Biology and Life Sciences Forum

Crops experience different stressors throughout their life cycle. Therefore, and with a view to accelerating genetic progress, it is essential to develop phenotyping protocols under real-world (field) conditions at critical stages of their growth cycle. We will examine different examples on wheat of high-throughput phenotyping methodologies at various plant phenological stages. This includes (i) the automated counting of agronomic yield components, such as seedling or spike density; (ii) the assessment of physiological responses in terms of radiation use efficiency or water status; and (iii) the integration of this phenotypic information into empirical yield prediction and stability models. Emphasis will be placed on affordable approaches for plant phenotyping.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) remains a major health concern for dogs worldwide. This study used RT-PCR targeting the nucleocapsid (N) gene to assess CDV detection rates and associated risk factors in 392 clinically suspected dogs presented to the Civil Veterinary Hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan. Overall, 52% (204/392) of samples tested positive. Vomiting was the most frequently observed clinical sign, while anorexia had the highest positivity proportion among affected dogs. Vomiting was also strongly associated with positivity (p < 0.001). Breed was significantly associated with CDV positivity (p < 0.001), while vaccination status showed a borderline association (p = 0.076); age and sex were not significantly associated. Phylogenetic analysis of a 191-nucleotide region of the partial N gene found that the three study sequences (Pak-1 to Pak-3) were 98.9–100% identical to one another. They were most closely related to China-origin America-1 sequences (97.8–98.9% identity) and grouped in a clade with the America-1 Onderstepoort vaccine sequence (96.2–97.4% identity), with 100% bootstrap support. The sequences were only 92–95% identical to the other reference strains. Because the fragment was short and contained few variable sites, these relationships are provisional. These findings underscore the need for continued molecular surveillance. However, the single-hospital sample included only clinically suspected dogs, limiting generalizability to the wider dog population.

Wheat accounts for about 20% of the global wheat diet for calories and protein. Wheat grain yields decline by about 4% to 7% per 1 °C of warming during the growing season. Projections for climate change could outpace the rates of genetic yield gain in North America. Adaptation to climate change requires a full suite of technologies. Genetic enhancement strategies include strategic crosses, large population size, simultaneous selection for qualitative and quantitative traits, direct selection, multiple adaptation nurseries that express a range of growing conditions, especially heat and drought, and application of genomic tools such as molecular markers for high-value traits. Spring wheat cultivar, AAC Brandon, has exhibited a high superiority index, indicating broad adaptation during its assessment of suitability to register by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. AAC Brandon has a full suite of traits that producers want—namely, consistent high grain yield, short, strong straw, robust disease resistance, including Fusarium head blight, and eligibility for top grades of the premium wheat market class Canada Western Red Spring. AAC Brandon, released in 2015, to commercial growers, has been the most widely grown wheat cultivar in Canada from 2016 to 2025. Four of those ten years have had below average rainfall, which supports the evidence that AAC Brandon has the physiological flexibility to perform well under heat and drought conditions, as well as above average productivity conditions.