Genetic diversity and population structure of mahaleb cherry (Prunus mahaleb L.) and sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) using SRAP markers

Entomopathogenic nematodes and their symbiotic bacteria: from genes to field uses

The term "microbial control" has been used to describe the use of microbial pathogens (bacteria, viruses, or fungi) or entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) to control various insect pest populations. EPNs are among the best biocontrol agents, and major developments in their use have occurred in recent decades, with many surveys having been conducted all over the world to identify EPNs that may have potential in the management of insect pests. For nematodes, the term "entomopathogenic" means "causing disease to insects" and is mainly used in reference to the bacterial symbionts of Steinernema and Heterorhabditis (Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus, respectively), which cause EPN infectivity. A compendium of our multiannual experiences on EPN surveys and on their collection, identification, characterization, and use in agro-forestry ecosystems is presented here to testify and demonstrate once again that biological control with EPNs is possible and offers many advantages over chemicals, such as end-user safety, minimal damage to natural enemies, and lack of environmental pollution, which are essential conditions for an advanced IPM strategy.

Evaluating genetic diversity of geographically diverse populations of Embelia ribes Burm f., a highly medicinal woody liana from the Western Ghats of India, using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and intersimple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers

BACKGROUND

Embelia ribes Burm f. (Primulaceae) is a medicinal and vulnerable woody liana distributed throughout India. Embelin, a well-recognized active phytoconstituents in berries, is commonly used in ayurvedic formulations. Due to over-exploitation, the status of the plant is vulnerable. Previous studies on this species mainly focused on its phytochemical analysis, which led to overexploitation and loss of the germplasm.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In the present study, 20 RAPD and 18 ISSR markers were employed to assess genetic divergence in 40 genotypes of E. ribes collected from different parts of the Western Ghats of India. In RAPD analysis, all 40 accessions with 20 RAPD primers amplified 282 fragments, with 83.91% average polymorphism and with an average of 14.10 bands per primer. The size of amplicons varied from 200 to 2500 bp. While, ISSR primers produced 203 fragments of which 161 were polymorphic with an average of 11.28 bands per primer with 73.25% average polymorphism. The size of amplicons ranges from 200 to 2500 bp. RAPD and ISSR markers were also assessed by calculating polymorphic information content (PIC) to discriminate the genotypes; the average PIC value for RAPD, ISSR, and combined RAPD + ISSR markers obtained was more than 0.50 suggesting the informativeness of markers. UPGMA analysis based on Jaccard's similarity coefficient for RAPD, ISSR, and RAPD + ISSR data reveals that 40 accessions of E. ribes were depicted in four clusters. The clustering pattern of all individuals in PCoA analysis agreed with the UPGMA dendrograms, which further confirms the genetic relationships explained by cluster analysis. AMOVA analysis of RAPD, ISSR, and combined marker system revealed variation within the population, ranging from 41 to 44%, and among the population, it ranged from 56 to 59%.

CONCLUSION

The present study provides an optimized method for evaluating the genetic diversity of Embelia ribes using RAPD and ISSR markers which are useful for further sustainable utilization and conservation of natural populations in the Western Ghats of India.

Genetic diversity assessment of Vitis ficifolia Bge. populations from Henan province of China by SRAP markers

Eighteen sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) primer combinations were used to assess the genetic diversity of 126 individuals from five different geographical populations of Vitis ficifolia Bge. The numbers of bands scored per primer combination ranged from 8 to 27, with an average of 18.6 bands. At the population level, the percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB), Nei's gene diversity index (H) and Shannon's information index (I) were the highest in the Shihe (Xinyang) population (77.31%, 0.1987, 0.2805) and the lowest in the Linzhou (Anyang) population (55.82%, 0.1112, 0.1727). At the species level, PPB, H and I were 80.56%, 0.2129 and 0.3075, respectively. The genetic differentiation coefficient (G_ST) was 0.2055 and the gene flow (N_m ) was 1.9328, indicating strong intra-population genetic differentiation. Based on the unweighted pair group method based arithmetic average clustering diagram, the five studied populations may be divided into three groups. The clustering results were almost in accordance with the populations' geographical distribution.

SSR and SRAP marker-based linkage map of Vitis vinifera L

An F1 population was created by the cross ‘87-1’ × ‘9-22’. The female parent ‘87-1’ was an extremely early maturing cultivar with strong flavour. The male parent was an excellent breeding line producing large berries maturing late. The mapping population included 149 randomly chosen individuals. Molecular genetic map for each parent and the consensus map were constructed using simple sequence repeat and sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers by software JoinMap 3.0. The ‘87-1’ map covers a total length of 1272.9 cM distributed in 21 linkage groups and consists of 163 molecular markers with an average distance between adjacent markers of 8.9 cM. The ‘9-22’ map covers a total length of 1267.4 cM distributed in 20 linkage groups and consists of 158 molecular markers with an average distance between adjacent markers of 9.1 cM. The consensus map covers a total length of 1537.1 cM distributed in 21 linkage groups and one doublet and consists of 217 molecular markers with an average distance of 7.8 cM between adjacent markers. The length of the linkage groups is 69.8 cM on average. The map covers the 19 chromosomes of the Vitis genome and can lay a solid foundation for further studies such as quantative trait loci (QTL) mapping of correlated traits and marker-assisted selection.