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Gloeostereum incarnatum has edible and medicinal value and was first cultivated and domesticated in China. We sequenced the G. incarnatum monokaryotic strain GiC-126 on an Illumina HiSeq X Ten system and obtained a 34.52-Mb genome assembly sequence that encoded 16,895 predicted genes. We combined the GiC-126 genome with the published genome of G. incarnatum strain CCMJ2665 to construct a genetic linkage map (GiC-126 genome) that had 10 linkage groups (LGs), and the 15 assembly sequences of CCMJ2665 were integrated into 8 LGs. We identified 1912 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci and detected 700 genes containing 768 SSRs in the genome; 65 and 100 of them were annotated with gene ontology (GO) terms and KEGG pathways, respectively. Carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) were identified in 20 fungal genomes and annotated; among them, 144 CAZymes were annotated in the GiC-126 genome. The A mating-type locus (MAT-A) of G. incarnatum was located on scaffold885 at 38.9 cM of LG1 and was flanked by two homeodomain (HD1) genes, mip and beta-fg. Fourteen segregation distortion markers were detected in the genetic linkage map, all of which were skewed toward the parent GiC-126. They formed three segregation distortion regions (SDR1–SDR3), and 22 predictive genes were found in scaffold1920 where three segregation distortion markers were located in SDR1. In this study, we corrected and updated the genomic information of G. incarnatum. Our results will provide a theoretical basis for fine gene mapping, functional gene cloning, and genetic breeding the follow-up of G. incarnatum.

A greenhouse experiment was conducted at Land Resources Research Institute, NARC, Islamabad to examine the impact of humic substances (HSs) coating on potassium fertilizers use efficiency. Tomato v...

In this article we explore the hierarchical nature of time series of various agriculture crops in Pakistan at the subdistrict level and produce short-term forecasts for these time series. The data and forecasts are organized in a hierarchy based on disaggregating the data according to the division and subdistrict levels (geographical regions). Following Athanasopoulos, Ahmed, and Hyndman, we consider five approaches to hierarchical forecasting; two variations of the top-down approach; the bottom-up method; top-down approach where top-level forecasts are disaggregated according to the forecasted proportions of the lower level series; and the new optimal combination approach introduced by Hyndman, Ahmed, Athanasopoulos, and Shang. The forecasts are obtained from these five approaches using two well-known methods; Exponential Smoothing (ES) and an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA). The forecasts are then compared across the two methods and across the various approaches by using various out-of-sample forecast evaluations. The forecast performance evaluation shows that in most cases either the top-down or the bottom-up approach performs best while the optimal combination method approach is the second best for the major crops production hierarchies we consider. By applying these methods, we produce detailed forecasts of the production of major crops in Pakistan for all levels of hierarchies and draw some useful conclusions for policy makers.

Dairy manure (DM) rates of [0 (DM0), 30 (DM30)), 60 (DM60) Mg ha−1] and three nitrogen (N) rates [0 (N0), 125 (N125), 250 (N250) kg ha−1] were tested in a sandy clay loam, to evaluate their effects on growth and yield of wheat crop (Triticum aestivum L.), residual nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in the surface soil, and selected soil physical measurements [saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), and bulk density (BD)]. Increasing N and DM rates gave higher wheat yields, increased concentrations of residual NO3-N and P in the surface soil and improved Ksat and BD. Highest grain yield of 3.8 Mg ha−1 (70.3% more than the control) was observed in DM60 × N250 treatment. Residual accumulation of N-NO3 and P in the surface soil at high N and/or DM application rates suggests the need to carefully manage N and DM inputs on farm fields to avoid environmental contamination.

The incidence of powdery mildew disease on pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a major limiting factor to maximizing yields in different ecological and geographical zones due to environmental factors and the presence of pathogenic variation in Erysiphe polygoni DC. In order to develop a widely adopted powdery mildew–resistant cultivar it is necessary to challenge genotypes with all available pathogenic variants. In order to examine pathogenic variation, 23 naturally occurring single colony isolates of E. polygoni, collected from geographically diverse locations, were subjected to pathogenicity testing and characterization using a detached leaf assay. Isolates demonstrated small differences in pathogenicity against pea. Isolates MUZ-1 and MUZ-2 were the most virulent and produced disease symptoms even on the resistant cultivars. Isolates TTS-2 and TTS-6 were less virulent. Significant variation occurred among isolates for quantitative and qualitative parameters regardless of the degree of pathogenicity. There was va...

Powdery mildew disease caused by Erysiphe polygoni DC significantly reduces yield quantity and quality of edible seed in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Development of powdery mildew–resistant varieties is an economical and environmentally friendly approach to managing the disease. One hundred forty-six pea accessions, collected from different countries, were screened against powdery mildew. It was determined that accessions 9057, 9370, 9375, 10609, 10612, 18293, 18412, 19598, 19611, 19616, 19727, 19750, 19782, 20126, 20152, 20171, It-96, No. 267, and No. 380 were resistant; accessions It-96 and No. 267 were highly resistant. The correlation between disease score and latent period was negative, suggesting that these parameters should be used simultaneously for more precise screening against powdery mildew. The resistant accessions selected might be used as powdery mildew–resistant parent(s) in breeding programs depending upon the nature and number of gene(s) controlling for resistance.

There is a benefit to continued development of improved lines and cultivars of edible plants by effectively using the available gene pool. Pea is a staple food throughout the world (Pisum sativum L.). A field experiment was conducted for two consecutive seasons to assess the genetic diversity of 146 pea accessions. The characterization was based on quantitative and qualitative morphological characters. The pea accessions were collected from different agro-climatic zones of the world. A high degree of diversity was found among the pea germplasms both for qualitative and quantitative traits. Principal component analysis showed that days to 50% flowering, 100-seed weight (fresh and dry), plant height, and number of pods per plant are among the most important descriptors which accounted for more than 90% of the variation. Such a high magnitude of variation suggests the use of all these traits for efficient characterization of pea germplasm. Correlation studies revealed positive and significant correlations am...

Powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe polygoni DC causes severe reductions in the green pod yield of pea (Pisum sativum L). The objective of this study was to reveal the genetics of powdery mildew resistance in six Resistant × Susceptible crosses and their generations (F1, F2, BCs, and BCr) against three isolates of E. polygoni. Cautious selection of the parental material and evaluation of 873 individual F2 plants from six crosses gave a perfect 3 susceptible:1 resistant segregation and 1 resistant:1 susceptible in BCr. These results led to the conclusion that resistance was conferred by the single recessive gene (er).

A complete diallel study of crosses between eight wheat varieties was carried out to determine the relative magnitude of components of genetic variation and heritability for important grain yield, quality and drought‐related traits. The data appeared adequate for the additive‐dominance model. The additive effects predominated for most traits, and consequently the narrow‐sense heritability was high to moderately high for flag leaf area, weight and venation, stomatal frequency and size, epidermal cell size, biomass, protein content, number of tillers, spike length, spike density, 1000‐grain weight and grain yield. These results appear promising for selecting better plants in the segregating populations with some degree of improvement for yield, quality and physiological efficiency.

The experiments were aimed at assessing the response of 72 tomato accessions to NaCl stress in the rooting media. The genotypic responses were compared using absolute values measuring shoot and root lengths, and fresh shoot and root weights. All the characters exhibited some reductions under increased salinity levels at seedling stage. Based upon absolute root length data, the accessions LA2661, CLN2498A, CLN1621L, BL1176, 6233, and 17870 were found to be more tolerant than the accessions 17902, LO2875, and LO4360. Assessment of Na+ and K+ ion content of nine accessions again substantiated the differing response of these accessions under 10 and 15 dS m−1 salinity levels. It was concluded that the potential of these genotypes to tolerate increased salt levels was found to be due to longer root, low accumulation of Na+, and greater K+/Na+ quotient.

The effects of increasing levels of calcium (Ca2+), potassium (K+), and sodium chloride (NaCl) salinity on the growth and ionic relations of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Monench, cv. ‘ICI-5521’ seedlings are reported. Increasing levels of Ca2+ in the solution culture enhanced growth, lowered sodium (Na+) uptake, and increased K+:Na+ ratio significantly. Elevated K+ level also improved growth significantly, but had no significant effect on Na+, Ca2+, or magnesium (Mg2+) accumulation of either roots or shoots. Accumulation of K+ and consequently K+:Na+ ratio increased with external K+ concentration. The effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) versus potassium chloride (KCl) salinity on the growth and ionic relations of sorghum (‘ICI-5521’) were also examined. Growth inhibition was greatest when KCl alone (160 mM) was used, but was enhanced when a mixture of NaCl and KCl (15:1) was used. The influence of salinity on the accumulation of proline, amino acids and carbohydrates and total osmolality is also discussed.

Colored cotton produces naturally colored lint, which can help reduce the use of toxic dyes in textile. Four naturally colored lint accessions were crossed with eight white lint varieties of Gossypium hirsutum L. to study the genetic basis of variation of lint color, fiber yield, and quality traits. Various shades of lint appeared in the F1 progenies and the inheritance of lint colors appeared to be controlled by dominant genes with varying degrees of dominance. There was also some indication for the involvement of maternal effects in the manifestation of lint colors. Additive and dominance genetic effects were involved in the inheritance of fiber traits, dominance effects being greater. The estimate of narrow sense heritability was very low for seed cotton yield and therefore direct selection for yield would not be effective in isolating superior genotypes. As non‐additive gene effects predominated in the inheritance of most fiber yield and quality characters, the development of colored cotton h...

Synthesis of amino acids, proline, and carbohydrates was studied in roots and shoots of 5 maize accessions, differing in aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn) tolerance, in response to Al and Mn stress at the seedling stage in solution culture. The concentrations of these metabolites increased in roots and shoots of the seedlings in the nutrient solution with added Al (0.22 mM), and Mn (2.0 mM). Both Al and/or Mn tolerant and non‐tolerant accessions accumulated more metabolites under stress than control. Generally, the tolerant accessions accumulated more solutes than the non‐tolerant maize accessions examined.