Czech Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding - In Press
Evaluation of gamma-irradiated Pisum sativum germplasm for agronomic traits and tolerance to Didymella pinodesOriginal Paper
Efi Sarri, Anastasios Katsileros, Sofia Migardou, Panagiotis Viliotis, Ioannis Sidiropoulos, Dimitris Sifnaios, Pavlos Diamantis, Nikolaos Sklavounos, Eleni M. Abraham, Penelope J. Bebeli, Nasya Tomlekova, Dimosthenis Kizis, Eleni Tani
Ascochyta blight, caused by a complex of pathogenic fungi including Didymella pinodes, Ascochyta pisi, and Phoma pinodella, is a major disease of field pea (Pisum sativum), causing severe losses through lesions on leaves, stems, and pods. Mutation breeding using gamma irradiation is a non-GMO strategy to induce genetic variation and accelerate the development of improved genotypes. In this study, the M2 generation of the forage pea cultivar 'Dodoni' (Pisum sativum L. var. arvense), derived from M0 seeds irradiated with 100 Gy, was evaluated for tolerance to D. pinodes (CBS 251.47) using a detached-leaf assay under controlled greenhouse conditions. Disease progression was quantified via image-based analysis on the 3rd and 5th days post-infection, calculating Diseased Area and Disease Severity Index. Extensive phenotypic evaluation was also conducted on 16 families in the greenhouse and 100 families under field conditions, using an augmented incomplete block design. Screening revealed several M2 families with significantly improved tolerance compared to non-irradiated controls. Among these, some individuals combined enhanced resistance with improved yield-related traits, such as higher pod number and biomass, while others exhibited reduced agronomic performance. These findings highlight the phenotypic diversity induced by gamma irradiation and demonstrate the potential to generate dual-purpose pea genotypes with both disease resistance and enhanced productivity, providing valuable material for future breeding of resilient cultivars.
Early activation of CIPK3 in the cold-tolerant potato Solanum commersoniiShort Communication
Roberta Smimmo, Grazia Buonfantino, Clizia Villano, Domenico Carputo, Vincenzo D'Amelia, Riccardo Aversano
Solanum commersonii shows tolerance to low temperatures, a key target trait for potato breeding. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CIPKs) play a significant role in plant defense response to several stresses, including cold. In this study, we observed the expression of ScCIPK1, ScCIPK3, ScCIPK23 and ScCIPK24 in S. commersonii exposed to 4°C at multiple time intervals. Initial findings revealed that these genes were under-expressed after 10 and 30 minutes of cold stress, except ScCIPK3. Notably, after 24 hours, all genes displayed higher expression levels compared to the non-stressed controls. These findings highlight the role of ScCIPK3 in the early stages of cold response and indicate a coordinated regulatory mechanism across CIPKs that likely contributes to the cold stress tolerance observed in S. commersonii. In this work, we introduce a model to elucidate the signaling crosstalk under cold stress in S. commersonii, providing insights that could aid in developing cold-resistant potato cultivars.