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  • Author or Editor: Christopher S. Cramer x
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The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System is one of the world's largest national genebank networks focusing on preserving the genetic diversity of plants by acquiring, preserving, evaluating, documenting, and distributing crop-related germplasm to researchers worldwide. Maintaining viable germplasm collections is essential to world food security but comes at a cost. Redundancy within the collection can incur needless expense and occurs as a result of donations of similar material under different names from different donors. Alternatively, similarly named accessions from different donors can actually be genetically distinct. We evaluated 35 short-day onion (Allium cepa) accessions using microsatellite and targeted region amplified polymorphic (TRAP) molecular markers to compare newly acquired germplasm with existing accessions in the collection to determine differences and redundancies and to compare the use of each marker type in distinguishing the onion accessions. Both marker types distinguished differences and found similarities, but the results did not always agree. TRAP markers found one of the Italian Torpedo entries to be different, whereas the 10 microsatellite loci analyzed found no differences. In contrast, microsatellite analysis found all three Red Grano entries to be different, whereas TRAP analysis distinguished only one accession. The eight White Grano entries were separated into four groups by microsatellite markers and five groups by the TRAP markers. Discriminating among closely related accessions using molecular markers can require a large number of random marker loci, especially when differences may be limited to a single trait. TRAP markers were more efficient, uncovering ≈10 random polymorphic loci per primer pair, whereas microsatellite markers each uncovered differences at a single locus.

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Mussaenda, a floriferous woody ornamental from the Philippines, is being investigated as a novel flowering potted crop in the United States. One drawback to the development of Mussaenda has been the poor asexual propagation during the winter months. Micropropegation offers an alternative to asexual propagation and allows a constant supply of clonal cuttings throughout the year.

Cultures of the cultivar, 'Doña Luz', were established in vitro on a Murashige and Skoog salts media with 100mg myo-inositol/L, 0.4mg thimaine KCl/L, 30g sucrose/L, and 7g agar/L at pH 5.8. Individual aseptic shoot tips were transferred to proliferation media to determine the optimum micropropagation medium. The proliferation media had the same basic medium components as previously described with six levels of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), two levels of napthelene acetic acid (NAA), and two levels of adenine sulphate. The levels of BAP were 0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, and 40.0 μM. NAA was used at 0 and 1.0 μM while the levels of adenine sulphate were 0 and 217 μM.

Excellent shoot proliferation was noticed with preliminary experiments using the medium containing 10 μM BAP and 217 μM adenine sulphate. In addition, root production was observed in preliminary studies with a basal MS medium. Further results from the factorial experiments described will be discussed.

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Identification of resistant cultivars offers the best control for Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV), a new onion disease vectored by Thrips tabaci. In this study, 18 spring-seeded onion cultivars were screened for IYSV. Each alternate plot in the field was planted with infected bulbs from the previous year to serve as a source of virus inoculum and thrips. With increased thrips population and temperature over time, straw-colored, necrotic lesions typical to IYSV infection were observed on plant leaves. Plants were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay to confirm the IYSV infection and determine the virus titer. Ten randomly selected plants from each plot were rated for IYSV symptoms on a scale of 1 to 9, with 1 representing no symptomatic tissue and 9 representing more than 50% tissue damage. Starting 1 June, disease ratings were collected each week until 13 July. Nearly all cultivars showed similar disease symptoms when rated on 1 June. By 29 June, NMSU 03-52-1 exhibited some tolerance to IYSV as fewer symptoms were observed. By 13 July, NMSU 03-52-1 exhibited fewer disease symptoms than most of the other cultivars tested, while `Caballero' showed the highest IYSV symptoms. All other cultivars showed low to high susceptibility for IYSV. The increase in disease severity was accompanied by a relative increase in the virus titer of plants over time. However, virus titer poorly correlated with the amount of disease symptoms in different cultivars. The most tolerant cultivar, NMSU 03-52-1, had higher virus titer than many susceptible cultivars but still performed well. Conversely, some cultivars with low virus titer were susceptible and developed more symptoms. This indicates a difference in the capabilities of different cultivars to resist IYSV.

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Onion growers in New Mexico often withhold irrigation for overwintered onion varieties during the months of December and January. This study was initiated to determine if this deficit irrigation program is detrimental to onion bulb quality. Twelve short- and intermediate-day onion cultivars, which differed in their maturity, were seeded in Sept. 2004 in Las Cruces, N.M. Once plants were established, 12 plots of each cultivar were not irrigated during the months of December and January (dry treatment), while the same number of plots was irrigated during these months (wet treatment). Once a plot had 80% of the plants with tops down, all bulbs were harvested, cured, and data on date of harvesting, bulb diameter, bulb height, firmness rating, number of centers, scale number, and scale thickness of first and third fleshy layers were collected. For most of the bulb traits measured, there was no difference between the two irrigation treatments for the cultivars tested. For the earliest-maturing cultivars, bulbs grown in the dry treatment had on average more fleshy scale layers than the bulbs grown in the wet treatment. For later-maturing cultivars, bulbs grown in the dry treatment had more growing points (centers) per bulb than the bulbs grown in the wet treatment. For the latest-maturing cultivars, average fleshy scale layer thickness was greater for bulbs grown in the dry treatment. From this work, a winter deficit irrigation program appears to be detrimental to the percentage of single-center bulbs for later-maturing, autumn-sown onion cultivars.

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Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman)–vectored Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) causes the disease Iris yellow spot (IYS), which is a major threat to the sustainability of onion production worldwide. An increase in thrips resistance to various insecticides, high costs, and the limited efficacy of insecticides under hot and drier conditions found in various onion-growing regions restrict grower’s options for effective control of thrips and spread of IYSV. Because cultivars resistant to thrips and IYS are lacking, this study was undertaken to measure selection progress for IYS resistance after one selection cycle. In 2009, selections were performed on previously evaluated New Mexico State University (NMSU) breeding lines that showed some reduced IYS disease symptoms, and the selected plants self-pollinated the following year. In 2011 and 2012, plants from the original and selected populations along with a susceptible check, ‘Rumba’, were evaluated under field conditions when onion thrips and IYSV were present. Plants were rated for IYS disease severity and the number of thrips per plant was recorded three times during the study in each year. First-generation material, NMSU 10-776, NMSU 10-782, NMSU 10-785, NMSU 10-807, and NMSU 10-813, had fewer thrips number per plant, lower disease severity, and disease incidence than their original breeding lines on at least one or two rating times in both years. Some first-generation breeding lines performed better with a lower thrips number and disease severity than their original population in 1 year or the other. Most entries exhibited fewer thrips, lower IYS disease severity, and less incidence than the susceptible check ‘Rumba’ at most rating times. Overall, some progress was observed in this first-generation material for reduced IYS disease symptom expression when compared with their original populations.

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Current onion varieties that are grown in New Mexico were developed for hand harvesting and not for mechanical harvesting. In order for onion production in New Mexico to remain a viable commodity, firmer onion varieties need to be developed for mechanical harvesting. In this study, bulb firmness of onions was examined in short and intermediate-day onion entries comparing a qualitative `finger pressure' method with a digital FFF-series durometer. After harvesting and curing of the onion bulbs, dry outer scales were removed before durometer measurements were taken at two perpendicular points on the vertical center axis of the bulb. Following the durometer measurements, bulb firmness was rated by `finger pressure' applied to multiple points on the vertical center axis. For intermediate and late-maturing entries, durometer measurements and firmness rating were positively correlated in a strong fashion (r = 0.77 to 0.87). Early maturing entries, NMSU 02-25 and NMSU 02-03 both had high durometer averages and firmness ratings. `NuMex Crimson' and `NuMex Crispy' had the highest durometer averages and firmness ratings among intermediate maturing entries while `NuMex Solano' and NMSU 01-06 had the highest among late maturing entries. From our results, the durometer can be useful in providing a quantifiable measure of bulb firmness.

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New Mexico onion production will begin using mechanical harvesters in the near future in order to stay competitive in today's market. Past onion breeding objectives have focused on improving onions for hand harvesting instead of mechanical harvesting. Our breeding program is starting to evaluate germplasm for bulb firmness. The objectives of this study were to evaluate hybrid lines for their bulb firmness, to compare two methods of measuring bulb firmness, and to compare bulb firmness using two different production schemes. Bulb firmness of spring-transplanted and spring-seeded intermediate-day hybrid breeding lines was measured using a digital FFF-series durometer and a subjective rating of firmness achieved by squeezing bulbs. Bulbs were rated on a scale of 1 (soft) to 9 (hard). In general, these hybrid lines produced very firm to hard onions whether the lines were transplanted or direct-seeded. Bulb firmness of these lines measured with the durometer was greater when the lines were direct-seeded (74.9) than when transplanted (73.5). Conversely, when firmness was measured with our subjective rating, transplanted onions exhibited slightly greater firmness (8.9) than direct-seeded onions (8.8). For both transplanted and direct-seeded onions, durometer readings were weakly correlated in a positive fashion with our subjective rating. In general, durometer readings gave a greater spread in firmness measurements with a range of 69.6 to 77.8 in firmness values. Subjective ratings of bulb firmness ranged from 8.5 to 9.0. Depending on the firmness of evaluated breeding lines, our subjective rating system should be adjusted to better distinguish firmness differences between bulbs.

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Plant breeders often measure selection progress for yield by measuring the hybrid performance (combining ability) of a breeding line. This information is used to develop breeding lines with higher combining ability. The objectives of this study were to measure the specific combining ability for yield traits over three selection cycles from four slicing cucumber populations with `Poinsett 76', a popular slicing cucumber cultivar; and to determine the change in specific combining ability for yield traits in four populations improved through recurrent selection. Four slicing cucumber populations, North Carolina wide base slicer (NCWBS), medium base slicer (NCMBS), elite slicer 1 (NCES 1), and Beit Alpha 1 (NCBA1), were developed and improved through modified half-sib selection from 1983 to 1992 to improve yield per se and fruit quality in each population. Eleven families were randomly selected from each of three selection cycles (early, intermediate, advanced) from each population and were hybridized to `Poinsett 76'. Twenty-three seeds from each cross were planted in 1.2-m plots in Spring and Summer 1995. When 10% of fruit were oversized (>50 mm in diameter), plants were sprayed with paraquat to defoliate them and to simulate once-over harvest. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with 22 replications per population arranged in a split plot with the four populations as whole plots and the three cycles as subplots. The combining ability for early and marketable yield of NCWBS and NCBA1 increased as the number of selection cycles increased. Conversely, selection for higher yield per se decreased the combining ability of the NCES 1 population for early and marketable yield. The NCBA1 population exhibited the largest gain (131.2%) from cycle 0 to 8 averaged over all traits. Early yield exhibited the largest gain (60.8%) averaged over all populations.

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