLs for ELWL during 0-3 h and 3-6 h were coincident across trials on 3A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7A, 7B, 7D and frequently coincident (inversely) with leaf size QTLs. Yield in other trials was sometimes associated with ELWL and leaf size phenotypically and genotypically, but more frequently under non-droughted than droughted conditions. QTL coincidence showed only ELWL to be associated with drought/control yield ratio. Discussion. Our results demonstrated that measures of ELWL and leaf size were equally effective predictors of yield, and both were more useful for selecting under favourable than stressed conditions.

BACKGROUND: . Wheat is widely affected by drought. Low excised-leaf water loss (ELWL) has frequently been associated with improved grain yield under drought. This study dissected the genetic control of ELWL in wheat, associated physiological, morphological and anatomical leaf traits, and compared these with yield QTLs. Methods. Ninety-four hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) doubled haploids, mapped with over 700 markers, were tested for three years for ELWL from detached leaf 4 of glasshouse-grown plants. In one experiment, stomata per unit area and leaf thickness parameters from leaf cross-sections were measured. QTLs were identified using QTLCartographer. Results. ELWL was significantly negatively correlated with leaf length, width, area and thickness. Major QTLs for ELWL during 0-3 h and 3-6 h were coincident across trials on 3A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7A, 7B, 7D and frequently coincident (inversely) with leaf size QTLs. Yield in other trials was sometimes associated with ELWL and leaf size phenotypically and genotypically, but more frequently under non-droughted than droughted conditions. QTL coincidence showed only ELWL to be associated with drought/control yield ratio. Discussion. Our results demonstrated that measures of ELWL and leaf size were equally effective predictors of yield, and both were more useful for selecting under favourable than stressed conditions.

Astragalus penduliflorus Lam. is an alpine-subalpine species. Several isolated populations occur in Europe: in the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians and in central Sweden. Astragalus penduliflorus is considered as critically endangered species in Poland, growing only at the locality in the Smytnia Valley, in the Western Tatra Mountains. The population is at risk, due to the limited reproduction caused by law rate of seed germination, periodically shortened vegetation period that prevent seed development and gnawing the aerial plant parts by deer. The aim of the study was to explain the reason for the poor germination of A. penduliflorus seeds. As a result of mechanical scarification, 100% of A. penduliflorus seeds germinated, which proved that these seeds are characterized by a water-impermeable seed coat, which classified them as hard seeds that go through physical dormancy. Results obtained in this work can be used for effective reproduction and active conservation of threatened A. penduliflorus.