We have constructed a linkage map of bunching onion (Allium fistulosum L., 2n = 16) using an F(2) population of 225 plants. The map consists of 17 linkage groups with 212 bunching onion SSR markers and 42 bulb onion (A. cepa L.) SSR, InDel, CAPS or dCAPS markers, covering 2,069 cM. This is the first report of a linkage map mainly based on SSR markers in the genus Allium. With the 103 anchor markers [81 bunching onion SSRs, 11 bulb onion SSRs and 11 bulb onion non-SSRs (1 InDel, 9 CAPSs and 1 dCAPS)] whose chromosome assignments were identified in A. cepa and/or A. fistulosum, via the use of several kinds of Allium alien addition lines, 16 of the 17 linkage groups were connected to the 8 basic chromosomes of A. cepa.

Genetic diversity among 59 melon landraces from Vietnam was studied by analyzing morphological traits and molecular markers. The morphological characters of the melon landrace fruits were highly diversified. Among the five types of cultivated melon, "Dua le" and "Dua vang" were classified as Conomon var. makuwa, whereas "Dua gang" was classified as Conomon var. conomon, and "Dua bo" was classified as Momordica. However, "Dua thom" could not be classified into a proper group or variety. The gene diversity based on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and single sequence repeat analyses was small and equivalent to that of Chinese Conomon. A cluster analysis revealed that "Dua bo", "Dua le", "Dua vang", and "Dua gang" were grouped in cluster II. Clusters III and IV consisted mainly of Conomon accessions from China and Japan. "Dua thom" was classified into cluster V with landraces from Yunnan Province, China. The comparison of a RAPD profile with 291 melon accessions from Africa and Asia clearly showed that "Dua thom" and Yunnanese landraces were closely related with the small-seed type melons from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. The other four types were related closely with Conomon and Agrestis accessions from China, Korea, and Japan, indicating their involvement in the differentiation and establishment of the Conomon group in East Asia.

We used a complete set of Allium fistulosum -shallot ( A. cepa Aggregatum group) monosomic addition lines (FF+1A -FF+8A) to identify shallot chromosomes affecting the production of sugars. In the alien addition lines grown over two years in an experimental field at Yamaguchi University (34 ° N, 131 ° E), shallot chromosomes 2A and 8A altered sugar contents in leaf-bunching onion ( A. fistulosum ). Except for FF+2A, every monosomic addition accumulated nonreducing sugars in winter leaf blades. FF+8A caused an increase in the amounts of non-reducing sugars in the winter. FF+2A hardly produced non-reducing sugar throughout the two-year study. These results indicated that genes related to non-reducing sugar metabolism are located on the 2A and 8A chromosomes. The results of regression analyses using 2002 data on A. fistulosum and the monosomic addition set revealed a correlation (r = 0.63 ± 0.07; mean ± SE., n = 9) between reducing sugar and monosaccharide (Glc+Fru) contents but no correlation between non-reducing sugar and sucrose contents. This result indicates the existence of other polysaccharides (e.g., scorodose) as non-reducing sugars in the leaf blade.

First and second backcrosses of amphidiploid hybrids (2 n = 4 x = 32, genomes AAFF) between shallot ( Allium cepa Aggregatum group) and A. fistulosum were conducted to produce A. cepa -A. fistulosum alien addition lines. When shallot ( A. cepa Aggregatum group) was used as a pollinator, the amphidiploids and allotriploids set germinable BC 1 and BC 2 seeds, respectively. The 237 BC 1 plants mainly consisted of 170 allotriploids (2 n = 3 x = 24, AAF) and 42 hypo-allotriploids possessing 23 chromosomes, i.e., single-alien deletions (2 n = 3 x-1 = 23, AAFnF). The single-alien deletions in the BC 1 progeny showed dwarfing characteristics and were discriminated from the allotriploids (2 n = 24) and hyper-allotriploids (2 n = 25) by means of flow cytometric analysis. The chromosome numbers of 46 BC 2 seedlings varied from 16 to 24. Eight monosomic additions (2 n = 2 x +1 = 17, AA+nF) and 20 single-alien deletions were found in these BC 2 seedlings. Consequently, six kinds of A. cepa -A. fistulosum alien chromosome additions possessing different chromosome numbers (2 n = 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23) were recognized in the BC 1 and BC 2 populations. A total of 79 aneuploids, including 62 single-alien deletions, were analyzed by a chromosome 6F-specific isozyme marker ( Got-2 ) in order to recognize its existence in their chromosome complements. This analysis revealed that two out of 62 single-alien deletions did not possess 6F. One (AAF-6F) out of the possible eight single-alien deletions could be identified at first. The present study is a first step toward the development of a useful tool, such as a complete set of eight different single-alien deletions, for the rapid chromosomal assignment of genes and genetic markers in A. fistulosum .

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Shallot landraces and varieties are considered an important genetic resource for Allium breeding due to their high contents of several functional metabolites. Aiming to provide new genetic materials for the development of a novel bulb onion cultivar derived from intraspecific hybrids with useful agronomic traits from shallots, the metabolic profiles in the bulbs of 8 Indonesian shallot landraces and 7 short-day and 3 long-day bulb onion cultivars were established using LC–Q-TOF-MS/MS. Principal component analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and dendrogram clustering analysis showed two major groups; group I contained all shallot landraces and group II contained all bulb onion cultivars, indicating that shallots exhibited a distinct metabolic profile in comparison with bulb onions. Variable importance in the projection and Spearman’s rank correlation indicated that free and conjugated amino acids, flavonoids (especially metabolites having flavonol aglycone), and anthocyanins, as well as organic acids, were among the top metabolite variables that were highly associated with shallot landraces. The absolute quantification of 21 amino acids using conventional HPLC analysis showed high contents in shallots rather than in bulb onions. The present study indicated that shallots reprogrammed their metabolism toward a high accumulation of amino acids and flavonoids as an adaptive mechanism in extremely hot tropical environments.

To develop the bunching onion (Allium fistulosum L.; genomes, FF) chromosomespecific genetic markers for identifying extra chromosomes, eight shallot (A. cepa L. Aggregatum group; genomes, AA) -A. fistulosum monosomic addition plants (AA+nF) and 62 shallot -A. fistulosum single-alien deletion plants (AAF-nF) were analyzed by 23 different chromosome-specific genetic markers of shallot. The eight monosomic addition plants consisted of one AA+2F, two AA+6F, and five AA+8F. Of the 62 single-alien deletion plants, 60 could be identified as six different single-alien deletion lines (AAF-1F, -3F, -4F, -6F, -7F, and -8F) out of the eight possible types. Several single-alien deletion lines were classified on the basis of leaf and bulb characteristics. AAF-8F had the largest number of expanded leaves of five deletion plants. AAF-7F grew most vigorously, as expressed by its long leaf blade and biggest bulb size. AAF-4F had very small bulbs. AAF-7F and AAF-8F had different bulbs from those of shallot as well as other types of single-alien deletion lines in skin and outer scale color. Regarding the sugar content of the bulb tissues, the single-alien deletion lines showed higher fructan content than shallot. Moreover, shallot could not produce fructan with degree of polymerization (DP) 12 or higher, although the single-alien deletion lines showed DP 20 or higher. The content of S-alk(en)yl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (ACSO) in the single-alien deletion lines was significantly lower than that in shallot. These results indicated that chromosomes from A. fistulosum might carry anonymous factors to increase the highly polymerized fructan production and inhibit the synthesis of ACSO in shallot bulbs. Accordingly, alien chromosomes from A. fistulosum in shallot would contribute to modify the quality of shallot bulbs.

Microalgae species, such as Amphiprora alata, Chaetoceros muelleri, Nannochloropsis oculata, Navicula tuscula and Chlorella vulgaris from mangrove area of Xuan Thuy National Park are usually used as food sources for fishes, shrimps and bivalves and very environment friendly. The samples of these microalgae were enriched, isolated and purified in F/2 medium with salinity of 20%. The purifed colonies were cultured in media with different salinity in 14 days to find out the most optimal medium for the best growth as well as the stage yielding maximum living mass. These microalgae were then cultured in their optimal media at salinity of 25% until they reached their maximum living mass stage. They were cultivated and analyzed of their fatty acid, protein carbonhydrate components and percentages. The research has identified 24 fatty acids in 5 phytoplankton species. Unsaturated fatty acids components of Chaetoceros muelleri, Nannochloropsis oculata are the highest (76,35% and 71,17%), and fatty acid components of are medium Chlorella vulgaris and Amphiprora alata (59,24% and 52,21%), meanwhile, Navicula tuscula has 29.56% of unsaturated fatty acids.  Amphiprora alata and Chlorella vulgaris have protein content of 8.1g per 100g dry weight and 4.44g per 100g dry weight accordingly. Carbohydrate content of Nannochloropsis oculata and Navicula tuscula are 11.8g per 100g dry weight and 5.47g per 100g dry weight, respectively.