Exploiting Plant Genetic Resources to Broaden Crop Adaptation to New Climatic Conditions

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2022) | Viewed by 16672

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Genetics & Breeding, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: plant genetics & breeding; molecular cytogenetics; breeding for resistance to abiotic stress conditions and food quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization–"Demeter", 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: cereal genetics and breeding; plant genetic resources; diversity; multi-environment field evaluation; tolerance to abiotic stress; GxE interaction; wide and specific agronomic adaptation; responsiveness to inputs; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Macedonia, 9 Iraklias str., 54636 Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
Interests: plant breeding; field experimentation; cytogenetics; doubled haploid production (anther culture and wide hybridization); study of the 1RL.1RS wheat-rye chromosome translocation; wheat (bread and durum) rye; triticale and cotton
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, ever-accelerating climate change has made it necessary to create new genetic material with increased adaptability and plasticity in the face of the forthcoming stressful environmental conditions. In this regard, several proposals have been suggested, including conventional and molecular approaches. Plant genetic resources could provide an effective solution to this severe problem. Local populations, landraces, obsolete cultivars, and crop wild relatives are valuable sources of genetic material that could broaden the genetic base and increase cultivated species’ adaptability in such conditions. This Special Issue aims to present new approaches to the evaluation and exploitation of plant genetic resources for improving productivity, adaptability, tolerance to stress, and food quality in the face of the challenges of the 21st century.

In this Special Edition, research papers and review articles can be submitted that will be evaluated by distinguished scientists and specialized reviewers.

Dr. Athanasios G. Mavromatis
Dr. Ioannis Mylonas
Dr. Ioannis Ν. Xynias
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • local germplasm
  • adaptation
  • changing climatic conditions

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

21 pages, 3737 KiB  
Article
Statistical Approach to Assess Chill and Heat Requirements of Olive Tree Based on Flowering Date and Temperatures Data: Towards Selection of Adapted Cultivars to Global Warming
by Omar Abou-Saaid, Adnane El Yaacoubi, Abdelmajid Moukhli, Ahmed El Bakkali, Sara Oulbi, Magalie Delalande, Isabelle Farrera, Jean-Jacques Kelner, Sylvia Lochon-Menseau, Cherkaoui El Modafar, Hayat Zaher and Bouchaib Khadari
Agronomy 2022, 12(12), 2975; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12122975 - 26 Nov 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3271
Abstract
Delineating chilling and forcing periods is one of the challenging topics in understanding how temperatures drive the timing of budburst and bloom in fruit tree species. Here, we investigated this question on olive trees, using flowering data collected over six years on 331 [...] Read more.
Delineating chilling and forcing periods is one of the challenging topics in understanding how temperatures drive the timing of budburst and bloom in fruit tree species. Here, we investigated this question on olive trees, using flowering data collected over six years on 331 cultivars in the worldwide collection of Marrakech, Morocco. Using a Partial Least Squares approach on a long-term phenology (29 years) of ‘Picholine Marocaine’ cultivar, we showed that the relevance of delineating the chilling and forcing periods depends more on the variability of inter-annual temperatures than on the long-term datasets. In fact, chilling and forcing periods are similar between those delineated by using datasets of 29 years and those of only 6 years (2014–2019). We demonstrated that the variability of inter-annual temperatures is the main factor explaining this pattern. We then used the datasets of six years to assess the chill and heat requirements of 285 cultivars. We classified Mediterranean olive cultivars into four groups according to their chill requirements. Our results, using the Kriging interpolation method, indicated that flowering dates of most of these cultivars (92%) were governed by both chilling and forcing temperatures. Our investigations provided first insights to select adapted cultivars to global warming. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1607 KiB  
Article
Phenotypic Broad Spectrum of Bacterial Blight Disease Resistance from Thai Indigenous Upland Rice Germplasms Implies Novel Genetic Resource for Breeding Program
by Atitaya Chumpol, Tidarat Monkham, Suwita Saepaisan, Jirawat Sanitchon, Shanerin Falab and Sompong Chankaew
Agronomy 2022, 12(8), 1930; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081930 - 17 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1778
Abstract
Bacterial blight (BB) disease, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is one of the most devastating diseases of rice worldwide. Breeding for BB resistance has been utilized to overcome this constraint of rice production; however, limited genetic resources of BB [...] Read more.
Bacterial blight (BB) disease, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is one of the most devastating diseases of rice worldwide. Breeding for BB resistance has been utilized to overcome this constraint of rice production; however, limited genetic resources of BB resistance or non-desirable genetic linkage between BB disease resistance and agronomic traits have become major obstacles. Interestingly, indigenous upland rice cultivars cultivated across Thailand are considered to be novel genetic resources of BB resistance for rice cultivar improvement through breeding programs. In this study, we screened for BB disease resistance among 256 indigenous upland rice cultivars using individual inoculation of two virulent Xoo isolates; NY1-1 and MS1-2, under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that 19 indigenous rice cultivars demonstrated BB disease resistance abilities after inoculation. These 19 upland rice cultivars were further examined for broad-spectrum resistance (BSR) performance through five individual Xoo isolate inoculations, under greenhouse conditions. Moreover, a mixed five Xoo isolate inoculation, including NB7-8, CM3-1, CN2-1, MS1-2, and NY1-1, was conducted to assess the BSR for BB resistance of those 19 cultivars under field conditions. Simultaneously, independent plants of the 19 varieties were grown without inoculation in the field to observe the disease reactions from the natural infection caused by local Xoo isolates. The results of the three experiments herein showed that five indigenous upland rice cultivars—ULR024, ULR029, ULR172, ULR207, and ULR356—consistently expressed 100% BSR to BB disease, as well as the resistance check varieties, IRBB5. This further illustrated that ULR024, ULR029, ULR172, ULR207, and ULR356 upland rice cultivars were phenotypically resistant to five Xoo isolates, within those (a) inoculated with five individual isolates under greenhouse conditions or (b) inoculation with five mixed isolates under field conditions. Moreover, the ULR024, ULR029, ULR172, ULR207, and ULR356 revealed BB disease-resistance abilities to natural infection. These results present novel genetic resources from indigenous upland rice cultivars in further breeding program of BB resistance in varied rice cultivars. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3481 KiB  
Article
The Basic Vegetative Phase and Photoperiod Sensitivity Index as the Major Criteria for Indigenous Upland Rice Production in Thailand under Unpredictable Conditions
by Sirimaporn Khotasena, Jirawat Sanitchon, Sompong Chankaew and Tidarat Monkham
Agronomy 2022, 12(4), 957; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040957 - 15 Apr 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2847
Abstract
Indigenous upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important staple food for people. The productivity of upland rice is generally lower than lowland rice since crop yield depends on the amount of rainfall. Climate change is a major problem in rice production [...] Read more.
Indigenous upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important staple food for people. The productivity of upland rice is generally lower than lowland rice since crop yield depends on the amount of rainfall. Climate change is a major problem in rice production due to the unpredictable rainfall. The flowering time, maturity days, growth duration, and photoperiod sensitivity in rice are important for determining productivity. Therefore, in this study, indigenous upland rice germplasm was classified according to their flowering-related traits in the basic vegetative phase (BVP), photoperiod sensitivity index (PSI), grain yield (GY), and yield components. The results reveal that the BVP ranges from 12 to 76 days (mainly less than 30 days) while the PSI ranges from −0.14 to 0.89. Classification of the three groups was based on the PSI: 24 insensitivities (G1; PSI = −0.14–0.30), 214 weakly sensitive (G2; PSI = 0.31–0.70), and 63 strongly sensitive (G3; PSI = 0.71–0.89). Grain yield showed different correlations with day to flowering (DTF), PSI, and BVP in each group. The results suggest that the selection criteria were not only based on GY and DTF but also PSI and BVP. The new ideotypes for upland rice selection under unpredictable conditions such as rainfall and light duration are weakly sensitive (PSI range 0.30–0.60), low BVP (20–30 days), and less than 105 days of DTF, such as ULR189, ULR039, ULR036, ULR403, ULR364, ULR342, and ULR245 genotypes. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2912 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Flowering Time in Genebank Accessions of Grain Amaranths and Their Wild Relatives Reveals Signatures of Domestication and Local Adaptation
by Ali Baturaygil and Karl Schmid
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 505; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020505 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2467
Abstract
Grain amaranths (Amaranthus spp.) are ancient crops from the Americas that are consumed as pseudo-cereals and vegetables. Two grain amaranths, A. cruentus and A. hypochondriacus, originated in Central America, and A. caudatus in South America. Flowering time variation plays a central [...] Read more.
Grain amaranths (Amaranthus spp.) are ancient crops from the Americas that are consumed as pseudo-cereals and vegetables. Two grain amaranths, A. cruentus and A. hypochondriacus, originated in Central America, and A. caudatus in South America. Flowering time variation plays a central role in their uses as seed, vegetable and biomass crops. We characterized phenotypic variation for plant height, flowering time and seed setting among 253 genebank accessions including three grain and two wild ancestor species (A. hybridus and A. quitensis) in the temperate climatic and long-day conditions of Germany. Among grain amaranths, A. cruentus flowered early and 88% of the accessions set seed. A. hypochondriacus accessions were mildly or highly photoperiod-sensitive with a lower proportion of seed setting (31%). A. caudatus accessions were mildly photoperiod-sensitive and failed seed production. Photoperiod-insensitive accessions set seed regardless of their origin, and mildly photoperiod-sensitive accessions set seed if they originated from regions with higher temperatures. Overall, Central American accessions of both wild and domesticated amaranths showed large variation in flowering time and photoperiod sensitivity, whereas variation among South American wild and domesticated amaranths was limited to mild photoperiod sensitivity. This observation is consistent with a model of independent domestication in Central and South America, and suggests a potential Central American origin of A. hybridus followed by migration to and selection against high photoperiod sensitivity in South America. Our results provide useful information for the design of breeding programs for different uses, and provide insights into grain amaranth domestication by considering flowering time as an adaptive trait. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 650 KiB  
Review
Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.)—A Sustainable and Resilient Answer to Climate Challenges
by Letice Gonçalves, Diego Rubiales, Maria R. Bronze and Maria C. Vaz Patto
Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1324; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12061324 - 30 May 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5367
Abstract
Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is an annual cool-season grain legume widely cultivated in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and in the Mediterranean region. It is a stress-resilient crop with high nutritional value, considered a promising source of traits to breed for adaptation/mitigation [...] Read more.
Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is an annual cool-season grain legume widely cultivated in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and in the Mediterranean region. It is a stress-resilient crop with high nutritional value, considered a promising source of traits to breed for adaptation/mitigation of climate change effects. It is also reported as a suitable crop for more sustainable production systems such as intercropping. In this review, we elaborate an integrative perspective including not only an agronomic-based but also a variety-breeding-based strategy in grass pea to deal with climate change impacts, summarizing the current knowledge on grass pea biotic/abiotic stress resistance. Additionally, we highlight the importance of implementing fundamental techniques to create diversity (as interspecific hybridization or gene editing) and increase genetic gains (as speed breeding or the efficient identification of breeding targets via genomics) in the development of multiple stress-resistant varieties that simultaneously provide yield and quality stability under climate vulnerable environments. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop