The genus Fritillaria belongs to the widely distributed Liliaceae. The bulbs of Fritillaria, F. ussuriensis and F. cirrhosa are valuable herbaceous medicinal ingredients. However, they are still used indiscriminately in herbal medicine. Identification and molecular phylogenic analysis of Fritillaria species are therefore required. Here, we report the complete chloroplast (CP) genome sequences of F. ussuriensis and F. cirrhosa. The two Fritillaria CP genomes were 151,524 and 151,083 bp in length, respectively, and each included a pair of inverted repeated regions (52,678 and 52,156 bp) that was separated by a large single copy region (81,732 and 81,390 bp), and a small single copy region (17,114 and 17,537 bp). A total of 111 genes in F. ussuriensis and 112 in F. cirrhosa comprised 77 protein-coding regions in F. ussuriensis and 78 in F. cirrhosa, 30 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and four ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The gene order, content, and orientation of the two Fritillaria CP genomes exhibited the general structure of flowering plants, and were similar to those of other Fritillaria species. Comparison of the six Fritillaria species’ CP genomes indicated seven highly divergent regions in intergenic spacers and in the matK, rpoC1, rpoC2, ycf1, ycf2, ndhD, and ndhF coding regions. We established the position of the six species through phylogenic analysis. The complete chloroplast genome sequences of the two Fritillaria species and a comparison study are useful genomic information for identifying and for studying the phylogenetic relationship among Fritillaria species within the Liliaceae.

Aconitum species (belonging to the Ranunculaceae) are well known herbaceous medicinal ingredients and have great economic value in Asian countries. However, there are still limited genomic resources available for Aconitum species. In this study, we sequenced the chloroplast (cp) genomes of two Aconitum species, A. coreanum and A. carmichaelii, using the MiSeq platform. The two Aconitum chloroplast genomes were 155,880 and 157,040 bp in length, respectively, and exhibited LSC and SSC regions separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions. Both cp genomes had 38% GC content and contained 131 unique functional genes including 86 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The gene order, content, and orientation of the two Aconitum cp genomes exhibited the general structure of angiosperms, and were similar to those of other Aconitum species. Comparison of the cp genome structure and gene order with that of other Aconitum species revealed general contraction and expansion of the inverted repeat regions and single copy boundary regions. Divergent regions were also identified. In phylogenetic analysis, Aconitum species positon among the Ranunculaceae was determined with other family cp genomes in the Ranunculales. We obtained a barcoding target sequence in a divergent region, ndhC–trnV, and successfully developed a SCAR (sequence characterized amplified region) marker for discrimination of A. coreanum. Our results provide useful genetic information and a specific barcode for discrimination of Aconitum species.

: Low-temperature germination is one of the major determinants for stable stand establishment in the rice direct seeding method in temperate regions and at high altitude areas. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling low-temperature germinability in rice were identified using 96 introgression lines (ILs) derived from a cross between Oryza rufipogon and the Korean japonica cultivar, 'Hwaseongbyeo'. The germination rate at 15℃ was measured to represent low-temperature germination and used for QTL analysis. The germination rate at 15℃ for 7 days of Oryza rufipogon and Hwaseongbyeo was 93.3 and 28.7%, respectively, and that of progenies ranged from 0 to 48%. A linkage map was constructed using 135 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Five putative QTLs associated with low-temperature germination were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 10 and 11. The QTL, qltg10 on chromosome 10 accounted for 19.2% of the total phenotypic variation for low-temperature germinability. Four additional QTL, accounted for 10.4 -15.1% of the total phenotypic variation. The O. rufipogon alleles in all detected QTLs loci increased the low-temperature germination rate. No QTL associated with low temperature germinability has been detected near the qltg10 QTL in this study suggesting that qltg10 is a new QTL. The locus, qltg10 is of particular interest because of its independence from undesirable height and maturity effects. The DNA markers linked to the QTL for low temperature germinability would be useful in selecting lines with enhanced low temperature germinability in rice breeding program.

Low-temperature stress is an important factor controlling the growth and development of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in temperate region. In this study, a molecular linkage map consisting of 136 SSR markers was employed to identify QTL associated with cold tolerance at the seedling stage. 80 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from an intersubspecific cross between Milyang23 (O. sativa ssp. Indica) and Hapcheonaengmi3, a japonica weedy rice and the parents were evaluated for leaf discoloration and SAPD value of seedlings. Rice plants were grown for 15 days in the low-temperature condition (13/20°C day/night) and the control condition (25/20°C day/night) in the growth chamber. The degree of leaf discoloration showed a highly significant correlation with the SPAD value in the low-temperature plot (r =-0.708, P < 0.0001). A total of four QTLs for SPAD were identified and the phenotypic variance explained by each QTL ranged from 5.4 to 16.0%. Two QTLs detected in the control condition were located on chromosomes 2 and 5, respectively. Two QTL on chromosomes 1 and 4 were detected at the low-temperature condition and Hapcheonaengmi3 alleles increased the SPAD values at these loci. Substitution mapping was conducted to delimit the position of qSPA-4 using introgression lines derived from the same cross. Results indicated that qSPA-4 was located in a 810-Kb region flanked by RM16333 and RM16368. The results indicated that Hapcheonaengmi3 contains QTL alleles that are likely to improve cold tolerance of Indica rice.

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Low temperature stress at the seedling stage of rice is an important factor causing the leaf discoloration, wilting and consequently leads to non-uniform crop maturation. In order to screen the cold tolerance elite lines efficiently, the five cold treatment conditions with different water and air temperature were designed and treated at seedling stage. For the evaluation of seedling tolerance, the injury was scored by visual rate and measured by Soil and Plant Analyzer Development (SPAD) meter. In the reactions of varieties for each treatment, the treatment 'B' condition, 12 o C mean water with 24 o C mean air, shows clear discoloration, so it's correlation coefficient was highest (r=−0.9, P＜0.0001) among the treatments. In the treatment condition for screening the cold-tolerance elite line, the cultivar, treatment and their interaction significantly affect the SPAD value. The 'A' treatment, 12 o C mean water with 34 o C mean air, was the best way to observe the variation between the elite lines. On the basis of the Duncan's test for SPAD value of cultivars, Keumo (moderate tolerant), Saetbyeol (sensitive) and Seolak (tolerant) were selected as check varieties. To study its impacts at the paddy field, the changes of crop characteristics such as height, panicle length, number of tiller and heading were investigated. In later growth period, the seedling treatment impact at the paddy field leads to heading delay. Due to the low temperature stress at the seedling stage induced by 12 o C mean cold water, Japonica and Tongil group shows the heading delay 4 to 7 and 8 to 11 days respectively.