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Early maturity and simultaneous increase in yield of cotton are pivotal for increasing the productivity of cropping systems involving cotton. Current two-year study was performed to simultaneously enhance the earliness and yield of cotton by modulating plant population (PP) (5.3 and 8.8 plants m−2), foliar boron (B) (0, 0.6 and 1.2 g/L B) and 0.07 g/L mepiquat chloride (MC) solution (at squaring and flowering stages) application. Internodes length was exalted at high PP (8.8 plants m-2) and B (1.2 g/L B), while declined by MC. Nevertheless, nodes above the white flower and cracked boll were decreased at high PP, and the application of B and MC indicated earlier cutout. Similarly, high PP, and application of 1.2 g/L B and MC at squaring reduced calendar and thermal time needed for flowering and boll opening. The boll maturation period was not affected by the application of B and MC but declined at high PP. Earliness index, production rate index (PRI) and seed cotton yield were increased at high PP, application of 1.2 g/L B and MC at squaring. In crux, increasing PP and B concentration, and MC application at squaring resulted in early maturity and enhanced seed cotton yield by modulating plant structure and time required for various phenophases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As blackgram cultivation is majorly spread in rain fed areas, breeding short duration and high yielding blackgram varieties is of profound importance to tackle terminal moisture stress and reap impressive yields by breaking the yield plateau. Hence, the present study was aimed to identify highly heterotic cross combinations for yield and earliness. Methods: Six parents along with 15 F1s were evaluated (rabi, 2019) for seed yield and its component traits along with earliness to estimate the magnitude of heterosis. Result: The cross LBG-752 x TBG-104 exhibited heterosis estimates in desirable direction for yield and earliness. The next best crosses were LBG-752 x PU-31, TU-40 x TBG-104, LBG-752 x TU-40 and IPU-2-43 x TBG-104. Because of its autogamous genetic architecture and biological constraints in large scale economic hybrid seed production, heterosis could be exploited only by isolating the early maturing and high yielding segregants followed by bi-parental or recurrent selection in early segregating generations and single plant selection in subsequent generations that would result in short duration and high yielding blackgram variety that fits well into different ecological niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers an unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem with a common due date where the objective is to minimize the sum of completion times, earliness, and tardiness durations of the jobs. This paper discovers some properties of the considered problem for restricted and unrestricted common due dates. By using these properties, the paper shows the existence of some optimal policies for the problem. Furthermore, optimal policies for the problem are found. According to our main findings, optimal policies for the problem are to increase the number of early jobs, to use the shortest processing time dispatching rule for tardy jobs, and to distribute tardy jobs on machines with tardy workloads that differ from each other as much as possible. These strategies for the problem are new to the literature and the problem has the potential to be extended. Using these strategies, the paper presents a novel heuristic algorithm for the problem that is rarely studied in the literature. Furthermore, the proposed heuristic is compared with two existing algorithms by generating some test instances for experimental study. The experimental study shows that the proposed heuristic outperforms other algorithms. Furthermore, the paper discusses which components of our proposed solution approach have impacts on the solution quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time management is essential for strong strategic business planning and marketing campaigns. Having sufficient time to complete essential planning is important, as is the punctuality of meeting deadlines. Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT) explains the relationship between deciding to perform a task and expected incentives, consequences, and the cost of delay. We analyzed the time (in seconds) that business students submitted weekly quizzes before Saturday night deadlines (1,587 quiz submissions). Self-discipline was measured as a student's self-evaluation of their ability to start tasks promptly. We find that self-discipline, by itself, was associated with lower average quiz scores. However, self-discipline combined with greater punctuality was associated with higher quiz scores. High self-discipline associated with low emotional stability resulted in earlier average quiz submissions, which resulted in higher quiz scores than submitting work closer to deadlines. These results indicate using internal pressure like anxiety to initiate studying and completing schoolwork can lead to better academic performance. Based on TMT, students appear to use deadlines to reverse calculate the amount of time before a consequential deadline. This translates into a form of negative reinforcement (avoidance), as opposed to positive reinforcement for punctuality. Implications for business marketing students and academicians are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended Abstract Background: One of the main challenges for wheat farmers and breeders worldwide is the limitation of growth, development, and yield in the face of environmental stresses. Dehydration is one of the most important stresses, leading to decreased efficiency and production of this agricultural product. As a classic adaptation mechanism, drought escape allows the plant to complete its life cycle before occurring drought stress. This issue is particularly important in areas where drought occurs at the end of the growing season. In addition to controlling the growth habit of wheat, photoperiod genes play a key role in the flowering time and earliness of wheat and are of interest in drought tolerance research. This research aimed to investigate drought stress tolerance in wheat isogenic lines using quantitative indices of stress tolerance. Methods: In previous research, earliness was transferred from an Australian early-heading variety, Excalibur, to Roshan and Kolhaidari using the backcrossing method to develop the BC3F2 generation. In the present research, the early-heading plants of this generation were crossed with the recurrent parents (Roshan and Kolhaydari) in 2017 to obtain the first generation from the fourth backcross. In this generation, parents and offspring were evaluated for photoperiod-controlling genes. During the first to fourth generations of the fifth backcross, only heterozygous plants (Ppd-D1a/Ppd-D1b) were selected using specific markers for the Ppd-D1 locus. Five generations of backcrossing and four generations of selfing were performed to have different alleles of Ppd-D1 in the same genetic background. Both homozygous genotypes (Ppd-D1a/Ppd-D1a and Ppd-D1b/Ppd-D1b) were selected in the fifth generation of the fifth backcross to generate isogenic lines for Ppd-D1. In this generation, homozygous lines were selected for final field trials. To investigate the effect of photoperiod genes on drought tolerance, four isogenic lines were created in experiments with a randomized complete block design and four replications in the crop year 2018-2019 in the rainfed conditions of Sepidan and in the well-watered conditions of Kerman in the crop year 2019-2020. The number of days to flowering, number of days to maturity, grain-filling period, number of spikes per square meter, number of seeds per spike, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield were evaluated in this research. The drought tolerance of isogenic lines was evaluated using eight indices, including productivity mean, yield index, stress tolerance index, geometric mean of production, stress sensitivity index, yield stability index, and stress tolerance score. Results: Unlike Ppd-D1b, which is a photoperiod-sensitive allele, Ppd-D1a as a photoperiod-insensitive allele, effectively improves early flowering under dryland and well-watered conditions. The Ppd-D1a allele reduced the number of days to flowering in the Roshan genetic background by 3.75 and 4.00 days, and in the Kolhaydari genetic background by 5.08 and 4.7 days in rainfed conditions of Sepidan and well-watered conditions of Kerman, respectively. These results were also reflected in the number of days to maturity, in which Ppd-D1a improved this trait by 7.04 and 8.02 days in the Roshan and Kalhaydari genetic backgrounds, respectively. Ppd-D1a improved earliness in both genetic backgrounds, with better performance in the Kalhaydari genetic background. These findings confirm the interaction between genetic background and the Ppd-D1 gene. Despite the positive effect of Ppd-D1a on earliness in both genetic backgrounds under all environments, there was an interaction between genetic backgrounds and Ppd-D1a alleles for earliness, implying that genetic backgrounds determine the extent of the response to selection. Among the studied isogenic lines under drought stress conditions, the Ppd-D1a allele significantly improved grain yield in the Roshan and Kalhaydari genetic backgrounds, respectively (96 kg/ha and 99 kg/ha). However, there were no significant differences between isogenic lines in both genetic backgrounds under well-watered conditions. These results highlight the importance of marker-assisted selection and backcrossing for Ppd-D1a in breeding programs for dryland conditions. According to yield correlation (0.952) in drought stress and normal environments, selection in both conditions can show high-yielding isogenic lines with good yield stability. In normal conditions, there was a high correlation between the geometric mean of production, stress tolerance index, yield index, stress sensitivity index, and grain yield. This correlation was high and significant for the geometric mean of productivity, stress tolerance index, and yield index under drought stress conditions. The stress tolerance score showed that Ppd-D1a isogenic lines in both Roshan and Kolhaydari genetic backgrounds, which had the photoperiod insensitivity allele, had the highest stress tolerance score. Principal component analysis showed that Ppd-D1a in the Roshan background was the most drought-tolerant isogenic line. Conclusion: The results showed that Ppd-D1a not only improved earliness in the isogenic lines but also improved drought tolerance using the drought escape mechanism.

Background : One of the main challenges for wheat farmers and breeders worldwide is the limitation of growth, development, and yield in the face of environmental stresses. Dehydration is one of the most important stresses, leading to decreased efficiency and production of this agricultural product. As a classic adaptation mechanism, drought escape allows the plant to complete its life cycle before occurring drought stress. This issue is particularly important in areas where drought occurs at the end of the growing season. In addition to controlling the growth habit of wheat, photoperiod genes play a key role in the flowering time and earliness of wheat and are of interest in drought tolerance research. This research aimed to investigate drought stress tolerance in wheat isogenic lines using quantitative indices of stress tolerance. Methods: In previous research, earliness was transferred from an Australian early-heading variety, Excalibur, to Roshan and Kolhaidari using the backcrossing method to develop the BC 3 F 2 generation. In the present research, the early-heading plants of this generation were crossed with the recurrent parents (Roshan and Kolhaydari) in 2017 to obtain the first generation from the fourth backcross. In this generation, parents and offspring were evaluated for photoperiod-controlling genes. During the first to fourth generations of the fifth backcross, only heterozygous plants (Ppd-D1a/PpdD1b) were selected using specific markers for the PpdD1 locus. Five generations of backcrossing and four generations of selfing were performed to have different alleles of Ppd-D1 in the same genetic background. Both homozygous genotypes (Ppd-D1a/Ppd-D1a and Ppd-D1b/Ppd-D1b) were selected in the fifth generation of the fifth backcross to generate isogenic lines for Ppd-D1. In this generation, homozygous lines were selected for final field trials. To investigate the effect of photoperiod genes on drought tolerance, four isogenic lines were created in experiments with a randomized complete block design and four rep l ications in the crop year 2018-2019 in the rainfed conditions of Sepidan and in the well-watered conditions of Kerman in the crop year 2019-2020. The number of days to flowering, number of days to maturity, grain-filling period, number of spikes per square meter, number of seeds per spike, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield were evaluated in this research. The drought tolerance of isogenic lines was evaluated using eight indices, including productivity mean, yield index, stress tolerance index, geometric mean of production, stress sensitivity index, yield stability index, and stress tolerance score. Results: Unlike Ppd-D1b, which is a photoperiod-sensitive allele, Ppd-D1a as a photoperiod- insensitive allele, effectively improves early flowering under dryland and well-watered conditions. The Ppd-D1a allele reduced the number of days to flowering in the Roshan genetic background by 3.75 and 4.00 days, and in the Kolhaydari genetic background by 5.08 and 4.7 days in rainfed conditions of Sepidan and well-watered conditions of Kerman, respectively. These results were also reflected in the number of days to maturity, in which Ppd-D1a improved this trait by 7.04 and 8.02 days in the Roshan and Kalhaydari genetic backgrounds, respectively. Ppd-D1a improved earliness in both genetic backgrounds, with better performance in the Kalhaydari genetic background. These findings confirm the interaction between genetic background and the Ppd-D1 gene. Despite the positive effect of Ppd-D1a on earliness in both genetic backgrounds under all environments, there was an interaction between genetic backgrounds and Ppd-D1a alleles for earliness, implying that genetic backgrounds determine the extent of the response to selection. Among the studied isogenic lines under drought stress conditions, the Ppd-D1a allele significantly improved grain yield in the Roshan and Kalhaydari genetic backgrounds, respectively (96 kg/ha and 99 kg/ha). However, there were no significant difference s between isogenic lines in both genetic backgrounds under well-watered conditions. These results highlight the importance of marker-assisted selection and backcrossing for PpdD1a in breeding programs for dryland conditions. According to yield correlation (0.952) in drought stress and normal environments, selection in both conditions can show high-yielding isogenic lines with good yield stability. In normal conditions, there was a high correlation between the geometric mean of production, stress tolerance index, yield index, stress sensitivity index, and grain yield. This correlation was high and significant for the geometric mean of productivity, stress tolerance index, and yield index under drought stress conditions. The stress tolerance score showed that Ppd-D1a isogenic lines in both Roshan and Kolhaydari genetic backgrounds, which had the photoperiod insensitivity allele, had the highest stress tolerance score. Principal component analysis showed that Ppd-D1a in the Roshan background was the most drought-tolerant isogenic line. Conclusion: The results showed that Ppd-D1a not only improved earliness in the isogenic lines but also improved drought tolerance using the drought escape mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Wheat heading time is primarily governed by two loci: VRN-1 (response to vernalization) and PPD-1 (response to photoperiod). Five sets of near-isogenic lines (NILs) were studied with the aim of investigating the effect of the aforementioned genes on wheat vegetative period duration and 14 yield-related traits. Every NIL was sown in the hydroponic greenhouse of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS. To assess their allelic composition at the VRN-1 and PPD-1 loci, molecular markers were used. It was shown that HT in plants with the Vrn-A1vrn-B1vrn-D1 genotype was reduced by 29 and 21 days (p < 0.001) in comparison to HT in plants with the vrn-A1Vrn-B1vrn-D1 and the vrn-A1vrn-B1Vrn-D1 genotypes, respectively. In our study, we noticed a decrease in spike length as well as spikelet number per spike parameter for some NIL carriers of the Vrn-A1a allele in comparison to carriers of the Vrn-B1 allele. PCA revealed three first principal components (PC), together explaining more than 70% of the data variance. Among the studied genetic traits, the Vrn-A1a and Ppd-D1a alleles showed significant correlations with PCs. Regarding genetic components, significant correlations were calculated between PC3 and Ppd-B1a (−0.26, p < 0.05) and Vrn-B1 (0.57, p < 0.05) alleles. Thus, the presence of the Vrn-A1a allele affects heading time, while Ppd-D1a is associated with plant height reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Potato breeding involves planned artificial hybridization between previously selected parental lines. A way to make potato breeding more efficient is to use the diversity of the germplasm and broaden the gene pool of parental lines. Interspecific potato hybrids originated on the elite potato germplasm display a set of valuable traits. The current challenge is to assess the performance of potato hybrids under specific soil and climate conditions to clarify their breeding value.The objective of the study was to evaluate potato hybrids in the environments of Kamchatka Territory according to a set of traits, identify the best parental lines, develop new hybrid combinations, and select promising breeding material.Materials and methods. Eleven potato hybrids from VIR were studied over three years (2020–2022) in the fields of Kamchatka Research Institute of Agriculture. The hybrids were benchmarked against two reference potato cultivars, ‘Fresco’ and ‘Vulkan’, belonging to the early and mid-early maturity groups, respectively. Crosses between the hybrids and 28 potato cultivars were carried out in the greenhouse. The new hybrid material was tested in a preliminary trial nursery for yield and earliness.Results. Hybrid 117-2 was better in yield (899 g/plant) than cvs. ‘Vulkan’ and ‘Fresco’ (700–739 g/plant). Hybrids 94-5, 99-10- 1, 8-1-2004, 8-3-2004, 8-5-2004, 135-3-2005, 135-5-2005, 99-6-6, and 134-2-2006 in most traits matched the potato cultivars, manifesting good berry formation and seed setting when crossed. Out of 140 crosses between 11 hybrids and 28 cultivars, 35 crosses between 10 hybrids and 13 cultivars were successful. Most hybrids were effectively used in crossings as maternal forms.Conclusion. VIR’s hybrids 94-5, 8-1-2004, and 8-5-2004 proved the most promising as source material for the development of new early potatoes under the conditions of Kamchatka Territory.

Environmental factors affects yield and yield-attributing parameters of wheat. To explore direct and indirect association and to identify the most appropriate trait for trait based selection of elite wheat genotypes under irrigated, heat stress and heat drought conditions, correlation, path and principal component analysis were performed. The field experiment was conducted using serpentine alpha lattice design at the agronomy farm of the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Paklihawa campus, Nepal that comprised of twenty elite wheat genotypes. The grain yield of wheat was found to have significant negative association with days to heading (DTH) and days to booting (DTB) under all tested conditions. Plant height (Ph) was found to have a significant negative association with grain yield of wheat under irrigated conditions while significant positive association was observed across heat stress and heat drought conditions (p≤0.05). DTB, DTH, and Ph had a direct influence on the yield across all tested conditions. For the breeding program, dwarf genotypes that are earlier in booting and heading should be promoted under irrigated conditions whereas the taller genotypes that are earlier in booting and heading should be promoted under heat stress and heat drought conditions. Based on selected traits, BL 4919 and NL 1350 were selected as high yielding genotypes under irrigated condition, NL 1369 and NL 1417 under heat stress condition and NL 1350 and Bhrikuti under the heat drought condition. These genotypes should be promoted in the varietal improvement program of Nepal to release as a potential climate resilient variety. [Fundam Appl Agric 2024; 9(2.000): 91-103]

Climate change is the key challenge to agriculture in the XXI century. Future agricultural techniques in the Russian Federation should involve the optimization of land utilization. This optimization should apply algorithms for smart farming and take into consideration possible climate variations. Due to timely risk assessment, this approach would increase profitability and production sustainability of agricultural products without extra expenditures. Also, we should ground farming optimization not on available empirical data encompassing limited time intervals (month, year) or human personal evaluations but on the integral analysis of long-term information bodies using artificial intelligence. This article presents the results of a multivariate analysis of meteorological extremes which caused crop failures in Eastern and Western Europe in last 2600 years according to chronicle data and paleoreconstructions as well as reconstructions of heliophysical data for the last 9000 years. This information leads us to the conclusion that the current global warming will last for some time. However, subsequent climate changes may go in any direction. And cooling is more likely than warming; thus, we should be prepared to any scenario. Plant breeding can play a key role in solving food security problems connected with climate changes. Possible measures to adapt plant industry to the ongoing and expected climate changes are discussed. It is concluded that future breeding should be based on the use of highly adapted crops that have already been produced in pre-breeding programs, ready to meet future challenges caused by potential climate change.

Introduction Onion stands as one of the primary and extensively consumed vegetables at global scale, with numerous genotypes, both native and imported, being cultivated in the country annually. The southern provinces of the country have allocated about 50 percent of the cultivated area to onion cultivation. Therefore, selecting superior genotypes compatible with southern regions is essential to achieve maximum yield. Considering the long history of onion cultivation as one of the native plants of our country, there is a lot of genetic diversity in this plant. However, to date, inadequate breeding programs have been conducted to develop new, high-yield varieties in our country, leading most farmers to rely on local cultivars for cultivation. Therefore, it is necessary to design targeted breeding programs to produce new varieties superior in yield potential, flavor, aroma, resistance to pests and diseases, and other characteristics. In this regard, collecting diverse onion germplasm and evaluating genetic diversity in it is one of the basic steps for designing targeted breeding. The main purpose of this project is to evaluate genetic diversity in yellow and white onion cultivars in terms of morphological traits and selecting superior genotypes. The results of this project are a necessary prerequisite for long-term plans for the production of new varieties of onions. Materials and Methods The research was carried out in the Faryab region, situated in the southern part of Kerman province. We assessed four commercial yellow onion hybrids- Rio Bravo, Soberana, Eiden, and Ascro Goldeneye -and four commercial white onion hybrids-Minerva, Cirrus, Macran, and 4043-using a 4x4 Latin square design during the 2022 growing season. Various observable traits, such as days to bulbing, days to maturity, onion bulb diameter, plant height and leaf length, fresh and dry plant weight, number of edible layers, fusarium infection percentage, and average tuber yield were recorded. To analyze the data, we used descriptive statistics to show the maximum, minimum, and average values of the traits, along with variance analysis, correlation analysis, and mean comparisons. Results and Discussion The analysis of variance revealed significant variations across the measured traits. Within the yellow onion genotypes, Rio Bravo displayed the shortest maturity cycle, averaging 113 days to maturity, while Aiden exhibited the longest maturity duration with an average of 141 days. The Sobrana cultivar consistently outperformed other varieties across all investigated traits and was introduced as the best yellow onion cultivar. Bulb yield displayed strong and positive correlations with bulb diameter, bulb length, plant height, leaf length, number of edible layers, and both fresh and dry plant weight. However, the correlation between days to maturity and bulb yield was low, suggesting that the duration from planting to maturity did not affect the enhancement of bulb yield in yellow onions. The findings indicated that in contrast to yellow onion cultivars, white onion cultivars exhibited a longer average duration to bulb formation and maturity, alongside a lower bulb yield. Among the white onion genotypes, Minerva displayed the earliest maturity, while Cirrus was observed as the longest maturing genotype. Cirrus cultivar exhibited the highest average bulb diameter, bulb length, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, leaf length, and bulb yield. Conversely, the Macran genotype displayed the lowest mean values for bulb diameter, bulb length, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, and bulb yield. Additionally, a significant and strong positive relationship was observed among bulb diameter, bulb length, plant fresh weight, and plant dry weight. Typically, onion quality is often assessed based on bulb diameter, where larger bulb diameters tend to correspond with higher bulb yields. Evidently, both in yellow and white onion cultivars, those with higher yields also demonstrated larger bulb diameters. Conclusion In the southern regions of Kerman province, the early maturity of onions is very important. Among the yellow onion genotypes, Rio Bravo was the earliest variety. The Soberana cultivar had a higher bulb yield compared to Rio Bravo, but it matured approximately twenty days later than Rio Bravo. Among the white varieties, Minerva was also the earliest maturing variety. However, the Cirrus cultivar had a higher bulb yield compared to Minerva. Yet, in comparison to Minerva, it was both later to mature and more susceptible to fusarium. The selection of onion varieties can significantly depend on the specific conditions of the region and the needs of the farmers. If timing and fusarium sensitivity are crucial factors for farmers, Minerva and Rio Bravo, with lower susceptibility to fusarium, might be suitable options. However, if bulb yield and product quality hold greater importance for farmers, Soberana among yellow onions and Cirrus among white onions are recommended. Additionally, considering breeding goals, these varieties can be utilized in onion breeding programs according to breeding objectives.

By applying machine learning algorithms, predictive business process monitoring (PBPM) techniques provide an opportunity to counteract undesired outcomes of processes. An especially complex variation of business processes is the engineering change (EC) process. Here, failing to adhere to planned implementation dates can have severe impacts on assembly lines, and it is paramount that potential negative cases are identified as early as possible. Current PBPM research, however, has seldomly investigated the predictive performance of machine learning approaches and their applicability at early process steps, let alone for the EC process. In our research, we show that given adequate feature encoding, shallow learners can accurately predict schedule adherence after process initialisation. Based on EC data from an automotive manufacturer, we provide a case sensitive performance overview on algorithm-encoding combinations. For that, three algorithms (XGBoost, Random Forest, LSTM) were combined with four encoding techniques. The encoding techniques used were the two common aggregation-based and index-based last state encoding, and two new combinations of these, which we term advanced aggregation-based and complex aggregation-based encoding. The study indicates that XGBoost-index-encoded approaches outclass regarding average predictive performance, whereas Random-Forest-aggregation-encoded approaches perform better regarding temporal stability due to reduced influence by dynamic features. Our research provides a case-based reasoning approach for deciding on which algorithm-encoding combination and evaluation metrics to apply. In doing so, we provide a blueprint for an early warning and monitoring method within the EC process and other similarly complex processes.

The seeds of early ripening cherry cultivars are generally of poor quality, thereby adversely affect the success of the entire breeding process. The current study aimed to examine the application of supporting substances, such as brown algae extract (ALGA), humic and fulvic acids + IAA (LEXIN), and gibberellic acid (GA3), in the blooming and ripening of fruits. Successively, the same substances were applied to seeds within laboratory conditions, to enhance the quality of cherry embryos and promote their germination. For comparison, two cultivars, an early one 'Burlat' and late 'HL 13577' were used in a multi-year trial. The application of GA3 at the time of blooming in the 'Burlat' cultivar had a positive effect on increasing the share of harvested fruits (31.6%), reduction of the share of bad seeds (17.7%) and improving seed germination (21.9%), compared to the untreated control. Cultivar 'HL 13577' had 16.6% of developed fruits, 15.0% share of bad seeds and seed germination 9.8%. No remarkable increase in germination was observed in any tested variants after the secondary application of preparations in the laboratory. The impact of the year was most explicit in the proportionality of developed fruits, while its effect on seed germination post-treatment remained uncertain. On the contrary, the treatment exhibited a greater effect on germination testing. Based on these findings, we conclude that direct application of GA3 to the trees (from blooming to fruit harvesting) in the orchard was beneficial. However, the other substances tested did not produce positive effects on the parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most research studies in the batch process control problem are focused on optimizing system performance. The methods address the problem by minimizing a single criterion, such as cycle time and tardiness, or bi-criteria such as cycle time and tardiness, and earliness and tardiness. We demonstrate the utilization of the Stochastic Utility Evaluation (SUE) function approach to the performance of batch process systems using multiple criteria. Tri-criteria problem is used as an example to illustrate the use of the SUE function. That is, we explore how SUE function with stochastic information can be implemented to improve existing approaches to the batch process control problem. The simulation results demonstrate that strategies based on the SUE function perform better than existing strategies based on static utility values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the high production potential of quinoa plant, especially under stressful conditions such as drought and salinity, it is necessary to introduce new and high-yielding genotypes for cultivation in different regions of Iran. The objective of this research was to evaluate the diversity of 26 new and foreign quinoa genotypes in terms of morphophenological characteristics. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse of Rice Research Institute of Iran (RRII), Rasht, in 2021. The results of analysis of variance showed that there was a very significant statistical difference among the studied genotypes for all measured traits. Factor analysis using the principal components method identified three main and independent factors that explained 39.19, 24.63, and 15.94%, respectively, and in total about 80% of the total variance. In addition, cluster analysis based on Ward's minimum variance grouped the studied 26 quinoa genotypes into three separate clusters; including 14, 7, and 5 genotypes, which very largely corresponded to grouping of the principal components. In total, the results of the current study showed that among the studied 26 quinoa genotypes, genotype No. 12 with 1000-grain weight, panicle length, and grain yield higher than the other genotypes as well as dwarfism and earliness characteristics was the most valuable genotype of this experiment. Furthermore, genotypes No. 4, 8, 17, and 18 for grain yield, genotypes No. 7, 13, and 15 for earliness, and genotype No. 14 for dwarfism, were the promising genotypes of this research, which can be used to transfer earliness and dwarfism to high-yielding genotypes in future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seeds of early ripening cherry cultivars are generally of poor quality, thereby adversely affect the success of the entire breeding process. The current study aimed to examine the application of supporting substances, such as brown algae extract (ALGA), humic and fulvic acids + IAA (LEXIN), and gibberellic acid (GA3), in the blooming and ripening of fruits. Successively, the same substances were applied to seeds within laboratory conditions, to enhance the quality of cherry embryos and promote their germination. For comparison, two cultivars, an early one ‘Burlat’ and late ‘HL 13577’ were used in a multi-year trial. The application of GA3 at the time of blooming in the ‘Burlat’ cultivar had a positive effect on increasing the share of harvested fruits (31.6%), reduction of the share of bad seeds (17.7%) and improving seed germination (21.9%), compared to the untreated control. Cultivar ‘HL 13577’ had 16.6% of developed fruits, 15.0% share of bad seeds and seed germination 9.8%. No remarkable increase in germination was observed in any tested variants after the secondary application of preparations in the laboratory. The impact of the year was most explicit in the proportionality of developed fruits, while its effect on seed germination post-treatment remained uncertain. On the contrary, the treatment exhibited a greater effect on germination testing. Based on these findings, we conclude that direct application of GA3 to the trees (from blooming to fruit harvesting) in the orchard was beneficial. However, the other substances tested did not produce positive effects on the parameters.

Background. The change of temperature conditions is cyclic by nature. Since the 1970s this process has been intensifying several times faster towards global climate warming. The effect of high temperature and drought is expected to lead to undesirable consequences for the economy, a decrease in yields, and a threat to food security. This aspect requires an assessment of the ongoing climate changes and identification of the causes that induce the response of plants to them.Materials and methods. The zoned millet cultivar ‘Gorlinka’ served as the material for this study. Variability was assessed from 2001 through 2019 for such characters as the duration of the growing season, grain yield, grain size, and plant height. The cultivar was tested according to VIR’s guidelines. Statistical data processing was performed using Microsoft Excel.Results and conclusion. The climate change in the southern part of the East European Plain (Tambov Province) from 2001 to 2019 towards warming in June under sufficient moisture (HTC = 1.26) did not significantly affect the duration of the growing season or grain yield of cv. ‘Gorlinka’.

Purpose This study investigated the effect of recycled Olive Pruning Residues (OLPR) and Spent Coffee Grounds (SCG) on substrate temperature (temp) and duration (dur) of Pleurotus ostreatus growing stages. This study also sheds light on the correlation between selected parameters, yield, and substrate composition.Method The experiment consisted of 2 sole substrates wheat straw (WS; control) and SCG, and 6 mixtures of WS, OLPR, and SCG (v/v): WS:SCG 3:1, WS:SCG 1:3, WS:OLPR:SCG 1:1:1, WS:OLPR:SCG 3:1:1, WS:OLPR:SCG 1:3:1, and WS:OLPR:SCG 1:1:3.Results Increased SCG proportions caused the substrate temperature to decrease, whereas, OPLR proportions caused it to rise. All stages showed earliness in productive substrates. The highest organic matter loss (OML) was reported by WS (76.7%) (76.7%). WS:SCG 3:1 OML depicted a correlation (0.8 ≤r≥ 0.9) with dur Stages 2 and 3. OML of WS:SCG 1:3 denoted a correlation (0.8 ≤r≥ 0.9) with dur Stages 1, 2, and 3. OML of WS:OLPR:SCG 3:1:1 and WS:OLPR:SCG 1:1:1 correlated (R2 ≥ 0.7) with dur Stages 3 and 4, respectively. WS:SCG 1:3 temp had a strong influence on economic yield (EY) at all stages. At Stage 2, combined substrate temp positively affected biological efficiency (BE) and biological yield (BY). Spawn run initiation (SRI), pinhead formation (PNF), and harvest of the first flush (HF1) strongly correlated with major minerals and fatty acids in SCG substrates. Increased Mg and Fe contents affected negatively the complete mycelial colonization (100% MC) in combined substrates.Conclusion SCG reduces OML and causes early production.

Wheat is one of three main food crops around the world, which has the largest distribution area due to its adaptation to the different environments. This review considers polymorphisms and allelic variation of the vernalization response genes Vrn controlling the major adaptation traits in wheats (the genus Triticum L.): growth habit (spring vs. winter) and length of vegetative period (earliness). The review summarizes available information on the allelic diversity of the Vrn genes and discusses molecular-level relationships between Vrn polymorphisms and their effect on growth habit (spring vs. winter) and earliness (length vegetative period in spring plants) in di-, tetra- and hexaploid wheat species. A unique attempt has been made to relate information on mutations (polymorphisms) in dominant Vrn alleles to the values of the commercially most important trait “length of plant vegetative period (earliness)”. The effects of mutations (polymorphisms) in the recessive vrn genes on vernalization requirement in winter wheats are considered, and this trait was formalized. The evolution of the winter/spring growth habit in the genus Triticum species is discussed. A scheme of phylogenetic interactions between Vrn alleles was constructed on the basis of these polymorphisms; the paper considers the possibilities to enhance the diversity of polymorphisms for the dominant Vrn genes and their alleles using wheat related species and rarely used alleles and discusses the prospects of breeding for improved earliness for concrete agroecological zones.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) provides approximately 20 % of the proteins and calories consumed globally. Genetic advancement in yield is crucial to satisfy the demand of the growing world population. The aim of this study was to estimate genetic progress in agronomic traits of varieties released in El Bajío (Mexico) between 1975 and 2016 under normal and restricted irrigation. The hypothesis was: with the breeding of wheat varieties for over 40 years for the region of El Bajío, advances have been made in grain yield. The genotypes planted were Salamanca S75, Cortazar S94, Bárcenas S2002, Urbina S2007, Alondra F2014 and Cisne F2016 during the 2016-17 and 2020-21 agricultural cycles in three irrigation schedules, two at 0 and 55 days after planting, three at 0-45 and 75 and four at 0-45-75 and 100 days after planting. Phenology, yield and its components were measured, and the treatment design followed a randomized complete block design with arrangements in subdivided plots and three replications. Using the weighted phenotypic model and its graphical representation through the SREG biplot, it was determined that recently released varieties outperformed the grain yield of older varieties in all three irrigation schedules. The varieties released between 1975 and 2016 displayed no changes in days to heading and maturity, since only early genotypes were advanced in the selection process. For grain yield, a genetic progress was obtained of 26.3, 41.6 and 37.6 kg ha-1 year-1 for the two, three and four irrigation schedules, respectively, which was related to an increase (p ≤ 0.01) in aerial biomass and a higher number of spikes and grains per unit area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn production for concentrated feed is increasing in Japan, and cultivation techniques are necessary to obtain higher yields. To expand the corn production for concentrated feed in the Kanto region of Japan, corn varieties based on their earliness was evaluated. Changes in ear yield and moisture content were compared among 12 commercial varieties, which were divided into three groups based on their relative maturity (RM): extremely early (RM 95–100), early (RM 113–115) and medium (RM 125). The varieties were sown at three different times (late April, middle May and late May) for three cultivation years. Our experiment found that the ear dry weights of both early and medium groups were higher than that of the extremely early group. Ear moisture of the extremely early group decreased rapidly and reached 35% as a standard for harvesting time we defined, at 60 days after silking, while that of the early group reached 35% at 70 days after silking, and that of the medium group did not reach 35% during the experimental period. Late sowing decreased ear dry weight and delayed ear moisture decreasing. The extremely early group had the advantage of early harvesting at 60 days after silking, and the early group obtained a higher yield than the extremely early group at the harvesting at 70 days after silking. These results suggest that extremely early and early groups are suitable for corn production for concentrated feed in the Kanto region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents two combinatorial genetic algorithms (GA), unequal earliness tardiness-GA (UET-GA) and job-dependent earliness tardiness-GA (JDET-GA) for the single-machine scheduling problem to minimize earliness tardiness (ET) cost. The sequence of jobs produced in basic UET and JDET is added to the random population of GA. The best sequence from each epoch is also injected as a population member in the subsequent epoch of GA. The proposed improvement seeks to achieve convergence in less time to search for an optimal solution. Although the GA has been implemented very successfully on many different types of optimization problems, it has been learnt that the algorithm has a search ability difficulty that makes computations NP-hard for types of optimization problems, such as permutation-based optimization problems. The use of a plain random population initialization results in this flaw. The main objective of the article is to develop the combination of heuristics (UET, JDET) and the GA to obtain convergence by reinforcing the random population initialization and finding a promising solution for the reduction in total ET cost. The cost is further significantly lowered offering the due date as a decision variable with JDET-GA. Multiple tests were run on well-known single-machine benchmark examples to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology, and the results are displayed by comparing them with the fundamental UET and JDET approaches with a notable improvement in cost reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat has a crucial role in eradicating all forms of hunger and malnutrition worldwide to achieve the target set by Sustainable Development Goal 2.0. The potentiality of wheat to eradicate hunger and malnutrition is severely limited by abiotic stresses such as heat stress and drought. To evaluate the performance, stability and to visualize the interrelationship among morphological parameters of wheat genotypes in order to identify the most appropriate trait for climate resilient breeding, a field experiment was conducted in the western region of Nepal during 2021–22 and 2022–23 under irrigated (I), heat stress (HS), and heat drought (HD) environments. The additive main effect multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model ANOVA showed environment had the most substantial effect on the expression of all the traits studied (p ≤ 0.001). Wheat yield was reduced by 24 and 48 % under HS and HD environments. BL 4919 (4609.5 kg ha−1), BL 4919 (3037.6 kg ha−1), and Bhrikuti (2228.9 kg ha−1) were the highest-yielding genotypes across irrigated, heat stress, and heat drought environments, respectively. WWW model revealed NL 1369, NL 1404, and NL 1417 were the most adaptable wheat genotypes across irrigated, heat stress, and heat drought environments, respectively. Whereas, NL 1381 was the most stable genotype. Phenotypic correlation, path analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed, high yielding genotypes can be selected via days to booting (DTB), days to heading (DTH), days to anthesis (DTA), booting-heading duration (BtoH), booting-anthesis duration (BtoA), and plant height (Ph). For climate resilient breeding program traits such as earliness, longer booting-heading and booting-anthesis duration, shorter heading-anthesis duration should be promoted. Dwarf genotypes might be productive under irrigated environments and taller genotypes should be promoted under heat stress and heat drought environment.

This article presents two combinatorial genetic algorithms (GA), unequal earliness tardiness-GA (UET-GA) and job-dependent earliness tardiness-GA (JDET-GA) for the single-machine scheduling problem to minimize earliness tardiness (ET) cost. The sequence of jobs produced in basic UET and JDET as a chromosome is added to the random population of GA. The best sequence from each epoch is also injected as a population member in the subsequent epoch. The proposed improvement seeks to achieve convergence in less time to search for an optimal solution. Although the GA has been implemented very successfully on many different types of optimization problems, it has been learnt that the algorithm has a search ability difficulty that makes computations NP-hard for types of optimization problems, such as permutation-based optimization problems. The use of a plain random population initialization results in this flaw. To reinforce the random population initialization, the proposed enhancement is utilized to obtain convergence and find a promising solution. The cost is further significantly lowered offering the due date as a decision variable with JDET-GA. Multiple tests were run on well-known single-machine benchmark examples to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology, and the results are displayed by comparing them with the fundamental UET and JDET approaches with a notable improvement in cost reduction.

ObjectiveFlowering time in bread wheat is controlled by three groups of genes including photoperiod (Ppd), vernalization (Vrn) and earliness per se (Eps). The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of photoperiod and vernalization genes on phenology of bread wheat using near-isogenic lines (NILs) in three genetic backgrounds. Materials and methodsGenomic DNA was extracted from parents, the earliest and the latest heading genotypes of each BC5F2 population obtained from backcrossing three Iranian cultivars including Roshan, Mahdavi and Kalheydari (recurrent parents) with Australian cultivar, Excalibur (donor parent). PCR was performed using specific primers for Ppd and Vrn genes.ResultsExcalibur and Mahdavi had Ppd-D1a allele whereas Kalheydari and Roshan were carrying Ppd-D1b allele. As it was expected, early and late heading progeny of Mahdavi were similar to parents. Late heading progeny of Roshan was homozygote and similar to recurrent parent whereas early heading progeny was heterozygote. Early and late heading progeny of Kalheydari were heterozygote. The reason for this could be the presence of modifier genes that are influenced by genetic background. Excalibur, Kalheydari and Mahdavi were possessed Vrn-B1a and vrn-D1 alleles, while Roshan carried vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1a alleles in Vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1 loci, respectively. Since Excalibur, Kolhaydari and Mahdavi did not show genetic diversity, as it was expected, early and late heading progeny were similar to their parents. In Roshan background, since vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1a improve earliness, early and late heading progeny were similar to recurrent parent.ConclusionsThe Ppd-D1a allele discriminated early and late heading progeny of Roshan genetic background. This result showed the importance and role of this gene on earliness. Early and late heading progeny of Roshan were similar to Vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1 loci. The reason is phenotypic selection for earliness in backcrossing program, where genes controlling late maturity have not selected during phenotypic selection.

Yellow mosaic disease (YMD) remains a major constraint in mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.)) production; while short-duration genotypes offer multiple crop cycles per year and help in escaping terminal heat stress, especially during summer cultivation. A comprehensive genotyping by sequencing (GBS)-based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analysis was conducted using 132 diverse mungbean genotypes for traits like flowering time, YMD resistance, soil plant analysis development (SPAD) value, trichome density, and leaf area. The frequency distribution revealed a wide range of values for all the traits. GBS studies identified 31,953 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) across all 11 mungbean chromosomes and were used for GWAS. Structure analysis revealed the presence of two genetically distinct populations based on ΔK. The linkage disequilibrium (LD) varied throughout the chromosomes and at r2 = 0.2, the mean LD decay was estimated as 39.59 kb. Two statistical models, mixed linear model (MLM) and Bayesian-information and Linkage-disequilibrium Iteratively Nested Keyway (BLINK) identified 44 shared SNPs linked with various candidate genes. Notable candidate genes identified include FPA for flowering time (VRADI10G01470; chr. 10), TIR-NBS-LRR for mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) resistance (VRADI09G06940; chr. 9), E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase RIE1 for SPAD value (VRADI07G28100; chr. 11), WRKY family transcription factor for leaf area (VRADI03G06560; chr. 3), and LOB domain-containing protein 21 for trichomes (VRADI06G04290; chr. 6). In-silico validation of candidate genes was done through digital gene expression analysis using Arabidopsis orthologous (compared with Vigna radiata genome). The findings provided valuable insight for marker-assisted breeding aiming for the development of YMD-resistant and early-maturing mungbean varieties.

AbstractClimate-resilient wheat genotype plays a crucial role in food and nutritional security of the world. The production of wheat is mainly limited by abiotic stresses such as heat stress and drought. To identify the most appropriate trait for the selection of high yielding genotypes under heat stress (HS) and heat drought (HD) environment, a field experiment was conducted in the western region of Nepal during the wheat growing season of 2021–22 to 2022–23 comprising 20 wheat genotypes under alpha lattice design. The additive main-effect multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and combined analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed environment had the most substantial effect on the expression of the quantitative traits studied with 24 and 48% yield reduction under HS and HD environments, as compared to irrigated. PCA extracted, days to booting (DTB), days to heading (DTH), days to anthesis (DTA), booting-anthesis duration (BtoA), spikelets per spike (NSPS) under irrigated; DTB, DTH, DTA, 10 spike weight (TSW), thousand kernel weight (TKW) under HS; and DTB, BtoA, spike length (SL), TSW under HD environment. Phenotypic correlation and path analysis revealed, to get high yield, selection can be done with DTB, DTH, DTA, booting-heading duration (BtoH), BtoA, plant height (Ph), spikes per meter square (NSPMS), SL, and TKW. Early booting and heading genotypes with longer spikes, more tillers, grains per spike, and seed weight benefits all environments. Extended booting-heading and booting-anthesis duration with shorter heading-anthesis duration are advantageous as well. Taller genotypes yield more under HS and HD environment whereas shorter genotypes are productive under irrigated.

Barley is a long-day plant with a major gene (PPD-H1) that determines its photoperiod sensitivity. Under long days (i.e. 16 h), flowering occurs earlier in sensitive (Ppd-H1) than in insensitive (ppd-H1) genotypes, while under short days (i.e. 12 h) both flower late and more or less simultaneously. We hypothesized that (i) the sensitive line should flower later than the insensitive line under very short days (<12 h), and (ii) both the sensitive and insensitive lines should have similar phenology under very long days (>18 h). When comparing a pair of spring isogenic lines for sensitive and insensitive PPD-H1 alleles (introgressing the PPD-H1 allele into the barley cultivar 'WI4441'), we found responses fully in line with expectations for the commonly explored range from 12 to 16–18 h. When the responses were extended to very short days, sensitivity increased noticeably, and time to flowering of the sensitive line was longer than that of the insensitive one. Under very long days, the sensitive line did not respond further (it seemed to have reached its minimum time to flowering under a 16 h period), while the insensitive line continued shortening its time to flowering until c. 21 h. Consequently, both lines flowered similarly under very long days, which opens opportunities to easily test for differences in earliness per se , as in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted in order to investigate the agronomic value of one new variety of white bean named "Hidajdor" which were introduced by the private sector with the aim of registering the named variety in the national list of plant varieties. This bean cultivar "Hidajdor" along with 4 domestic control cultivars (Almas, Dorsa, Pak, and Shokufa) were studied in 3 different locations (Karaj, Zanjan, and Khomein) based on complete randomized block design in three replications during two crop seasons (2019-2020 and 2020-2021). Results showed that flowering occurred significantly earlier in candidate cultivar "Hidajdor" than control cultivars (6 days earlier than mean of control cultivars). As the same way, physiological seed ripening in candidate cultivar occurred earlier than control cultivars (4 days earlier than mean of other cultivars). In candidate "Hidajdor" cultivar, despite the lower height of the plant compared to control cultivars, the height of the first pod was higher than control cultivars (5.5 percent). Although the number of seeds in the plant of "Hidajdor" candidate cultivar was lower than control cultivars (19.6 percent), but this cultivar produced bigger seeds, so that the average weight of one hundred seeds of this cultivar (46.72 g) was significantly higher (37.8 percent) than the control cultivars (29 g). Finally, the candidate cultivar "Hidajdor" can play an effective role as new germplasm in the country's beans production due to its erect growth type and ease of harvesting, early maturity, and production of larger seeds (marketability). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study investigated the effect of recycled Olive Pruning Residues (OLPR) and Spent Coffee Grounds (SCG) on substrate temperature (temp) and duration (dur) of Pleurotus ostreatus growing stages. This study also sheds light on the correlation between selected parameters, yield, and substrate composition. Method The experiment consisted of 2 sole substrates wheat straw (WS; control) and SCG, and 6 mixtures of WS, OLPR, and SCG (v/v): WS:SCG 3:1, WS:SCG 1:3, WS:OLPR:SCG 1:1:1, WS:OLPR:SCG 3:1:1, WS:OLPR:SCG 1:3:1, and WS:OLPR:SCG 1:1:3. Results Increased SCG proportions caused the substrate temperature to decrease, whereas, OPLR proportions caused it to rise. All stages showed earliness in productive substrates. The highest organic matter loss (OML) was reported by WS (76.7%) (76.7%). WS:SCG 3:1 OML depicted a correlation (0.8 ≤r≥ 0.9) with dur Stages 2 and 3. OML of WS:SCG 1:3 denoted a correlation (0.8 ≤r≥ 0.9) with dur Stages 1, 2, and 3. OML of WS:OLPR:SCG 3:1:1 and WS:OLPR:SCG 1:1:1 correlated (R2 ≥ 0.7) with dur Stages 3 and 4, respectively. WS:SCG 1:3 temp had a strong influence on economic yield (EY) at all stages. At Stage 2, combined substrate temp positively affected biological efficiency (BE) and biological yield (BY). Spawn run initiation (SRI), pinhead formation (PNF), and harvest of the first flush (HF1) strongly correlated with major minerals and fatty acids in SCG substrates. Increased Mg and Fe contents affected negatively the complete mycelial colonization (100% MC) in combined substrates. Conclusion SCG reduces OML and causes early production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the common due date assignment for single machine weighted earliness/tardiness scheduling problem with different earliness and tardiness weights for jobs where the objective is to minimize the cost of the sum of weighted earliness/tardiness and assignment common due date. The single machine common due date assignment problem where all jobs have the same earliness/tardiness weight has a polynomial-time algorithm to solve it optimally. Furthermore, some properties for the problem where the common due date is an input have been revealed by researchers in the literature. This paper proposes a heuristic algorithm for the problem using the revealed properties of similar problems' optimal solutions such as the V-shaped property and zero-start time of the machine. The experimental study of this paper shows that the proposed heuristic finds better solutions for the problems in a reasonable time than a commercial solver has when the problem size is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earliness in cotton is a highly valued trait that allows the crop to dodge late-season stress and facilitates efficient harvesting, ultimately benefiting farmers with optimal yield. Understanding the genetics of these complex traits is a prelude to designing extra-early maturing cotton genotypes. Two crosses with six generations (ESS-20 × FLT-25 and S-32 × FLT-25: P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1P1, and BC1P2) and one cross with five generations (NNDC-30 × NNDC-47: P1, P2, F1, F2, and F2:3) were field-evaluated for ten earliness and plant architecture traits in cotton. ANOVA presented significant generational differences for most traits. The inadequacy of the Additive-Dominance (A-D) model in explaining trait inheritance using scaling and joint-scaling tests highlighted the presence of epistatic gene actions. Further, the analysis of gene action unveiled the predominance of dominance effect [h] and dominance × dominance [l] epistatic effect, influencing the expression of most traits. Contrasting signs of [h] and [l] effects for these traits suggested the occurrence of duplicate epistasis across crosses. Therefore, population improvement strategies and heterosis breeding could be effective in designing extra-early maturing genotypes. All traits exhibited quantitative inheritance, with partial and overdominance favouring early maturity. Notably, days to flowering and boll opening, exhibited negative heterosis, suggesting the efficient development of short-duration cotton hybrids. Besides, the study also predicted less than one gene block for the majority of traits, suggesting a significant role of complex non-allelic interaction in trait expression. These findings offer valuable insights for strategizing efficient breeding methods to develop early-maturing cotton genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat heading time is primarily governed by two loci: VRN-1 (response to vernalization) and PPD-1 (response to photoperiod). Five sets of near-isogenic lines (NILs) were studied with the aim of investigating the effect of the aforementioned genes on wheat vegetative period duration and 14 yield-related traits. Every NIL was sown in the hydroponic greenhouse of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS. To assess their allelic composition at the VRN-1 and PPD-1 loci, molecular markers were used. It was shown that HT in plants with the Vrn-A1vrn-B1vrn-D1 genotype was reduced by 29 and 21 days (p < 0.001) in comparison to HT in plants with the vrn-A1Vrn-B1vrn-D1 and the vrn-A1vrn-B1Vrn-D1 genotypes, respectively. In our study, we noticed a decrease in spike length as well as spikelet number per spike parameter for some NIL carriers of the Vrn-A1a allele in comparison to carriers of the Vrn-B1 allele. PCA revealed three first principal components (PC), together explaining more than 70% of the data variance. Among the studied genetic traits, the Vrn-A1a and Ppd-D1a alleles showed significant correlations with PCs. Regarding genetic components, significant correlations were calculated between PC3 and Ppd-B1a (−0.26, p < 0.05) and Vrn-B1 (0.57, p < 0.05) alleles. Thus, the presence of the Vrn-A1a allele affects heading time, while Ppd-D1a is associated with plant height reduction.

Objective Flowering time in bread wheat is controlled by three groups of genes including photoperiod (Ppd), vernalization (Vrn) and earliness per se (Eps). The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of photoperiod and vernalization genes on phenology of bread wheat using nearisogenic lines (NILs) in three genetic backgrounds. Materials and methods Genomic DNA was extracted from parents, the earliest and the latest heading genotypes of each BC5F2 population obtained from backcrossing three Iranian cultivars including Roshan, Mahdavi and Kalheydari (recurrent parents) with Australian cultivar, Excalibur (donor parent). PCR was performed using specific primers for Ppd and Vrn genes. Excalibur and Mahdavi had Ppd-D1a allele whereas Kalheydari and Roshan were carrying Ppd-D1b allele. As it was expected, early and late heading progeny of Mahdavi were similar to parents. Late heading progeny of Roshan was homozygote and similar to recurrent parent whereas early heading progeny was heterozygote. Early and late heading progeny of Kalheydari were heterozygote. The reason for this could be the presence of modifier genes that are influenced by genetic background. Excalibur, Kalheydari and Mahdavi were possessed Vrn-B1a and vrn-D1 alleles, while Roshan carried vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1a alleles in Vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1 loci, respectively. Since Excalibur, Kolhaydari and Mahdavi did not show genetic diversity, as it was expected, early and late heading progeny were similar to their parents. In Roshan background, since vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1a improve earliness, early and late heading progeny were similar to recurrent parent. Conclusions The Ppd-D1a allele discriminated early and late heading progeny of Roshan genetic background. This result showed the importance and role of this gene on earliness. Early and late heading progeny of Roshan were similar to Vrn-B1 and Vrn-D1 loci. The reason is phenotypic selection for earliness in backcrossing program, where genes controlling late maturity have not selected during phenotypic selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earliness in crop plants has a vital role in prevention of heat-induced drought stress and in combating global warming, which is predicted to exacerbate in the near future. Furthermore, earliness may expand production into northern areas or higher altitudes, having relatively shorter growing season and may also expand arable lands to meet global food demands. The primary objective of the present study was to investigate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for super-earliness and important agro-morphological traits in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from an interspecific cross. A population of 114 RILs developed through single-seed descent from an interspecific cross involving Pisum sativum L. and P. fulvum Sibth. et Sm. was evaluated to identify QTLs for super-earliness and important agro-morphological traits. A genetic map was constructed with 44 SSRs markers representing seven chromosomes with a total length of 262.6 cM. Of the 14 QTLs identified, two were for super-earliness on LG2, one for plant height on LG3, six for number of pods per plant on LG2, LG4, LG5 and LG6, one for number of seeds per pod on LG6, one for pod length on LG4 and three for harvest index on LG3, LG5, and LG6. AA205 and AA372-1 flanking markers for super-earliness QTLs were suggested for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in pea breeding programs due to high heritability of the trait. This is the first study to map QTLs originating from P. sativum and P. fulvum recently identified species with super-earliness character and the markers (AA205 and AA372-1) linked to QTLs were valuable molecular tools for pea breeding.

Background. The main objective of the Polar Experiment Station is to maintain and preserve the global potato collection of VIR. The collection is replenished with new improved potato cultivars. Their main agronomic traits are studied: earliness, productivity, starch content in tubers, resistance to viruses and fungi, etc. After three years of evaluation, cultivars are transferred to the maintenance collection.Materials and methods. Thirteen new potato accessions the from VIR collection were studied in 2018–2020 for valuable agronomic traits under the extreme conditions of Murmansk Province using VIR’s guidelines.Results and conclusions. The study made it possible to characterize this set of accessions according to their phenological parameters, earliness, productivity, and disease resistance. Accessions that exceeded the reference (‘Khibinskiy ranniy’, k-6928) in a number of indicators were identified. Three accessions demonstrated the best productivity across the years of the study: k-25327 (local from Georgia), k-25330 (‘KazSIP’) and k-25314 (‘Arizona’). Accession k-25311 (‘Gornyak’) was selected for earliness, productivity, and marketability of tubers; k-25302 (‘Babayev’) was identified for its productivity and high marketability of tubers; k-25302 (Arrow’) showed high productivity, high marketability of tubers, and large tuber size. The accessions selected for their starch content were k-25330 (‘KazSIP’) and k-25327 (local from Georgia). Six potato accessions were not affected by fungal diseases: k-25258 (‘Sunkar’), k-25302 (‘Babayev’), k-25311 (‘Gornyak’), k-25314 (‘Arizona’), k-25339 (‘Bravo’) and k-25317 (‘B-O-E’). Symptoms of viral diseases were not found in k-25311 (‘Gornyak’), k-25321 (‘Labadia’), k-25327 (local from Georgia), k-25336 (‘Ametist’) and k-25318 (‘Cogu Valley’). The results of the study made it possible to recommend them for new potato breeding programs in Murmansk Province.

This review presents brief information about the history of the table beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris var. conditiva Alef.) collection at the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), its composition, research trends, and significance for domestic breeding. The collection started in 1924 with Vavilov’s collecting activities. Currently, the collection consists of 2512 accessions; the table beet variety is represented by 461 accessions from 45 countries, collected in numerous expeditions, obtained from foreign genebanks through germplasm exchange and seed requests, received from domestic and foreign breeders, plus materials developed by VIR researchers. Table beet is an economically important, high-yielding, ubiquitous crop that has a wide cultivation area and is a valuable biochemical food product with beneficial effects on human health.The information is provided on the genetic diversity of VIR’s table beet collection, including current trends of its study and use in breeding. Characteristics of table beet accessions available in the collection, their morphological features and value, and the names of accessions from different trait groups and genetic sources are described. Presently, 125 cultivars and 38 F1 hybrids of table beet are listed in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation, 70% of which are products of domestic breeding.

Introduction of exotic clones into the pedigree of commercial cashew clones could constitute a viable strategy to overcome the current low early nut yield and nut weight of the crop in West Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the combining abilities of Beninese, Brazilian and Ghanaian clones for early nut yield and nut weight. Twelve F1 hybrids were evaluated in the field for five traits such as stem diameter increment, canopy spread, nut yield, nut weight and cropping efficiency. Significant difference (p ≤ .01) was observed for most of the traits. Nut weight varied from 5.3 to 10.1 g/year, whilst nut yield ranged from 666.1 to 872.8 kg/ha/year among the top five crosses in the third to fifth year after planting. The Beninese (BE) progenies were comparable to the Ghanaian (SG) progenies for early nut yield but inferior to the Ghanaian and Brazilian (A) progenies for nut weight. Pearson correlation coefficient estimate (r = 0.74; p ≤ .01) suggest that, selecting for canopy spread in the north-south direction might improve early nut yield. GCA effects were more important than SCA effects. Narrow-sense heritability was moderate and exceeded 50% for all the traits. BE203 and SG224 showed positive GCA for early nut yield, whereas A2 and SG273 showed positive GCA for nut weight. Our study suggest that the Brazilian, Beninese and Ghanaian clones had different merits as potential parents for early nut yield and nut weight and could constitute a suitable genetic resource for improving cashew productivity.