The true characterization of elite germplasm is of utmost importance for accelerating the crop breeding programme. The Indian dolichos bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) var. typicus Prain] has the potential to improve nutritional and food security. In the present investigation, a total of 21 genotypes of dolichos bean, comprising local collections mainly, along with one standard check (Kashi Sheetal) were evaluated in a complete randomized block design with three replications for two consecutive years, 2021–22 to 2022–23 for the perusal of the genetic variability. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among all the genotypes for all the characters. PCV and GCV estimates revealed very little influence of environment on the expression of traits under study. High heritability (>90%) estimates coupled with high genetic advance as a percent of the mean were observed for flower attributes, pod length, average weight of 10 pods, pod yield and protein content. The principal component analysis revealed that the first two components cumulatively accounted for more than 50% of total variability. The present investigation revealed that the genotypes, RLBDL-S-8, RLBDL-S-14 and RLBDL-S-4-5 were stable across the years and genotype RLBDL-S-8 exhibited the highest yield potential, which can be used effectively in the development of high yielding varieties of dolichos bean in the Bundelkhand region. The study also revealed the presence of wide genetic variability in the studied local accessions which is a prerequisite for the genetic improvement of crop plants. High heritability and genetic advancement indicated the scope of selection in the crop improvement.

Water stress conditions have occurred in the past in various places of the world, affecting the yield and production of numerous crops, including wheat. The aim of this research was to estimate standard heterosis under two different water regimes for grain yield and its attributes in 33 crosses, which were obtained by crossing 11 lines and 3 testers in a Line × Tester mating design. The best cross combinations for yield and contributing traits under irrigated condition were C4, C8, C33, C24, and C23, compared to both checks HD2967 and PBW660. Whereas, in rainfed condition, C18, C14, C26, C21, and C20 crosses were superior to the checks. For both irrigated and rainfed conditions, the best cross combinations identified were C29, C15, C32, C2, and C31. As a result, these cross combinations could be used in wheat breeding programmes to improve bread wheat genotypes for increased grain yield, agro-morphological features, and water stress tolerance. The presence of high heterosis for yield-contributing traits not only aids in the development of hybrids by exploiting heterosis but also in the production of transgressive segregants to develop elite lines.

Horseradish is a crop grown for its edible underground parts. The development of new cultivars is hindered by the species' predominant vegetative reproduction, making it essential to evaluate locally cultivated accessions to identify new types suitable for cultivation. To this end, 11 horseradish accessions from family vegetable gardens in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy were examined using 26 qualitative and six quantitative morphological descriptors and characterized by the five major glucosinolates (GSLs) present in the rhizome compared to a reference cultivar. A wide range of variability was observed for the considered qualitative morphological traits. The rhizome's top and basal diameters were 9.9 and 6.2 cm, respectively, with an average fresh weight of 521 g. Total GSL content ranged between 79.5 and 133.5 μmol/g dry weight (DW), with sinigrin (SIN) being the primary component at an average content of 110.0 μmol/g DW. Differences among the investigated accessions were noted for quantitative traits describing their productive features and for GSL content. A positive correlation was discovered between the biometric traits of the plant's underground parts and the SIN and total GSL content, suggesting a link between the quality and yield of the edible product. According to the multivariate analysis, accessions were grouped into three main clusters: the largest of the reference cultivar and the majority of accessions with similar productive and qualitative traits; another featuring two with good qualitative and productive characteristics. The investigated accessions proved to be a valuable germplasm source for cultivating the species.

The morphological traits of alfalfa under acid soil conditions with different mobile aluminium (Al) concentrations were investigated. The study site was Vėžaičiai Branch of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, 55°70 N, 21°49 E. The experiment featuring the 30 most Al-tolerant alfalfa accessions (populations and cultivars), determined from laboratory trials was established on a Bathygleyic Dystric Retisol in 2018. In 2019 and 2020, the biological and morphological traits were evaluated: plant regrowth, plant height before flowering, wintering, leafiness, stem thickness, plant vigour, stem density, seed yield and resistance to spring black stem leaf spot. The resistance of alfalfa to mobile Al toxicity was determined using a filter-based screening method of selection cycles C1 and C2. The accessions grown in the soil with mobile Al (20.6–23.4 mg/kg) showed better tolerance to Al toxicity in the cycle C2. The hypocotyl tolerance index of these accessions was better at 8, 16, 32 and 64 mm AlCl3 concentrations in the cycle C2. The correlation analysis showed strong significant positive and negative relationships between the morphological traits. A cluster analysis showed that the accessions, grown in the soil with mobile Al (20.6–23.4 mg/kg) were the most resistant to Al toxicity in the cycle C2. These accessions produced a better seed yield and demonstrated lower values of morphological traits compared to cluster 2. Also, these accessions are considered as tolerant to mobile Al toxicity and might be used as donors in breeding for Al toxicity tolerance.

Drought stress negatively affects the cotton production all over the world. The negative impact of drought varies for different species due to some morphological and root attributes that help some species to better stand under drought. But the extent of disturbance varies for different cotton species. To find out such variation, two cotton species (Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium arboreum) were studied under normal and drought conditions for 2 years. Two genotypes for each species were included, i.e. PC-1 and COMILLA (G. arboreum) and IUB-13 and IUB-65 (G. hirsutum). The experiment was laid out under a completely randomized design following factorial arrangement. Genotype × treatment × year interaction of cotton genotypes was studied for different root, morphological, physiological and fibre-related traits. Traits such as above ground dry biomass, above ground fresh biomass, chlorophyll contents, leaf area, seed cotton yield, sympodial branches/plant, fibre strength and ginning out-turn were higher in G. hirsutum genotypes as compared to G. arboreum genotypes. However less reduction under drought in all above mentioned traits was recorded for G. arboreum, than G. hirsutum. Furthermore, root traits; primary root length, lateral root numbers, root fresh weight and root dry weight were enriched under drought condition in G. arboreum genotypes than in G. hirsutum genotypes, which is a clear manifestation of higher drought tolerance ability in G. arboreum genotypes transferrable to G. hirsutum genotypes through interspecific crossing or other means.

Development of core collection representing the diversity in the entire germplasm creates a better access and enhanced utilization of the main collection thus allowing rapid evaluation in crop improvement programs. Core collections are dynamic in nature and needs revisiting when additional germplasm and information becomes available. In the current study, an attempt was made to re-define the previously developed yam (Dioscorea spp) core collection using 56 morphological traits. Information on additional acquired germplasm and presence of duplicates or mislabelled accessions in the entire collection was also used. The re-defined core collection consisted of 843 accessions and represented about 20% of the entire collection. It included six Dioscorea species, of which accessions of Dioscorea rotundata are in the majority (73.54%) followed by Dioscorea alata (21.35%), Dioscorea bulbifera (1.66%), Dioscorea cayenensis (1.42%), Dioscorea dumetorum (1.42%) and Dioscorea esculenta (0.59%). The Shannon weaver diversity index and principal component analysis revealed the maximum diversity captured in the core from the base collection. This re-defined core collection is more valuable than the original core since it represents true-to-type accessions ensuring reliability for enhanced utilization of germplasm in yam improvement programs.

The genetic diversity of 39 clones of common reed originating from different geographical areas of Iran were evaluated using morphological and RAPD analyses. High level of morphological variation was observed among clones. The 16 primers used in this study amplified 149 scorable RAPD loci among which 123 were polymorphic (83.1%). A dendrogram was prepared on the basis of a similarity matrix of RAPD data using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) algorithm and separated the 39 clones into four groups, which mainly were in accordance with geographical origins. The results of the morphological comparison mostly corresponded with the results of RAPD analysis. It is possible that these variations among clones will affect successful management of common reed using chemical or the other methods of control.

An exploratory survey to phenotypically characterize indigenous chicken populations was carried out in Metekel zone of Northwestern Ethiopia in April 2013. A total of 69 males and 244 females were sampled to record their qualitative and quantitative traits. Eight quantitative and 16 qualitative variables were measured. Sampling included three districts representing different agroecological zones. Coefficient of variation for quantitative variables ranged from 6.38 to 52.37 percent in male sample populations and 4.59–21.4 percent in females. The chi-square tests for plumage colour of the neck, ear lobe colour and skeletal variant type were highly significant (χ 2 < 0.05). The correct classification percentage from discriminant analysis was 93.73 and 98.41 percent for male and female sample populations, respectively, indicating the homogeneity of the chicken populations within districts. The stepwise discriminant analysis identified five variables for male and three variables for female sample populations, which had the highest discriminating power. Canonical analyses showed that differences in body measurements between indigenous chicken populations were highly significant (P <0.0001). The results obtained from on-farm performance evaluation indicated that the average age at first lay of hens, number of chicks weaned and mean number of eggs laid per bird per year were 5.5 months, 6.5, 50.1, respectively. This information will constitute the basis for further characterization and development of conservation strategies for indigenous chicken populations of Northwestern Ethiopia.

The objective of this study was a morphological characterization of five Moroccan sheep breeds (Béni Guil, Boujaâd, D'man, Sardi and Timahdite) to assess between- and within-breed variability using multivariate analyses. Fourteen morphological measurements were collected on 876 adult animals of both sexes in 98 different flocks located in 22 geographic localities of five breeds. The multiple analysis of variance revealed that significant morphological differences existed between breeds. The overall proportion of total variance due to between-breed component was 28.3 percent. The factor analysis revealed three factors accounting for 50.1, 11.8 and 7.54 percent of total variance. The first factor had high loadings for variables relating to body size, whilst the second factor had high association with traits reflecting tail length and ear size. The third factor had high loadings for wool trait. The squared Mahalanobis distance between the five sheep breeds were highly significant (P < 0.001). The largest morphological divergence was shown between Béni Guil and Sardi breeds (23.5) and the smallest one was between Boujaâd and Sardi breeds (3.54). The discriminant functions clearly discriminated and assigned 94.4 percent of Béni Guil, 79.7 of Boujaâd, 88.5 percent of D'man, 86.7 of Sardi and 80.1 percent of Timahdite sheep into their breed of origin. Overall morphological differences observed within-breeds were due for 18.1 percent to geographic locality and for 20.7 percent to flock management. It was concluded that the information reported in this study will be the basis for the establishment of characterization and selection strategies for Moroccan sheep.

Brassica species have an economic and medicinal importance. Estimation of the amount and distribution of genetic diversity within Brassica species is essential for establishing efficient management, conservation and breeding practices. This review discusses the taxonomy, gene pool, and Brassica-derived phytochemicals and their nutraceutical importance. It also surveys the recently advanced studies of the genetic diversity and phylogenetic studies of Brassica species at the level of morphological, cytological, biochemical and molecular markers that have proven to be useful for evaluating the genetic variation, taxonomic relationships and species identity, and could be useful for improving Brassica crops through future promising breeding programmes.

Yams (Dioscorea spp.) are one of the main root and tuber crops in the world, especially within the species complex Dioscorea cayenensis/D. rotundata. Few studies have been conducted in Brazil with these species, including genetic diversity. The objective of this study was to characterize the genetic diversity of local varieties of D. cayenensis and D. rotundata using morphological and molecular markers, and provide information on the management and use of the crop by family farmers from different regions in Brazil. Thus, yam tubers were sampled from several municipalities in the South, Southeast and Northeast regions. Eighteen morphological traits and ten microsatellite loci were used to analyse 47 yam accessions (23 D. cayenensis and 24 D. rotundata). Species identification was carried out after field morphological evaluation. Spatial genetic analysis indicated significant structure among the local varieties, mostly between regions and species. Both cluster and Bayesian analyses showed a separation of the accessions into two distinct groups: group I with accessions originated from the Southeast region and group II with accessions originated from the Northeast region, while accessions from the South region were intermediate or included in either group. The results showed a separation between D. cayenensis and D. rotundata accessions in Brazil, and that D. cayenensis occurs predominantly in the Southeast region, while D. rotundata occurs in the Northeast region. Further studies with larger sampling would be welcome in order to confirm these findings. Also, this study highlights the importance of family farmers in the genetic diversity conservation of these species in Brazil.

Three individuals of small, young giant squid Architeuthis dux were caught in or near Japanese coastal waters during April–June 2013. The first occurrence of a young individual of 140.8 mm dorsal mantle length with a total weight of 44.81 g was recorded on the coast off Uchinoura, Kagoshima, Kyushu Island, southern Japan. The remaining two young individuals, both measuring 332.0 mm in dorsal mantle length with total weights of 390.63 and 356.95 g respectively, were caught on the coast off Hamada, Shimane, south-western Sea of Japan. Most morphological traits of all the specimens were consistent with those of A. dux, which was supported by further genetic analysis. Here we present some morphological traits of young giant squids with morphometric data and photographs.

The literature in recent times lacks adequate report on the utilization and genetic improvement programmes on Dioscorea dumetorum. Despite the wide application of this yam species in agriculture and medicine, it suffers neglect while other species are becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, it is pertinent to focus on research that will bring this species to the limelight. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ploidy levels, morphological traits and secondary metabolite profile of 53 accessions of D. dumetorum from six countries in West and Central Africa. Ploidy levels were determined using flow cytometry. Overall, 18 morphological traits were recorded from the above- and underground parts of the plant. The 53 accessions were subjected to statistical analyses using the data on ploidy levels, morphological traits and qualitative phytochemical screening. A total of 15 accessions from the generated clusters were selected for thin layer chromatographic and quantitative phytochemical analyses. The analyses revealed diploid (2x) and triploid (3x) levels in these accessions. The pruned dendrogram derived from agglomerative hierarchical clustering based on the distance matrix revealed three main groups, showing a relationship between sex and ploidy level in the accessions and exhibiting sufficient cluster variability that may be important in designing breeding programmes. The crop was also shown to possess metabolites such as alkaloids, saponins and flavonoids, which are known to be useful in the application of phytomedicine. Genetic variability observed among the yam accessions in this study can be used for breeding purposes and to broaden the genetic basis of the crop for efficient utilization of the genetic potential possessed by this species.

Nowadays, the fibre diameter (FD) is considered the main selection objective in alpaca populations all over the world. International Committee for Animal Recording recommendations define the FD and its CV as the first two traits to be considered in breeding programmes for this specie. In addition to these main criteria, other selection criteria of economic value used are comfort factor (CF) or standard deviation (s.d.); also other less important traits being used as selection objectives are these morphological traits: density (DE), crimp (CR) or lock structure (LS) for, respectively, Huacaya (HU) and Suri (SU) ecotypes, head (HE), coverage (CO) and balance (BA). The goal of this study was to establish how to implement a combined selection index starting from genetic parameters and to study the expected correlation between genetic trends by considering different alternative procedures of weighting all the involved traits, and the consequences of a wrongly proceeding way. Heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated from the data set belonging to the PACOMARCA experimental farm for SU and HU. Two approaches were used to check the consequences of a set of subjective weights essayed. The coefficients of selection indexes were obtained for two sets of reference weights. In addition, equivalent weights were drawn if applied those reference values as coefficients of hypothetical selection indexes directly on phenotypes; relative expected genetic responses were computed in different cases. Results showed that almost in all cases for both ecotypes, the weight applied to CF should be surprisingly negative. Concerning genetic responses, only CO was compromised in some cases for the HU ecotype. The essayed methodology allowed explaining the differences between ecotypes in the genetic trends. The proposed methodology was shown to be effective to study the relative importance of the traits granted by the manager of a breeding scheme.

In this paper, we describe variations among autochthonous olive cultivars from five different areas in Basilicata (Southern Italy) classified according to 33 chemical oil components and morphological traits. While all examined descriptors show no significant differences among cultivars, means and coefficients of variations have been highlighted. Principal component analysis has then been used to reduce the number of descriptors. Cultivars have been classified by cluster analysis into three groups. Following a discussion of cultivar group similarities, results suggest that an ‘a priori’ classification of cultivars according to growing area does not strictly correspond to phenotypic grouping. From the spatial distribution of cultivars, however, it has been possible to identify ‘superior’ genotypes in terms of olive oil composition.

Woad (Isatis tinctoria L.) was the most important source of natural blue indigo, a pigment used mainly for dyestuff until the beginning of the 20th century, when the increased use of synthetic dyes by the industry lead to a decrease in the interest of natural dyes and to the abandonment of dye crops. The aim of this study was to characterize, according to morphological and agronomical traits, 11 woad accessions from different countries and to quantify the indigo precursor content by high-performance liquid chromatograph-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Qualitative traits revealed a low variability and a great variation was observed in quantitative traits. Principal component analysis (PCA) diagrams divided the accessions into four groups, primarily according to their geographic origin. The first three components of the PCA accounted for 76.8% of the total variation. Reciprocal interactions between indigo precursors and fresh leaf weight were compared through genetic diversity, with significant differences in isatan B (0.5–5.1 g/kg), indoxyl (0.3–2.0 g/kg) and residual indigo (0.3–0.5 g/kg). This information, together with genetic data, can be used to assist local farmers to re-introduce Isatis species in the European agricultural system, not only indicating the higher indigo yielding genotypes, but also the most suitable harvest time.

Germplasm molecular and phenotypic characterization is instrumental to its utilization and to genetic variability incorporation into rice breeding programmes. The diversity within 192 Japanese rice accessions was analysed for 22 agro-morphological traits and 24 single sequence repeat markers. A total of 181 alleles were detected, 38 of which were exclusive. The number of alleles/marker ranged from 2 to 16, with an average of 7.54 alleles/locus and the He value ranged from 0.01 to 0.82, with an average of 0.46. The accessions showed diversity at molecular and phenotypic level and few showed also good agronomic performance. Tocher's method applied on a total-dissimilarity matrix was used to determine cluster formation of 13 diversity groups. Most of the accessions (81%) were clustered within a group, whereas eight accessions (Kyuushuu, Eika Ine, Ishiwari Mochi, Col/Fukui/1965, Ookuma Nishiki, Suzume Shirazu, Iwate Ryoon and Toga) did not cluster with other accessions.

The morphological characterisation and data analysis of germplasm accessions of wild Portuguese Lavandula luisieri (Rozeira) Rivas-Martínez from the southern Beira Interior region of central eastern Portugal are described. The study, based on seeds and cultivated plants, was conducted in 2005, 2006 and 2008 among populations selected from four sites (I, II, III and IV). Quantitative and qualitative phenotypic data relating to a set of 35 morphological traits were analysed using canonical discriminant analysis. Genetic similarity among accessions was assessed using amplified fragment length polymorphism molecular markers. The traits contributing most to the variability among studied populations were related to plant density, leaf colour, seed weight and various spike and flower characteristics. Plant populations from each of the four test sites were statistically distinct, exhibiting unique characteristics when compared with one another; however, populations from Sites II, III and IV showed greater genetic similarity and differed substantially from the population of Site I. Altitude and temperature were found to be the most significant environmental variables influencing plant traits, yet the morphological variability of L. luisieri was also influenced by soil pH levels, suggesting that the expressed variability is not only a result of genetic characteristics but also of existing ecological conditions.

In tropical forests, trees compete not only with other trees, but also with lianas, which may limit tree growth and regeneration. Liana effects may depend on the availability of above- and below-ground resources and differ between tree species. We conducted a shade house experiment to test the effect of light (4% and 35% full sun, using neutral-density screen) on the competitive interactions between seedlings of one liana (Byttneria grandifolia) and three tree species (two shade-tolerant trees, Litsea dilleniifolia and Pometia tomentosa, and one light-demanding tree, Bauhinia variegata) and to evaluate the contribution of both above- and below-ground competition. Trees were grown in four competition treatments with the liana: no competition, root competition, shoot competition and root and shoot competition. Light strongly affected leaf photosynthetic capacity (light-saturated photosynthetic rate, Pn), growth and most morphological traits of the tree species. Liana-induced competition resulted in reduced Pn, total leaf areas and relative growth rates (RGR) of the three tree species. The relative importance of above- and below-ground competition differed between the two light levels. In low light, RGR of the three tree species was reduced more strongly by shoot competition (23.1–28.7% reduction) than by root competition (5.3–26.4%). In high light, in contrast, root competition rather than shoot competition greatly reduced RGR. Liana competition affected most morphological traits (except for specific leaf area and leaf area ratio of Litsea and Pometia), and differentially altered patterns of biomass allocation in the tree seedlings. These findings suggest that competition from liana seedlings can greatly suppress growth in tree seedlings of both light-demanding and shade-tolerant species and those effects differ with competition type (below- and above-ground) and with irradiance.

An assessment of morphological variation among 70 accessions of greater yam (Dioscorea alata L.) collected throughout Malaysia was made. Data of 47 morphological variables measured from the accessions were subjected to multivariate analysis using principal component (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). The PCA results indicated that the characters contributing largely to the species variability were those related to the shape, size and flesh colour of underground tubers; shape and colour of aerial tubers; position, shape, size and vein colour of the leaves; petiole colour; shoot growth rate; and number of days for shoots to germinate. The two-dimensional plot of the first two PCs showed a separation between accessions of purple tuber groups and those of white tuber groups, but was unable to distinguish accessions according to tuber shape groups, i.e. irregular, oblong and round, as revealed by visual observation. The dendrogram of CA revealed four major groups of D. alata in Malaysia, which supported the PCA grouping. This study demonstrated that D. alata in Malaysia consists of numerous genotypes revealing wide inter- and intra-group variability.