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Ferdaus MJ, Chukwu-Munsen E, Foguel A, da Silva RC. Taro Roots: An Underexploited Root Crop. Nutrients 2023; 15:3337. [PMID: 37571276 PMCID: PMC10421445 DOI: 10.3390/nu15153337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a root crop that remains largely underutilized and undervalued despite its abundance and affordability. In comparison to other root vegetables, such as potatoes, yams, carrots, and cassava, taro stands out as a plentiful and low-cost option. As global hunger increases, particularly in Africa, it becomes essential to address food insecurity by maximizing the potential of existing food resources, including taro, and developing improved food products derived from it. Taro possesses a wealth of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, thereby making it a valuable nutritional source. Additionally, while not a significant protein source, taro exhibits higher protein content than many other root crops. Consequently, utilizing taro to create food products, such as plant-based milk alternatives, frozen desserts, and yogurt substitutes, could play a crucial role in raising awareness and increasing taro production. Unfortunately, taro has been stigmatized in various cultures, which has led to its neglect as a food crop. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the substantial potential of taro as an economical source of dietary energy by exploring the rich fiber, potassium, vitamin C, protein, and other micronutrient content of taro, and providing a foundation for the formulation of novel food products. Furthermore, this paper assesses the nutritional benefits of taro, its current utilization, and its antinutritional properties. It emphasizes the need for further research to explore the various applications of taro and improve on-farm processing conditions for industrial purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Jannatul Ferdaus
- Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Ezzine Chukwu-Munsen
- Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Aline Foguel
- Department of Biochemical-Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil
| | - Roberta Claro da Silva
- Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
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Devi MP, Dasgupta M, Mohanty S, Sharma SK, Hegde V, Roy SS, Renadevan R, Kumar KB, Patel HK, Sahoo MR. DNA Barcoding and ITS2 Secondary Structure Predictions in Taro ( Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) from the North Eastern Hill Region of India. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13122294. [PMID: 36553561 PMCID: PMC9778394 DOI: 10.3390/genes13122294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott, Araceae), an ancient root and tuber crop, is highly polygenic, polyphyletic, and polygeographic in nature, which leads to its rapid genetic erosion. To prevent the perceived loss of taro diversity, species discrimination and genetic conservation of promising taro genotypes need special attention. Reports on genetic discrimination of taro at its center of origin are still untapped. We performed DNA barcoding of twenty promising genotypes of taro indigenous to the northeastern hill region of India, deploying two chloroplast-plastid genes, matK and rbcL, and the ribosomal nuclear gene ITS2. The secondary structure of ITS2 was determined and molecular phylogeny was performed to assess genetic discrimination among the taro genotypes. The matK and rbcL genes were highly efficient (>90%) in amplification and sequencing. However, the ITS2 barcode region achieved significant discrimination among the tested taro genotypes. All the taro genotypes displayed most similar sequences at the conserved matK and rbcL loci. However, distinct sequence lengths were observed in the ITS2 barcode region, revealing accurate discriminations among the genotypes. Multiple barcode markers are unrelated to one another and change independently, providing different estimations of heritable traits and genetic lineages; thus, they are advantageous over a single locus in genetic discrimination studies. A dynamic programming algorithm that used base-pairing interactions within a single nucleic acid polymer or between two polymers transformed the secondary structures into the symbol code data to predict seven different minimum free energy secondary structures. Our analysis strengthens the potential of the ITS2 gene as a potent DNA barcode candidate in the prediction of a valuable secondary structure that would help in genetic discrimination between the genotypes while augmenting future breeding strategies in taro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayengbam Premi Devi
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
- College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University (CAU-Imphal), Kyrdemkulai 793105, India
| | - Madhumita Dasgupta
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
| | - Sansuta Mohanty
- Central Horticultural Experiment Station, ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bhubaneswar 751019, India
| | - Susheel Kumar Sharma
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
- ICAR—Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110012, India
| | - Vivek Hegde
- ICAR—Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram 695017, India
- ICAR—Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru 560089, India
| | - Subhra Saikat Roy
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
| | - Rennya Renadevan
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 570007, India
| | | | - Hitendra Kumar Patel
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 570007, India
- Correspondence: (H.K.P.); (M.R.S.); Tel.: +91-674-247-1867 (M.R.S.); Fax: +91-674-247-1712 (M.R.S.)
| | - Manas Ranjan Sahoo
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
- Central Horticultural Experiment Station, ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bhubaneswar 751019, India
- Correspondence: (H.K.P.); (M.R.S.); Tel.: +91-674-247-1867 (M.R.S.); Fax: +91-674-247-1712 (M.R.S.)
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Kelbessa BG, Ghadamgahi F, Kumar PL, Ortiz R, Whisson SC, Bhattacharjee R, Vetukuri RR. Antagonistic and plant growth promotion of rhizobacteria against Phytophthora colocasiae in taro. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1035549. [PMID: 36531382 PMCID: PMC9755733 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1035549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Taro leaf blight caused by Phytophthora colocasiae adversely affects the growth and yield of taro. The management of this disease depends heavily on synthetic fungicides. These compounds, however, pose potential hazards to human health and the environment. The present study aimed to investigate an alternative approach for plant growth promotion and disease control by evaluating seven different bacterial strains (viz., Serratia plymuthica, S412; S. plymuthica, S414; S. plymuthica, AS13; S. proteamaculans, S4; S. rubidaea, EV23; S. rubidaea, AV10; Pseudomonas fluorescens, SLU-99) and their different combinations as consortia against P. colocasiae. Antagonistic tests were performed in in vitro plate assays and the effective strains were selected for detached leaf assays and greenhouse trials. Plant growth-promoting and disease prevention traits of selected bacterial strains were also investigated in vitro. Our results indicated that some of these strains used singly (AV10, AS13, S4, and S414) and in combinations (S4+S414, AS13+AV10) reduced the growth of P. colocasiae (30-50%) in vitro and showed disease reduction ability when used singly or in combinations as consortia in greenhouse trials (88.75-99.37%). The disease-suppressing ability of these strains may be related to the production of enzymes such as chitinase, protease, cellulase, and amylase. Furthermore, all strains tested possessed plant growth-promoting traits such as indole-3-acetic acid production, siderophore formation, and phosphate solubilization. Overall, the present study revealed that bacterial strains significantly suppressed P. colocasiae disease development using in vitro, detached leaf, and greenhouse assays. Therefore, these bacterial strains can be used as an alternative strategy to minimize the use of synthetic fungicides and fertilizers to control taro blight and improve sustainable taro production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bekele Gelena Kelbessa
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lomma, Sweden
| | - Farideh Ghadamgahi
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lomma, Sweden
| | - P. Lava Kumar
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Rodomiro Ortiz
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lomma, Sweden
| | - Stephen C. Whisson
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, James Hutton Institute, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ramesh Raju Vetukuri
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lomma, Sweden
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Apoptosis Induction Associated with Enhanced ER Stress Response and Up-Regulation of c-Jun/p38 MAPK Proteins in Human Cervical Cancer Cells by Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis Hassk Extract. Sci Pharm 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/scipharm90030045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Colocasia esculenta var. Aquatilis Hassk, elephant ear (CF-EE) has been widely used as traditional food and medicine. It also shows other therapeutic properties, such as antimicrobial and anti-cancer activity. In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of CF-EE extract on apoptosis induction associated with ER stress in cervical cancer HeLa cells. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Assessments of nuclear morphological changes, mitochondrial membrane potential, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were conducted by hoeshst33342, JC-1, and DCFH-DA fluorescence staining, respectively. Sub-G1 DNA content was analyzed by flow cytometry, and protein expression was determined by Western blotting. The results demonstrate that CF-EE extract suppressed HeLa cell growth and induced nuclear condensation and apoptotic bodies. There was also a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased apoptosis marker protein expression, including Bax, cleaved-caspase-7, and cleaved-PARP. In addition, the results show that CF-EE extract induced ROS, increased ER stress proteins (GRP78 and CHOP), enhanced p38 and c-Jun phosphorylation, and inhibited Akt expression in HeLa cells. In summary, CF-EE extract induced apoptotic cell death-associated ROS-induced ER stress and the MAPK/AKT signaling pathway. Therefore, CF-EE extract has anticancer therapeutic potential for cervical cancer treatment in the future.
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Wang B, Huang Y, Zhang Z, Xiao Y, Xie J. Ferulic Acid Treatment Maintains the Quality of Fresh-Cut Taro ( Colocasia esculenta) During Cold Storage. Front Nutr 2022; 9:884844. [PMID: 35685892 PMCID: PMC9172584 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.884844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a major root crop or vegetable in the world, and the corm is a good source of many nutrients including starch, vitamins, and minerals. Taro corms are processed into various forms before consumption, which makes them perishable, reduces the shelf life, and increases postharvest losses. The surface browning of fresh-cut taros is one of the major factors that limits storage life and affects consumer acceptance. In this study, the effects of ferulic acid (FA) as an effective agent in the prevention of quality deterioration were investigated. Fresh-cut taros were immersed in distilled water and different concentrations of FA (1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 mM) solutions for 30 min, air-dried at 25°C for 30 min, and then stored at 5°C for 12 days to investigate the effects of FA on browning. Among the FA concentrations tested, 10 mM resulted in significantly higher L * values, lower a * and b *, and browning index values. FA treatment (10 mM) also induced de novo biosynthesis of two volatile compounds, including non-anal and octanoic acid ethyl ester in fresh-cut taros following extended cold storage. The results suggest that FA treatment maintains the quality of fresh-cut taros under cold conditions. FA treatment enhanced PAL activity and gene expression but reduced total phenolic content and the expression of six C4H, 4CL, and CHS genes, suggesting that FA treatment reduced phenolic biosynthesis. FA treatment reduced PPO activity and gene expression and decreased soluble quinone content, suggesting that FA treatment suppressed the phenolic oxidation. FA treatment enhanced the activity and gene expression of CAT and POD, reduced those of LOX, and decreased MDA and H2O2 levels, suggesting that FA treatment activated the antioxidant defense system and thereby reduced oxidative damage. These findings demonstrated that FA treatment could serve as an effective approach to retard the browning of fresh-cut taros and provided a basis for the feasible application of FA in the preservation of fresh-cut foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Wang
- Shaoguan Aromatic Plant Engineering Research Center, Henry Fok College of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, China
| | | | | | - Yanhui Xiao
- Shaoguan Aromatic Plant Engineering Research Center, Henry Fok College of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, China
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Li B, Liu T, Ali A, Xiao Y, Shan N, Sun J, Huang Y, Zhou Q, Zhu Q. Complete chloroplast genome sequences of three aroideae species (Araceae): lights into selective pressure, marker development and phylogenetic relationships. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:218. [PMID: 35305558 PMCID: PMC8933883 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08400-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Colocasia gigantea, Caladium bicolor and Xanthosoma sagittifolium are three worldwide famous ornamental and/or vegetable plants in the Araceae family, these species in the subfamily Aroideae are phylogenetically perplexing due to shared interspecific morphological traits and variation. Result This study, for the first time ever, assembled and analyzed complete chloroplast genomes of C. gigantea, C. bicolor and X. sagittifolium with genome sizes of 165,906 bp, 153,149 bp and 165,169 bp in length, respectively. The genomes were composed of conserved quadripartite circular structures with a total of 131 annotated genes, including 8 rRNA, 37 tRNA and 86 protein-coding genes. A comparison within Aroideae showed seven protein-coding genes (accD, ndhF, ndhK, rbcL, rpoC1, rpoC2 and matK) linked to environmental adaptation. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed a close relationship of C. gigantea with C. esculenta and S. colocasiifolia, and the C. bicolor with X. sagittifolium. Furthermore, three DNA barcodes (atpH-atpI + psaC-ndhE, atpH-atpI + trnS-trnG, atpH-atpI + psaC-ndhE + trnS-trnG) harbored highly variable regions to distinguish species in Aroideae subfamily. Conclusion These results would be beneficial for species identification, phylogenetic relationship, genetic diversity, and potential of germplasm resources in Aroideae. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08400-3.
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Hu G, Wu Y, Guo C, Lu D, Dong N, Chen B, Qiao Y, Zhang Y, Pan Q. Haplotype Analysis of Chloroplast Genomes for Jujube Breeding. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:841767. [PMID: 35360311 PMCID: PMC8961131 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.841767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Jujube (family Rhamnaceae) is an important economic fruit tree in China. In this study, we reported 26 chloroplast (cp) sequences of jujube using Illumina paired-end sequencing. The sequence length of cp genome was 161, 367-161, 849 bp, which was composed of a large single-copy region (89053-89437 bp) and a small single-copy region (19356-19362 bp) separated by a pair of reverse repeat regions (26478-26533 bp). Each cp genome encodes the same 130 genes, including 112 unique genes, being quite conserved in genome structure and gene sequence. A total of 118 single base substitutions (SNPs) and 130 InDels were detected in 65 jujube accessions. Phylogenetic and haplotype network construction methods were used to analyze the origin and evolution of jujube and its sour-tasting relatives. We detected 32 effective haplotypes, consisting of 20 unique jujube haplotypes and 9 unique sour-jujube haplotypes. Compared with sour-jujube, jujube showed greater haplotype diversity at the chloroplast DNA level. To cultivate crisp and sweet fruit varieties featuring strong resistance, by combining the characteristics of sour-jujube and cultivated jujube, three hybrid combinations were suggested for reciprocal crosses: "Dongzao" × "Jingzao39," "Dongzao" × "Jingzao60," "Dongzao" × "Jingzao28." This study provides the basis for jujube species' identification and breeding, and lays the foundation for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yuping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Deciduous Fruit Trees, Institute of Forestry and Pomology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qinghua Pan
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Deciduous Fruit Trees, Institute of Forestry and Pomology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
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8
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Kalhoro MT, Zhang H, Kalhoro GM, Wang F, Chen T, Faqir Y, Nabi F. Fungicidal properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale) essential oils against Phytophthora colocasiae. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2191. [PMID: 35140298 PMCID: PMC8828847 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06321-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, plant essential oils (EOs) have attracted special attention in plant disease control and food preservation. Since ancient times, essential oils extracted from plants have exhibited many biological characteristics, especially antimicrobial properties. Recent studies have described the potentials of EOs and derivatives to inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, mainly in response of overwhelming concerns of consumers about food safety. In the context of returning to nature, with the advancement of science and technology and improved living standards, people have begun to seek solutions for food hygiene without chemical additives. Therefore, biological pesticides and plant-oriented chemicals have received special attention from scientists because they are environmentally friendly and nonhazardous, sustainable, and effective alternatives against many noxious phytopathogens. Present study is intended to appraise the fungicidal properties of ginger EOs to combat leaf blight disease of taro, which threatens global taro production. Farmers often hinge on extremely toxic synthetic fungicides to manage diseases, but the residual effects and resistance of chemicals are unavoidable. The microwave-assisted hydrodistillation method was used for ginger EOs extraction and an FTIR (ATR) spectrometer was used to evaluate their chemical composition and citral was identified as most abundant compound (89.05%) in oil. The pathogen isolated from lesions of diseased taro plants was identified as Phytophthora colocasiae and used as test fungus in the present study. Ginger EO was evaluated in-vitro for antifungal properties against mycelium growth, sporangium production, zoospore germination, leaf, and corm necrosis inhibition. Repeated experiments have shown that the concentration of ginger essential oil (1250 ppm) proved to be the lowest dose to obtain 100% inhibition of fungal growth and spore germination, sporangia formation and leaf necrosis assessment. These results are derived from this fungal species and a hypothesis that involves further research on other plant pathogens to demonstrate the overall potency of essential oils. This study references the easy, economic, and environmental management and control of plant diseases using essential oils and byproducts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Talib Kalhoro
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China.
| | - Ghulam Mujtaba Kalhoro
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China
| | - Fukai Wang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China
| | - Tianhong Chen
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China
| | - Yahya Faqir
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China
| | - Farhan Nabi
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China
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Grimaldi IM, Van Andel TR, Denham TP. Looking beyond history: tracing the dispersal of the Malaysian complex of crops to Africa. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:193-208. [PMID: 35119100 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In his 1959 book, Africa: Its Peoples and Their Culture History, George P. Murdock suggested that a Malaysian complex of crops dispersed to Africa in ancient times across the Indian Ocean along the Sabaean Lane. The Malaysian complex comprised bananas, sugarcane, taro, three yam species, rice, Polynesian arrowroot, breadfruit, coconut, areca palm, and betel leaf. Except for rice, arrowroot, and potentially taro, most of these crops were domesticated in the Island Southeast Asia-New Guinea region, from where they dispersed to Africa. Our reassessment of agronomic, archaeological, classical, genetic, and historical sources shows that we need to go beneath standard historical narratives to recover a much more ancient and complex history of crop introductions to Africa. Despite considerable uncertainty and fragmented research, we were able to conclude that the Malaysian complex of crops did not arrive in Africa as a complete assemblage at one time or along one route. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that these crops arrived in Africa at different times and followed different pathways of introduction to the continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria M Grimaldi
- Office of Innovation-Research and Extension (OINR), Food and Agriculture Organization of UN (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, 00153, Italy
| | - Tinde R Van Andel
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, Leiden, 2300 RA, The Netherlands
| | - Tim P Denham
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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Yu X, Zhang Y, Ran L, Lu W, Zhang E, Xiong F. Accumulation and physicochemical properties of starch in relation to eating quality in different parts of taro (Colocasia esculenta) corm. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 194:924-932. [PMID: 34852257 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.11.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The accumulation and physicochemical properties of starch affect the eating quality of taro corm. This study aims to investigate the accumulation, morphology, and physicochemical properties of starch from inner and outer tissues in the top, middle, and basal parts of taro corm. Structural and morphological observations showed that the inner tissues of the taro corm accumulated more starch, and the middle tissue had moderate amylose content and the largest granule diameter. Starch from different tissues exhibited A-type orthorhombic structure and similar nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum. The relative crystallinity of starch in the middle tissue was higher than that in the top and basal tissues. Compared with middle and basal tissues, starch from top tissue showed higher peak viscosity, pasting time, swelling power and solubility. Compared with the top and basal tissues, the middle tissue of taro corm exhibited higher index of eating quality including smell, texture, and total evaluation score. The results indicated that starches in various spatial parts of taro corm exhibit differences in accumulation, morphology, structure and physicochemical properties that lead to diverse eating qualities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xurun Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yumeng Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Liping Ran
- Guangling College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225000, China
| | - Wenyi Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Erjin Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Fei Xiong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
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Jamal A, Wen J, Ma ZY, Ahmed I, Abdullah, Chen LQ, Nie ZL, Liu XQ. Comparative Chloroplast Genome Analyses of the Winter-Blooming Eastern Asian Endemic Genus Chimonanthus (Calycanthaceae) With Implications For Its Phylogeny and Diversification. Front Genet 2021; 12:709996. [PMID: 34917123 PMCID: PMC8670589 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.709996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimonanthus of Calycanthaceae is a small endemic genus in China, with unusual winter-blooming sweet flowers widely cultivated for ornamentals and medicinal uses. The evolution of Chimonanthus plastomes and its phylogenetic relationships remain unresolved due to limited availability of genetic resources. Here, we report fully assembled and annotated chloroplast genomes of five Chimonanthus species. The chloroplast genomes of the genus (size range 153,010 – 153,299 bp) reveal high similarities in gene content, gene order, GC content, codon usage, amino acid frequency, simple sequence repeats, oligonucleotide repeats, synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, and transition and transversion substitutions. Signatures of positive selection are detected in atpF and rpoB genes in C. campanulatus. The correlations among substitutions, InDels, and oligonucleotide repeats reveal weak to strong correlations in distantly related species at the intergeneric levels, and very weak to weak correlations among closely related Chimonanthus species. Chloroplast genomes are used to reconstruct a well-resolved phylogenetic tree, which supports the monophyly of Chimonanthus. Within Chimonanthus, C. praecox and C. campanulatus form one clade, while C. grammatus, C. salicifolius, C. zhejiangensis, and C. nitens constitute another clade. Chimonanthus nitens appears paraphyletic and is closely related to C. salicifolius and C. zhejiangensis, suggesting the need to reevaluate the species delimitation of C. nitens. Chimonanthus and Calycanthus diverged in mid-Oligocene; the radiation of extant Chimonanthus species was dated to the mid-Miocene, while C. grammatus diverged from other Chimonanthus species in the late Miocene. C. salicifolius, C. nitens(a), and C. zhejiangensis are inferred to have diverged in the Pleistocene of the Quaternary period, suggesting recent speciation of a relict lineage in the subtropical forest regions in eastern China. This study provides important insights into the chloroplast genome features and evolutionary history of Chimonanthus and family Calycanthaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Jamal
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jun Wen
- Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, MRC166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Zhi-Yao Ma
- Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, MRC166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Ibrar Ahmed
- Alpha Genomics Private Limited, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Abdullah
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Long-Qing Chen
- Southwest Engineering Technology and Research Center of Landscape Architecture, State Forestry Administration, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Ze-Long Nie
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Utilization, College of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou, China
| | - Xiu-Qun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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Wang N, Dong WL, Zhang XJ, Zhou T, Huang XJ, Li BG, Liu JN, Ma XF, Li ZH. Evolutionary characteristics and phylogeny of cotton chloroplast tRNAs. PLANTA 2021; 254:116. [PMID: 34750674 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-021-03775-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The novel structural variations were identified in cotton chloroplast tRNAs and gene loss events were more obvious than duplications in chloroplast tRNAs. Transfer RNAs (tRNA) have long been believed an evolutionary-conserved molecular family, which play the key roles in the process of protein biosynthesis in plant life activities. In this study, we detected the evolutionary characteristics and phylogeny of chloroplast tRNAs in cotton plants, an economic and fibered important taxon in the world. We firstly annotated the chloroplast tRNAs of 27 Gossypium species to analyze their genetic composition, structural characteristics and evolution. Compared with the traditional view of evolutionary conservation of tRNA, some novel tRNA structural variations were identified in cotton plants. I.g., tRNAVal-UAC and tRNAIle-GAU only contained one intron in the anti-condon loop region of tRNA secondary structure, respectively. In the variable region, some tRNAs contained a circle structure with a few nucleotides. Interestingly, the calculation result of free energy indicated that the variation of novel tRNAs contributed to the stability of tRNA structure. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that chloroplast tRNAs have evolved from multiple common ancestors, and the tRNAMet seemed to be an ancestral tRNA, which can be duplicated and diversified to produce other tRNAs. The chloroplast tRNAs contained a group I intron in cotton plants, and the evolutionary analysis of introns indicated that group I intron of chloroplast tRNA originated from cyanobacteria. Analysis of gene duplication and loss events showed that gene loss events were more obvious than duplications in Gossypium chloroplast tRNAs. Additionally, we found that the rate of transition was higher than the ones of transversion in cotton chloroplast tRNAs. This study provided new insights into the structural characteristics and evolution of chloroplast tRNAs in cotton plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Wan-Lin Dong
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Xiao-Jing Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Tong Zhou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Bao-Guo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Jian-Ni Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Early Life Institute, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Xiong-Feng Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China
| | - Zhong-Hu Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China.
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Abdullah, Mehmood F, Heidari P, Rahim A, Ahmed I, Poczai P. Pseudogenization of the chloroplast threonine (trnT-GGU) gene in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). Sci Rep 2021; 11:21122. [PMID: 34702873 PMCID: PMC8548347 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00510-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The chloroplast genome evolves through the course of evolution. Various types of mutational events are found within the chloroplast genome, including insertions-deletions (InDels), substitutions, inversions, gene rearrangement, and pseudogenization of genes. The pseudogenization of the chloroplast threonine (trnT-GGU) gene was previously reported in Cryptomeria japonica (Cupressaceae), Pelargonium × hortorum (Geraniaceae), and Anaphalis sinica and Leontopodium leiolepis of the tribe Gnaphalieae (Asteroideae, Asteraceae). Here, we performed a broad analysis of the trnT-GGU gene among the species of 13 subfamilies of Asteraceae and found this gene as a pseudogene in core Asteraceae (Gymnarrhenoideae, Cichorioideae, Corymbioideae, and Asteroideae), which was linked to an insertion event within the 5' acceptor stem and is not associated with ecological factors such as habit, habitat, and geographical distribution of the species. The pseudogenization of trnT-GGU was not predicted in codon usage, indicating that the superwobbling phenomenon occurs in core Asteraceae in which a single transfer RNA (trnT-UGU) decodes all four codons of threonine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence of a complete clade of a plant species using the superwobbling phenomenon for translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
| | - Furrukh Mehmood
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Parviz Heidari
- Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrood University of Technology, 3619995161, Shahrood, Iran
| | - Abdur Rahim
- Government Degree College Nowshera, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, KPK, Pakistan
| | - Ibrar Ahmed
- Alpha Genomics Private Limited, Islamabad, 45710, Pakistan
| | - Peter Poczai
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 7, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, 00065, Helsinki, Finland.
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Cocoyam [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott]: Exploring the Production, Health and Trade Potentials in Sub-Saharan Africa. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13084483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cocoyam [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] also known as taro is regarded as an important staple crop in the Pacific Islands, Asia and Africa. But, Africa has been unpopular in the taro international market though it accounted for the highest share of the global taro production level in the last two decades. Therefore, this study explores the global taro production outlook in two decades (2000–2019) with a special focus on African countries noting their challenges and limitations. Also, industrial, nutritional and health benefits of taro were discussed to showcase other viable potentials of the crop beyond its usefulness as a food security crop on the African continent.
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Abdullah, Henriquez CL, Croat TB, Poczai P, Ahmed I. Mutational Dynamics of Aroid Chloroplast Genomes II. Front Genet 2021; 11:610838. [PMID: 33552129 PMCID: PMC7854696 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.610838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The co-occurrence among single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions-deletions (InDels), and oligonucleotide repeats has been reported in prokaryote, eukaryote, and chloroplast genomes. Correlations among SNPs, InDels, and repeats have been investigated in the plant family Araceae previously using pair-wise sequence alignments of the chloroplast genomes of two morphotypes of one species, Colocasia esculenta belonging to subfamily Aroideae (crown group), and four species from the subfamily Lemnoideae, a basal group. The family Araceae is a large family comprising 3,645 species in 144 genera, grouped into eight subfamilies. In the current study, we performed 34 comparisons using 27 species from 7 subfamilies of Araceae to determine correlation coefficients among the mutational events at the family, subfamily, and genus levels. We express strength of the correlations as: negligible or very weak (0.10–0.19), weak (0.20–0.29), moderate (0.30–0.39), strong (0.40–0.69), very strong (0.70–0.99), and perfect (1.00). We observed strong/very strong correlations in most comparisons, whereas a few comparisons showed moderate correlations. The average correlation coefficient was recorded as 0.66 between “SNPs and InDels,” 0.50 between “InDels and repeats,” and 0.42 between “SNPs and repeats.” In qualitative analyses, 95–100% of the repeats at family and sub-family level, while 36–86% of the repeats at genus level comparisons co-occurred with SNPs in the same bins. Our findings show that such correlations among mutational events exist throughout Araceae and support the hypothesis of distribution of oligonucleotide repeats as a proxy for mutational hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Claudia L Henriquez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Peter Poczai
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ibrar Ahmed
- Alpha Genomics Private Limited, Islamabad, Pakistan
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