Transferable bread wheat EST-SSRs can be useful for phylogenetic studies among the Triticeae species

Differential transferability of EST-SSR primers developed from the diploid species Pseudoroegneria spicata, Thinopyrum bessarabicum, and Thinopyrum elongatum

Simple sequence repeat technology based on expressed sequence tag (EST-SSR) is a useful genomic tool for genome mapping, characterizing plant species relationships, elucidating genome evolution, and tracing genes on alien chromosome segments. EST-SSR primers developed from three perennial diploid species of Triticeae, Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) Á. Löve (having St genome), Thinopyrum bessarabicum (Savul. & Rayss) Á. Löve (J^b = E^b = J), and Thinopyrum elongatum (Host) D.R. Dewey (J^e = E^e = E), were used to produce amplicons in these three species to (i) assess relative transferability, (ii) identify polymorphic species-specific markers, and (iii) determine genome relationships among the three species. Because of the close relationship between J^b and J^e genomes, EST-SSR primers derived from Th. bessarabicum and Th. elongatum had greater transferability to each other than those derived from the St-genome P. spicata. A large number of polymorphic species- and genome-specific EST-SSR amplicons were identified that will be used for construction of genetic maps of these diploid species, and tracing economically useful genes in breeding or gene transfer programs in various species of Triticeae.

Genome-wide characterization of microsatellites in Triticeae species: abundance, distribution and evolution

Microsatellites are an important constituent of plant genome and distributed across entire genome. In this study, genome-wide analysis of microsatellites in 8 Triticeae species and 9 model plants revealed that microsatellite characteristics were similar among the Triticeae species. Furthermore, genome-wide microsatellite markers were designed in wheat and then used to analyze the evolutionary relationship of wheat and other Triticeae species. Results displayed that Aegilops tauschii was found to be the closest species to Triticum aestivum, followed by Triticum urartu, Triticum turgidum and Aegilops speltoides, while Triticum monococcum, Aegilops sharonensis and Hordeum vulgare showed a relatively lower PCR amplification effectivity. Additionally, a significantly higher PCR amplification effectivity was found in chromosomes at the same subgenome than its homoeologous when these markers were subjected to search against different chromosomes in wheat. After a rigorous screening process, a total of 20,666 markers showed high amplification and polymorphic potential in wheat and its relatives, which were integrated with the public available wheat markers and then anchored to the genome of wheat (CS). This study not only provided the useful resource for SSR markers development in Triticeae species, but also shed light on the evolution of polyploid wheat from the perspective of microsatellites.

Molecular evolution of Wcor15 gene enhanced our understanding of the origin of A, B and D genomes in Triticum aestivum

The allohexaploid bread wheat originally derived from three closely related species with A, B and D genome. Although numerous studies were performed to elucidate its origin and phylogeny, no consensus conclusion has reached. In this study, we cloned and sequenced the genes Wcor15-2A, Wcor15-2B and Wcor15-2D in 23 diploid, 10 tetraploid and 106 hexaploid wheat varieties and analyzed their molecular evolution to reveal the origin of the A, B and D genome in Triticum aestivum. Comparative analyses of sequences in diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid wheats suggest that T. urartu, Ae. speltoides and Ae. tauschii subsp. strangulata are most likely the donors of the Wcor15-2A, Wcor15-2B and Wcor15-2D locus in common wheat, respectively. The Wcor15 genes from subgenomes A and D were very conservative without insertion and deletion of bases during evolution of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid. Non-coding region of Wcor15-2B gene from B genome might mutate during the first polyploidization from Ae. speltoides to tetraploid wheat, however, no change has occurred for this gene during the second allopolyploidization from tetraploid to hexaploid. Comparison of the Wcor15 gene shed light on understanding of the origin of the A, B and D genome of common wheat.

De Novo Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis of cDNA Library and Large-Scale Unigene Assembly in Japanese Red Pine (Pinus densiflora)

Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) is extensively cultivated in Japan, Korea, China, and Russia and is harvested for timber, pulpwood, garden, and paper markets. However, genetic information and molecular markers were very scarce for this species. In this study, over 51 million sequencing clean reads from P. densiflora mRNA were produced using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. It yielded 83,913 unigenes with a mean length of 751 bp, of which 54,530 (64.98%) unigenes showed similarity to sequences in the NCBI database. Among which the best matches in the NCBI Nr database were Picea sitchensis (41.60%), Amborella trichopoda (9.83%), and Pinus taeda (4.15%). A total of 1953 putative microsatellites were identified in 1784 unigenes using MISA (MicroSAtellite) software, of which the tri-nucleotide repeats were most abundant (50.18%) and 629 EST-SSR (expressed sequence tag- simple sequence repeats) primer pairs were successfully designed. Among 20 EST-SSR primer pairs randomly chosen, 17 markers yielded amplification products of the expected size in P. densiflora. Our results will provide a valuable resource for gene-function analysis, germplasm identification, molecular marker-assisted breeding and resistance-related gene(s) mapping for pine for P. densiflora.

Genome evolution of intermediate wheatgrass as revealed by EST-SSR markers developed from its three progenitor diploid species

Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey), a segmental autoallohexaploid (2n = 6x = 42), is not only an important forage crop but also a valuable gene reservoir for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) improvement. Throughout the scientific literature, there continues to be disagreement as to the origin of the different genomes in intermediate wheatgrass. Genotypic data obtained from newly developed EST-SSR primers derived from the putative progenitor diploid species Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) Á. Löve (St genome), Thinopyrum bessarabicum (Savul. & Rayss) Á. Löve (J = Jb = Eb), and Thinopyrum elongatum (Host) D. Dewey (E = Je = Ee) indicate that the V genome of Dasypyrum (Coss. & Durieu) T. Durand is not one of the three genomes in intermediate wheatgrass. Based on all available information in the literature and findings in this study, the genomic designation of intermediate wheatgrass should be changed to JvsJrSt, where Jvs and Jr represent ancestral genomes of present-day Jb of Th. bessarabicum and Je of Th. elongatum, with Jvs being more ancient. Furthermore, the information suggests that the St genome in intermediate wheatgrass is most similar to the present-day St found in diploid species of Pseudoroegneria from Eurasia.

Assessment of genetic diversity in the sorghum reference set using EST-SSR markers

Selection and use of genetically diverse genotypes are key factors in any crop breeding program to develop cultivars with a broad genetic base. Molecular markers play a major role in selecting diverse genotypes. In the present study, a reference set representing a wide range of sorghum genetic diversity was screened with 40 EST-SSR markers to validate both the use of these markers for genetic structure analyses and the population structure of this set. Grouping of accessions is identical in distance-based and model-based clustering methods. Genotypes were grouped primarily based on race within the geographic origins. Accessions derived from the African continent contributed 88.6 % of alleles confirming the African origin of sorghum. In total, 360 alleles were detected in the reference set with an average of 9 alleles per marker. The average PIC value was 0.5230 with a range of 0.1379-0.9483. Sub-race, guinea margaritiferum (Gma) from West Africa formed a separate cluster in close proximity to wild accessions suggesting that the Gma group represents an independent domestication event. Guineas from India and Western Africa formed two distinct clusters. Accessions belongs to the kafir race formed the most homogeneous group as observed in earlier studies. This analysis suggests that the EST-SSR markers used in the present study have greater discriminating power than the genomic SSRs. Genetic variance within the subpopulations was very high (71.7 %) suggesting that the germplasm lines included in the set are more diverse. Thus, this reference set representing the global germplasm is an ideal material for the breeding community, serving as a community resource for trait-specific allele mining as well as genome-wide association mapping.

Tetraploid wheat landraces in the Mediterranean basin: taxonomy, evolution and genetic diversity

The geographic distribution of genetic diversity and the population structure of tetraploid wheat landraces in the Mediterranean basin has received relatively little attention. This is complicated by the lack of consensus concerning the taxonomy of tetraploid wheats and by unresolved questions regarding the domestication and spread of naked wheats. These knowledge gaps hinder crop diversity conservation efforts and plant breeding programmes. We investigated genetic diversity and population structure in tetraploid wheats (wild emmer, emmer, rivet and durum) using nuclear and chloroplast simple sequence repeats, functional variations and insertion site-based polymorphisms. Emmer and wild emmer constitute a genetically distinct population from durum and rivet, the latter seeming to share a common gene pool. Our population structure and genetic diversity data suggest a dynamic history of introduction and extinction of genotypes in the Mediterranean fields.

Microsatellite mapping of Ae. speltoides and map-based comparative analysis of the S, G, and B genomes of Triticeae species

The first microsatellite linkage map of Ae. speltoides Tausch (2n = 2x = 14, SS), which is a wild species with a genome closely related to the B and G genomes of polyploid wheats, was developed based on two F(2) mapping populations using microsatellite (SSR) markers from Ae. speltoides, wheat genomic SSRs (g-SSRs) and EST-derived SSRs. A total of 144 different microsatellite loci were mapped in the Ae. speltoides genome. The transferability of the SSRs markers between the related S, B, and G genomes allowed possible integration of new markers into the T. timopheevii G genome chromosomal maps and map-based comparisons. Thirty-one new microsatellite loci assigned to the genetic framework of the T. timopheevii G genome maps were composed of wheat g-SSR (genomic SSR) markers. Most of the used Ae. speltoides SSRs were mapped onto chromosomes of the G genome supporting a close relationship between the G and S genomes. Comparative microsatellite mapping of the S, B, and G genomes demonstrated colinearity between the chromosomes within homoeologous groups, except for intergenomic T6A(t)S.1G, T4AL.5AL.7BS translocations. A translocation between chromosomes 2 and 6 that is present in the T. aestivum B genome was found in neither Ae. speltoides nor in T. timopheevii. Although the marker order was generally conserved among the B, S, and G genomes, the total length of the Ae. speltoides chromosomal maps and the genetic distances between homoeologous loci located in the proximal regions of the S genome chromosomes were reduced compared with the B, and G genome chromosomes.

Sequence-based marker development in wheat: advances and applications to breeding

In the past two decades, the wheat community has made remarkable progress in developing molecular resources for breeding. A wide variety of molecular tools has been established to accelerate genetic and physical mapping for facilitating the efficient identification of molecular markers linked to genes and QTL of agronomic interest. Already, wheat breeders are benefiting from a wide range of techniques to follow the introgression of the most favorable alleles in elite material and develop improved varieties. Breeders soon will be able to take advantage of new technological developments based on Next Generation Sequencing. In this paper, we review the molecular toolbox available to wheat scientists and breeders for performing fundamental genomic studies and breeding. Special emphasis is given on the production and detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that should enable a step change in saturating the wheat genome for more efficient genetic studies and for the development of new selection methods. The perspectives offered by the access to an ordered full genome sequence for further marker development and enhanced precision breeding is also discussed. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of marker-assisted selection for supporting wheat improvement.

Development of EST-SSR markers in castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) and their utilization for genetic purity testing of hybrids

Expressed sequence tag (EST) databases offer opportunity for the rapid development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in crops. Sequence assembly and clustering of 57 895 ESTs of castor bean resulted in the identification of 10 960 unigenes (6459 singletons and 4501 contigs) having 7429 SSRs. On an average, the unigenes contained 1 SSR for every 1.23 kb of unigene sequence. The identified SSRs mostly consisted of dinucleotide (62.4%) and trinucleotide (33.5%) repeats. The AG class was the most common among the dinucleotide motifs (68.9%), whereas the AAG class (25.9%) was predominant among the trinucleotide motifs. A total of 611 primer pairs were designed for the SSRs, having repeat length more than or equal to 20 nucleotides, of which a set of 130 markers were tested and 92 of these yielding robust amplicons were analyzed for their utility in genetic purity assessment of castor bean hybrids. Nine markers were able to detect polymorphism between the parental lines of nine commercial castor bean hybrids (DCH-32, DCH-177, DCH-519, GCH-2, GCH-4, GCH-5, GCH-6, GCH-7, and RHC-1), and their utility in genetic purity testing was demonstrated. These novel EST-SSR markers would be a valuable addition to the growing molecular marker resources that could be used in genetic improvement programmes of castor bean.

Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) EST and SSR marker development, annotation, and transferability

Orchardgrass, or cocksfoot [Dactylis glomerata (L.)], has been naturalized on nearly every continent and is a commonly used species for forage and hay production. All major cultivated varieties of orchardgrass are autotetraploid, and few tools or information are available for functional and comparative genetic analyses and improvement of the species. To improve the genetic resources for orchardgrass, we have developed an EST library and SSR markers from salt, drought, and cold stressed tissues. The ESTs were bi-directionally sequenced from clones and combined into 17,373 unigenes. Unigenes were annotated based on putative orthology to genes from rice, Triticeae grasses, other Poaceae, Arabidopsis, and the non-redundant database of the NCBI. Of 1,162 SSR markers developed, approximately 80% showed amplification products across a set of orchardgrass germplasm, and 40% across related Festuca and Lolium species. When orchardgrass subspecies were genotyped using 33 SSR markers their within-accession similarity values ranged from 0.44 to 0.71, with Mediterranean accessions having a higher similarity. The total number of genotyped bands was greater for tetraploid accessions compared to diploid accessions. Clustering analysis indicated grouping of Mediterranean subspecies and central Asian subspecies, while the D. glomerata ssp. aschersoniana was closest related to three cultivated varieties.

The characterization of a new set of EST-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers as a resource for the genetic analysis of Phaseolus vulgaris

Background

Over recent years, a growing effort has been made to develop microsatellite markers for the genomic analysis of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) to broaden the knowledge of the molecular genetic basis of this species. The availability of large sets of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in public databases has given rise to an expedient approach for the identification of SSRs (Simple Sequence Repeats), specifically EST-derived SSRs. In the present work, a battery of new microsatellite markers was obtained from a search of the Phaseolus vulgaris EST database. The diversity, degree of transferability and polymorphism of these markers were tested.

Results

From 9,583 valid ESTs, 4,764 had microsatellite motifs, from which 377 were used to design primers, and 302 (80.11%) showed good amplification quality. To analyze transferability, a group of 167 SSRs were tested, and the results showed that they were 82% transferable across at least one species. The highest amplification rates were observed between the species from the Phaseolus (63.7%), Vigna (25.9%), Glycine (19.8%), Medicago (10.2%), Dipterix (6%) and Arachis (1.8%) genera. The average PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) varied from 0.53 for genomic SSRs to 0.47 for EST-SSRs, and the average number of alleles per locus was 4 and 3, respectively. Among the 315 newly tested SSRs in the BJ (BAT93 X Jalo EEP558) population, 24% (76) were polymorphic. The integration of these segregant loci into a framework map composed of 123 previously obtained SSR markers yielded a total of 199 segregant loci, of which 182 (91.5%) were mapped to 14 linkage groups, resulting in a map length of 1,157 cM.

Conclusions

A total of 302 newly developed EST-SSR markers, showing good amplification quality, are available for the genetic analysis of Phaseolus vulgaris. These markers showed satisfactory rates of transferability, especially between species that have great economic and genomic values. Their diversity was comparable to genomic SSRs, and they were incorporated in the common bean reference genetic map, which constitutes an important contribution to and advance in Phaseolus vulgaris genomic research.

Genetic structure and ecogeographical adaptation in wild barley (Hordeum chilense Roemer et Schultes) as revealed by microsatellite markers

BACKGROUND

Multi-allelic microsatellite markers have become the markers of choice for the determination of genetic structure in plants. Synteny across cereals has allowed the cross-species and cross-genera transferability of SSR markers, which constitute a valuable and cost-effective tool for the genetic analysis and marker-assisted introgression of wild related species. Hordeum chilense is one of the wild relatives with a high potential for cereal breeding, due to its high crossability (both interspecies and intergenera) and polymorphism for adaptation traits. In order to analyze the genetic structure and ecogeographical adaptation of this wild species, it is necessary to increase the number of polymorphic markers currently available for the species. In this work, the possibility of using syntenic wheat SSRs as a new source of markers for this purpose has been explored.

RESULTS

From the 98 wheat EST-SSR markers tested for transferability and polymorphism in the wild barley genome, 53 primer pairs (54.0%) gave cross-species transferability and 20 primer pairs (20.4%) showed polymorphism. The latter were used for further analysis in the H. chilense germplasm. The H. chilense-Triticum aestivum addition lines were used to test the chromosomal location of the new polymorphic microsatellite markers. The genetic structure and diversity was investigated in a collection of 94 H. chilense accessions, using a set of 49 SSR markers distributed across the seven chromosomes. Microsatellite markers showed a total of 351 alleles over all loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 27, with a mean of 7.2 alleles per locus and a mean Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) of 0.5.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the results, the germplasm can be divided into two groups, with morphological and ecophysiological characteristics being key determinants of the population structure. Geographic and ecological structuring was also revealed in the analyzed germplasm. A significant correlation between geographical and genetic distance was detected in the Central Chilean region for the first time in the species. In addition, significant ecological influence in genetic distance has been detected for one of the population structure groups (group II) in the Central Chilean region. Finally, the association of the SSR markers with ecogeographical variables was investigated and one marker was found significantly associated with precipitation. These findings have a potential application in cereal breeding.

EST-SSR diversity correlated with ecological and genetic factors of wild emmer wheat in Israel

The differentiation of genetic diversity was estimated among 15 wild emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccoides) populations of the macrogeographic scale in Israel by 25 EST-SSR markers. A total of 92 EST-SSR alleles were detected, and the number of alleles ranged from 1 to 7 with an average of 3.68 per locus. Allele numbers and the polymorphic information content (PIC)value of EST-SSR loci on the B genome were higher than those on the A genome. The genetic similarity coefficient (GS)varied from 0.189 to 0.966, and all genotypes were clustered into four major groups. The population Mt. Gerizim had the highest genetic variations, whereas the population Beit-Oren had the lowest genetic variations. Most of genetic variance existed within populations was observed based on the coefficient of gene differentiation (F(ST)=0.355). The value of genetic distance (D) between the populations varied from 0.112 to 0.672 with an average of 0.406, and the results of Mantel test(r=0.104, p=0.809) showed that the estimates of genetic distance were geographically independent. The values of Nei's gene diversity (He) and Shannon's information index (I) correlated negatively with the temperature factor: mean January temperature (Tj), whereas they correlated positively with another factor: mean number of Sharav days (Sh). The correlation matrix between He in the EST-SSRs and climatic variables contained 37 significant (pB0.05) correlations. The present study established that T. dicoccoides in Israel had a considerable amount of genetic variations at EST-SSR loci at least partly correlated with ecological factors. These results suggested that EST-SSR diversity is adaptive by natural selection and influenced by both internal and external factors and their interactions.

Development and analysis of EST-SSRs for flax (Linum usitatissimum L.)

A set of 146,611 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from 10 flax cDNA libraries. After assembly, a total of 11,166 contigs and 11,896 singletons were mined for the presence of putative simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and yielded 806 (3.5%) non-redundant sequences which contained 851 putative SSRs. This is equivalent to one EST-SSR per 16.5 kb of sequence. Trinucleotide motifs were the most abundant (76.9%), followed by dinucleotides (13.9%). Tetra-, penta- and hexanucleotide motifs represented <10% of the SSRs identified. A total of 83 SSR motifs were identified. Motif (TTC/GAA)n was the most abundant (10.2%) followed by (CTT/AAG)n (8.7%), (TCT/AGA)n (8.6%), (CT/AG)n (6.7%) and (TC/GA)n (5.3%). A total of 662 primer pairs were designed, of which 610 primer pairs yielded amplicons in a set of 23 flax accessions. Polymorphism between the accessions was found for 248 primer pairs which detected a total of 275 EST-SSR loci. Two to seven alleles were detected per marker. The polymorphism information content value for these markers ranged from 0.08 to 0.82 and averaged 0.35. The 635 alleles detected by the 275 polymorphic EST-SSRs were used to study the genetic relationship of 23 flax accessions. Four major clusters and two singletons were observed. Sub-clusters within the main clusters correlated with the pedigree relationships amongst accessions. The EST-SSRs developed herein represent the first large-scale development of SSR markers in flax. They have potential to be used for the development of genetic and physical maps, quantitative trait loci mapping, genetic diversity studies, association mapping and fingerprinting cultivars for example.

Development and annotation of perennial Triticeae ESTs and SSR markers

Triticeae contains hundreds of species of both annual and perennial types. Although substantial genomic tools are available for annual Triticeae cereals such as wheat and barley, the perennial Triticeae lack sufficient genomic resources for genetic mapping or diversity research. To increase the amount of sequence information available in the perennial Triticeae, three expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries were developed and annotated for Pseudoroegneria spicata , a mixture of both Elymus wawawaiensis and E. lanceolatus , and a Leymus cinereus  × L. triticoides interspecific hybrid. The ESTs were combined into unigene sets of 8 780 unigenes for P. spicata, 11 281 unigenes for Leymus, and 7 212 unigenes for Elymus. Unigenes were annotated based on putative orthology to genes from rice, wheat, barley, other Poaceae, Arabidopsis, and the non-redundant database of the NCBI. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed, tested for amplification and polymorphism, and aligned to the rice genome. Leymus EST markers homologous to rice chromosome 2 genes were syntenous on Leymus homeologous groups 6a and 6b (previously 1b), demonstrating promise for in silico comparative mapping. All ESTs and SSR markers are available on an EST information management and annotation database ( http://titan.biotec.uiuc.edu/triticeae/ ).

Transferability and polymorphism of barley EST-SSR markers used for phylogenetic analysis in Hordeum chilense

BACKGROUND

Hordeum chilense, a native South American diploid wild barley, is a potential source of useful genes for cereal breeding. The use of this wild species to increase genetic variation in cereals will be greatly facilitated by marker-assisted selection. Different economically feasible approaches have been undertaken for this wild species with limited direct agricultural use in a search for suitable and cost-effective markers. The availability of Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) derived microsatellites or simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, commonly called as EST-SSRs, for barley (Hordeum vulgare) represents a promising source to increase the number of genetic markers available for the H. chilense genome.

RESULTS

All of the 82 barley EST-derived SSR primer pairs tested for transferability to H. chilense amplified products of correct size from this species. Of these 82 barley EST-SSRs, 21 (26%) showed polymorphism among H. chilense lines. Identified polymorphic markers were used to test the transferability and polymorphism in other Poaceae family species with the aim of establishing H. chilense phylogenetic relationships. Triticum aestivum-H. chilense addition lines allowed us to determine the chromosomal localizations of EST-SSR markers and confirm conservation of the linkage group.

CONCLUSION

From the present study a set of 21 polymorphic EST-SSR markers have been identified to be useful for diversity analysis of H. chilense, related wild barleys like H. murinum, and for wheat marker-assisted introgression breeding. Across-genera transferability of the barley EST-SSR markers has allowed phylogenetic inference within the Triticeae complex.

Use of transferable Nicotiana tabacum L. microsatellite markers for investigating genetic diversity in the genus Nicotiana

The recent development of microsatellite markers for tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum L., may be valuable for genetic studies within the genus Nicotiana. The first objective was to evaluate transferability of 100 N. tabacum microsatellite primer combinations to 5 diploid species closely related to tobacco. The number of primer combinations that amplified scorable bands in these species ranged from 42 to 56. Additional objectives were to assess levels of genetic diversity amongst available accessions of diploid relatives closely related to tobacco (species of sections Sylvestres and Tomentosae), and to evaluate the efficacy of microsatellite markers for establishing species relationships in comparison with existing phylogenetic reconstructions. A subset of 46 primer combinations was therefore used to genotype 3 synthetic tobaccos and an expanded collection of 51 Nicotiana accessions representing 15 species. The average genetic similarity for 7 diverse accessions of tobacco was greater than the average similarity for N. otophora accessions, but lower than the average genetic similarities for N. sylvestris, N. tomentosa, N. kawakamii, and N. tomentosiformis accessions. A microsatellite-based phylogenetic tree was largely congruent with taxonomic representations based on morphological, cytological, and molecular observations. Results will be useful for selection of parents for creation of diploid mapping populations and for germplasm introgression activities.