Repeated blocks in the TaALMT1 promoter as well as a transposon insertion in the TaMATE1B upstream region have been correlated with the level of gene expression, organic acid efflux, and ultimately aluminum (Al 3? ) resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, we investigated the allelic polymorphism related to the TaALMT1 and TaMATE1B promoter regions in 300 Brazilian wheat genotypes and the correlation of that variation with root growth on acid soil. In addition, SSR markers were used to determine the genetic variability of the genotypes. Seven TaALMT1 promoter alleles (Types I-VII) were detected based on size of PCR products. The most common alleles were Type V and Type VI (71.3 and 11.9 %, respectively), and these are generally associated with higher levels of TaALMT1 expression and Al 3? resistance. The promoter alleles Type I and Type II, which are usually associated with Al 3? sensitivity, were detected in 12.2 % of the genotypes. The insertion in the TaMATE1B promoter, associated with greater Al 3? resistance, was identified in 80 genotypes. Combination among the alleles allowed the separation in 12 haplotypes were 68 genotypes presented the TaALMT1 promoters Type V and Type VI along with the transposon insertion in the TaMATE1B promoter. However, the most represented haplotype was Type V without the insertion (176 genotypes). Short-term soil experiment, performed in 33 genotypes representing the 12 haplotypes, revealed that the higher relative root length was observed in some genotypes presenting TaALMT1 promoters Type V or Type VI and the transposon insertion in the TaMATE1B promoter. Moreover, when comparing genotypes inside the same haplotype, the transposon insertion was significantly advantageous for a few materials. However, the majority the genotypes presenting the insertion in the TaMATE1B promoter did not outperform the genotypes without the insertion but showing the same TaALMT1 promoter. Analysis using SSR markers, with an average PIC of 0.60, showed high genetic diversity among the genotypes belonging to different haplotypes. The alleles and the genetically diverse genotypes reported here should be considered for wheat-breeding programs aiming increments in wheat Al 3? resistance.

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In Brazil, rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties adapted to different ecological regions are available on the market. However, these varieties exhibit highly similar morphologies, which makes their identification difficult. In this study we identified microsatellites in and around genes that are useful for the identification of the main rice varieties cultivated in Brazil. Thirteen microsatellites were selected from the region upstream of MADS‐box genes and 37 were derived from expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Of the 50 microsatellites selected, 19 were polymorphic, and a small set of five primer pairs was sufficient to discriminate among the 37 rice varieties studied. The polymorphic information content (PIC) value of the 19 microsatellite markers varied between 0.05 and 0.94. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) analysis showed that these markers group the 37 varieties according to their subspecies, indica or japonica These results indicate that it is possible to identify informative microsatellites in and around rice genes, and that these markers are capable of discriminating between closely related varieties of rice. Moreover, our findings suggest that microsatellite markers can play an important role as a source of additional information to supplement the morphological descriptors recommended by International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the world’s most important crops. Maintaining wheat yield gains across all of its major production areas is a key target toward underpinning global food security. Brazil is a major wheat producer in South America, generating grain yields of around 6.8 million tons per year. Here, we establish and genotype a wheat association mapping resource relevant to contemporary Brazilian wheat breeding programs. The panel of 558 wheat accessions was genotyped using an Illumina iSelect 90,000 single nucleotide polymorphism array. Following quality control, the final data matrix consisted of 470 accessions and 22,475 polymorphic genetic markers (minor allele frequency ≥5%, missing data <5%). Principal component analysis identified distinct differences between materials bred predominantly for the northern Cerrado region, compared to those bred for southern Brazilian agricultural areas. We augmented the genotypic data with 26 functional Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers to identify the allelic combinations at genes with previously known effects on agronomically important traits in the panel. This highlighted breeding targets for immediate consideration – notably, increased Fusarium head blight resistance via the Fhb1 locus. To demonstrate the panel’s likely future utility, genome-wide association scans for several phenotypic traits were undertaken. Significant (Bonferroni corrected P < 0.05) marker-trait associations were detected for Fusarium kernel damage (a proxy for type 2 Fusarium resistance), identifying previously known quantitative trait loci in the panel. This association mapping panel represents an important resource for Brazilian wheat breeding, allowing future genetic studies to analyze multiple agronomic traits within a single genetically diverse population.

-Peach has great economic and social importance in Brazil. Diverse sources of germplasm were used to introduce desirable traits in the Brazilian peach breeding pool, composed mainly by local selections and accessions selected from populations developed by the national breeding programs, adapted to subtropical climate, with low chill requirement, as well as accessions introduced from several countries. In this research, we used SSR markers, selected by their high level of polymorphism, to access genetic diversity and population structure of a set composed by 204 peach selected genotypes, based on contrasting phenotypes for valuable traits in peach breeding. A total of 80 alleles were obtained, giving an average of eight alleles per locus. In general, the average value of observed heterozygosity (0.46) was lower than the expected heterozygosity (0.63). STRUCTURE analysis assigned 162 accessions splitted into two subpopulations based mainly on their flesh type: melting (96) and non-melting (66) flesh cultivars. The remaining accessions (42) could not be assigned under the 80% membership coefficient criteria. Genetic variability was greater in melting subpopulation compared to non-melting. Additionally, 55% of the alleles present in the breeding varieties were also present in the founder varieties, indicating that founding clones are well represented in current peach cultivars and advanced selections developed. Overall, this study gives a first insight of the peach genetic variability available and evidence for population differentiation (structure) in this peach panel to be exploited and provides the basis for genome-wide association studies. Index terms: Prunus persica, genetic diversity, population structure, low chill germplasm, genetic resources. ESTRUTURA GENÉTICA DO GERMOPLASMA DE MELHORAMENTO DE PESSEGUEIRO NO BRASILRESUMO -O pessegueiro tem grande importância econômica e social no Brasil. Diversas fontes de germoplasma foram utilizadas para a introdução de caracteres desejados no pool gênico de pessegueiro do Brasil, constituído principalmente de seleções naturalizadas e de acessos selecionados a partir de populações desenvolvidas pelos programas de melhoramento, adaptadas às condições de clima subtropical, de baixa exigência em frio, bem como acessos introduzidos de diversos países. Neste estudo, foram utilizados marcadores SSR, selecionados por seu elevado nível de polimorfismo, com o objetivo de acessar a variabilidade genética e a estrutura populacional de um painel composto por 204 genótipos de pessegueiro, selecionados com base em fenótipos contrastantes para importantes caracteres no melhoramento do pessegueiro. Um total de 80 alelos foram identificados, com média de oito alelos por loco. Em geral, o valor médio da heterozigosidade observada (0,46) foi menor do que a heterozigosidade esperada (0,63). Análises do STRUCTURE atribuíram 162 acessos em duas subpopulações, majoritariamente com base em caracteres relativos ao fruto: cultivares fundentes (96) e não fundentes (66). Os acessos restant...

RESUMOCom o presente trabalho, objetivou-se avaliar a eficiência dos descritores morfológicos, na caracterização de cultivares comerciais de arroz (Oryza sativa L.), servindo como suporte às empresas produtoras de sementes na identificação de cultivares, assim como às exigências da Lei de Proteção de Cultivares. Foram caracterizadas as cultivares de arroz Carisma, IAC 202, Confiança, Douradão, Guarani, Primavera, Canastra e Caiapó. O estudo consistiu de dois experimentos, o primeiro conduzido em casa-devegetação, quando os genótipos foram caracterizados utilizando-se dos descritores morfológicos recomendados para o registro e proteção de cultivares. O segundo experimento foi conduzido em uma área de produção de sementes e consistiu na identificação, por parte de avaliadores, de variedades de arroz contaminantes propositalmente distribuídas junto às cultivares em estudo. Concluiu-se que os descritores morfológicos são úteis, porém, não suficientes para a caracterização e diferenciação de cultivares de arroz. As características morfológicas observadas em sementes e plantas após a antese são as mais adequadas para a caracterização e diferenciação de cultivares. Os genótipos de arroz de sequeiro apresentam grande similaridade morfológica. Termos para indexação:Arroz, marcadores morfológicos, distinção varietal, Oryza sativa L. ABSTRACTThis study had the objective of evaluating the efficiency of morphological markers as descriptors for commercial rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L.) to be used in cultivar identification by seed companies, as well as, to fulfill the requirements for cultivar protection law. The studied cultivars were: Confiança, IAC 202, Carisma, Primavera, Guarani, Douradão, Canastra, and Caiapó. This study consisted of two experiments: one, conducted in greenhouse, where the varieties were characterized based on morphological descriptors recommended by protection cultivar law; the other, done in a seed production field that consisted in identification of rice contaminant varieties distributed among the studied cultivars. The morphological descriptors were useful, but not enough to characterize and distict upland rice cultivars; seeds and plants morphological characteristics after anthesis were the most suitable for the characterization and discrimination of varieties; and also, the upland rice genotypes had high morphological similarities.

Resumo -Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, caracterizar isoenzimaticamente genótipos de arroz (Oryza sativa L.). A produtividade do arroz irrigado no Rio Grande do Sul é elevada, em virtude da alta tecnologia e sistema de irrigação usados, associados ao potencial alcançado pelas cultivares desenvolvidas através de melhoramento genético. Apenas seis ancestrais contribuem com 86% dos genes das cultivares mais plantadas. Como conseqüência desta estreita base genética, as cultivares apresentam um alto grau de parentesco e de similaridade de suas características morfológicas e agronômicas, o que dificulta a identificação varietal. A concorrência com genótipos, como arroz-vermelho e arroz-preto, de difícil controle por serem da mesma espécie que os cultivados, é considerada como um dos maiores problemas da cultura. Análises de isoenzimas podem ser usadas para o estudo da variabilidade e para estimar as relações genéticas existentes entre estes genótipos. Eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida foi empregada, portanto, para caracterizar, através de isoenzimas de esterase, 6-fosfogluconato desidrogenase, fosfoglucoisomerase e isocitrato desidrogenase em sementes e folhas de plântulas, e de fosfatase ácida e aspartato transaminase em folhas de plântulas, as cultivares BR-IRGA 409, BR-IRGA 410, BRS 6 ('Chuí'), BRS 7 ('Taim'), BRS Agrisul, INIA Taquari, El Paso L 144 e IRGA 417, e ecótipos de arroz-vermelho e arroz-preto. A análise de agrupamento, efetuada por meio do coeficiente de Jaccard e pelo método da média aritmética não ponderada (UPGMA), possibilitou a diferenciação de todos os genótipos, à exceção de BRS 6 ('Chuí') e BRS 7 ('Taim'). Três grupos foram identificados, incluindo-se, em um deles, os ecótipos de arroz-vermelho e arroz-preto, que apresentaram 95% de similaridade.Termos para indexação: Oryza sativa, eletroforese, isoenzimas, variação genética. Isoenzymatic characterization of rice genotypesAbstract -The objective of this work was to characterize isoenzymaticly rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes. Rice yields obtained in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are high, due to the high technology and the irrigation system used, associated to the genetic potential of the bred cultivars. Six ancestors contribute with 86% of the genetic make up of used cultivars. As a consequence of this narrow genetic basis, they are closely related and show very similar morphological and agronomical characteristics, which turns the varietal identification difficult. The competition with wild genotypes (red and black hulled rice) is considered to be the greatest problem, because they belong to the same species as cultivated rice. Isoenzymes analysis can be used to study variability and to estimate genetic relations among genotypes. Therefore, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to characterize, through seeds and seedling leaf tissue, esterase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucoisomerase and isocitrate dehydrogenase, and seedling leaf tissue acid phosphatase and aspartate transaminase isoenzymes of cultivars BR-IRGA 409, BR-IRG...

The objective of this work was to determine high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) and their relationship with technological quality parameters in a collection of wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes. Two hundred and seventy-two accessions were evaluated on SDS-Page, and molecular markers were used to identify the 7oe allele and 1BL.1RS translocation. For 219 accessions with a homogenous glutenin profile, 53 profiles and 21 alleles were identified. The most frequent combination was 2*/7+9/5+10 (11.9%). The mean value of genetic diversity for the three assessed Glu-1 loci was 0.67. Based on the HMW-GS profile and on the presence of the 1BL.1RS translocation, the Glu-1 score was calculated and its correlation with technological quality parameters was analyzed. The main effects of the Glu-1 loci and of the 1BL.1RS translocation were estimated. The Glu-1 score showed a significant positive correlation with sedimentation volume, gluten strength, dough tenacity, dough extensibility, elasticity index, grain hardness index, and farinograph stability, with values between 0.23 and 0.51. The accessions with the 1, 7oe+8, and 5+10 alleles showed the highest values for gluten strength and farinograph stability. The score of the Glu-A1 alleles should be adjusted to Brazilian wheat genotypes and cultivation conditions.