Implication of High Variance in Germplasm Characteristics

The beauty of conserving germplasm is the securement of genetic resources with numerous important traits, which could be utilized whenever they need to be incorporated into current cultivars. However, it would not be as useful as expected if proper information was not given to breeders and researchers. In this study, we demonstrated that there is a large variation, both among and within germplasm, using a low-cost image-based phenotyping method; this could be valuable for improving gene bank screening systems and for crop breeding. Using the image analyses of 507 accessions of buckwheat, we identified a wide range of variations per trait between germplasm accessions and within an accession. Since this implies a similarity with other important agronomic traits, we suggest that the variance of the presented traits should be checked and provided for better germplasm enhancement.

Morphological and molecular characterization of teosinte derived maize population

Germplasm enhancement seems to be an essential part of a breeding programme to improve resiliency, adaptability and productivity of the crops. To develop and diversify the maize germplasm, teosinte a wild relative of maize was integrated in crossing programme and BC1F4 lines were developed. Five BC1F4 lines along with teosinte and maize inbred DI-103 were characterised using quantitative characters and molecular markers. Morphological characterization was done with the help of visual parameters and quantitative traits and for molecular characterization fifty six SSR markers were used. SSR data were analysed with the help of software Mapmaker and twelve linkage groups were generated. Maximum allelic contributions from parent teosinte were found in the introgressed line AM-5 (53.4%) followed by AM-12 (48.9 %), whereas, least contribution of 34.1 % was found in AM-7. The maximum genetic distance among the introgressed lines was observed between AM-2 and AM-9 (0.75) followed by AM-2 and AM-7 (0.70), AM-7 and AM-9 (0.70). The maximum number of cob was found in AM-5 (5.00) followed by AM-2 (4.00). Grain yield per plant was found highest for AM-2 (100.00 g) followed by AM-12 (80.00 g), while, least value was observed for AM-7 (42.00 g). The results indicated differential parental contributions which leads to diversification in the progenies derived from diverse crosses in maize and further opined that such crosses seems to be essential for creating adapted germplasm to whom breeders are looking for.

Potato Germplasm Enhancement Enters the Genomics Era

The goal of germplasm enhancement is to introgress traits from wild crop relatives into cultivated material and eventually cultivars. It seeks to restore genetic diversity that has been lost over time or to augment cultivated material with novel alleles that improve parents in breeding programs. This paper discusses potato germplasm enhancement efforts in the past, focusing on effective examples such as disease resistance and processing quality. In addition, it outlines new strategies for enhancement efforts, shifting the focus from evaluating phenotypes to tracking and manipulating specific DNA sequences. In the genomics era, germplasm enhancement will increasingly be focused on identifying and introgressing alleles rather than traits. Alleles will come from a broad pool of genetic resources that include wild species relatives of potato, landraces, cultivated potato itself, and distantly-related species. Genomics tools will greatly increase the efficiency of introgressing multi-genic traits and will make it possible to identify rare alleles and utilize recessive alleles.