Identification of simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that are associated with the nectariless trait of Gossypium hirsutum L

Abstract

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) has nectar containing modified stomates called nectaries that can be located on leaves, bracts or calyces. The nectar attracts some beneficial insects such as bees, but also predatory damaging insects such as heliothines and Lygus species. There is a naturally occurring mutation that eliminates the nectar containing nectaries and makes the cotton plants less attractive to insects. The nectariless (ne) trait is associated with a double recessive mutation of two genes (ne1 and ne2) on homeologous chromosomes 12 and 26. Expression of the trait can be variable and is also affected by environmental conditions. This makes accurately selecting for the trait based on phenotype difficult. This study identified SSR and SNP markers that can be used by breeders for marker assisted selection (MAS) of the nectariless trait. DNA markers associated with the genes conditioning the trait and used for MAS, will allow cotton cultivars to be easily developed that have decreased attractiveness to insects and reduce the need for insecticides, especially those harmful to beneficial insects such as honeybees.

Increasing crop field size does not consistently exacerbate insect pest problems

“…Larger fields create colonization challenges not only for predators but also for herbivores that may overwinter in other habitats. Moreover, shortages of nectar and pollen resources may not only impact predators but also the generalist pests that utilize these resources (e.g., 51 ).…”

Leveraging National Germplasm Collections to Determine Significantly Associated Categorical Traits in Crops: Upland and Pima Cotton as a Case Study

“…Across the three-group comparison, there were only three shared associations: ‘ bract nectaries:boll nectaries ’, ‘ leaf hair:stem hair ’, and ‘ lint color:seed fuzz color ’ ( Figure 6A ). Breeders are concerned about nectaries due to their role in attracting insects, which often act as pests during production of cotton, given its capacity for self-pollination ( Rudgers et al, 2004 ; Frelichowski and Percy, 2015 ; Zeng et al, 2018 ; Park et al, 2021 ). Here we use the names for nectary states as shown in Figure 7A .…”

Exploring the Role of WRKY Transcription Factor in the Growth and Development of Bletilla striata based on Bioinformatics Analysis

“…BsWRKY16 was located in chloroplasts with seven restriction sites, and also had cis-acting elements related to avonoid synthesis, suggesting that BsWRKY16 was involved in regulating the synthesis of plant secondary metabolites. Previous studies have shown that WRKY is also involved in the synthesis of terpenoids and played a key regulatory role (Park et al, 2021). BsWRKY14 and BsWRKY29 played a role in mitochondria.…”