2026-01-05
Vishnu Kumar, Vikram Singh, Arun Gupta, Vikas Gupta, Gyanendra Pratap Singh
Water stress impacts wheat yields and poses a serious threat in stabilizing the global food supply. In the present investigation, 71 diverse bread wheat germplasm accessions were evaluated at Karnal and Hisar locations under normal and water stress (four environments) conditions during Rabi , 2022-23. The overall pooled grain yield showed a reduction of 15.6% under water stress, while days to heading, tiller count and plant height were reduced by 8.1%, 15.5% and 12.5%, respectively. The genotypes, namely K8027, HI1531, PBW175, UAS375, WH1142, HI1612, K1317, etc., showed higher NDVI values both at heading and grain filling stages under stress conditions. Grain yield (GY) showed positive and significant associations with 1000 grain wt. (r=0.62***) and tillers/m (r=0.53***). In the principal component biplots, 14 drought stress indices were grouped into three clusters. The genotypes K9465, HD2987 and K8027 were the three top rankers for drought susceptibility index (DSI), however showed yield reduction of 10.4%, 5.5% and 17.4% over the best check NIAW3170. Most of the drought stress indices considered only the grain yield reduction as selection criteria; however, the yield potential coupled with drought tolerance is desired to get favourable gene constellations. The drought resistance index (DRI) was highly successful in identifying high-yielding and drought-tolerant genotypes. The genotypes viz ., HD3171, MP1358, 20 th HTWYT-48, 29 th SAWYT-316 and WAP91 appeared to be high yielding and drought-tolerant. The traits, such as 1000 grain weight, grains/spike and tillers count can be targeted as on-farm selection criteria under water stress and to train genomic models.
2025-12-31
Sasikala Ramasamy, Beenaa Sharron K, Jeeva G, sasikalacpbg@gmail.com T., Vanitha K.
Stability analysis plays a vital role in plant breeding and this involves the evaluation of the genetic performance of genotypes under varying environmental conditions. Sunflower, a valuable oilseed crop primarily cultivated for its edible oil and confectionary purposes, is known for its high yield potential. However, the performance of sunflower is significantly influenced by genotype-environment interactions. Thereby, here in this study, a set of thirty-three hybrids along with three checks were evaluated across three different seasons, viz., kharif 2023, rabi 2023-2024, and summer 2024. Analysis on hybrid performance revealed that, kharif followed by rabi and summer was identified to be the most favourable. The AMMI biplots highlighted the stability of hybrids namely, H9, H22, H19, H23, H16, and checks C3, C1. Hence, based on their comparative performance, the hybrids viz., H13 and H24 exhibited higher yields in AMMI biplots across environments. Moreover, the GGE biplots, portrayed the higher stable performance of the check C1 and the hybrid H13 across environments. The hybrids, viz., H24, H13, and H32 were also identified for their high yield and moderate stability, making them desirable choices for further evaluation.In conclusion, from the «which won where» biplot it was indicated that the hybrids H13 and H24 were the stable cum desirable performers from all locations. Therefore, these genotypes could be forwarded for developing stable and high-yielding sunflower hybrids in future breeding programs.
2025-12-31
Ganapati Mukri, Jayant S Bhat, Chandu Singh, RN Gadag, Shilpa, KV Gowtham, Digvender Pal
Kernel row number (KRN) is an important agronomic trait of the female inflorescence and it is a significant breeding target. In the investigation, a set of 280 inbred lines derived from multiple disease-resistant pools was characterized for KRN and other cob-related traits. Out of 280 inbred lines, 45 lines differing for KRN were selected and evaluated at two locations and three environments. The inbred lines showed significant variation in yield and yield contributing traits at both locations and all the environments considered for evaluation. The KRN and other traits showed a high phenotypic coefficient of variation (ranged 6.47–24.39), genotypic coefficient of variation (ranged 6.47–24.39), and heritability (ranged 71.5–99.6), which were consistent across environments, suggesting the stability of performance of inbred lines and the possibility of genetic gain through selection for these traits. Further, the contrast inbred lines for the KRN trait were identified, which ranged from 10-12 rows (AI 504, AI 505, AI 515, AI 516, AI 518, and AI 519 low KRN) to 18-24 rows (AI 545, AI 536, AI 537, AI 542, AI 543, and AI 544 high KRN). These selected lines (six lines each) were crossed in a diallel fashion and generated 144 F1 combinations. Hybrids so obtained showed significant variation for KRN and other yield component traits, coupled with significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) variances and effects. The ratio of GCA/SCA variance and effect suggested that all the traits, including KRN, are governed by additive gene action. The combinations having low × low KRN have not expressed any significant heterosis, but the cross involving low × high KRN, and high ×high KRN showed significant heterosis for grain yield of hybrids viz., AH-4271, AH-4152, AH-4139, AH-4072, and AH-4039. Hence, the parental lines of these selected hybrids have the potential to improve the productivity of field corn and are also sources for future heterosis breeding programs.
2025-12-31
Diwakar reddy S. E., N. G. Hanamaratti, Karthik R, Shailaja D. S, Mallikarjun P. K, Ranjitha Marigoudar, B. D Biradar, Madhusudhana Ragimasalawada
Sorghum is a key cereal crop in Asia and African regions, valued for its resilience in dryland regions and used for food, fodder, and biofuel. However, in the post-rainy season, sorghum production is impacted by terminal drought stress. The stay-green trait enhances its adaptability to drought, making it a vital focus in breeding efforts. This study aimed to identify stable, high-yielding stay-green sorghum lines through marker-assisted backcross breeding. Three farmer-preferred, non-stay-green varieties viz., SPV2217, BJV44, and SVD0806 were crossed with stay-green donors K260 and K359w, which carry the stg3A and stg3B QTLs, respectively. Analysis of the BC2F2 populations of six crosses revealed high heritability, variability and genetic advance for yield traits. Foreground selection with 10 SNP markers confirmed the presence of stay-green alleles. Further evaluation in the BC2F3 and BC2F4 generations validated consistent stay-green expression. In BC2F4 generation, positive significant correlations were seen between most of the stay-green traits and grain yield, except rate of leaf senescence, which had a negative correlation. Field trials at four locations in the northern zones of Karnataka i.e., Dharwad, Bailhongal, Hukkeri, and Vijayapura identified genotype STG 1 as the most stable, high-yielding line, based on AMMI stability indices ASTABi and ssiASTABi, making it promising for drought-prone regions in Karnataka.
2025-12-31
Khaling Lallemmoi, SUNIL Kumar, Amit Kumar Singh, Siddhartha Singh, Kalkame Ch. Momin
Orchids are highly valued for their beauty, diversity, and commercial importance. This study examines Dendrobium Orchid var. Earsakul, a unique mutant with significant conservation and market value, to develop faster and more efficient propagation methods than conventional techniques. Tissue culture experiments were conducted using MS medium with different combinations of plant growth regulators under varied light conditions. Kinetin with NAA produced the fastest callus induction (4 days) and highest callus biomass, while light significantly enhanced callus formation compared to darkness. For shoot regeneration, BAP with NAA resulted in the earliest shoot initiation, highest shoot number, and better shoot growth. Rooting was most effective with BAP and IBA, giving early root initiation and maximum root length. Overall, the study demonstrates the crucial interaction between light and hormones in improving micropropagation and supporting conservation and commercial production of Dendrobium Earsakul.
2025-12-31
Anilkumar C, Rameswar Prasad Sah, Muhammed TP Azharudheen, Annamalai Anandan, Sasmita Behera, Bishnu Charan Marndi, Sushant Kumar Dash, Jitendriya Meher, Sanghamitra Samantaray
Improving a quantitative trait like grain yield in rice using conventional breeding approaches is time- and resource-demanding. Utilizing genomic selection for improving grain yield in rice is assumed to be promising. Our objective in the present investigation was to integrate genomic selection approach into the current breeding program to improve genetic gain. A founder population genotyped with novel genomic markers was used as a training population. The training population was phenotyped over three years for grain yield. A bi-parental population developed from parents from the founder population genotyped with the same markers was used as the testing population. Four different predictive models were used on the training population at different marker densities. The results indicate that poor marker density leads to poor predictive abilities among all models. Increasing marker density improves the prediction ability; however, the increment in predictive ability over the mid-density of markers was relatively low. The candidate genotypes selected based on predicted performance in the testing population showed a 20% higher genetic gain over the testing population, a 16% higher gain over the training population, and a 150% higher gain over the mid-parent value. The mid-density markers covering the rice genome uniformly are sufficient to implement genomic selection in rice. Integrating genomic selection into ongoing breeding programs would benefit the breeder in selecting potential candidates for improving grain yield in rice.
2025-12-31
Pooja Pathania, Dhammaprakash P Wankhede, Gayacharan, Rajkumar Subramani
Rice bean (Vigna umbellata), an underutilized climate-resilient legume, includes the high-yielding, leaf spot resistance variety VRB-3 (Him Shakti). In the present study, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, one pair each of 45S and 5S rRNA gene loci was localized to the terminal region of the chromosomes and the estimated genome content for VRB-3 is 1.35pg against the reference standard Solanum lycopersicum cv. Stupicke.
2025-12-31
Amrita Thomas, Hari Krishna, Ravi Patil, Pradeep Kumar Bhati, Monu Kumar, Nivedita Sinha, Neelu Jain, Pradeep Kumar Singh, Gyanendra Pratap Singh
The height reduction caused by the prevalent semi-dwarfing GA-insensitive gene Rht-B1b is associated with numerous negative pleiotropic effects, the major ones being reduced coleoptile lengths and lower early establishment rates, especially in moisture-stressed environments worldwide. Hence, breeding for wheat varieties with alternate GA-responsive (GAR) semi-dwarfing genes, such as Rht18, is an efficient approach for developing varieties for the moisture-stressed regimes globally. In this study, a structured marker-assisted backcross (MABC) breeding program was conducted to transfer the Rht18 gene into the mega wheat variety, HD3086. A total of 46 Rht18 positive BC2F5 lines were identified with an average background genome recovery of 88.34% using Wheat Breeder’s 35K Axiom SNP Array. Multi-environment trials were carried out at three locations under two conditions, i.e., stubble retained (SR) and rainfed (RF). ANOVA revealed significant differences for most of the traits in these trials. Plant height (PH) reduction in Rht18 introgressed lines ranged from 8.25–12.97 cm under SR and 5.25–10.15 cm under RF regimes. GGE biplots indicated specifically adapted and stable genotypes for yield in stubble-retained and rainfed regimes. These Rht18 lines hold strong potential for varietal release with further multi-location and multi-season trials. Ultimately, they will contribute to broadening the genetic base of Rht genes, especially for improving wheat adaptation in moisture-stressed environments.
2025-12-30
Mahaveer Prasad Ola, Shailesh Kumar Jain, Rekha Choudhary, S. S. Punia, C. Bharadwaj
Limited information is available in the literature on the dissection of non-additive gene action under contrasting sowing environments, leaving a gap in breeding strategies for heat-tolerant chickpea varieties. Therefore, an investigation was carried out on the gene interactions influencing physio-biochemical traits in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under heat stress conditions. Three chickpea crosses, namely, RSG807 × RSG895, RSG895 × HC5, and RSG974 × Avrodhi, were evaluated under two sowing environments during rabi seasons of 2019-20 to 2021–22. Genetic analysis revealed the presence of duplicate epistasis for several traits in specific cross-environment combinations. Relative water content in RSG-974 × Avrodhi under late sowing (E2); membrane stability index in RSG-807 × RSG-895 under E2; total chlorophyll content in RSG-807 × RSG-895 under timely sowing (E1), RSG-974 × Avrodhi under E2, and RSG-895 × HC-5 under both E1 and E2; proline content in RSG-974 × Avrodhi under E1; protein content in RSG-807 × RSG-895 and RSG-974 × Avrodhi under E2; and seed yield per plant in RSG-895 × HC-5 under E1 were observed. Overall, the inheritance of most physio-biochemical traits across both sowing environments was predominantly governed by non-additive gene actions.
2025-12-30
Manjappa G, M. V. C. Gowda, Nandini C., Rangaiah S., Sujay V.
Finger millet, a nutrient-rich and climate-resilient cereal, faces declining cultivation due to poor productivity, largely because of the lack of effective hybridization techniques. A set of 46 hybrids developed through partial male sterile line PS 1 was evaluated in summer and kharif seasons. Significant differences were observed among hybrids and parents for 16 traits, with key yield traits showing strong genotype × environment (G×E) interactions. Heterosis for grain yield ranged from -41.7% to 58.1% during summer and -38.5% to 48.4% in kharif over the check variety GPU 28. Notably, the hybrid PS1 × GE 4972 exhibited stable heterosis 23.4% and 48.4%), respectively across both the seasons, while PS1 × GE 4764 (58.1%), PS1 × GE 436 (31.9%) and PS1 x MR1 (26.6%) showed season-specific heterosis. These hybrids showed highest heterosis, reported thus far in finger millet and indicated the crop’s potential for increased productivity. Promising heterotic hybrids were also identified for traits like fodder yield, ear head weight, and seed weight. High correlations between hybrid means and mid-parent values for traits like finger length, days to maturity, and seed weight suggested additive gene action. Genetic diversity analysis of 47 parents revealed substantial diversity and geographical clustering. However, no direct correlation was observed between heterosis and parental divergence based on morphological or SSR polymorphism. The present study is the first extensive heterosis investigation in finger millet demonstrating the potential of partial male sterility for improved hybridization and exploring broader genetic pools. The promising hybrids and parental lines offer new opportunities for finger millet improvement.
2025-12-30
R. J. Shreeraksha, Spurthi Nayak, Babu N. Motagi, Ramesh S. Bhat, S. K. Prashanthi, Pasupuleti Janila
Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) productivity is constrained by high temperature and drought stress. The present study used the multi-trait genotype-ideotype distance index (MGIDI) to evaluate genotypes under post-rainy conditions and identify heat-tolerant lines. Four superior genotypes (ICGV 07222, ICGV 03043, ICGV 13312, ICGV 03042) were selected with 86.66% success at 15% selection intensity. High selection gains for traits such as pod yield per plant, heat use efficiency, photothermal use efficiency, heliothermal use efficiency, shelling percentage, test weight, canopy temperature, haulm weight and SPAD chlorophyll meter reading highlighted their role as key indicators of heat tolerance.
2025-12-30
Afet Dadash Mammadova, Ramiz Aliyev
The paper presents the results of a study of the functional activity of the genetic apparatus taking into account the localization of its components in nuclei, mitochondria and chloroplasts during heterosis in tomato, cucumber, eggplant and wheat. In terms of DNA content per cell, all hybrids, regardless of the type and degree of heterosis, surpassed their parents. Tomato hybrids show activation of genetic material synthesis in mitochondria, while wheat hybrids show activation in mitochondria and chloroplasts. The data obtained indicate that when the nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast genetic systems of a plant cell function with increased load, the hybrid can be expected to exhibit the effect of heterosis. These data are consistent with James's hypothesis that one of the causes of heterosis is the redundancy of the genetic code, and with Kihari H.'s hypothesis on nuclear-cytoplasmic heterosis.
2025-12-30
K. Victor Paul, Prafulla Kumar, Firoz Hossain, Vignesh Muthusamy, Subhra J. Mishra, Ashvinkumar Katral, Rajkumar U. Zunjare
Folates, also known as vitamin B9, are vital for the normal growth and development of humans. In this study, we assessed 48 specialty and biofortified maize inbred lines for folate content and characterized them using markers specific to 78 candidate genes governing folate metabolism. Folate content, measured as the sum of 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate (5-FTHF) and 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), varied widely from 21.4 to 98.0 μg/100g, with a mean of 55.7 μg/100 g. Analysis using 78 SSR markers indicated a high conservation of folate-related genes across the genotypes. A total of 116 alleles were detected with a mean of 2.27 alleles/locus (range: 2–5). Among the markers, Fo-SSR-17 had five alleles, showing the highest discriminating power. The mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.36 with a range from 0.19 (Fo-SSR-62) to 0.59 (Fo-SSR-50). Diversity analysis grouped the 48 genotypes into three distinct clusters, with a dissimilarity coefficient ranging from 0.08 to 0.34 (mean: 0.22). Single marker analysis found four markers significantly associated with folate content. Further, the haplotype analysis identified Hap6 (ABBB), Hap8 (ABHB), and Hap5 (ABAA) as superior haplotypes exhibiting higher folate content with mean values of 87.6 μg/100 g, 83.7 μg/100 g and 79.5 μg/100 g, respectively. Identification of diverse high folate inbred lines of maize inbreds and superior haplotypes offers potential for use in maize folate biofortification programs. This is the first report on characterization using a candidate gene for folate accumulation in subtropical genetic background.
2025-12-29
Vishwajith Kondawar, Amit Atmaram Deokar, Deshika Kohli, Sheel Yadav, R Srinivasan, PK Jain
Proline is an osmolyte that accumulates in response to various environmental stresses and serves several protective functions in plants. The gene P5CS (delta-1-Pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase) codes for a key regulatory enzyme in proline biosynthesis. In the present study, we have isolated and in silico characterized the promoter region of the chickpea P5CS gene ( CaP5CS ). The expression of the gene was examined under various abiotic stresses such as cold, salinity and dehydration and also on application of various phytohormones and chemicals to understand the changes in gene expression which are driven by the promoter. Structurally, the promoter sequence was enriched in many cis - regulatory elements (CREs) recognized by transcription factors (TFs) involved in both ABA (Abscisic acid)-dependent and independent signaling pathways for proline biosynthesis. The gene was observed to be both spatially and temporally regulated. It was observed that the gene was highly up-regulated under heat and dehydration stress at 3 hours of stress treatment. Under dehydration, for the same tissues, the proline content was also estimated to increase by more than 3 fold from 3 to 6 hrs. Notably, under cold and IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) treatment, the gene was down-regulated, which confirms the role of the gene primarily under osmotic stress. This study provides novel insights into regulation of proline biosynthesis in chickpea. Also, the promoter isolated can be utilized to enable spatial and temporal control in transgene expression in genetically modified crops developed for enhanced stress tolerance.
2025-12-29
Mahandiya Iqbal, Nuzhat Naseem, Raheel Shafeeq Khan, Heena Altaf, Nakeeb Un Nisa, K. Z. Masoodi, Mudasir Ahmad Mir, Sajad M. Zargar, Shabir H. Wani, Afreen Sakina, Asif B. Shikari, Najeebul Rehman Sofi
Bakanae disease caused by Fusarium fujikuroi is emerging as a serious threat in the production of japonica rice under high altitudes of the western Himalayas and basmati rice in northern regions. To identify resistant sources for Bakanae disease of rice, a population of 165 doubled haploids (DHs) was screened through artificial inoculation using a uniform F. fujikuroi ‘A30’virulent isolate under controlled conditions. Out of 165 inbred lines, 105 were identified as resistant, 51 moderately susceptible and nine susceptible to disease. A polymorphism survey was conducted with the help of 502 KASP markers on 12 chromosomes. On chromosome 6, a 6.25% polymorphism was found between parents, GS-88 and K-332. Two DHs, D5-2 and D5-3, showed 6% polymorphism among themselves, while DHs D49-3 and D49-4 revealed just 3.6%. Further, 19 defense-related genes located between markers, ALK_SNP_ff_2 (6.8Mb) and RM19817_SNP_nn_3 (9.7 Mb), were identified through in silico. Primers for three transcripts (Os06g0279900, Os06g0249500 and Os06g0267400) were designed through Primer 3Plus. Based on the disease severity index, two extreme resistant and susceptible DH lines, along with parents, were selected for expression studies using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Expression pattern between resistant and susceptible lines varied at two different stages, viz., 10 days post inoculation (dpi) and 24 dpi. Genes Os06g0279900 and Os06g0249500 were significantly enriched at 10 dpi and Os06g0267400 at 24 dpi in resistant lines, but were absent in susceptible lines. This indicates that the response shown by resistant DH against the pathogen was much faster than that of susceptible ones. These responses at 10 and 24 dpi are suggestive of an active defense system induced by the pathogen in resistant cultivars, which involves pathogenesis-related gene expression and enrichment pathways to defense of rice plants.
2025-12-29
Rihan Ansari, Rajbir Yadav, Sandeep Kumar, Manjeet Kumar, Kiran B. Gaikwad, Shiv Kumar Singh, Akash Gaurav Singh, Kunal Kumar, Rakesh Kumar
To meet the increasing demand for maize grains in India, high-yielding maize hybrids have to be released in the farmer’s field for adoption during kharif. The current study was carried out to estimate the potential of new generation hybrids generated by crossing the inbreds developed through a repeated cycle of recurrent selection in maize (Zea mays L.) under conservation agriculture conditions maintained under a maize-wheat cropping system. We hypothesised that soil health is a major determinant of yield realisation, particularly during Kharif in northern plain conditions, and therefore conservation agriculture can facilitate the identification of hybrids with high yield potential. In contrast, conventional tillage does not support the hybrids of high yield potential. To test the hypothesis, 91 hybrids developed by crossing 14 inbreeds in a half-diallel fashion were grown along with parents in both conservation and conventional tillage conditions. The result of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant variance for all the traits under study in both conditions. Combining ability estimates showed that most of the traits involved both additive and non-additive gene actions. Phenology along with radiation use efficiency by better capturing the sun light plays an important role in yield maximisation as indicated by the contribution of PMICS20, PMICS11, PMICS13 PMICS17 and PMICS12 for optimization of days to silking, maximising LAI and stem girth for higher yield realisation at least under conservation agriculture through additive gene action of complementary alleles dispersed in the parents or because of non-additive gene action at some of loci in hybrids like PMICS20/PMICS11, PMICS17/PMICS12 and PMICS15/PMICS12. Population improvement programme through repeated crossing to combine the favourable genes and selection under conservation agriculture for slightly delayed silking, along with higher LAI, more number of grains per row, grain weight and stay grain trait can lead to the development of hybrids competing with rice in terms of economic return.