The 2C nuclear DNA content has been estimated by flow cytometry in 18 species and botanical forms of the genus Lupinus (family Fabaceae), using propidium iodide as a fluorescent dye. They represented distinct infrageneric taxonomic groups and differed in somatic chromosome numbers. Estimated 2C DNA values ranged from 0.97 pg in L. princei to 2.44 pg in L. luteus, which gives a more than 2.5-fold variation. Statistical analysis of the data obtained resulted in a grouping that supports the generally accepted taxonomic classification of the Old World lupins. The rough-seeded L. princei turned out to be an interesting exception, getting closer to smooth-seeded species. Results of DNA content analyses are discussed with regards to the phylogenetic relationships among the Old World lupins and some aspects of the evolution of the genus.

Several grass species of the genus Miscanthus are considered to be outstanding candidates for a sustainable production of biomass to generate renewable energy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of genotype, the developmental stage of the explant donor inflorescence and the induction medium on the success rate of micropropagation. The experiments were conducted on three genotypes of M. sinensis and one of M. x giganteus. Explants from the youngest inflorescences (0.1-2.5 cm in length) showed a significantly higher callus induction rate than those from more developed inflorescences (2.6-5 cm in length). In addition, cultures initiated from explants from the youngest inflorescences showed significantly the highest rates of callus regeneration and the highest shoot regeneration rate.

Quantitative trait loci for yield, yield components and seed protein content were investigated on the basis of experiments performed with two populations of pea (Pisum sativum L.) lines derived from linked crosses between lines Wt11238, Wt3557 and Wt10245 with contrasting characteristics. The yield-related traits were defined as components giving the grain yield in a multiplicative way. The aim was to clarify the genetic architecture of the relation between seed yield, its components and protein content, with a possible inclusion of the role of epistasis in this explanation. To take full advantage of the availability of the two populations, additive QTL effects and both types of epistasis were analysed: the QTL by genetic background interaction and the first-order QTL-QTL interaction. The two hybrid populations differed with respect to the prevailing gene action, which in the Wt11238 9 Wt3557 progeny was mainly additive, while in the Wt10245 9 Wt11238 progeny mainly epistatic. Some loci with previously reported, large, repeatable, but contradictory effects on yield and protein content were confirmed. New loci with alleles coming from the protein-rich Wt11238 line, positive for yield components, were identified. It was found that the first order QTL-QTL interaction events were more frequent for the loci showing the QTL by genetic background interaction.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the genetic distances (GD) and phenotypic distances (PD) of parents and the specific combining ability (SCA) and heterosis effects. The experiment comprised 18 parental genotypes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and 76 F 2 hybrids, obtained after crossing in a line 9 tester scheme. Parents and hybrids were examined in a field experiment conducted in a block design with three replications. SCA as well as mid-parent heterosis effects were estimated for selected morphological and technological traits. PDs and GDs were investigated between pairs of parental genotypes. GD between parental genotypes was evaluated by using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA markers. Heterosis was observed in all hybrids, and protein content exhibited the highest heterosis among the seven examined traits. The relationship between PD and GD as well as the SCA and mid-parent heterosis effects were evaluated using correlation coefficient. The correlation between PD, SCA and heterosis were low and not significant for the examined traits, whereas the correlation between SCA, heterosis and GDs were significant for protein content and rheological properties. The results indicate that GDs between parents can be used to predict performance of hybrids for selected technological traits.

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White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) has unexploited potential as a crop plant due to its high seed yield as well as protein and oil content in seeds. Wellcharacterized collections of gene resources are very important for breeding as a source of genetic variation. This paper presents the results of analyses for total content and qualitative composition of alkaloids in seeds of 367 L. albus accessions from the Polish Genebank. Accessions were divided into four classes of origin: wild collected material, land races, breeding lines, and cultivars. Apart from the expected broad variation as well as strong differentiation in the alkaloid content, a clear influence of domestication was observed. This was shown as an apparent decrease in the alkaloid content in breeding lines and cultivars classes. The total alkaloid content varies from 0.02 to 12.73% of the seed dry weight. Six major alkaloids (abundance [1%) were revealed: lupanine (28.22-94.49%, mean 76.06% in total content), 13-hydroxylupanine (0.10-32.78%, mean 8.23%), multiflorine (0.00-21.67%, mean 5.52%), albine (0.00-18.55%, mean 4.48%), angustifoline (0.24-12.14%, mean 2.07%), 11,12-seco-12,13-didehydromultiflorine (0.00-12.28%, mean 1.74%). Owing to its abundance, lupanine was found to be the most closely correlated to the total alkaloid content.

Alkaloids represent the main antinutritional factor in lupins. The total content and qualitative composition of four major alkaloids in L. angustifolius L. were analyzed. The material included 329 accessions from the Polish collection divided into three classes of origin: wild lines, cultivars, and other manmade accessions. A very broad differentiation was found in terms of total alkaloid content-from 0.0005 to 2.8752 % of seed dry weight. In most cases, cultivars were characterized by a sharply decreased content of alkaloids, even below 0.01 % of seed dry weight. The average proportions of individual alkaloids were also very differentiated: lupanine-0.98 to 73.0 % of total alkaloid content (mean 46.4 %), 13-hydroxylupanine-15.6-71.1 % (mean 35.6 %), angustifoline-0-49.8 % (mean 15.5 %) and isolupanine-0-34.0 % (mean 2.5 %). The above mean values are probably typical for this species. In some accessions, lupanine and 13-hydroxylupanine accounted for 90-100 % of all major alkaloids. The average content of isolupanie (2.5 % of all alkaloids) allows it to be consider a major alkaloid of L. angustifolius, but quite frequently a ratio below 1 % or even its absence was stated. The three classes of origin were divided into three significantly different groups based on total alkaloid content as well as individual alkaloid content. Among wild lines, high alkaloid accessions were most numerous, but among cultivars it was low alkaloid accessions. The last class also contained numerous accessions with the lowest content of individual alkaloids. The influence of the content of individual alkaloids on total alkaloid content was also investigated in the wild lines and cultivars.

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