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Agronomy
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Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress
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Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 6423

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eleni Tani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: epigenetics and abiotic/biotic stresses; plant breeding under abiotic and biotic stresses; breeding for weed management; relationships between wild relatives and cultivated species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Eleni Abraham

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: fodder crops; plant breeding; plant genetics; biotic stresses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects many sectors of society and the economy. This phenomenon is mainly observed due to fluctuations in temperatures, precipitation, extreme weather events and variability in seasonality. Agriculture is one of the most sensitive sectors to climate change as crop production directly depends on weather conditions. This means that climate variability threatens the adaptation and availability of crops and, consequently, food security. On the other hand, agriculture has different environmental impacts depending on the level of inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators) and energy used by farming practices. The impact of climate change on agriculture can be mitigated by modifying farming practices, and complementary to this, by using appropriate crops and varieties adapted to new climatic conditions. The challenge for the agricultural sector is, on the one hand, to adopt environmentally friendly practices and, on the other hand, to utilize genetic material with a wide adaptive capacity.

In this Special Issue, we invite you to present research results in all topics related to crop biology and breeding under environmental stress and to discuss current trends and prospects of progress in these fields. Survey papers and reviews are also welcomed.

Dr. Eleni Tani
Dr. Eleni Abraham
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

  • crop resilience
  • plant breeding
  • sustainability
  • resistance mechanisms
  • plant stressors

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1871 KiB  
Communication
Effect of γ-Irradiation on the Growth and Yield Response of Three Varieties of Pea (Pisum spp.)
by Efi Sarri, Styliani-Maria Samolada, Anastasios Katsileros, Nasya Tomlekova, Eleni M. Abraham and Eleni Tani
Agronomy 2024, 14(8), 1695; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081695 - 1 Aug 2024
Viewed by 442
Abstract
In this study, three pea varieties (Pisum sativum), including one field pea variety ‘Dodoni’, and two varieties of garden peas ‘Early Onward’ and ‘Rondo’, were irradiated with 100 Gy gamma rays. The irradiated seeds were then cultivated in the experimental field [...] Read more.
In this study, three pea varieties (Pisum sativum), including one field pea variety ‘Dodoni’, and two varieties of garden peas ‘Early Onward’ and ‘Rondo’, were irradiated with 100 Gy gamma rays. The irradiated seeds were then cultivated in the experimental field of the Plant Breeding and Agricultural Experimentation Laboratory of the Agricultural University of Athens, in the period of 2021–2022, affording them the chance to reveal their full potential under natural environmental conditions. The M1 generation plants were compared to non-irradiated plants in terms of their agro-morphological traits. The results indicate a statistically significant difference on several traits: plant height, plant weight, dry biomass, pod length, and the number of seeds per pod. On the other hand, no significant difference was detected in: plant growth rate, the number of shoots and leaves per plant, pods and seed yield per plant, and 1000-seed weight. However, the three pea varieties did not seem to respond in the same way. The M1 generation plants of the two garden pea varieties (‘Early Onward’ and ‘Rondo’) showed a shorter plant height and pod length than their corresponding non-irradiated plants. Likewise, the number of seeds per pod for both ‘Early Onward’ and ‘Dodoni’ was lower for the mutant plants than it was for the plants used as the control. In contrast, mutant plants of the ‘Dodoni’ variety indicated a greater plant weight and dry biomass per plant compared to non-irradiated plants. Finally, the correlation found between agronomic traits was the same regardless of the treatment (control and mutant plants). The number of seeds per plant indicated a positive correlation with the pods per plant and plant weight. Similarly, the dry biomass was positively correlated with plant weight, while being negatively correlated with pod length. Thus, the results obtained in the present study clearly indicate that there were differences between seeds irradiated with gamma rays and non-irradiated seeds in terms of their overall performance and various quantitative pea traits, which should to be further investigated in M2 and the following generations. Peas have gathered a significant market interest and demand. Given their narrow genetic base, we employed gamma irradiation technology, which can be effectively integrated with omics technologies in future generations. This study underscores the necessity to explore performance characteristics and integrate them with quality traits. Our findings reveal that each generation exhibits unique attributes, and specifically, provide a valuable foundation for identifying valuable characteristics for future breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress)
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19 pages, 1996 KiB  
Article
First Steps towards Pre-Breeding of Sideritis scardica: A Phenotypic, Agronomic, and Phytochemical Profiling Approach
by Eirini Sarrou, Nektaria Tsivelika, Stefan Martens, Maria Irakli, Fotini Bletsaki, Sarra Broufa, Sampson Panajiotidis, Paschalina S. Chatzopoulou and Eleni M. Abraham
Agronomy 2024, 14(7), 1448; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071448 - 3 Jul 2024
Viewed by 537
Abstract
Sideritis scardica (S. scardica) Griseb., also known as mountain tea, is an important medicinal and aromatic plant species. Due to the high cross-pollination ability of the species, diverse genotypes and phenotypes occur naturally. Considering that superior uniform genotypes are necessary for [...] Read more.
Sideritis scardica (S. scardica) Griseb., also known as mountain tea, is an important medicinal and aromatic plant species. Due to the high cross-pollination ability of the species, diverse genotypes and phenotypes occur naturally. Considering that superior uniform genotypes are necessary for highly qualitative and sustainable production, this study aimed to conduct a pre-breeding evaluation of three clones (SID1, SID2, and SID3) originating from a selected S. scardica population growing in Greece. According to a phenotypic and agronomic evaluation, SID2 seemed to be superior among the three clones, expressing a good profile with desirable traits (i.e., desired inflorescence length and leaf surface, high length of stems, and high fresh and dry plant biomass). Furthermore, SID3 presented some remarkable measurements regarding morphological (upright growth habit) and agronomic (high number of stems and plant dry weight, desired plant surface) traits. The phytochemical profile of the three clones was assessed with regard to their volatile and polyphenolic compounds. Forty-four constituents were identified in S. scardica essential oil, including hydrocarbon monoterpenes, sesquiterpenoids, oxygenated monoterpenes, and other groups (monoterpene ketones, saturated fatty alcohols, benzoic esters). Liquid chromatographic analysis revealed SID2 as the clone most abundant in the major polyphenolic metabolites: verbascoside (2234.3 mg 100 g−1), isoscutellarein-7-O [6″-O-acetyl]-allosyl(1 → 2) glucoside (1456.5 mg 100 g−1), and 4-methyl hypolaetin-7-O [6″-O-acetyl]-allosyl(1 → 2) glucoside (861.8 mg 100 g−1). The results indicate the ability to combine morphological, agronomic, and phytochemical traits, in order to identify superior S. scardica genotypes for further evaluation and utilization in breeding programs, aiming to create cultivars or varieties for farming purposes with desired performance and high quantitative and qualitative yields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress)
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41 pages, 12106 KiB  
Article
Effect of Drought and Seed Tuber Size on Agronomical Traits of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) under In Vivo Conditions
by Alexandra Hanász, László Zsombik, Katalin Magyar-Tábori and Nóra Mendler-Drienyovszki
Agronomy 2024, 14(6), 1131; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14061131 - 26 May 2024
Viewed by 670
Abstract
Drought may considerably decrease the growth and yield of potatoes. Small tubers may have lower performance and be more sensitive to abiotic stresses than larger tubers. Since an increase in drought areas may be expected, the development of potato varieties with drought tolerance [...] Read more.
Drought may considerably decrease the growth and yield of potatoes. Small tubers may have lower performance and be more sensitive to abiotic stresses than larger tubers. Since an increase in drought areas may be expected, the development of potato varieties with drought tolerance has become necessary. Two-year greenhouse experiments were conducted to test the drought tolerance of potato breeding lines (C103, C107, C20) with great osmotic stress tolerance. Minitubers with diameters of 25–35, 20–24, 15–19 and 10–14 mm were planted. Treatments were the optimal irrigated control (100%) and moderate and severe drought (60% and 20% of optimum water supply). To study the after-effects of drought, tubers from different treatments were planted separately the following year because seed tuber priming may increase drought tolerance. Seed tubers (25–35 mm), two irrigation treatments (control and severe drought), and two control cultivars were used in the second year. We observed the rate of emergence from day-after-planting (DAP) 20 to 30 and flowering from 48 to 54. NDVI measurements were performed on the DAP35-45-75. Plant height and fresh weight of aboveground biomass (AGB) were recorded on DAP76. Harvested tubers were counted, weighed, and size-categorized, and then the number and fresh tuber yield per plant (TN and TY) were calculated. Stress indices (SI) were calculated as percentages of the results of control plots to compare the responses of genotypes to drought stress. We found that each breeding line showed adequate drought tolerance, although only the C103 and C107 breeding lines were stable in in vivo conditions. SI values for tuber number/tuber yield were 103/57; 102/63; 83/52; 80/58 and 55/41 in C103, C107, C20, ‘Boglárka’ and ‘Desiree’ (the last two were control varieties), respectively. The size of the seed tuber significantly affected each character, and usually minitubers larger than 20 mm performed better than smaller ones. No significant after-effect of drought stress on the next generation was found. Although we found a positive correlation (r = 0.83) between NDVI values and yield parameters, the correlations in our study were not consistent in all genotypes and water treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress)
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18 pages, 4059 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Drought Responses of Wild Soybean Accessions at Different Growth Stages
by Thi Cuc Nguyen, Hyun Jo, Hai Anh Tran, Jinwon Lee, Jeong-Dong Lee, Jeong Hoe Kim, Hak Soo Seo and Jong Tae Song
Agronomy 2024, 14(3), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14030471 - 27 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1389
Abstract
Drought is a significant abiotic stress that limits crop production. Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are regarded as drought-sensitive. In the present study, the drought responses of wild soybean accessions were evaluated at different growth stages. Based on the leaf wilting index [...] Read more.
Drought is a significant abiotic stress that limits crop production. Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are regarded as drought-sensitive. In the present study, the drought responses of wild soybean accessions were evaluated at different growth stages. Based on the leaf wilting index of 411 accessions at the vegetative stage, seven highly tolerant (HT) and 24 tolerant (T) accessions were identified, although most wild soybeans were classified as moderate (M), sensitive (S), and highly sensitive (HS) genotypes. In addition, with selected wild soybeans, stomatal density decreased in HT accessions but increased in HS accessions under drought conditions at the vegetative stage. However, for cultivated soybeans, the stomatal density of the drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive were not significantly different between the two conditions. The expression levels of drought-related transcriptional factors indicated that the HT genotype showed a higher expression level of drought-related genes than that of the HS genotype at the vegetative stage. At the reproductive stages, 12 wild soybeans randomly selected from HT, T, S, and HS based on assessment at the vegetative stage showed consistent drought responses with seed yield, root development, and water status. However, the extent of the detrimental effect of drought on the germination rates and root length of 165 wild soybeans at the germination stage varied depending on the genotype, indicating that there may not be a robust correlation between phenotypic measurements at the germination stage and drought-related assessments at the two growth stages. The information from this study can provide useful breeding materials for the development of drought-tolerant cultivars from wild soybeans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress)
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23 pages, 2812 KiB  
Article
Interpreting the Interaction of Genotype with Environmental Factors in Barley Using Partial Least Squares Regression Model
by Kamenko Bratković, Kristina Luković, Vladimir Perišić, Jasna Savić, Jelena Maksimović, Slađan Adžić, Aleksandra Rakonjac and Mirela Matković Stojšin
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010194 - 16 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1334
Abstract
Genotype by environment interaction (GEI) is a complex problem that complicates the barley selection and breeding process. The knowledge of the relationship between cereal phenology and climatic data is important for understanding GEI and the physiological pathways responsible for the interaction effect. The [...] Read more.
Genotype by environment interaction (GEI) is a complex problem that complicates the barley selection and breeding process. The knowledge of the relationship between cereal phenology and climatic data is important for understanding GEI and the physiological pathways responsible for the interaction effect. The grain yield of twenty winter barley genotypes in six environments was observed. Factors influencing the variability were analyzed using a linear mixed model. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was applied to determine the most relevant environmental variables in certain stages of development that explained GEI effects. Biplot with environmental variables explained 43.7% of the GEI. The barley was generally the most sensitive to the environmental conditions (relative humidity, maximum temperature and its variation, sun hours, and precipitation) during the anthesis and filling stage (May) which caused GEI. Temperature variables did not show significance only in the vegetative phase. Different genotypes responded differently to environmental factors. Genotypes NS-525, NS-589, and J-103 were highlighted as widely adaptable, and Zaječar was a suitable and reliable location for yield testing. The GEI information presented in this paper can be useful in traditional plant breeding and future breeding programs through molecular research of crop developmental genes and examination of physiological processes in two-row barley. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress)
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17 pages, 3708 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Association Analysis Reveals the Gene Loci of Yield Traits under Drought Stress at the Rice Reproductive Stage
by Nansheng Wang, Zhiyuan Gao, Wanyang Zhang, Yingzhi Qian, Di Bai, Xueyu Zhao, Yaling Bao, Zhenzhen Zheng, Xingmeng Wang, Jianfeng Li, Wensheng Wang and Yingyao Shi
Agronomy 2023, 13(8), 2096; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13082096 - 10 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1484
Abstract
Drought is an important factor limiting the growth and development of rice and thereby seriously affects rice yield. The problem may be effectively solved by dissecting the drought-resistance mechanism of rice, creating excellent drought-resistant germplasm, and mining new drought-resistant genes. In this study, [...] Read more.
Drought is an important factor limiting the growth and development of rice and thereby seriously affects rice yield. The problem may be effectively solved by dissecting the drought-resistance mechanism of rice, creating excellent drought-resistant germplasm, and mining new drought-resistant genes. In this study, 305 accessions (189 Xian, 104 Geng, 5 Aus, and 7 Basmati) were used to identify drought-related phenotypes such as grain yield per plant (GYP), grain number per panicle (GNP), panicle number per plant (PNP), and plant height (PH) under two-year drought stress. The 2017 GYP and 2018 GNP were Xian max, 2018 GYP, 2017 GNP, 2017 and 2018 PNP, and 2018 PH were Basmati max, and only the 2017 PH was Geng max. The population genetic diversity and population structure were analyzed by combining 404,388 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers distributed on 12 chromosomes. A total of 42 QTLs with significant correlations was identified, among which 10 were adjacent to the loci reported to be associated with drought resistance. Four candidate genes, LOC_Os03g48890, LOC_Os04g35114, LOC_Os11g45924, and LOC_Os06g38950, were identified by functional annotation and haplotype analysis. The R2 of qGYP3.1 was 11.53%, the R2 of qGNP4.2 was 12.09%, the R2 of qPNP11.1 was 10.01%, and the R2 of qPH6.1 was 13.06%. The results have an important theoretical significance and practical application value for the improvement of drought resistance in rice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Biology and Breeding under Environmental Stress)
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