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Grumet R, McCreight JD, McGregor C, Weng Y, Mazourek M, Reitsma K, Labate J, Davis A, Fei Z. Genetic Resources and Vulnerabilities of Major Cucurbit Crops. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1222. [PMID: 34440396 PMCID: PMC8392200 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cucurbitaceae family provides numerous important crops including watermelons (Citrullus lanatus), melons (Cucumis melo), cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), and pumpkins and squashes (Cucurbita spp.). Centers of domestication in Africa, Asia, and the Americas were followed by distribution throughout the world and the evolution of secondary centers of diversity. Each of these crops is challenged by multiple fungal, oomycete, bacterial, and viral diseases and insects that vector disease and cause feeding damage. Cultivated varieties are constrained by market demands, the necessity for climatic adaptations, domestication bottlenecks, and in most cases, limited capacity for interspecific hybridization, creating narrow genetic bases for crop improvement. This analysis of crop vulnerabilities examines the four major cucurbit crops, their uses, challenges, and genetic resources. ex situ germplasm banks, the primary strategy to preserve genetic diversity, have been extensively utilized by cucurbit breeders, especially for resistances to biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent genomic efforts have documented genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic relationships among accessions within collections. Collection size and accessibility are impacted by historical collections, current ability to collect, and ability to store and maintain collections. The biology of cucurbits, with insect-pollinated, outcrossing plants, and large, spreading vines, pose additional challenges for regeneration and maintenance. Our ability to address ongoing and future cucurbit crop vulnerabilities will require a combination of investment, agricultural, and conservation policies, and technological advances to facilitate collection, preservation, and access to critical Cucurbitaceae diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Grumet
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - James D. McCreight
- USDA, ARS, Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit, Salinas, CA 93905, USA;
| | - Cecilia McGregor
- Department of Horticulture and Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics & Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;
| | - Yiqun Weng
- USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
| | - Michael Mazourek
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Breeding & Genetics Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;
| | - Kathleen Reitsma
- North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50014, USA;
| | - Joanne Labate
- Plant Genetic Resources Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Geneva, NY 14456, USA;
| | - Angela Davis
- Sakata Seed America, Inc., Woodland, CA 95776, USA;
| | - Zhangjun Fei
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;
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Bemisia tabaci on Vegetables in the Southern United States: Incidence, Impact, and Management. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12030198. [PMID: 33652635 PMCID: PMC7996905 DOI: 10.3390/insects12030198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, was initially discovered in the United States in 1894 but was not considered an economic insect pest on various agricultural crops across the southern and western states. After the introduction of B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) into the United States around 1985, the insect rapidly spread throughout the Southern United States to Texas, Arizona, and California. Extreme field outbreaks occurred on vegetable and other crops in those areas. The sweetpotato whitefly is now regarded as one of the most destructive insect pests in vegetable production systems in the Southern United States. The direct and indirect plant damage caused by B. tabaci has led to substantial economic losses in vegetable crops. Bemisia tabaci outbreaks on vegetables in Georgia resulted in significant economic losses of 132.3 and 161.2 million US dollars (USD) in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Therefore, integrated pest management (IPM) tactics are warranted, including cultural control by manipulation of production practices, resistant vegetable varieties, biological control using various natural enemies, and the judicious use of insecticides. Abstract Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is among the most economically important insect pests of various vegetable crops in the Southern United States. This insect is considered a complex of at least 40 morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. Bemisia tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) was initially introduced in the United States around 1985 and has since rapidly spread across the Southern United States to Texas, Arizona, and California, where extreme field outbreaks have occurred on vegetable and other crops. This pest creates extensive plant damage through direct feeding on vegetables, secreting honeydew, causing plant physiological disorders, and vectoring plant viruses. The direct and indirect plant damage in vegetable crops has resulted in enormous economic losses in the Southern United States, especially in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Effective management of B. tabaci on vegetables relies mainly on the utilization of chemical insecticides, particularly neonicotinoids. However, B. tabaci has developed considerable resistance to most insecticides. Therefore, alternative integrated pest management (IPM) strategies are required, such as cultural control by manipulation of production practices, resistant vegetable varieties, and biological control using a suite of natural enemies for the management of the pest.
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Herden T, Bönisch M, Friesen N. Genetic diversity of Helosciadium repens (Jacq.) W.D.J. Koch (Apiaceae) in Germany, a Crop Wild Relative of celery. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:875-890. [PMID: 32015851 PMCID: PMC6988547 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Helosciadium repens (Jacq.) W.D.J. Koch is threatened by genetic erosion. It is a Crop Wild Relative (CWR) of celery and celeriac and a potentially valuable genetic resource for plant breeding. The objective of this study was the analysis of distribution of genetic diversity with a set of selected populations in Germany. The results of the genetic analysis and data obtained during the site visits were used to identify a subset which was chosen to best represent the genetic diversity of H. repens in Germany. The chance of long-term conservation by securing the identified populations in genetic reserves is distinctly possible.Seven hundred and fifteen individuals from 27 sites were assessed using six simple sequence repeat markers. Discriminant analysis of principal components was used to identify six clusters of genetically similar individuals. The complementary compositional genetic differentiation Δj was calculated to designate a subset of populations chosen to best represent the overall genetic diversity. Entry 18R (Δ18R = 0.2498) represented its pooled remainder the best, while entry 22R (Δ22R = 0.4902) differed the most from its complement.Based on the results of the genetic analysis and information regarding the current conservation status, 14 most appropriate wild populations for potential genetic reserve were identified. The used markers display a low level of genetic variation between the analyzed populations, and a split between Northern and Southern populations was observed.CWR species are essential genetic resources for plant breeding and food security. However, 11.5% of the European CWRs are threatened. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to determine their genetic compositions. These insights will provide the fundamental basis for making crucial decisions concerning future conservation strategies for H. repens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Herden
- Botanical Garden of the Osnabrueck UniversityOsnabrueckGermany
| | - Maria Bönisch
- Federal Research Center for Cultivated PlantsJulius Kühn‐InstituteQuedlinburgGermany
| | - Nikolai Friesen
- Botanical Garden of the Osnabrueck UniversityOsnabrueckGermany
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Natural SciencesMinistry of Health of the Russian FederationI. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical UniversityMoscowRussia
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