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Leaf area measurement is pivotal for plant physiologists. Hence, accurate measurement of their leaf area is incredibly relevant in agronomic terms. The plant Stevia rebaudiana is a sucrose-free plant species that is now vital to the global production of sucrose-free foods. Here, we estimated S. rebaudiana leaf area using a nondestructive methodology comprising allometric equations. Through leaf length (L), leaf width (W), and/or their product (LW) the leaf area was determined. One thousand leaves were sampled from four distinct S. rebaudiana genotypes for model construction. Linear or power models were generated, and the best equation was selected using a statistical criterion. The statistical criteria indicated that the linear models best suited all genotypes tested, included a function of LW, exhibited increased stability, and precisely estimated coefficients. ANOVA revealed that both generalized and combined equations were feasible. Nevertheless, grouping all genotypes into a single model was not possible as the genotype leaf architectures were very dissimilar.

Maize leaf length, leaf width, leaf angle, and leaf orientation value are determinant traits influencing leaf shape, yield potential, and can sense water stress signals. However, little is known regarding their genetic controls under drought stress. Using two F3 populations, we identified 72 QTLs under contrasting environments at V18 and R1 stages by single-environment mapping, 58.3% QTLs were identified under drought-stressed environments. Thirty-three joint QTLs were detected by joint analysis of all environments, 7 QTLs involved in QTL-by-environment interactions, 11 pair epistasis exhibited additive-by-additive effects. Twelve constitutive QTLs were dissected that will be potentially useful for genetic improvement of maize leaf development through QTL pyramiding. Additionally, 13 meta-QTLs were identified via meta-analysis, 15 candidate genes were identified in these meta-QTLs. These results provide valuable information for QTLs fine mapping, revealing genetic mechanisms of leaf shape under contrasting watering environments, and alleles provide useful targets for marker-assisted selection breeding.

—Daustinia montana (Convolvulaceae) is the only species of the genus, and is notable for its wide leaf variability. To understand whether this plasticity is correlated with the distribution of the species, linear morphometric and leaf contour analyses were performed. Specimens from herbaria were photographed, and pre-established linear measurements were made. A multivariate analysis was then performed to test the strength of associations among morphological characteristics, climatic variables, and distribution of the species. Elliptic Fourier analysis based on 20 harmonics was used to generate shape descriptors, resulting in nine main components. With elliptic Fourier descriptors, a grouping tree was created that suggests the existence of six morphotypes in D. montana. Moreover, clustering analysis revealed two large groups distinguished mainly by leaf width. The present findings indicate that the morphotypes are strongly related to latitude and that other characteristics such as the type of indumentum are related to climatic variables.

Sesamum indicum ‘Baekseol’ plug seedlings were treated with the fungicide diniconazole as a growth retardant in comparison to paclobutrazole. Seeds were sown in 128-cell plug trays. Paclobutrazole (0, 15, 30, and 60 mg L−1) and diniconazole (100, 200, 300, and 400 mg L−1) were foliage sprayed when first leaves were developed. Stem growth was similar between paclobutrazole and the control, but strongly retarded by increasing concentrations of diniconazole. Leaf numbers did not differ in all treatments. As the diniconazole concentration increased, leaves became thicker, while leaf width and length decreased. In diniconazole treatment, shoot fresh weight decreased, but root fresh weight increased. Therefore, the T/R ratio was lowered by diniconazole treatment. After transplanting, the taking roots of paclobutrazol-treated plants were below average (

This study aimed to determine the morphological and cytogenetic differences in an intraspecific Asiatic F1Lilium hybrid. The results indicated that leaf color and shape, flower morphology including color, spot size on petal, and filament color in the F1 hybrid showed significant variations as compared to parents, while days to flowering were similar to those of the parents. Moreover, stem height, leaf number, and leaf width showed distinct variations. Interestingly, the intraspecific F1 progeny obtained from Asiatic lily parents showed higher pollen viability. In addition, FISH results revealed significant variation in the number of 18S rDNA and 5S rDNA loci identified in both parents and the F1 progeny. The female (2n = 4x = 48) parent had 12 loci of 18S rDNA, whereas the male (2n = 2x = 24) parent and the F1 (2n = 3x = 36) had 8 and 11 loci of 18S rDNA, respectively. Moreover, the F1 progeny had 9 loci of 5S rDNA compared with the 7 and 4 loci identified in the female and male parents, respectively. All 5S rDNA signals were observed on the long arm in both the female parent and the F1; however, one 5S rDNA signal was observed on the short arm in the male parent. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the distribution of ribosomal DNA was greatly different in the F1 progeny than that of parents.

Gef��rdert im Rahmen des Projekts DEAL, Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt. Grant Number: 20016/464

Sapindus mukorossiGaertn., an important oleaginous woody plant, has garnered increasing research attention owing to its potential as a source of renewable energy (biodiesel). Leaf structural traits are closely related to plant size, and they affect the fruit yield and oil quality. However, plant size factors that predominantly contribute to leaf structural traits remain unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the associations between leaf structural traits and plant size factors in even-aged stands ofS. mukorossi. Results showed that leaf length (LL) and leaf area (LA) markedly increased with the increasing diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height (TH), although other leaf structural traits did not show noticeable changes. Difference in slopes also indicated that the degree of effect of plant size factors on leaf structural traits was in the order of TH > DBH. Leaf structural traits showed no systematic variation with crown width (CW). LA was significantly positively correlated with LL, leaf width (LW), LL/LW, and leaf thickness (LT) and was significantly but negatively correlated with leaf tissue density (LTD) and leaf dry mass content (LDMC). Specific leaf area showed a significantly negative correlation with LT, LDMC, and LTD. LTD showed a significantly positive correlation with LDMC, but a negative correlation with LT. The results were critical to understand the variability of leaf structural traits with plant size, can provide a theoretical foundation for further study in the relationship between leaf structural traits and fruit yield, and regulate leaf traits through artificial management measures to promote plant growth and fruit yield.

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) is one of the most important tropical bulbous-ornamental cultivated for production of long-lasting flowers spikes. Adaptation and acclimatization of different cultivars under humid agro-climatic conditions of Goa are to be confirmed for their better performance. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the performance of tuberose cultivars under agro-climatic conditions of Goa during 2014- 2017. Five single and six double cultivars of tuberose were evaluated during the study period. All the cultivars differed in their growth and flowering behaviour. Among the single cultivars, evaluated, maximum number of florets per spike (47.00) was observed in Pune local whereas spike-length (75.59 cm) was maximum in Mexican Single. Among the double cultivars, evaluated, maximum plant height (52.21 cm) and maximum number of leaves per plant (59.63) were recorded with cultivar Arka Suvasini. Leaf length was significantly higher (52.93 cm) in Pearl double whereas leaf width (2.04 cm) was maximum in Calcutta Double. Days to appearance of flower spike were earlier in Arka Suvasini. Minimum days taken for opening of basal floret (84.88 days) were recorded with cultivar Arka Suvasini. Spike girth (0.68 cm), Spike fresh-weight (69.06 cm), floret stalk-length (3.6 cm), floret diameter (5.24 cm), weight of individual floret (3.49 g) and vase life (7.93 days) was significantly maximum in Cv. Arka Suvasini followed by Pearl Double. Based on the performance evaluation cv. Mexican Single among single types and cv. Arka Suvasini and Pearl Double among double types could be recommended for commercial cultivation under agro climatic conditions of Goa.

Morphological diversity was studied in 101 accessions of horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) collected from old gardens in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. The characterization work was performed over three years, where a total of 19 descriptors from the UPOV guidelines TG/191/2-2001 were recorded each year. The results showed high diversity among the studied accessions, both for leaf and rhizome characters. A morphotype with long leaves and a high leaf length/leaf width quota was the most common, but also elliptic and heart-shaped leaf types were found. Some characters showed stability over the years, although there were variations in the results. Correlations between descriptors were found and five different clusters of descriptors were identified. In two of the clusters, only leaf characters were found, whereas the rhizome characters were divided into three other clusters. Correlation between descriptors can be used to reduce the number of descriptors for further studies of horseradish. The results showed that there is a high diversity both in leaf and rhizome characters, despite that horseradish is a vegetatively propagated plant.

Leaf shape and size can vary between hybrids and their parents. However, this has seldom been quantitatively tested. Photinia × fraseri is an important landscaping plant in East Asia as a hybrid between evergreen shrubs P. glabra and P. serratifolia. Its leaf shape looks like that of P. serratifolia. To investigate leaf shape, we used a general equation for calculating the leaf area (A) of broad-leaved plants, which assumes a proportional relationship between A and product of lamina length (L) and width (W). The proportionality coefficient (which is referred to as the Montgomery parameter) serves as a quantitative indicator of leaf shape, because it reflects the proportion of leaf area A to the area of a rectangle with L and W as its side lengths. The ratio of L to W, and the ellipticalness index were also used to quantify the complexity of leaf shape for elliptical leaves. A total of >4000 leaves from P. × fraseri and P. serratifolia (with >2000 leaves for each taxon) collected on a monthly basis was used to examine: (i) whether there is a significant difference in leaf shape between the two taxa, and (ii) whether there is a monotonic or parabolic trend in leaf shape across leaf ages. There was a significant difference in leaf shape between the two taxa (p < 0.05). Although there were significant differences in leaf shape on a monthly basis, the variation in leaf shape over time was not large, i.e., leaf shape was relatively stable over time for both taxa. However, the leaf shape of the hybrid was significantly different from its parent P. serratifolia, which has wider and more elliptical leaves than the hybrid. This work demonstrates that variations in leaf shape resulting from hybridization can be rigorously quantified and compared among species and their hybrids. In addition, this work shows that leaf shape does not changes as a function of age either before or after the full expansion of the lamina.

Background and AimsLeaf size has considerable ecological relevance, making it desirable to obtain leaf size estimations for as many species worldwide as possible. Current global databases, such as TRY, contain leaf size data for ~30 000 species, which is only ~8% of known species worldwide. Yet, taxonomic descriptions exist for the large majority of the remainder. Here we propose a simple method to exploit information on leaf length, width and shape from species descriptions to robustly estimate leaf areas, thus closing this considerable knowledge gap for this important plant functional trait.MethodsUsing a global dataset of all major leaf shapes measured on 3125 leaves from 780 taxa, we quantified scaling functions that estimate leaf size as a product of leaf length, width and a leaf shape-specific correction factor. We validated our method by comparing leaf size estimates with those obtained from image recognition software and compared our approach with the widely used correction factor of 2/3.Key ResultsCorrection factors ranged from 0.39 for highly dissected, lobed leaves to 0.79 for oblate leaves. Leaf size estimation using leaf shape-specific correction factors was more accurate and precise than estimates obtained from the correction factor of 2/3.ConclusionOur method presents a tractable solution to accurately estimate leaf size when only information on leaf length, width and shape is available or when labour and time constraints prevent usage of image recognition software. We see promise in applying our method to data from species descriptions (including from fossils), databases, field work and on herbarium vouchers, especially when non-destructive in situ measurements are needed.

BackgroundLeaf length and width could be a functioning relationship naturally as plant designs. Single-vein leaves have the simplest symmetrical distribution and structural design, which means that fast-growing single-vein species could interpret the scheme more efficiently. The distribution of leaf length and width can be modulated for better adaptation, providing an informative perspective on the various operational strategies in an emergency, while this mechanism is less clear. Here we selected six age groups ofCunninghamia lanceolatapure forests, including saplings, juveniles, mature, and old-growth trees. We pioneered a tapering model to describe half-leaf symmetric distribution with mathematical approximation based on every measured leaf along developmental sequence, and evaluated the ratio of leaf basal part length to total length (called tipping leaf length ratio).ResultsThe tipping leaf length ratio varied among different tree ages. That means the changes of tipping leaf length ratio and leaf shape are a significant but less-noticed reflection of trees tradeoff strategies at different growth stages. For instance, there exhibited relatively low ratio during sapling and juvenile, then increased with increasing age, showing the highest value in their maturity, and finally decreased on mature to old-growth transition. The tipping leaf length ratio serves as a cost-benefit ratio, thus the subtle changes in the leaf symmetrical distribution within individuals reveal buffering strategy, indicating the selection for efficient design of growth and hydraulic in their developmental sequences.ConclusionsOur model provides a physical explanation of varied signatures for tree operations in hydraulic buffering through growth stages, and the buffering strategy revealed from leaf distribution morphologically provides evidence on the regulation mechanism of leaf biomechanics, hydraulics and physiologies. Our insight contributes greatly to plant trait modeling, policy and management, and will be of interest to some scientists and policy makers who are involved in climate change, ecology and environment protection, as well as forest ecology and management.

Malus orientalis Uglitzk. is considered as one of the probable ancestors of domestic apples (M. × domestica) and has valuable traits such as late-blooming, adaptation to a wider array of habitats, and capacity for longer storage of the fruits. In the present investigation, morphological and pomological characteristics of M. orientalis were evaluated. Results showed significant differences among the accessions in terms of the recorded traits. Leaf length ranged from 38.56 to 101.36 mm and leaf width varied from 20.27 to 45.31 mm. Fruit length ranged from 14.69 to 39.98 mm, while fruit width varied from 22.16 to 47.39 mm. Fruits weighted between 4.76 and 36.32 g with an average of 15.28. Fruit weight showed positive and significant correlations with dimensions of leaf and fruit. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that fruit-related characteristics were more important in explaining the variation among the accessions. The dendrogram generated using Ward’s method and Euclidean distance showed that the accessions were placed into two major clusters. The dissimilarity level in terms of morphological and pomological characteristics showed a wide range of phenotypic diversity, allowing the effective selection of parents in various breeding programs, referring to fruit quality and high yield. The current findings confirmed that conservation of M. orientalis genetic resources is important for future breeding programs.

Pistacia atlantica Desf. subsp. mutica is widely distributed in the Zagros Mountains in Iran and its fruits are used as food. In the present study, the morphological and pomological variation of naturally grown male and female genotypes of this species was investigated. Considerable variations were observed among male and also among female genotypes studied based on the characters measured. Leaf length ranged from 11.03 to 17.67 cm in male genotypes and also from 11.98 to 16.14 cm in female genotypes. Furthermore, leaf width varied from 7.32 to 13.08 cm in male genotypes and from 9.18 to 13.31 cm in female genotypes. Inflorescence length ranged between 4.62 and 5.83 cm in male genotypes and between 5.05 and 9.04 cm in female genotypes. Also, 100-nut weight varied from 13.74 to 22.81 g with an average of 16.09, while 100-kernel weight ranged from 2.11 to 3.60 g with an average of 2.65 in female genotypes. Leaf length was significantly and positively correlated with leaf width. Furthermore, 100-kernel weight was positively and significantly correlated with leaf and nut dimensions. Principal component analysis showed that the characters measured accounted for 77.41% of the total variance in male genotypes and also 83.24% of the total variance in female genotypes. The genotypes studied showed high variation based on the characters recorded. The wide adaptation of P. atlantica Desf. subsp. mutica highlights its potential as a genetic resource for pistachio breeding for resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses such as drought. The current findings may be useful to select conservation strategies and genetic improvement of the species studied.

PREMISE The nondestructive measurement of leaf area is important for expediting data acquisition in the field. The Montgomery equation (ME) assumes that leaf area (A) is a proportional function of the product of leaf length (L) and width (W), i.e., A = cLW, where c is called the Montgomery parameter. The ME has been successfully applied to calculate the surface area of many broad-leaved species with simple leaf shapes. However, whether this equation is valid for more complex leaf shapes has not been verified. METHODS Leaf A, L, and W were measured directly for each of 5601 leaves of 15 vine species, and ME and three other models were used to fit the data. All four models were compared based on their root mean square errors (RMSEs) to determine whether ME provided the best fit. RESULTS The ME was a reliable method for estimating the A of all 15 species. In addition, the numerical values of 13 of the 15 values of c fell within a previously predicted numerical range (i.e., between 1/2 and π/4). The data show that the numerical values of c are largely affected by the value of W/L, the concavity of the leaf base, and the number of lobes on the lamina. CONCLUSIONS The Montgomery parameter can reflect the influence of leaf shape on leaf-area calculations and can serve as an important tool for nondestructive measurements of leaf area for many broad-leaved species and for the investigation of leaf morphology.

Mumtazah HM, Supriyono, Widyastuti Y, Yunus A. 2020. The diversity of leaves and asiaticoside content on three accessions of Centella asiatica with the addition of chicken manure fertilizer. Biodiversitas 21: 1035-1040. Centella asiatica (L.) commonly known as an essential medicinal herb. This plant has high diversity, especially in leaf morphology. The main objective of this research was to determine the morphology of leaves and the effect of chicken manure dosage on the increase of asiaticoside content. The leaves of three accessions characterized, and then C. asiatica planted. The research design used a completely randomized design (CRD) factorial, with the first factor is accession (C) with 3 levels (C1: accession 1, C2: accession 2, C3: accession 3). The second factor was chicken manure with 4 levels dosage (P1: 0 ton ha-1, P2: 10 tons ha-1, P3: 15 tons ha-1 and P4: 20 tons ha-1). Asiaticoside analysis used the TLC method with chloroform: methanol: water (65:25:4) as mobile phase. The result from this research showed that the diversity in leaf morphology of three accessions is in leaf size and petiole length. Accession 3 has the widest leaf size (7.3 cm) and the longest petiole (9.8 cm), accession 2 with a leaf width of 5.8 cm and petiole length in 8.5 cm, while the accession 1 has the least leaf width (5.3 cm) and the length of the petiole is the shortest with 7.3 cm. Observation results of asiaticoside showed that the highest content of asiaticoside produced by accession 3 (0.19%), then accession 1 with a content of 0.15%, while accession 2 showed the lowest asiaticoside content (0.13%). The treatment of chicken manure addition significantly increase asiaticoside content in accessions 1 and 3, but in accession 2 it was not significantly increased. The highest content of asiaticoside (0.34%) were in accession 3 with the addition of chicken manure 20 tons ha-1 (P4).

Although plant organ shapes are defined by spatio-temporal variations of directional tissue expansion, this is a little characterized aspect of organ growth regulation. Although it is well known that the plant hormone gibberellin increases the leaf length/with ratio, its effects on cell expansion in the growing leaf are largely unknown. To understand how variations in rate and anisotropy of growth establish the typical monocotelydonous leaf shape, we studied the leaf growth zone of maize (Zea mays) with a kinematic analysis of cell expansion in the three directions of growth: proximo-distal, medio-lateral, and dorso-ventral. To determine the effect of gibberellin, we compared a gibberellin-deficientdwarf3mutant and the overproducing UBI:GA20OX-1 line with their wild types. We found that, as expected, longitudinal growth was dominant throughout the growth zone. The highest degree of anisotropy occurred in the division zone, where relative growth rates in width and thickness were almost zero. Growth anisotropy was smaller in the elongation zone, due to higher lateral and dorso-ventral growth rates. Growth in all directions stopped at the same position. Gibberellin increased the size of the growth zone and the degree of growth anisotropy by stimulating longitudinal growth rates. Inversely, the duration of expansion was negatively affected, so that mature cell length was unaffected, while width and height of cells were reduced. Our study provides a detailed insight in the dynamics of growth anisotropy in the maize leaf and demonstrates that gibberellin specifically stimulates longitudinal growth rates throughout the growth zone.

The aim of this study was to evaluate oat genotypes for grain yield and yield components in both 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 growing seasons using GGE biplot analysis. Experiments were laid out according to lattice design. Biomass at harvest, grain yield, number of grain per panicle, weight of grain per panicle, flag leaf width, flag leaf height, plant height, stem diameter, thousand kernel weight, time of panicle emergence, harvest index, panicle length, and spikelet per panicle were evaluated for 56 oat genotypes. GGE biplot graphics of the first and second years explained 54.4 and 55% of total variation, respectively. Grain yield, number of grains per panicle, and weight of grain per panicle were closely and positively associated in both growing seasons. Recently registered cultivar Sari and lines 26, 29, and 30 were found as promising genotypes for Canakkale conditions. Traits of genotype at different growing seasons can be visually studied using different genotype-by-trait (GT) biplots.

The present experiment was carried out to determine mutagenic sensitivity on Jasmine (Jasminum spp.). In this experiment, terminal cuttings of Jasminum grandiflorum cv. White Pitchi and semi hardwood cuttings of J. nitidum (clone Acc.Jn-1 selected at TNAU) and J. multiflorum cv. Arka Arpan were treated with ten different concentrations of EMS ranging from 5 mM to 50 mM. . The results revealed gradual and significant reduction in survival of cuttings, shoot length, number of leaves, leaf length and leaf width with increase in dosage of EMS. The probit curve analysis based on survival percentage and growth rate of treated cuttings revealed LD50 dosage of EMS to be 37.15 mM, 40.7 mM and 42.66 mM for White Pitchi, Arka Arpan and ACC Jn-1 respectively.

Authors. 2018. Morphometric characteristics of two seagrass species (Enhalus acoroides and Cymodocea rotundata) in four small islands in North Maluku, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 2035-2043. Seagrass has an important ecological role as a protector of coastlines and small islands. It is known to be capable of forming phenotypic plasticity through morphometric variation as a response to its environmental conditions. This study aimed to determine the distribution and morphological differences between populations of two important seagrass species (Enhalus acoroides and Cymodocea rotundata) in the waters around four small islands in North Maluku. The study was conducted at two stations in each of Ternate Island and Maitara Islands, three stations at Tidore Island and one station at Hiri Island. A line transect method was used to collect seagrass samples. Morphometric characteristics included leaf sheath length, leaf length, leaf width, rhizome diameter, root length, root diameter, and internode length were measured. Discriminant analysis was performed to describe morphometric characteristics distinctive of the four islands. Leaf sheath length, leaf length, rhizome diameter, and root length of E. Acoroides differed significantly among the populations from the various islands except for leaf width. Meanwhile, leaf sheath length, leaf width, rhizome diameter, root length, and internode length differed significantly in C. rotundata among the populations from different islands except for leaf length.

A field experiment was conducted during winter season of 2015-16 to study 'Studies Effect of Planting Dates and Varieties on Growth and Quality on Gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus Hort.) under sub-humid zone of Rajasthan' having 15 treatment combinations of five Varieties (V1- African Star, V2- Hunting Song, V3- Legend, V4- Pusa Srijana and V5- Snow Princess) and three planting dates (D1- 10th October, D2- 25th October and D3- 9th November). The treatment V2D1 (Hunting Song + 10th October planting) recorded the maximum plant height (116.10 cm), highest number of leaves per plant (8.77), main stem diameter (1.50 cm), number of florets per spike (15.8), spike length (91.80 cm), rachis length (57.90 cm), floret diameter (10.04 cm), vase life of spike (13 days), While the maximum leaf length (64.20 cm), leaf width (4.96 cm) in (V5D3) and maximum spike girth (0.91cm) was found in (V1D2). The growth and flowering quality was found superior in compare to other planting dates.

Ramadiana S, Hapsoro D, Yusnita Y.2018. Morphological variation among fifteen superior robusta coffee clones in Lampung Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 1475-1481. This study aimed to characterize morphological variation among fifteen superior robusta coffee clones in Lampung Province. The fifteen clones consisted of four clones released by the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI), i.e. ‘BP 409’,‘BP936’, ‘BP939’, ‘SA 237’, together with eleven superior coffee clones selected by farmers from Tanggamus District (‘Tugino’, ‘Wanto’, ‘Biyadi’, ‘Komari’, ‘Wardi’, ‘Wariso’) and from West Lampung District (‘Tugu Kuning’, ‘Tugu Hijau', ‘Tugu Biru', ‘Tugu Sari', ‘Lengkong'). Fifteen qualitative and seven quantitative morphological characters were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replicates for each clone,each replication consisted of two plants. From each plant, four samples were taken from four sides of the plant (north, south, west, and east). It was found that while some morphological characters exhibited negligible variation among clones, there were significant differences between clones for other characters. The characters that did not differ significantly between clones were: shapes of leaf base and leaf tip; petiole color; leafvenation pattern; fruit disk shape; ripe-fruit color; and stipule shape. The characters that varied between clones were shape of leaf lamina (elliptical vs. lanceolate); fruit shape (round vs. oval); and shape of leaf margins. Morphological variation was also observed in some quantitative characters: canopy diameter; tree height; stem diameter; leaf length; leaf width; petiole length; stipule length; and number of primary branches

Variability, correlation and path analysis of 24 yield and quality characters were assessed in turmeric using 15 genotypes. Wide genetic variability was observed among the genotypes for most of the characters studied. High GCV and PCV was observed for 17 characters except for plant height, leaf length, leaf width, primary rhizome length, secondary rhizome girth, diameter of inner core of primary rhizome and diameter of primary rhizome. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for 23 characters except secondary rhizome girth. Simple correlation analysis revealed that fresh rhizome yield per plant showed positive and significant correlation with collar girth, length of mother rhizome, girth of mother rhizome, weight of mother rhizome, number of primary rhizome, weight of primary rhizome and number of secondary rhizome. From path analysis, it is understood that fresh rhizome yield exhibited high direct positive effect on girth of mother rhizome, weight of mother rhizome, weight of primary rhizome, number of secondary rhizome and curcumin content.

Twenty four accessions of Plantago ovata were grown to study existing variability, correlation and cause and effect relationships between yield and its component traits with their possible view in future improvement programmes. Analysis of variances displayed highly significant differences among accessions for all the traits. High heritability (>75%) coupled with the high genetic advance (>30%) were observed for the traits viz., leaf width, number of spikes/plant, biological yield/plant and seed yield/plant suggesting predominance of additive gene action. Seed yield/plant exhibited highly significant and positive correlation with biological yield/plant followed by number of spikes/plant, effective tillers/plant, harvest index, seed weight/spike, spike weight and husk recovery both at genotypic and phenotypic level. Biological yield/plant, harvest index, spike weight, effective tillers/plant and husk recovery exhibited the highest positive and significant direct effect on seed yield/plant. Critical analysis of results obtained from character association and path analysis indicated that the traits viz., biological yield/plant, harvest index, spike weight, effective tillers/plant and husk recovery were of prime concern as they possessed high positive association and direct effects on seed yield/plant. These traits are more reliable for selection for yield improvement programmes in Plantago ovata.

Leaves are a significant component of the shoot system in grasses, functioning in light capture and photosynthesis. Leaf width, length, and angle are expressions of development that collectively define canopy architecture. Thus, the distinctive morphology of grass leaves is an interdependent readout of developmental patterning and growth along the proximal-distal, medial-lateral, and adaxial-abaxial axes. Here, we review the chronology of patterning and growth, namely along the proximal-distal axis, during maize leaf development. We underscore that patterning and growth occur simultaneously, making use of shared developmental gradients and molecular pathways.

Tomato is often exposed to diverse abiotic stresses and cold stress is one of harsh environmental stresses. Abnormal low temperature affects tomato growth and development, leading to, e.g., physiological disorders, flower drops, and abnormal fruit morphology, and causing a decrease in tomato yield and fruit quality. It is important to identify low temperature-(LT) tolerant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars relying on different fruit types. In this study, our focus was to analyze the physiological traits of 35 tomato accessions with three different fruit types (cherry, medium, and large sizes) under night temperature set-points of 15 °C for control temperature (CT) and 10 °C for LT, respectively. Plant heights (PH) of most tomato accessions in LT were remarkably decreased compared to those in CT. The leaf length (LL) and leaf width (LW) were reduced depending on the genotypes under LT. In addition, the number of fruits (NFR), fruit set (FS), fruit yield (FY), and marketable yield (MY) were negatively affected in LT. The variation was further investigated by the correlation, the principal component (PCA), and the cluster analysis. Interestingly, positive correlations between different vegetative and reproductive traits were uncovered. Multivariate analysis including the PCA and hierarchical clustering classified the LT-treated 35 tomato accessions into four major groups. The identified accessions were associated with vegetative and reproductive parameters on positive directions. The results might be utilized for establishing breeding programs on selecting LT-tolerant tomato cultivars with different selection indices relying on fruit types during vegetative and/or reproductive stages.

The experiment designed a completely randomized experimental design was carried out Adnan Menderes University, Agriculture Faculties greenhouse. Quinoa variety candidate named “Saponinsiz” is used experimental material. The seeds were sowed in plastic pots filled with soil and perlite (%50+%50) at the greenhouse with six replicates. Five different salt concentrations were determined as 0 (control), 4 ds m-1, 8 ds m-1, 16 ds m-1 and 30 ds m-1 and were applied with NaCl solution which was prepared before sowing. Leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, leaf thickness, stem thickness and green biomass weight values ​​were measured when the quinoa plant reached 6 leaf stage. As a result of the study, it was observed that the differences between the salt concentrations in leaf number, leaf length, leaf width and green biomass weight were significant. The maximum leaf length (11.53 mm) was measured with 8 ds m-1 salt concentration applied plants, whereas the maximum leaf width (4.99 mm) and green biomass (1019.5 mg) were measured with 4 ds m-1. The control plot only showed the highest values ​​for the leaf number value. These results confirmed that the quinoa plant was facultative halophytic species (salt-resistant). It was determined that 16 ds m-1 dose gave the lowest values in all measurements. And any plant wasn’t growing at the 30 ds m-1 applied pots. The values of the experiment measured of 4 ds m-1 pots and 8 ds m-1 pots, which is considered the limit values for the field crops, were approximately equal or greater than control pots. Moreover, there was a rapid decline of plant on the 16 ds m-1 values., Theexperiment designed a completely randomized experimental design was carried outAdnan Menderes University, Agriculture Faculties greenhouse. Quinoa variety candidatenamed “Saponinsiz” is used experimental material. The seeds were sowed in plasticpots filled with soil and perlite (%50+%50) at the greenhouse with six replicates.Five different salt concentrations were determined as 0 (control), 4 ds m-1,8 ds m-1, 16 ds m-1 and 30 ds m-1 and were appliedwith NaCl solution which was prepared before sowing. Leaf number, leaf length, leafwidth, leaf thickness, stem thickness and green biomass weight values ​​were measured when the quinoaplant reached 6 leaf stage. As a result of the study, it was observed that the differencesbetween the salt concentrations in leaf number, leaf length, leaf width and greenbiomass weight were significant. The maximum leaf length (11.53 mm) was measuredwith 8 ds m-1 salt concentration applied plants, whereas the maximumleaf width (4.99 mm) and green biomass (1019.5 mg) were measured with 4 ds m-1. The control plot only showed the highestvalues ​​for the leafnumber value. These results confirmed that the quinoa plant was facultative halophyticspecies (salt-resistant). It was determined that 16 ds m-1 dose gavethe lowest values in all measurements. And any plant wasn’t growing at the 30 dsm-1 applied pots. The values of the experiment measured of 4 ds m-1pots and 8 ds m-1 pots, which is considered the limit values for thefield crops, were approximately equal or greater than control pots. Moreover, therewas a rapid decline of plant on the 16 ds m-1 values.

Leaf expansion depends on both carbon and water availabilities. In cereals, most of experimental effort has focused on leaf elongation, with essentially hydraulic effects. We have tested if evaporative demand and light could have distinct effects on leaf elongation and widening, and if short term effects could translate into final leaf dimensions. For that, we have monitored leaf widening and elongation in a field experiment with temporary shading, and in a platform experiment with 15-min temporal resolution and contrasting evaporative demands. Leaf widening showed a strong (positive) sensitivity to whole-plant intercepted light and no response to evaporative demand. Leaf elongation was (negatively) sensitive to evaporative demand, without effect of intercepted light per se. We have successfully tested resulting equations to predict leaf length and width in an external dataset of 15 field and 6 platform experiments. These effects also applied to a panel of 251 maize hybrids. Leaf length and width presented quantitative trait loci (QTLs) whose allelic effects largely differed between both dimensions but were consistent in the field and the platform, with high QTLxEnvironment interaction. It is therefore worthwhile to identify the genetic and environmental controls of leaf width and leaf length for prediction of plant leaf area.

A total of 326 pearl millet accessions selected for fodder traits from the world collection at ICRISAT genebank, India were evaluated in rainy, postrainy and summer seasons to identify promising sources for fodder yield. In rainy season, majority of accessions grew significantly tall, produced thick stems, long and broad leaves compared with postrainy and summer seasons. Total tillers per plant were significantly more in rainy and summer seasons than in postrainy season. Significant (P = 0.05) positive correlations were observed among all traits in all seasons except total tillers, which showed significant negative correlation with all other traits but for a few cases. Accessions of cluster 1 flowered early and produced more tillers per plant, while those of cluster 3 flowered late, grew tall, produced thick stems, more leaves per plant, which were long and broad. Promising sources identified include IP 11839 and IP 11840 for plant height and number of leaves per plant, IP 15710, IP 15735 and IP 15752 for stem thickness and leaf width, and IP 3628, IP 15285, IP 15288, IP 15302, IP 15342, IP 15351, IP 15290, IP 20347 and IP 20350 for total tillers per plant. Further testing of these sources of fodder traits at different locations will be very useful.

A study on the morphological variability and ecological differentiation among the species in the genus Daphne was carried out which included seven species from the Balkan Peninsula: Daphne mezereum, D. laureola, D. alpina, D. oleoides, D. malyana, D. cneorum and D. blagayana. In the Balkan Peninsula, the ranges of the species in this genus overlap, which does not occur anywhere else in Europe. Descriptive statistics were measured for 20 quantitative characters of the leves and stems. A comparative analysis of the morpho-anatomical adaptations of these species shows that: D. cneorum, D. malyana and D. oleoides belong to the adaptive type of xerophytes; D. alpina is a xeromesophyte; D. blagayana and D. laureola are mesoxerophytes; and D. mezereum is a mesophyte. Principal component analysis shows the largest contribution to the formation of the variability between the different species is made by characters that are related to leaf shape (leaf length, distance between the largest leaf width and the leaf top, largest width of the leaf, leaf surface area), followed by surface area of abaxial stomata, stem characters (stem cortex thickness and stem diameter) and leaf anatomy characters (thickness of the palisade tissue, thickness mesophyll, number of palisade layers). These features can use to discriminate among the seven studied species, suggesting that leaves and stems of Daphne can represent a source for taxonomically useful characters. Canonical discriminant analysis and the clustering method based on Mahalanobis distances shows that there is significant morphological differentiation among the species studied. The results show that various combinations of morphological and anatomical features contribute to the adaptive capacity of plants to different degrees. The morpho-anatomical features found in all seven species agree with previous infrageneric taxonomic classifications of this genus.

The growth-survival trade-off hypothesis states that functional traits of stem, wood, leaves and fruits govern acquisitive and conservative strategies of plant species that grow/survive differently in forests. We aimed to determine whether heterogeneity during the colonization of a secondary Atlantic Forest fragment causes differences in colonization-related traits and determines taxonomic composition of subplots. A total of 5,078 subplots were censused with leaf and fruit traits and height measurements being determined for each tree of each species, and with averaged-abundance-weighted values calculated for each subplot. A dendrogram was generated from the taxonomic composition of subplots using Sorensen similarity and UPGMA clustering. A total of 74,335 trees of 178 species were recorded. Clustering revealed five main groups of subplots that were tested against each other and found to differ in terms of average leaf width, leaf-width/petiole-width, wood density, mean height, height mode, fruit width and fruit length. Greater leaf averages in subplots were associated with greater fruit averages, and with higher wood densities and greater heights among groups of subplots, revealing that heterogeneity during colonization directed the communities of the 50-ha plot. The averaged values of functional traits detected subplots associated with conditions favorable to colonization, thereby reinforcing the growth-survival trade-off hypothesis.

In this research, seven different models to predict leaf area (LA) of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl) were tested and evaluated. This species was chosen due to the relevant importance of its fruit as an appreciated early summer product and of its leaves and flower as a source of additional income within the nutraceutical and functional food markets. The analysis (calibration and validation) was made using a large dataset (2190) of leaf width (W), leaf length (L), and single LA collected in ten common loquat cultivars. During the analysis, the results obtained using one- and two-regressor models were also evaluated to assess the need for fast measurements against different levels of accuracy achieved during the final estimate. The analysis permitted to finally select two different models: 1) a model based on a single measurement and quadratic relationship between the single LA and W (R2 = 0.894, root mean squared error [RMSE] = 12.98) and another model 2) based, instead, on two measurements (L and W), and on the linear relationship between single LA and the product of L &times, W (R2 = 0.980, RMSE = 5.61). Both models were finally validated with an independent dataset (cultivar &lsquo, Tanaka&rsquo, ) confirming the quality of fitting and accuracy already observed during the calibration phase. The analysis permitted to select two different models to be used according to the aims and accuracy required by the analysis. One, based on a single-regressor quadratic model and W (rather than L) as a proxy variable, is capable of obtaining a good quality of fitting of the single LA of loquat cultivars (R2 = 0.894, RMSE = 12.98), whereas, the other, a linear two-regressor (i.e., W and L) model, permitted to achieve the highest prediction (R2 = 0.980, RMSE = 5.61) of the observed variable, but double the time required for leaf measurement.

Faot MM, Zubaidah S, Kuswantoro H. 2019. Genetic correlation and path analysis of agronomical traits of soybean (Glycine max) lines infected by CpMMV. Biodiversitas 20: 1496-1503. CpMMV is a virus that can decrease soybean production. The virus vector is an insect where the control is carried out using a chemical insecticide that is less environmentally friendly. Developing a superior variety of soybean that is resistant to CpMMV is one of the solutions to solve such a problem. This research aimed to study the relationship of agronomical traits to the yield of soybean line infected by CpMMV. Ten lines and two varieties of soybean with four replications was used in this study in a randomized complete block design. Bemisia tabaci was used in CpMMV infestation as the vector of the disease. Rearing Bemisia tabaci was done forty days before sowing the main experiment, and it placed surrounding the main experiment plots. The observation variables were disease severity, days to flowering and maturity, plant height, length, width and ratio of the leaf, number of branches and reproductive nodes, number of filled and unfilled pods, number of seeds, 100 seeds weight, and seed yield per plant. The data was analyzed for genotypic and phenotypic correlation, and the path analysis for direct and indirect effects of disease severity, and agronomical characters. The results showed that CpMMV infestation caused disease severity by about 20-28.5%. A significant positive phenotypic correlation to the seed yield per plant was shown by the number of reproductive nodes and the 100 seeds weight. Meanwhile, a significant positive genotypic correlation to the seed yield per plant was shown by the days to maturity and the number of branches. The number of reproductive nodes, the 100 seeds weight, and the number of seeds per plant showed a high direct effect to the seed yield per plant. The high positive indirect effect was also shown by the number of filled pods, days to flowering, plant height, leaf length, leaf width, the number of reproductive nodes, and the number of branches through the number of seeds per plant was also. Therefore, the selection criteria for high yielding CpMMV-resistant soybean lines can be based on the number of reproductive nodes and 100 seeds weight.

Due MS, Susilowati A, Yunus A. 2019. The effect of gamma rays irradiation on diversity of Musa paradisiaca var. sapientum as revealed by ISSR molecular marker. Biodiversitas 20: 1416-1422. Pisang Ambon (Musa paradisiaca var. sapientum (L.) Kunt.) is one of the horticultural commodities that have high production in Indonesia, making it a superior product. Bananas are propagated vegetatively, which hampers the production of genetic variation and requires a long generation time in the vegetative cycle. This study aimed to determine the diversity of Pisang Ambon induced by gamma radiation of various dosages (10 Gy, 20 Gy and 30 Gy) in vitro based on the ISSR (Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats) marker. The results showed that gamma-ray radiation influenced the morphological properties of plant height, stem diameter, leaf length, leaf width and leaf number based on ANOVA variance analysis. Increased growth occurs in plants with radiation doses of 10 Gy and 20 Gy. The molecular analysis of ISSR uses 6 primers, namely ISSR 835, ISSR 836, ISSR 846, ISSR 847, ISSR 848 and ISSR 855. Of the 6 primers, only 2 primers were able to produce polymorphisms above 50%. A total of 9 bands were produced, in which 8 bands showed polymorphic with a percentage of 90%. The similarity matrix ranged from 0.25-0.93, indicating the level of variation between mutants. The result of dendrogram was divided into two groups with a coefficient distance of 0.47-0.93; plants at a dose of 10 Gy have the highest diversity with the furthest coefficient of diversity distance of 0.47.

According to Thompson’s principle of similarity, the area of an object should be proportional to its length squared. However, leaf area–length data of some plants have been demonstrated not to follow the principle of similarity. We explore the reasons why the leaf area–length allometry deviates from the principle of similarity and examine whether there is a general model describing the relationship among leaf area, width and length. We sampled more than 11,800 leaves from six classes of woody and herbaceous plants and tested the leaf area–length allometry. We compared six mathematical models based on root-mean-square error as the measure of goodness-of-fit. The best supported model described a proportional relationship between leaf area and the product of leaf width and length (i.e., the Montgomery model). We found that the extent to which the leaf area–length allometry deviates from the principle of similarity depends upon the extent of variation of the ratio of leaf width to length. Estimates of the parameter of the Montgomery model ranged between 1/2, which corresponds to a triangular leaf with leaf length as its height and leaf width as its base, and π/4, which corresponds to an elliptical leaf with leaf length as its major axis and leaf width as its minor axis, for the six classes of plants. The narrow range in practice of the Montgomery parameter implies an evolutionary stability for the leaf area of large-leaved plants despite the fact that leaf shapes of these plants are rather different.

This study was undertaken as part of a review of Ulmus L. for the forthcoming Flora of the Isle of Man. We have adopted molecular and morphological methods to reassess the identity of Ulmus on the Isle of Man and to explore the possibility that past records of English Elm, a single genotype cultivar called U. minor ‘Atinia’, were misidentifications. First, we utilised seven DNA microsatellite markers to test clone identity in a collection of 23 elms from across the Isle of Man. Sixteen samples were matched to a reference sample of Dutch Elm, U. × hollandica ‘Major’, and one sample was matched to a reference sample of English Elm. In parallel, we appraised a method employed to identify English Elm using a leaf shape metric, and found that leaf width divided by length values > 0.69 are indicative of this clone. Both molecular and morphological results in this study highlight that Dutch Elm has been misidentified as English Elm in the past, and that English Elm may in fact be a rare occurrence on the Island....

Artemisia annua L., a famous traditional Chinese medicine, has been used as an antimalarial herbal medicine for thousands of years. Artemisinin, main bioactive constituent of A. annua L., is the principal contributor to its pharmacological effects. Previous studies have shown that A. annua L. of different germplasm has different morphological characteristics, herb yield, and artemisinin content. We propose a hypothesis that the morphological characteristic of A. annua L. may contribute to breeding new cultivars with high yield and high artemisinin content. To test this hypothesis, 8 morphological characteristics (plant height, stem bottom diameter, crown diameter, distance of internode, the number of primary branches, primary branch angle, leaf length, and leaf width) of A. annua L. from 64 germplasm resources were studied. The correlations between morphological characteristics and herb yield, artemisinin content were studied by using partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis, correlation analysis, and path analysis. The results indicated that: (1) the same characteristic of different germplasm resources varied greatly under the same cultivation and management condition; (2) both the artemisinin content and herb yield were positively correlated to plant height, stem bottom diameter, crown diameter, distance of internode, leaf width, and negatively correlated to the number of primary branches. Nevertheless, the coefficients of correlation are very low and vary between r = 0.25 to r = 0.46; (3) the strongest relations were found for plant height and stem bottom diameters. In conclusion, both plant height and stem bottom diameter had the most important positive influence on artemisinin content of the leaves and herb yield. The results of the present study can help to increase breeding efficiency for getting new A. annua L. cultivars with high herbal yield and high artemisinin content.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of harvest time on the growth, yield characteristics and loganin content in Dipsacus asperoides Wall. Methods and Results: Dipsacus asperoides seedlings were planted within a nursery environment in early May 2015 and harvested in early, middle and late October 2015, and early November 2015. Harvest time did not result significant differences in the plant height, stem diameter, branch length, leaf width and aboveground dry weight moreover, no significant differences were observed in root length, number of roots and root diameter. However, the diameter of lateral roots was greater in the harvests from the late October and period thereafter. The highest values of root dry weight and yield were recorded in early November. Specifically, the yield significantly increased from 205 kg/10 a (index: 100) in early October to 358 kg/10 a (index: 175) in early November, in terms of root part weight. Loganin contents of D. asperoides differed significantly among harvest times raging from 0.0766% in early October to 0.1704% in late November, thereby showing an increasing trend in later harvest times. Conclusions: These results suggest that the optimum harvest time for D. asperoides is early November, when the yield is the highest. Harvest time significantly affected loganin contents, which constantly increased from early October until early November.

Las zonas áridas abarcan grandes regiones de México con problemas de escasez hídrica, suelos superficiales, pobres en materia orgánica y altos contenidos de sales. La sábila [Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f.] es una alternativa viable de producción ante condiciones ambientales limitantes. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de la salinidad en el crecimiento de las hojas y calidad de gel de la sábila. El estudio consistió en probar seis tratamientos salinos: 0, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 y 8000 mg L-1 de NaCl, correspondientes a conductividades eléctricas (CE) de 0.36 (agua de riego sin agregar NaCl), 1.39, 2.0, 3.6, 5.6 y 7.6 dS m-1, respectivamente. El ensayo se condujo bajo un diseño experimental de bloques completos al azar con cuatro repeticiones. Las variables medidas fueron longitud de hoja, ancho de hoja, grosor de hoja, biomasa de la hoja, biomasa del gel, biomasa fresca y seca de la planta sin raíz, pH del gel, sólidos solubles totales y sólidos precipitables en metanol. La biomasa de la hoja y el contenido de gel fueron similares entre 0.36 y 3.6 dS m-1, lo que sugirió cierto grado de tolerancia al estrés salino; sin embargo, a partir de los 5.6 dS m-1 hubo un efecto negativo en éstas y otras variables. La concentración de sólidos solubles totales y sólidos precipitables en metanol se incrementó en función de la CE, dentro de cierto límite. Estos parámetros se consideran como un indicador de alto valor agregado desde el punto de vista comercial. Se confirma que ante condiciones moderadas de estrés, en este caso por salinidad, se favorece la calidad del gel, aunque se acompaña de un efecto negativo en el crecimiento y producción de hoja de sábila.

The sensitivity of stomatal behavior and patterning (i.e., distribution, density, size) to environmental stimuli, renders them crucial for defining the physiological performance of leaves. Thus, assessing long-term modifications in stomatal traits in conserved specimens arises as a valuable eco-physiological approach to predict how the rising trend of warmer, drier summers could affect plant fitness, particularly in mountain areas already experiencing climate aggravation and lacking the related monitoring schemes like Mediterranean high-mountains. Variations in foliar and stomatal traits were studied in conserved specimens of Senecio pyrenaicus subsp. carpetanus from Sierra de Guadarrama over the past 71 years. Our findings revealed decreasing trends in leaf width, stomatal size, and increasing tendency in stomatal density, all correlated with the recent 30-year climate exacerbation in these mountains. This evidenced a positive selection favoring traits that allow safeguarding plant performance under drier, hotter weather conditions. The significant relation between stomatal traits and climatic variables upholds the role of stomatal patterning in sensing environmental cues in this species, feasibly optimizing physiological responses involved in the growth&ndash, water loss trade-off. The transition to smaller, densely packed stomata observed in recent decades could indicate local-adaptive plasticity in this species, enhancing stomatal response, as coarser environmental conditions take place in Sierra de Guadarrama.

This study aimed to evaluate the genetic difference between 43 F1 hybrids and 8 parents, seven of Iris germanica and one of I. spuria and to estimate genetic parameters by using 10 descriptors and the morphological variation to determine their potential for genetic improvement. The mean comparisons showed that the Iris hybrids 10 and 11 had higher flower size than other Iris hybrids and the parental, a coveted trait that could be used in breeding programs, with the aim of increase sales. The Iris hybrid 8 showed the most significantly difference in crown diameter, flower branches diameter and flower peduncle diameter. The cluster of largely are could separation hybrids in terms of morphological characteristics. Irises a trait correlation with other traits makes possible indirect measurement. Relatively high heritability values, in broad sense, were found 97% for height plant, fall width and length, flower size and leaf width. These characters may be applied as useful traits in Iris breeding and for selection hybrids.

Leaf width (LW) influences canopy architecture of population-cultured maize and can thus contribute to density breeding. In previous studies, almost all maize LW-related mutants have extreme effect on leaf development or accompanied unfavorable phenotypes. In addition, the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) has been resolution-limited, with cloning and fine-mapping rarely performed. Here, we constructed a bin map for 670 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) using ∼1.2 billion 100-bp re-sequencing reads. QTL analysis of the LW trait directly narrowed the major effect QTL, qLW4, to a ∼270-kb interval. A fine-mapping population and near-isogenic lines (NILs) were quickly constructed using a key RIL harboring heterozygous genotypes across the qLW4 region. A recombinant-derived progeny testing strategy was subsequently used to further fine-map qLW4 to a 55-kb interval. Examination of NILs revealed that qLW4 has a completely dominant effect on LW, with no additional effect on leaf length. Candidate gene analysis suggested that this locus may be a novel LW controlling allele in maize. Our findings demonstrate the advantage of large-population high-density bin mapping, and suggest a strategy for efficiently fine-mapping or even cloning of QTLs. These results should also be helpful for further dissection of the genetic mechanism of LW variation, and benefit maize density breeding.

The development of technology, like the widely-used off-the-shelf portable photosynthesis systems, for the quantification of leaf gas exchange rates and chlorophyll fluorescence offered photosynthesis research a massive boost. Gas exchange parameters in such photosynthesis systems are calculated as gas exchange rates per unit leaf area. In small chambers (

Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-26T15:46:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-01-01. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2019-10-09T18:25:20Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 S0100-83582017000100286.pdf: 736860 bytes, checksum: a9e552d79f040a0cda8d110fd2663be7 (MD5) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Leaf length (L), leaf width (W), and leaf area (LA) were measured from 100 leaves aiming to determine a simple linear equation (Y=a*X) to predict the leaf area of Commelina diffusa, an important weed infesting annual and perennial crops in Brazil and worldwide. Results indicate the equation LA=0.7*LW reliably estimates the leaf area of C. diffusa, after correlating LA with LW, and then validating that equation by analyzing four new 25-leaf samples. Univ Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil Univ Estado Santa Catarina, Lages, SC, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil CNPq: 304855/2015-4

At an early stage of crop development, the rate of growth is largely determined by leaf characteristics. Plants with rapid leaf area development could save more water for transpiration and crop growth. In our study, a recombinant inbred family was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling leaf length (LL), leaf width (LW), and leaf area (LA) in wheat seedlings under well-watered (WW) and PEG-induced water-deficit (WD) conditions. A total of five QTL for LW, LL, and LA were detected, most of which were reported for the first time. A “constitutive” QTL for LW (Qheb.LW-3B), located on the long arm of chromosome 3B, was consistently detected under two water conditions, explaining 17.7 % of the phenotypic variance with a LOD value of 7.20 under WW condition and 13.3 % of the phenotypic variance with a LOD value of 4.87 under WD condition. The other four “adaptive” QTL were detected under a single water condition only. These QTL include the following: Qheb.LW-5B for LW (WW condition), Qheb.LL-3A, and Qheb.LL-5B for LL (WD condition) and Qheb.LA-3B for LA (WW condition). Four pairs of near isogenic lines (NILs) were developed to validate the effects of Qheb.LW-3B. The allele from the parent “CSCR6” increased the LW by an average of 8.2 % under WW condition and 13.8 % under WD condition, respectively. The position and effects of Qheb.LW-3B was confirmed. Qheb.LW-3B would be a valuable genetic resource to improve wheat seedling early establishment. The NILs we have generated would be useful for further characterization of Qheb.LW-3B, in studying its interaction with other traits of agronomic importance and in developing markers that can be reliably used to follow this major locus.

The benefits of increased hybrid vigor, which often occur crossing unrelated plants or animals, have been recognized for centuries. In this study, hexaploid oat genotypes E44, K1, and A52 belong to A. sativa and A45 belonging to A. byzantina species were crossed. Heterosis, heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis values were calculated for 11 traits on 12 hybrids belong to K1 x E44 cross (ten hybrids), K1 x A45 cross (one hybrid) and K1 x A52 cross (one hybrid) with the parents. According to the results, parents varied for all traits while hybrids were varied for flag leaf length (FLL), tiller number (TN), 1000-grain weight (1000-GW), grain number per panicle (GNP), grain weight per panicle (GWP), single plant grain yield (SPGY) and biomass (B). K1 x A52 cross had the highest plant height (PH, 201.0 cm), TN (22) and 1000-GW (47.1 g). On the other hand, the highest stem diameter (SD, 9.0 mm), flag leaf width (FLW, 4.0 cm), panicle length (PL, 53.0 cm), GNP(98.0) and GWP (3.2 g) were obtained from K1 x A45 cross. However, K1 x E44 cross had the highest FLL (42.7 cm), SPGY (42.6 g) and B (108.7 g) values. Heterosis values of the oat crosses were significant for all traits except stem diameter, flag leaf length and panicle length, while stem diameter and panicle length for heterobeltiosis and plant height and stem diameter for standard heterosis. Heterosis values were ranked between -26.8 and 282.3% while heterobeltiosis values were between -45.6 and 248.0%, and standard heterosis values were between -2.7 and 419.0%. The highest heterosis and standard heterosis values (282.3 and 419.0%, respectively) were determined for SPGY in K1 x E44 population, while the highest heterobeltiosis value (248.0%) was determined for biomass in K1 x A52 population., Çoğunlukla farklı bitki veya hayvanların melezlenmesiyle ortaya çıkan melez azmanlığının faydaları yüzyıllardır bilinmektedir. Bu çalışmada, A. sativa ve A. byzantina türlerine ait hekzaploid yulaf genotipleri E44, K1, A45 ve A52 melezlenmiştir. K1 x E44 (on adet hibrit), K1 x A45 (bir adet hibrit) ve K1 x A52 (bir adet hibrit) melezlerine ait 12 adet hibrit ile ebeveynleri üzerinde 11 özellik bakımından heterosis, heterobeltiosis ve standart heterosis değerleri hesaplanmıştır. Sonuçlara göre, ebeveynler bütün özelliklere göre farklılık gösterirken, yulaf hibritleri, bayrak yaprak uzunluğu (BYU), kardeş sayısı (KS), salkımdaki tane sayısı (STS), salkımdaki tane ağırlığı (STA), 1000-tane ağırlığı (1000-TA), tek bitki tane verimi (TBTV) ve biyomas (B) özellikleri bakımından farklılık göstermişlerdir. Diğer taraftan, en yüksek sap kalınlığı (SK, 9.0 mm), bayrak yaprak eni (BYE, 4.0 cm), salkım uzunluğu (SU, 53.0 cm), STA (98.0 adet) ve STA (3.2 g) K1 x A45 melez popülasyonundan elde edilmiştir. K1 x A52 popülasyonu en yüksek bitki boyu (BB, 201.0 cm), KS (22 adet) ve 1000-TA (47.1 g) değerlerine sahip olmuştur. Bununla birlikte, K1 x E44 melez popülasyonu ise en yüksek BYU (42.7 cm), TBTV (42.6 g) ve B değerlerine sahip olmuştur. Heterosis değerleri sap kalınlığı, bayrak yaprak eni ve salkım uzunluğu hariç bütün özellikler için önemli bulunurken, heterobeltiosis değerleri sap kalınlığı ve salkım uzunluğu özellikleri için önemli ve standart heterosis için ise bitki boyu ve sap kalınlığı özellikleri önemli bulunmuştur. Heterosis değerleri % -26.8 ve 282.3 arasında değişirken, heterobeltiosis değerleri % -45.6 ve 248.0 arasında ve standart heterosis değerleri % -2.7 ve 419.0 arasında değişmiştir. En yüksek heterosis ve standart heterosis değerleri (sırasıyla, % 282.3 ve 419.0,) K1 x E44 melez popülasyonunda tek bitki tane verimi özelliğinden elde edilirken, en yüksek heterobeltiosis değeri (% 248.0) K1 x A52 popülasyonunda biyomas özelliğinden elde edilmiştir.

Highlight A combination of high-throughput leaf phenotyping and genome-wide association analysis provides valuable insights into the genetic basis of rice leaf traits., Leaves are the plant’s solar panel and food factory, and leaf traits are always key issues to investigate in plant research. Traditional methods for leaf trait measurement are time-consuming. In this work, an engineering prototype has been established for high-throughput leaf scoring (HLS) of a large number of Oryza sativa accessions. The mean absolute per cent of errors in traditional measurements versus HLS were below 5% for leaf number, area, shape, and colour. Moreover, HLS can measure up to 30 leaves per minute. To demonstrate the usefulness of HLS in dissecting the genetic bases of leaf traits, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for 29 leaf traits related to leaf size, shape, and colour at three growth stages using HLS on a panel of 533 rice accessions. Nine associated loci contained known leaf-related genes, such as Nal1 for controlling the leaf width. In addition, a total of 73, 123, and 177 new loci were detected for traits associated with leaf size, colour, and shape, respectively. In summary, after evaluating the performance with a large number of rice accessions, the combination of GWAS and high-throughput leaf phenotyping (HLS) has proven a valuable strategy to identify the genetic loci controlling rice leaf traits.

Golabadi, M., Golkar, P. and Eghtedary, A.-R. 2015. Combining ability analysis of fruit yield and morphological traits in greenhouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 377–385. Knowledge about the genetic control of the different quantitative characters related to fruit yield and its components is still insufficient in greenhouse cucumbers. This information is useful in planning breeding programs in this economically important crop. In this study, the genetics of morphological traits and fruit yield was investigated using a 9×9 full diallel population of cucumbers for the greenhouse market. Data were collected on internode length, leaf length, leaf width, fruit length, fruit diameter, number of fruits per plant, yield per fruit and yield per plant. Variance components showed that both the additive and the dominant gene effects played significant roles in the genetic control of the traits studied. Genetic control of internode length, leaf width and number of fruits per plant was accomplished by additive effects. The significant mean squares of reciprocal crosses for all of the studied traits suggested that maternal inheritance also played an important role in the inheritance of these traits. Significant general combining ability for fruit yield revealed that both selection and hybridization methods would lead to desirable genetic improvements in cucumber through accumulation of desirable alleles from parents in the target genotype, but that hybridization would be preferred.

In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) is one of the most important traits for grass quality improvement. Analysis of IVDMD in laboratory with a large number of breeding populations is very laborious. The objectives of this study were to evaluate IVDMD of brachiariagrass germplasm as material in breeding program, and also to determine the appropriate selection criteria for high digestibility. IVDMD (pepsin-cellulase method), morphology traits and water content of 17 genotypes of Brachiaria spp. (B. brizantha, B. decumbens, B. ruziziensis and Brachiaria hybrid) were evaluated at two harvesting times, winter and early summer seasons. The correlations among traits were determined, and their heritability were also estimated. IVDMD ranged from 48.9 to 59.0% in winter, and 42.9 to 54.4% in early summer. Among morphological traits, leaf-stem index (ratio of leaf width/stem diameter) showed the highest correlation with whole plant IVDMD (r = 0.74) followed by leaf-shape ratio (leaf width/leaf length; r = 0.72), and leaf water content also highly correlated with whole plant IVDMD (r = 0.79). The broad sense heritability of IVDMD and the related traits of two harvests combination were high with the range of 0.75–0.93. The results demonstrate that leaf-stem index, leaf-shape ratio and water content could be the useful selection criteria for the breeding of brachiariagrass for high digestibility.