bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic and Phenotypic Correlations of Quantitative Traits in Two Long‐Term, Randomly Mated Soybean Populations
Authors: Recker Jill R. , Burton Joseph W. , Cardinal Andrea , Miranda Lilian 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTThe genetic effects of long‐term random mating and natural selection aided by genetic male sterility were evaluated in two soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] populations designated RSII and RSIII. These populations were evaluated in the field at three locations, each with two replications. Genotypic and phenotypic correlations were estimated to determine the effects of 26 generations of random mating. Data was collected on flowering date (R2), maturity date (R8), plant height, lodging, yield, seed weight, protein concentration, and oil concentration. The genotypic correlation between yield and protein was not significant and small (<|0.2|) in both populations, however negative in RSII. The genotypic correlation between yield and oil was not significant but positive in both populations. In contrast, for both populations the genotypic correlations between protein and oil were significantly negative and large (>|0.5|). As these populations were randomly mated for many generations, linkage phase disequilibrium is likely close to zero; therefore, it was concluded that pleiotropic effects, probably caused by interrelated physiological processes, maintain the negative association between oil and protein. The genetic correlations between yield and protein or oil in these populations, however, do suggest that with the right breeding scheme, the negative associations can be reduced and allow for improvement in more than one trait simultaneously.
Photoperiod and Temperature Effects on Rhizome Production and Tillering Rate in Tall Fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darby.]
Authors: Saxena Priti , Huang Bingru , Bonos Stacy A. , Meyer William A. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTTemperature and photoperiod are key factors regulating plant growth and development. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of temperature and photoperiod on tillering and rhizome formation in tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darby.]. Different genotypes were selected based on tillering ability and/or rhizome production. Plants were grown in growth chambers with a combination of different photoperiods and day/night temperatures: short photoperiod (9 h) and low temperature (day/night at 15/10°C) (SL), long photoperiod (18 h) and low temperature (LL), short photoperiod and high temperature (day/night at 25/15°C) (SH), and long photoperiod and high temperature (LH). The SL treatment resulted in significant increases in the number of tillers in the experiment and Genotype 1109 produced the maximum number of tillers. The number of rhizomes was increased under LL and LH conditions in three clonal lines. Our results suggested that the responses of tiller and rhizome development to temperature and photoperiod varied with genotypes; in addition, longer photoperiod appeared to promote rhizome formation, regardless of temperature, whereas lower temperature stimulated rapid tiller production in some genotypes of tall fescue. This study will help to determine the performance of tall fescue under the longer/shorter photoperiod and variable temperature conditions in different parts of United States.
Combining Ability of Certain Agronomic Traits in Quality Protein Maize under Stress and Nonstress Environments in Eastern and Southern Africa
Authors: Wegary Dagne , Vivek Bindiganavile S. , Labuschagne Maryke T. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTGrowing maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids tolerant to drought and low‐nitrogen (N) stress would significantly reduce yield losses occurring in Africa. This study evaluated the performance of quality protein maize (QPM) F1 hybrids, and general (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) of QPM inbred lines for grain yield and other agronomic traits under stress and nonstress environments. A diallel cross of 15 QPM inbred lines was evaluated under drought and low‐N stresses and optimal conditions in a total of 17 environments in Eastern and Southern Africa. Significant variations were observed among the hybrids for all measured traits. TZMI703 × (6207QB/6207QA), GQL5 × (6207QB/6207QA), and CML511 × (6207QB/6207QA) were identified as the best single crosses across environments. The GCA and SCA mean squares were significant for all measured traits, indicating that additive and nonadditive genetic effects were important in this set of genotypes under all test environments. The GCA effects were more important under drought stress, and SCA effects were more important under low‐N and optimal conditions for grain yield. There was preponderance of GCA effects for most agronomic traits tested in all environmental conditions. Inbred lines CML159SR, GQL5, CML159, and CML312SRQ exhibited favorable GCA effects for grain yield under stress and optimal conditions, indicating that the genetic systems controlling a given trait under different conditions are at least partially similar. Cross combinations with favorable SCA effects for grain yield and other traits were also identified. Generally, this study provided evidence that good performance can be achieved under stress and nonstress conditions in QPM germplasm.
SimEli: Similarity Elimination Method for Sampling Distant Entries in Development of Core Collections
Authors: Krishnan Ramesh R. , Sumathy R. , Ramesh S. R. , Bindroo B. B. , Naik Girish V. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTSampling core collections containing a diverse set of entries has been practiced over the last two decades for a number of crops and has become a vital component of modern day crop improvement programs. A diverse, multipurpose core collection should represent the maximum genetic diversity available in an entire germplasm collection with a small number of entries. Selection of genetically distant entries that represent the maximum diversity of the entire germplasm collection is a challenging task that has been improved over the years. In this study, we introduce the similarity elimination (SimEli) method to sample genetically distant entries for the development of core collections, which was used to sample a diverse core collection of mulberry accessions using phenotypic markers. The performance of the SimEli method was compared with that of the PowerCore algorithm for phenotypic markers and with that of the Core Hunter and genetic distance optimization (GDOpt) algorithms for simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The SimEli method effectively selected genetically distant entries, whereas PowerCore proved efficient for selecting outliers among a small number of entries. However, the SimEli method outperformed the Core Hunter algorithm in selecting distant entries with high mean and minimum entry to nearest entry distance values. The Core Hunter collections retained a greater number of alleles than did collections developed using the SimEli method only when increased weight was given to Shannon's diversity index when using Core Hunter. The SimEli method is more user‐friendly, involves simple steps, and requires less computational time than other leading programs for the development of core collections.
Comparative Proteomics Study on Anther Mitochondria between Cytoplasmic Male Sterility Line and its Maintainer in Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.)
Authors: Chen Peng , Liao Jian , Huang Zhipeng , Li Ru , Zhao Yanhong , Ran Shanmin , Zhou Ruiyang 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTCytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternally inherited trait that causes the inability to produce functional pollen during anther development. Cytoplasmic male sterility is considered to be caused by mitochondrial mutation and regarded as a perfect model system for the investigation of nucleus‐cytoplasmic interaction. Kenaf CMS was first found by our group, but little has been known about the molecular mechanism. To reveal the possible mechanism, a comparative proteomic analysis of kenaf anther mitochondria from a CMS line and its maintainer was conducted. Changes in the abundance of proteins were examined using two‐dimensional (2‐D) electrophoresis. Among the >1000 protein spots reproducibly detected on each gel, 50 proteins were found differentially regulated (p < 0.05, change fold >1.5). Identified by matrix‐assisted‐laser‐desorption‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS technology, 22 proteins were characterized. These proteins were involved in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis and energy metabolism, cytoskeleton, chaperones and protein processing, transmembrane transport, transcription, and other functions. The quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results of some differential proteins showed consistency between transcripts and proteins. Confined mostly to downregulated proteins in the respiratory chain, the anther respiratory rate investigation showed it was extremely decreased in the CMS line.
Soybean Nitrogen Uptake and Utilization in Argentina and United States Cultivars
Authors: Rotundo José L. , Borrás Lucas , De Bruin Jason , Pedersen Palle 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTCrop production increase needed to satisfy a growing world population depends, at least partially, on increasing current genetic gain in yield. Theory proposes that increased genetic gain can be attained using diverse high‐yielding parents. Physiological traits, compared to molecular or morphological markers, are hypothesized to better estimate parental diversity. A trait‐based hybridization approach will require assessing diversity for physiological traits. Here, we phenotyped several traits using two physiological frameworks to assess diversity in 25 and 65 elite cultivars from Argentina (ARG) and the United States (USA), respectively. First, we identified the highest‐yielding cultivar clusters across two environments in each country. These cultivars had the highest N uptake at both ARG and USA. Therefore, there was no genotypic diversity for total N uptake within each cluster. For other traits, the highest yielding clusters did not show the highest values. There was residual diversity within ARG and USA highest yielding clusters in the temporal pattern of N uptake, N use efficiency, and N harvest index. Stacking these traits in one cultivar could potentially increase yield by 13%. The possibility of such stacking, however, depends on the nature of the phenotypic correlation among traits. We demonstrated that several trade‐off correlations between phenotyped traits, thought to hinder stacking, are actually not biologically based.
Pod Drop and Pod Shatter are Not Closely Related in Canola
Authors: Cavalieri Andrea , Lewis Derek W. , Gulden Robert H. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTPreharvest seed losses in canola (Brassica napus L.) can be substantial and are caused by pod drop and pod shatter. The relative importance of pod drop and pod shatter was determined among a group of hybrid and open‐pollinated canola varieties to better understand these phenomena. Preharvest seed losses in canola were determined by collecting canola seeds (pod shatter) and entire dropped pods (pod drop) from catch trays immediately before direct‐harvesting the plots. Results from correlation analysis showed that pod drop and pod shatter were largely independent. Interestingly, pod shatter was linked primarily to genotype while pod drop was influenced more by the environment. When significant differences were observed, average pod drop was greater in the open‐pollinated cultivars than in the hybrids used in this experiment.
Copy Number Estimation of a Plant‐Derived Selectable Marker Gene by High Resolution Melting Analysis: A Tool to Simplify Transgenic Plant Breeding
Authors: Milner Sara G. , Ferradini Nicoletta , Nicolia Alessandro , Veronesi Fabio , Salvi Silvio , Rosellini Daniele 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTTransferring a transgenic trait from a lab genotype into a cultivated plant variety requires selection of single‐locus T0 plants, a backcrossing breeding program with transgenic progeny selection at each cycle and, generally, attaining the homozygous state for the transgene locus. Polyploidy and outcrossing complicate this process, as in the case of alfalfa, an autotetraploid, cross‐fertilizing forage legume. Recently, a new, efficient selectable marker gene, MsGSAgr, derived from the alfalfa glutamate 1‐semialdehyde aminotransferase (GSA) gene was described. Since MsGSAgr differs from the wild‐type GSA by one nucleotide, high resolution melting (HRM) analysis could be used to screen transgenic plants for MsGSAgr, and linked transgene(s), copy number. An HRM assay was developed by simulating different copy numbers with mixes of plasmids containing mutated and wild‐type GSA sequences. The assay was validated by analyzing transgenic alfalfa plants containing one or multiple MsGSAgr loci. HRM enabled us to clearly discriminate transgenic from non‐transgenic plants, and the single copy from the multicopy state, thus providing a tool to streamline molecular plant breeding.
Seashore Paspalum Growth Regulation with Flucarbazone‐Sodium
Authors: McCullough Patrick E. , Sidhu Sudeep S. , Singh Rashmi , Yu Jialin 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTSeashore paspalum (SP) has desirable qualities for golf course turf, but prolific seedhead production is difficult to manage with growth regulators currently available. Flucarbazone‐sodium (FS) is currently used in turfgrass seed production for weed control, but also has potential for growth regulation of tolerant species. Experiments were conducted to evaluate (i) efficacy of FS alone or with trinexapac‐ethyl (TE) for SP growth regulation, and (i) physiological behavior of FS in SP. In field experiments, FS at 30 and 60 g a.i. ha–1 3 wk–1 provided good (80–89%) to excellent (≥90%) seedhead control on 8 of 9 evaluations, but 15 g ha–1 provided poor control (<70%) on four dates. At all rates, FS alone reduced clippings 62 to 93% from nontreated at three harvest dates, and caused <20% injury. Tank‐mixtures with TE at 96 g a.i. ha–1 3 wk–1 exacerbated injury on most dates from FS at 30 and 60 g ha–1 3 wk–1. At 96 g ha–1 3 wk–1, TE alone reduced clippings 48 to 85% from nontreated, but only controlled seedheads 12 to 52% from 1 to 6 wk after initial treatments. In laboratory experiments, SP distributed the majority of 14C‐FS to nontreated shoots after foliar and root uptake. The addition of TE did not affect 14C‐FS foliar absorption at 8 hours after treatment (HAT). Seashore paspalum metabolism of 14C‐FS in the treated leaf generally increased from ∼25% at 24 HAT to ∼50% at 168 HAT. Overall, FS has potential for managing clippings and seedheads in SP, as an alternative to TE.
Heterogeneous Variances in Multi‐Environment Yield Trials for Corn Hybrids
Authors: Orellana Massiel , Edwards Jode , Carriquiry Alicia 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTRecent developments in statistics and computing have enabled much greater levels of complexity in statistical models of multi‐environment yield trial data. One particular feature of interest to breeders is simultaneously modeling heterogeneity of variances among environments and hybrids. Our objective was to estimate the level of heterogeneity of genotype by environment interaction variance and error variance in the Iowa Crop Performance Test for Corn. A Bayesian approach was used to estimate variance components in a hierarchical model that allows for heterogeneous error and genotype‐by‐environment interaction (GEI) variances applied to corn yield data from the Iowa Crop Performance Test performed between 1995 and 2005. An average of 508 hybrids were tested per year with very little overlap between locations and years, which resulted in a very unbalanced data set. We divided the data into 16 subsets to study the effect of variability across locations and years. We found GEI and error variances to be heterogeneous among both environments and genotypes. Our results for corn contrasted previous work on oat (Avena sativaL.) in which very little heterogeneity was found for error variance among cultivars suggesting that different corn (Zea maysL.) hybrids can have different genotype by environment interaction variances and different error variances.
Species Succession and Turf Quality of Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass Mixtures as Affected By Mowing Height
Authors: Macolino Stefano , Pignata Guido , Giolo Maurizio , Richardson Michael D. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTMixtures of turfgrass species are commonly used throughout the world when establishing cool‐season grasses from seed. However, there have been limited studies investigating how various species compete with each other as the turf matures. A study was conducted in Padova, Italy, to investigate the performance and species composition of four mixtures that contained a single cultivar of Kentucky bluegrass (KB; Poa pratensis L.) and two rhizomatous or two nonrhizomatous tall fescue (TF; Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cultivars. The trial was seeded in September 2010. Three mowing heights (20, 32, and 62 mm) were also applied to all the mixtures. General turfgrass performance of the mixtures was monitored through the 2011 growing season, and species composition was measured regularly to determine the abundance of both species in the mixture. Throughout the study, the mixtures containing the rhizomatous TF consistently had higher turfgrass quality and turfgrass density than mixtures containing the nonrhizomatous types. Mowing height had less effect on the performance of the mixtures, but the lower mowing heights (20 and 32 mm) performed more consistently than the plots mowed at the highest (62 mm) mowing height. Species composition of the mixtures was significantly influenced by the different TF cultivars, in that KB was less abundant in mixtures containing rhizomatous TF cultivars compared to nonrhizomatous cultivars, suggesting an increased competitive ability of rhizomatous TF lines. Mowing height also influenced the species composition, in that KB was significantly more abundant at lower mowing heights.
Curable Sexually Transmitted Infection Treatment Interventions to Prevent HIV Transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: White Richard G. 
Published: April 2014

Introduction:
Sub-Saharan Africa (Africa) remains the most severely HIV affected region in the world. As
there will not be a cure or vaccine against HIV for many years, primary HIV prevention remains key to HIV control.
Primary prevention currently includes treatment of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Here, the evidence for
curable STI treatment as an HIV prevention strategy in Africa is reviewed.

Results:
Despite data on the plausible biological mechanisms from laboratory studies and the relative risks from
epidemiological studies suggesting that classical STIs do increase the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission, the impact
of curable STI treatment on HIV transmission measured in RCTs has varied markedly. Syndromic STI treatment was
shown to be an effective strategy in a population with an early HIV epidemic, but neither syndromic STI treatment, nor
mass STI treatment were effective in mature HIV epidemics. Among sex workers with relatively low rates of STI,
presumptive STI treatment also failed to reduce HIV incidence.

Discussion:
Rational health policy requires that scarce resources be allocated to interventions with the best costeffectiveness
even if relative impact at population level is modest. Curable STI treatment is likely to prevent a decreasing
fraction of new HIV infections as the HIV epidemic expands, but, because of increasing HIV incidence it may remain
cost-effective for HIV prevention in many African countries.
Nonlinear Programming Technique for Analyzing Flocculent Settling Data
Authors: Rashid Md. Mamunur , Hayes Donald F. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTThe traditional graphical approach for drawing iso‐concentration curves to analyze flocculent settling data and design sedimentation basins poses difficulties for computer‐based design methods. Thus, researchers have developed empirical approaches to analyze settling data. In this study, the ability of five empirical approaches to fit flocculent settling test data is compared. Particular emphasis is given to compare rule‐based SETTLE and rule‐based nonlinear programming (NLP) techniques as a viable alternative to the modeling methods of Berthouex and Stevens (1982), San (1989), and Özer (1994). Published flocculent settling data are used to test the suitability of these empirical approaches. The primary objective, however, is to determine if the results of a NLP optimization technique are more reliable than those of other approaches. For this, mathematical curve fitting is conducted and the modeled concentration data are graphically compared to the observed data. The design results in terms of average solid removal efficiency as a function of detention times are also compared. Finally, the sum of squared errors values from these approaches are compared. The results indicate a strong correlation between observed and NLP modeled concentration data. The SETTLE and NLP approaches tend to be more conservative at lower retention times and less conservative at longer retention times. The SETTLE approach appears to be the most conservative. In terms of sum of squared errors values, NLP appears to be rank number one (i.e., best model) for eight data sets and number two for six data sets among 15 data sets. Therefore, NLP is recommended for analyzing flocculent settling data as a logical extension of other approaches. The NLP approach is further recommended as it is an optimization technique and uses conventional mathematical algorithms that can be solved using widely available software such as EXCEL and LINGO.
Fate of Heavy Metals and Evaluation of Eutrophication in a Wetland–Reservoir System
Authors: Yang Chou‐Ping , Hsieh Chi‐Ying , Hseu Zeng‐Yei 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTThe fate of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the water column, sediment, and macrophytic plants as well as a total phosphorus eutrophication model were evaluated by a field monitoring program in the LungLuanTan wetland–reservoir system in Taiwan. Zinc and Cd were found to have the highest and lowest partition coefficients, respectively. The levels of heavy metals in the sediment of the wetland were highest in the dry season. In fresh plant tissues and sediment, Cd had the highest bioconcentration factor during the study period. Furthermore, the results obtained using the total phosphorus model with time‐variable volumes for reservoir eutrophication and observed values were in reasonable agreement. Based on the modeling results, appropriate watershed management strategies are proposed to restore the wetland–reservoir water quality.
Feasibility of Using NaCl to Reduce Membrane Fouling in Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors
Authors: Yang Jixiang , Tian Zheng , Spanjers Henri , van Lier Jules B. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACT:The objective of this research study is to assess the feasibility of naturally occurring Na+ ions in wastewater as a possible coagulant to control the fouling of AnMBR under high salinity conditions. A multi‐bladed stirrer was installed in the reactor, which aimed at providing a good mixing condition for inducing coagulation. The rotation speed of the stirrer was set at 30 rpm for achieving the coagulation effect. A sludge was cultured in a saline environment with sodium concentration as high as 13 g/L. It was observed that, the applied conditions could not provide a high saline sludge with a good filterability. In addition, results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the functional groups of the cake layer formed by the saline sludge was similar to that of non‐saline sludge, therefore, the high salinity should promote the formation of a gel layer.