Agronomic performance of quinoa selected in the Brazilian Savannah

Twenty six breeding lines, selected from individual plant progenies of hybrids among varieties Amarilla de Marangani, Blanca de Junín, Chewecca, Faro 4, Improved Baer, Kancolla, Real, and Salares-Roja, had their agronomic characters evaluated, in Planaltina, DF, Brazil (15º36'S and 47º12'W), 1,000 masl, in randomized complete blocks, on a Ferralsol, previously limed and fertilized. Grain yield was positively associated with plant height, inflorescence length and diameter, and plant cycle. Genetic gain can be attained by selection based in these characters for commercial production of quinoa in tropical regions.

Evaluation of peanut genotypes for resistance to Tomato spotted wilt virus by mechanical and thrips inoculation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the reactions of three peanut breeding lines (IC-10, IC-34, and ICGV 86388) to Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) by mechanical and thrips inoculation, under greenhouse conditions, and compare them to the reactions of cultivars SunOleic, Georgia Green, and the breeding line C11-2-39. TSWV infection by mechanical inoculation was visually assessed using an index ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 4 (apical death). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to confirm TSWV infection from both mechanical and thrips inoculations. IC-10, IC-34, ICGV 86388, and C11-2-39 were more resistant than the cultivars SunOleic and Georgia Green based on mechanical inoculation. Upon thrips inoculation only IC-34 and ICGV-86388 were infected by TSWV, as demonstrated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), although no symptoms of infection were observed. The peanut breeding lines IC-10, IC-34, and ICGV 86388 show higher level of resistance to TSWV than cultivar Georgia Green considered a standard for TSWV resistance.

Resposta de feijão-vagem a diferentes níveis de fertilidade

Estudou-se a resposta de feijão-vagem de crescimento indeterminado à fertilidade do solo em Anápolis (GO). Utilizaram-se sete linhagens (Hav 13, Hav 38, Hav 40, Hav 49, Hav 56, Hav 64 e Hav 68), e as cultivares Favorito Ag 480, Macarrão Bragança e Teresópolis Ag 484, em sete doses da formulação 4-30-16 aplicadas ao solo (D0= 0; D1=200; D(2)400; D3=600; D4=800; D5=1000 e D6=1200 kg/ha). Houve diferenças significativas entre genótipos para todas características avaliadas, dentro de cada dose do formulado, exceto para produtividade, no quinto nível, e para altura média das plantas no nível mais elevado de fertilidade. As linhagens Hav 49 e Hav 64 igualaram-se aos genótipos de maiores rendimentos em todos os ambientes. O nível médio de fertilidade foi o mais conveniente, do ponto de vista econômico, para todas as características consideradas. Com exceção de Hav 13 e Teresópolis Ag 484, que se mostraram imprevisíveis quanto à produtividade, Hav 13 e Hav 64, quanto ao número de vagens por planta e Favorito Ag 480 quanto à altura média das plantas, os demais genótipos foram estáveis. Todos os genótipos responderam proporcionalmente à melhoria do ambiente para produtividade, número de vagens por planta e altura das plantas. Quanto ao peso médio das vagens a linhagem Hav 40 respondeu menos que proporcionalmente ao aumento da fertilidade do solo, mostrando-se adaptável a solos menos férteis, enquanto a cultivar Teresópolis Ag 484 respondeu mais que proporcionalmente à melhoria da fertilidade mostrando-se adaptável a solos mais férteis.

Características agronômicas, produtividade, qualidade de vagens e divergência genética em feijão-vagem de crescimento indeterminado

Avaliou-se a divergência genética entre quinze linhagens (Hav 13, Hav 14, Hav 21, Hav 22, Hav 25, Hav 38, Hav 40, Hav 41, Hav 49, Hav 53, Hav 56, Hav 64, Hav 65, Hav 67 e Hav 68) e cinco cultivares (Macarrão Favorito AG480, Macarrão Preferido AG482, Manteiga Maravilha AG481, Teresópolis AG484 e Macarrão Bragança) de feijão-vagem de crescimento indeterminado, utilizando-se vinte características agronômicas. O ensaio foi conduzido na AGENCIARURAL - EE de Anápolis, no período de 30/04 a 10/08/1998. Os dados foram submetidos às análises de variância e multivariada (distância D² de Mahalanobis e o método de agrupamento de Tocher). Houve diferenças significativas entre os genótipos para as características consideradas. Os genótipos Hav 13, Hav 49, Hav 56, Hav 64, Hav 68, Favorito AG480 e Teresópolis AG484 destacaram-se com relação ao conjunto de características favoráveis a produtores e consumidores. Houve maior freqüência de pares com maiores distâncias, quando um dos componentes era a cultivar Teresópolis AG484 ou Hav 49, e de pares com menores distâncias quando seus componentes tiveram como ancestral comum a linhagem Hab 229. Os genótipos distribuíram-se em quatro grupos, sendo um constituído exclusivamente pela linhagem Hav 49, outro englobando as cultivares Manteiga Maravilha AG481 e Teresópolis AG484. A linhagem Hav 41 e as cultivares Macarrão Favorito AG480 e Macarrão Preferido AG482 um terceiro grupo, e os demais genótipos um único grupo. As características que mais contribuíram para a divergência entre os genótipos foram o número de dias para o início de floração e o comprimento das vagens, com 58,11% do total, seguidas da porcentagem de palha na vagem seca, da largura das vagens, das alturas das plantas nas duas épocas avaliadas, do peso médio de vagem e do número de vagens por planta que, em conjunto, contribuíram com 85,73% do total.

Adaptabilidade e estabilidade em feijão-vagem de crescimento indeterminado

Estudaram-se a adaptabilidade e estabilidade de 15 genótipos de feijão-vagem de crescimento indeterminado em relação a oito ambientes. Houve diferenças significativas entre genótipos em apenas três ambientes. As linhagens Hav 13, Hav 14, Hav 53 e Hav 56 igualaram-se aos genótipos mais produtivos em todos ambientes. As linhagens Hav 13, Hav 21, Hav 25, Hav 38, Hav 40, Hav 56, Hav 65 e a cultivar Favorito Ag 480 foram estáveis e as demais imprevisíveis, de acordo com a metodologia de Eberhart & Russell. Os genótipos apresentaram ampla adaptabilidade, exceto Hav 67 adaptável a ambientes desfavoráveis. A linhagem Hav 13, de vagens cilíndricas e sementes brancas, foi a alternativa mais vantajosa à cultivar Favorito Ag 480, utilizada como testemunha.

Sexual transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep

Male sheep of reproductive age were distributed into three groups: GI, a sheep inoculated (oral) with 2.0×105 oocysts of the P strain of Toxoplasma gondii; GII, a sheep infected (subcutaneous) with 1.0×106 tachyzoites of the RH strain of T. gondii; and GIII, a sheep kept as a control (not infected). After the inoculation of the males, 12 breeding ewes, which were not pregnant and which were serologically negative for reproductive diseases (particularly toxoplasmosis), were distributed into three groups, synchronized, and subsequently exposed to natural mating with previously inoculated males. The distribution was as follows: five ewes that underwent natural mating with the GI male, five ewes that were exposed to natural mating with the GII male, and two ewes that were mated with the non-infected male (control). Serum samples of all the ewes were collected on days -30, -14, -7, -1, and 0 (days before natural mating) and on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 14, and weekly until birth; the presence of serum antibodies against T. gondii was assessed by IFAT. Using a bioassay and PCR, T. gondii was isolated from the semen of the infected reproducing sheep before mating. Following natural mating, 5 of the 12 females displayed antibodies specific for T. gondii; of these animals, two of the ewes underwent natural mating with the male inoculated with oocysts (GI) and three with the male infected with tachyzoites (GII). One of the females that displayed antibodies specific to this coccidian and that underwent natural mating with the GII sheep had a macerated fetus on the 70th day following coverage. Using a bioassay after the birth, it was possible to isolate T. gondii from samples of the pool of tissues from the five females that seroconverted after natural mating and from their respective lambs. Using PCR, the DNA of T. gondii was isolated from the pool of tissues from one and two females exposed to natural mating with the reproductive males infected with the oocysts and tachyzoites, respectively. Using this technique, it was also possible to diagnose the presence of the parasite in the pool of tissues from the lambs of one female that underwent natural mating with the male sheep infected with oocysts. These results demonstrated the sexual transmission of T. gondii in the sheep species with consequent vertical transmission to their lambs. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Genetic evaluation using multi-trait and random regression models in Simmental beef cattle

The Brazilian Association of Simmental and Simbrasil Cattle Farmers provided 29,510 records from 10,659 Simmental beef cattle; these were used to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters for weights in the growth trajectory, based on multi-trait (MTM) and random regression models (RRM). The (co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood. In the MTM analysis, the likelihood ratio test was used to determine the significance of random effects included in the model and to define the most appropriate model. All random effects were significant and included in the final model. In the RRM analysis, different adjustments of polynomial orders were compared for 5 different criteria to choose the best fit model. An RRM of third order for the direct additive genetic, direct permanent environmental, maternal additive genetic, and maternal permanent environment effects was sufficient to model variance structures in the growth trajectory of the animals. The (co)variance components were generally similar in MTM and RRM. Direct heritabilities of MTM were slightly lower than RRM and varied from 0.04 to 0.42 and 0.16 to 0.45, respectively. Additive direct correlations were mostly positive and of high magnitude, being highest at closest ages. Considering the results and that pre-adjustment of the weights to standard ages is not required, RRM is recommended for genetic evaluation of Simmental beef cattle in Brazil. ©FUNPEC-RP.

Preferência alimentar e desenvolvimento de Cerotoma arcuata (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) em soja

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Transcriptome Analysis of Capsicum Chlorosis Virus-Induced Hypersensitive Resistance Response in Bell Capsicum

Background Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV) is an emerging pathogen of capsicum, tomato and peanut crops in Australia and South-East Asia. Commercial capsicum cultivars with CaCV resistance are not yet available, but CaCV resistance identified in Capsicum chinense is being introgressed into commercial Bell capsicum. However, our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms leading to the resistance response to CaCV infection is limited. Therefore, transcriptome and expression profiling data provide an important resource to better understand CaCV resistance mechanisms. Methodology/Principal Findings We assembled capsicum transcriptomes and analysed gene expression using Illumina HiSeq platform combined with a tag-based digital gene expression system. Total RNA extracted from CaCV/mock inoculated CaCV resistant (R) and susceptible (S) capsicum at the time point when R line showed a strong hypersensitive response to CaCV infection was used in transcriptome assembly. Gene expression profiles of R and S capsicum in CaCV- and buffer-inoculated conditions were compared. None of the genes were differentially expressed (DE) between R and S cultivars when mock-inoculated, while 2484 genes were DE when inoculated with CaCV. Functional classification revealed that the most highly up-regulated DE genes in R capsicum included pathogenesis-related genes, cell death-associated genes, genes associated with hormone-mediated signalling pathways and genes encoding enzymes involved in synthesis of defense-related secondary metabolites. We selected 15 genes to confirm DE expression levels by real-time quantitative PCR. Conclusion/Significance DE transcript profiling data provided comprehensive gene expression information to gain an understanding of the underlying CaCV resistance mechanisms. Further, we identified candidate CaCV resistance genes in the CaCV-resistant C. annuum x C. chinense breeding line. This knowledge will be useful in future for fine mapping of the CaCV resistance locus and potential genetic engineering of resistance into CaCV-susceptible crops.

Short-term movement and retreat sites of Leptodactylus labyrinthicus (Anura : Leptodactylidae) during the breeding season: A spool-and-line tracking study

Capture/recapture studies significantly increase our knowledge of the natural history of anuran amphibians. Many different methods have been employed in these studies, but a number of new techniques still require experimental validation. During two reproductive seasons in a Cerrado remnant in southeastern Brazil, we investigated the movement patterns and habitat use of the pepper frog, Leptodactylus labyrinthicus, using a spool-and-line device. This low-cost device did not appear to interfere with the activities of the frogs and allowed for constant monitoring, showing precise routes of movement and great predictability of relocations. Both sexes were active at night. During the day, males and females made use of retreat sites under vegetation or in burrows constructed by small- and medium-sized mammals. Males and females did not use standardized routes; there were no significant differences between their movements, and movements were not correlated with body size or environmental conditions. Individuals are able to move further than 100 m per day, a characteristic that may enable this species to colonize or recolonize open areas.

Genetic trend estimates of meat quality traits in a male broiler line

The present research was conducted to estimate the genetic trends for meat quality traits in a male broiler line. The traits analyzed were initial pH, pH at 6 h after slaughter, final pH, initial range of falling pH, final range of falling pH, lightness, redness, yellowness, weep loss, drip loss, shrink loss, and shear force. The number of observations varied between 618 and 2125 for each trait. Genetic values were obtained by restricted maximum likelihood, and the numerator relationship matrix had 107,154 animals. The genetic trends were estimated by regression of the broiler average genetic values with respect to unit of time (generations), and the average genetic trend was estimated by regression coefficients. Generally, for the traits analyzed, small genetic trends were obtained, except for drip loss and shear force, which were higher. The small magnitude of the trends found could be a consequence of the absence of selection for meat quality traits in the line analyzed. The estimates of genetic trends obtained were an indication of an improvement in the meat quality traits in the line analyzed, except for drip loss.

Estimates of genetic trend for carcass traits in a commercial broiler line

Data from the slaughter of 24,001 chickens that were part of a selection program for the production of commercial broilers were used to estimate genetic trend for absolute carcass (CW), breast meat (BRW), and leg (LW) weights, and relative carcass (CY), breast meat (BRY), and leg (LY) weights. The components of (co) variance and breeding values of individuals were obtained by the restricted maximum likelihood method applied to animal models. The relationship matrix was composed of 132,442 birds. The models included as random effects, maternal additive genetic and permanent environmental for CW, BRW, LW, CY, and BRY, and only maternal permanent environmental for LY, besides the direct additive genetic and residual effects, and as fixed effects, hatch week, parents' mating group and sex. The estimates of genetic trend were obtained by average regression of breeding value on generation, and the average genetic trend was estimated by regression coefficients. The genetic trends for CW (+ 6.0336 g/generation), BRW (+ 3.6723 g/generation), LW (+ 1.5846 g/generation), CY (+ 0.1195%/generation), and BRY (+ 0.1388%/generation) were positive, and they were in accordance with the objectives of the selection program for these traits. The genetic trend for LY(-0.0019%/generation) was negative, possibly due to the strong emphasis on selection for BRY and the negative correlations between these two traits.

Opportunity for sexual selection and effective population size in the lek-breeding European treefrog (Hyla arborea).

Sexual selection in lek-breeding species might drastically lower male effective population size, with potentially important consequences for evolutionary and conservation biology. Using field-monitoring and parental-assignment methods, we analyzed sex-specific variances in breeding success in a population of European treefrogs, to (1) help understanding the dynamics of genetic variance at sex-specific loci, and (2) better quantify the risk posed by genetic drift in this species locally endangered by habitat fragmentation. The variance in male mating success turned out to be markedly lower than values obtained from other amphibian species with polygamous mating systems. The ratio of effective breeding size to census breeding size was only slightly lower in males (0.44) than in females (0.57), in line with the patterns of genetic diversity previously reported from H. arborea sex chromosomes. Combining our results with data on age at maturity and adult survival, we show that the negative effect of the mating system is furthermore compensated by the effect of delayed maturity, so that the estimated instantaneous effective size broadly corresponded to census breeding size. We conclude that the lek-breeding system of treefrogs impacts only weakly the patterns of genetic diversity on sex-linked genes and the ability of natural populations to resist genetic drift.

Populations of breeding birds in Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands

Data about breeding populations of birds in the Antarctica are rare and fragmented. Thus, information about the status of the breeding populations of Antarctic birds is crucial given the current scenario of climate change, which is particularly acute in Antarctica. This paper presents new information about the populations of the Antarctic tern Sterna vittata, the kelp gull Larus dominicanus, the southern giant petrel Macronectes giganteus, the Antarctic skua Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi, the chinstrap penguin Pygoscelis antarctica and the gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua on Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands). We used line transects counts to estimate both densities and numbers of nests of the different species. We estimate that there are 398.96 birds km-2 of southern giant petrels (2793 individuals), 62.4 birds km-2 of Antarctic tern (3746 individuals) and 269.1 birds km-2 of kelp gull (1884 individuals). Furthermore, we found 15 nests of Antarctic skua in 25 km2, from which we can estimate that 6091 birds must breed on Byers Peninsula. We also censused two colonies of gentoo penguins (3000 and 1200 pairs) and 50 pairs of chinstrap. Compared to previous estimates, gentoo penguins seem to have increased whereas chinstrap penguin have decreased. Finally, the populations of Antarctic tern, southern giant petrel and kelp gull have stabilized or slightly increased.