ALBERT

Description: Understanding the mechanisms underlying net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) in mountain grasslands is important to quantify their relevance in the global carbon budget. However, complex interactions between environmental variables and vegetation on NEE remain unclear; and there is a lack of empirical data, especially from the high elevations and the Mediterranean region. A chamber-based survey of CO2 exchange measurements was carried out in two climatically contrasted grasslands (montane v. subalpine) of the Pyrenees; assessing the relative contribution of phenology and environmental variables on CO2 exchange at the seasonal scale, and the influence of plant functional type dominance (grasses, forbs and legumes) on the NEE light response. Results show that phenology plays a crucial role as a CO2 exchange driver, suggesting a differential behaviour of the vegetation community depending on the environment. The subalpine grassland had a more delayed phenology compared to the montane, being more temperature than water constrained. However, temperature increased net CO2 uptake at a higher rate in the subalpine than in the montane grassland. During the peak biomass, productivity (+74%) and net CO2 uptake (NEE +48%) were higher in the subalpine grassland than in the montane grassland. The delayed phenology at the subalpine grassland reduced vegetation's sensitivity to summer dryness, and CO2 exchange fluxes were less constrained by low soil water content. The NEE light response suggested that legume dominated plots had higher net CO2 uptake per unit of biomass than grasses. Detailed information on phenology and vegetation composition is essential to understand elevation and climatic differences in CO2 exchange.

Description: No genetic estimates for resistance to Mal de Río Cuarto (MRC) disease in Zea mays (L.) are currently available in the literature. Therefore, the objectives of this investigation were (i) to estimate the variance and heritability of partial resistance to MRC disease and of other agronomic traits from maize families and (ii) to examine associations among MRC disease severity values across different environments and between MRC and other agronomic traits. These estimations, obtained in an endemic area, could contribute to the design of efficient enhancement programmes and evaluation activity for the improvement of MRC resistance. The research was conducted by testing 227 F3 derived-lines from a cross between a susceptible dent line, Mo17, and a partially resistant flint line, BLS14, for MRC disease at two Río Cuarto locations in each of 2 years. The resistance of the lines, measured with a disease severity index (DSI), was normally distributed across environments. Genotypic variances were highly significant on all scoring environments. Estimates of genotype–environment interaction were also significant, suggesting that certain genotypes have little stability over different environments. For disease severity index all estimates demonstrated moderate heritabilities ranging from 0.44 to 0.56 and were similar when based on individual environments or across environment. Confidence interval widths ranged from 34.88 to 50.30% as large as the heritability point estimate. The correlations between environments were small enough to indicate that families did not rank similarly in individual environments for MRC resistance. Disease severity index correlated significantly (P

Description: Genotype–environment interaction and yield stability were evaluated for 19 genotypes of lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula). The study was conducted in the central semi-arid region of Argentina. Three locations and two growing seasons in combination generated six environments. Genotypic responses and stability of yield under variable environments were investigated. The genotype–environment interaction was analysed by three methods: regression analysis, AMMI and principal coordinates analysis (PCO). Analysis of variance showed that effects of genotype, environment and genotype–environment interaction were highly significant (P 〈 0·01). The genotypes accounted for 20% of the treatment sum of squares, with environment responsible for 65% and interaction for 14·5%. The biplot indicated that there was partial agreement between the AMMI and regression model. However the scatter point diagrams obtained from PCO analysis revealed only limited agreement with the results obtained by the regression analysis and the AMMI model. The results show that the AMMI model as a whole explained twice as much of the interaction sum of squares as did regression analysis and was more adequate than PCO analysis in quantifying environment and genotype effects for forage yield. AMMI analysis of the genotype–environment interaction effects showed that there were responses characteristic of a particular location. This type of association implies some predictability of genotype–environment interaction effects on forage yield production when differential responses across genotypes are associated with locations. Environmental factors may contribute to the interpretations of genotype–environment interaction. However in the semi-arid region, where fluctuations in growing conditions are unpredictable, additional research is required to obtain an integration of interaction analysis with external environmental (or genotypic) variables.

Description: SUMMARYMal de Río Cuarto (MRC) is a devastating disease that reduces yield, quality and economic value of maize in Argentina. The objective of the present study was to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for reactions to MRC from recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Reactions to the endemic MRC disease were evaluated in 145 advanced F2:6 lines, derived from a cross between a resistant (BLS14) and a susceptible (Mo17) line, at four environments in the temperate semi-arid crop region of Argentina. The evaluations of disease score (SCO), disease incidence (INC) and disease severity (SEV) were carried out on each individual RIL. Low heritability estimates were found across environments for SCO (0·23), INC (0·27) and SEV (0·22). A genetic map of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers covering a total genetic distance of 1019 cM was built. QTL for resistance to MRC disease were found on different maize chromosomes. Four significant QTL, each explaining between 0·08 and 0·14 of the total phenotypic variation, were located on chromosomes 1, 4 and 10. Two QTL specific to the INC, and one specific to SEV, may be involved in different mechanisms of resistance to MRC. Although MRC reaction is highly affected by environmental effects, the QTL×environment interaction for INC and SEV was low. Most of the QTL for reaction to MRC detected in the present study were mapped to regions of the maize genome containing genes conferring resistance to various pathogens. The significant QTL across environments are good candidates to select for MRC resistance.

Description: Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees s. lat., a highly polymorphic polyploid complex, can be considered as one of the most important warm season perennial grasses for the semi-arid regions of central Argentina. In apomictically propagated and perennial plants such as weeping lovegrass, where successive measurements can be done across time, repeatability estimates provide an indication of the degree of influence of permanent effects on the phenotypic variation and allow prediction of future performance from past records. Analysis of variance of the experiment showed highly significant variation (P 〈 0·01) for the main factors in all four traits. Although there was very high variability between cuts, hybrids of E. curvula exhibited considerable inter-entry variability, in particular for those traits determining forage yield. Repeatability calculated in this experiment was highest for the crown diameter (0·86), leaf length (0·84) and dry matter (0·84), while in panicle number (0·66) it was lowest. Repeatability estimates for the vegetative characteristics indicate small effects of temporal environment. The four traits studied, including panicle number with their moderate repeatability, do not require an essentially different number of observations to obtain measures at the same level of accuracy. For vegetative characters two harvests provided 98% of the accuracy of the total obtained with four cuts, and for panicle number the same percentage was obtained for three harvests. This stability of performance is a desirable characteristic for grass cultivars. Patterns of trait associations were also described. Because leaf length is closely associated with dry matter and has high repeatability, to use leaf length as an indirect evaluation criterion should be almost as efficient as direct evaluation for aerial biomass yield. Reliable estimates of parameters such as repeatability and phenotypic correlation are needed for prediction of production values and for the design of efficient improvement programmes. For genotype evaluation additional research is required to quantify the extent of genotype × environment interaction across years and localities of semi-arid regions.

Description: A significant genotype–environment interaction can limit gains in selecting superior genotypes since the best genotype in one locality may not be the best one in another locality. The efficiency of indirect selection is related to the heritability of the trait and to the genetic correlation between localities. Since a major objective of Eragrostis curvula (lovegrass) breeding programmes in Argentina is to select superior genotypes from new cultivar introductions, research on the relative effectiveness of direct and indirect selection is necessary in order to identify localities under which the efficiency of indirect selection could be maximized. To do this, experiments using a set of 18 hybrids were carried out in three localities from the semi-arid region of Argentina. Aerial biomass yield, leaf length, crown diameter, panicle number and panicle length were measured and an analysis of variance and covariance were performed. The high genetic correlation obtained suggests that the genetic mechanisms involved in the expression of these traits would be the same, or at least very similar, in Río Cuarto, Villa Mercedes and Bahía Blanca environments where the hybrids showed a stable performance. In general, the heritability obtained was higher in Villa Mercedes and Bahía Blanca than in Río Cuarto. For a given selection intensity the expected correlated response in Villa Mercedes and Bahía Blanca to indirect selection was compared with the expected gain with direct response to selection in Río Cuarto. For dry matter yield, indirect selection in Bahía Blanca did not differ from selection done in Río Cuarto (−3%). However, for performance in Villa Mercedes indirect selection was shown to be less efficient (−29%). For the other traits considered, indirect selection was variable and less efficient, ranging from −18 to −34%. The estimated decrease in efficiency of selection for all the traits considered in the locality of Río Cuarto was higher than in the other localities, suggesting that this place was not a good choice for carrying out indirect selection. Conversely, genetic progress would be faster if selection was carried out in Villa Mercedes, because the evaluations provide higher and more accurate estimates of the heritabilities than in the other localities.

Description: ‘Mal de Río Cuarto’ (MRC) disease, caused by a member of the family Reoviridae belonging to the genus Fijivirus, is considered to be the most damaging viral disease of maize (Zea mays L.) in Argentina. Resistance to MRC disease is a quantitative trait with moderate heritability ranging from 0·44 to 0·56. The objective of this study was to identify simple sequence repeats (SSR) loci linked to quantitative trait loci (QTL) contributing to MRC disease resistance. Two hundred and twenty-seven F3 derived-lines from a cross between a susceptible inbred line, Mo17, and a partially resistant inbred line, BLS14, were evaluated across four Río Cuarto environments. A disease severity index (DSI) based on disease grades was calculated and used to rate F3 derived-lines for their resistance to MRC disease. A subset of parental F2 plants belonging to susceptible and resistant F3 derived-lines from field assessments was assayed for 180 SSR primer pairs to map resistance genes. Fifty-six maize SSR were employed for the testing of linkage among DNA markers and the mapping of QTL through composite interval mapping. Resistance to MRC disease was affected by two QTL on chromosomes 1 and 8 which showed overdominance and dominant gene action, respectively. A simultaneous fit with these QTL in the joint analyses explained 36·2% of the phenotypic variance. In spite of the fact that relative efficiency of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in comparison to phenotypic selection was close to 1, the mapped QTL could improve the efficiency of efforts in breeding for resistance to MRC disease.