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The genus Clematis contains many well-known large flowered cultivars, as well as lesser-known nonvining species. Intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers were used to fingerprint 32 vining cultivars and five nonvining species (C. fruiticosa, C. integrifolia, C. heracleifolia, C. hexapetala, and C. recta) for use in assessing genetic relationships and cultivar identification. Four ISSR primers yielded a total of 44 bands in the vining accessions, of which 36 (86%) were polymorphic. The average polymorphism levels were 83% for the cultivars and 94% for the nonvining species. All 32 vining cultivars were distinguished with the use of two ISSR primers, and the five nonvining Clematis species were differentiated with three ISSR primers. A similarity matrix of the cultivars showed low similarity levels between the samples, with an average similarity of 0.28. A UPGMA-derived dendrogram showed no strong groupings among any of the samples. Two cultivars with known parentage, Clematis viticella L. `Betty Corning' and `Sylvia Denny', grouped with one reported parent but not the other, suggesting they are more similar to one parent. `Multi-blue', a sport reportedly arising from `The President' did not segregate near `The President'.
Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) cultivars used by commercial producers in North America often change rapidly due to several factors including modified cultural practices, processing and marketing practices, the desire for new cultivars with larger and higher quality berries, resistant insect and disease pests, loss of traditional chemical control methods, and private sector breeding programs. Within the past decade, the annual plastic-mulched production system has quickly expanded into eastern North America prompting the need for cold-hardy cultivars adapted to that system. The continuing loss of traditional chemical controls for strawberry insects and diseases, including the impending loss of methyl bromide, has prompted the need for increased insect and disease resistance. In addition, consumer demands for a healthier food product with lower chemical residues has heightened this need. Small fruit experts from across North America provided information on the primary strawberry cultivars used in the recent past, the present, and potential cultivars for the future, as well as on current strawberry acreage in their respective states and provinces.
In the perennial strawberry production system, removal of the harvested crop represents a loss of nitrogen (N) that may be influenced by cultivar. Eight strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) cultivars and eight numbered selections grown in advanced matted row culture were compared over three seasons for removal of N in the harvested crop. Replicated plots were established in 1999, 2000, and 2001 and fruited the following year. `Allstar', `Cavendish', `Earliglow', `Honeoye', `Jewel', `Northeaster', `Ovation', and `Latestar' and selections B37, B51, B244-89, B683, B753, B781, B793, and B817 were compared for yield and fruit N concentration. Harvest removal of N (HRN) was calculated from total season yield and fruit N concentration at peak harvest. There were significant differences in HRN among genotypes, ranging from 1.80 to 2.96 g N per meter of row for numbered selections B781 and B37, respectively. Among cultivars, HRN ranged from 2.01 to 3.56 g·m–1 for `Ovation' and `Jewel', respectively. The amount of HRN was largely determined by yield, however, there were also significant genotype differences in fruit N concentration, ranging from 0.608 to 0.938 mg N per gram fresh weight for B244-89 and `Jewel', respectively. These differences indicate that N losses in the harvested crop are genotype dependent.
A further characterization of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) mutant `Wisconsin SMR-18' bla (blunt leaf apex) revealed a new character associated with the previously described leaf phenotype. The attachment of the blade to the petiole of bla plants is flat across, as opposed to the cordate or indented attachment in the wild-type `Wisconsin SMR-18' plants. The new character (truncate leaf base) was easier to score and becomes distinctive earlier in development than previously described leaf apex characters. It was expressed consistently in homozygous bla plants. Segregation analysis of 1159 F2 seedlings arising from self-pollinated `Wisconsin SMR-18' × `Wisconsin SMR-18' bla F1 plants suggested that the leaf base and leaf apex character were controlled by a single locus or two tightly linked ones with a maximum distance between the two of 0.03 cM. In a field study of growth and fitness characteristics, the two genotypes did not differ significantly for flower or fruit count. The similar flowering and fruiting characteristics, along with the reliable early occurring truncate character, likely will make the two genotypes useful for pollination and gene movement studies.