Plant GenePub Date : 2023-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100444
Juliana de Carvalho Ferreira , Lorrayne Guimarães Bavaresco , Mayara de Oliveira Vidotto Figueiredo , Tiago Benedito dos Santos , Alessandra Ferreira Ribas
{"title":"Urea transporter DUR3 gene in grasses: In silico characterization and relative expression in Megathyrsus maximus under different nitrogen sources","authors":"Juliana de Carvalho Ferreira , Lorrayne Guimarães Bavaresco , Mayara de Oliveira Vidotto Figueiredo , Tiago Benedito dos Santos , Alessandra Ferreira Ribas","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nitrogen (N) is an indispensable macronutrient for crop growth and yield. The N can be acquired and assimilated from a variety of sources such as nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>), ammonium (NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>), and urea [CO(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub><span>]. Due to its low cost, urea is a popular N source in pastures. The urea transporter </span><em>DUR3</em> gene, which can mediate direct urea uptake by roots, has received little attention in grasses. The purpose of the current study was to identify and characterize in silico the <em>DUR3</em> gene in 29 grass species in comparison to <span><em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em><em>.</em></span><span> Physicochemical properties, gene structure, motifs, and phylogenetic tree relationships were predicted. Furthermore, the relative expression patterns of the </span><em>DUR3</em> gene were evaluated in two commercial cultivars (Mombaça and Aruana) of <span><em>Megathyrsus maximus</em><em>.</em></span> Plants were grown in a nutritive solution containing 2 mM of N supplied as NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>, or [CO(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>]. To investigate the relative expression of the <em>DUR3</em> gene in leaves and roots we used the 2<sup>-ΔΔCt</sup> method. The in silico characterization revealed that the <em>DUR3</em> gene is highly conserved among grasses. Plants were submitted to 3 days of N starvation and the tissue was harvested 3 h after transfer to ammonium or urea solution. In general, the <em>DUR3</em> gene was down-regulated in leaves and up-regulated in roots for both cultivars. Twenty-four hours after transfer, only the Mombaça cultivar showed a significant decrease of <em>DUR3</em> mRNA levels in leaves and an increase in roots under urea, demonstrating that the <em>DUR3</em> gene expression pattern is variable between cultivars of <em>M. maximus.</em> Characterizing of the <em>DUR3</em> gene in grasses is the first step toward biotechnological approaches aiming to improve urea uptake in pastures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100444"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139023397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant GenePub Date : 2023-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100445
Jose D. Cortes , Andres F. Gutierrez , Jeffrey W. Hoy , Anna L. Hale , Niranjan Baisakh
{"title":"Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci controlling smut resistance in Louisiana sugarcane using a bi-parental mapping population","authors":"Jose D. Cortes , Andres F. Gutierrez , Jeffrey W. Hoy , Anna L. Hale , Niranjan Baisakh","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sugarcane smut, caused by <span><em>Sporisorium</em><em> scitamineum</em></span><span>, is a major disease worldwide. Breeding resistant cultivars is the main management strategy. However, occasional failure to detect susceptible clones due to unfavorable environmental conditions, inconsistency in disease ratings between experiments, and continued clone losses due to pathogen adaptability are some of the challenges for this strategy. The development and use of molecular markers<span> associated with smut resistance may overcome these limitations allowing more accurate identification of resistant parents and progeny. A genetic analysis was conducted using an inoculated population of 162 F</span></span><sub>1</sub><span><span><span> progeny from a biparental cross between susceptible/female and resistant/male parents to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with resistance. A total of 1574 </span>single dose<span> (SD) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers used to construct a genetic map resulted in 253 linkage groups (LGs) of which 150 LGs were assigned to the female parent and 204 LG to the male parent with a genome coverage of 24,580 cM. (Composite) interval mapping with selective sub-populations identified six consistent QTLs that cumulatively explained 25.74% of the phenotypic variance with LOD scores ranging from 3.17 to 23.7. Four out of 12 SNP markers closest to the QTL peaks had effect >10 for resistance in the heterozygous condition. Genes known to be involved in disease resistance, such as cellulose </span></span>synthase<span>, expansin, protein degradation, and receptor-kinase were linked to the genomic regions associated with smut resistance. The markers upon validation in different populations can be utilized for marker-assisted selection.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100445"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139015020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"SSR-marker assisted evaluation of genetic diversity in local and exotic pigeonpea cultivars in Benin for parental genotypes selection","authors":"Fiacre Gildas Zavinon , Rodolphe Djossou , Mélaine Gbéto , Narcisse Fonhan , Rosanoff Kouke , Hubert Adoukonou-Sagbadja","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Pigeonpea production is limited in Benin due to the undesirable agronomic and organoleptic characteristics of cultivated landraces<span>. For a breeding program, some exotic cultivars were introduced for improving the available genepool in the country. The present study aims to assess the genetic diversity within a collection comprising of 32 local and 28 exotic cultivars, with the objective of selecting suitable parental lines for pigeonpea genetic improvement. All of the 60 accessions were genotyped with 14 </span></span>SSR<span><span> makers and a total of 38 alleles were detected with an average of 2.71 alleles per locus. The mean value of PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) and overall gene diversity were 0.37 and 0.43, respectively, while the mean value of heterozygosity was 0.11, indicating moderate genetic diversity within the 60 accessions with a deficit of heterozygous genotypes. As expected, the diversity was higher in exotic cultivars than in local landraces. Based on the </span>genetic relationship among accessions, the entire collection formed 3 clusters, one of which comprised four specific exotic accessions. Population structure analysis using model-based and DAPC (Discriminant Analysis for Principal Components) methods subdivided the 60 accessions into two major groups reflecting their geographic origins with a minimal number (02) of admixtures. This indicates significant genetic divergence between local and exotic cultivars. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) results with an overall Fst value of 0.13 confirmed the significant genetic divergence between the two collections. The findings of this study will significantly benefit for pigeonpea breeding programs in Benin. For practical applications, selected exotic cultivars, particularly those within the specific cluster can immediately serve as donor parents in crossbreeding schemes with the local landraces, for developing new varieties.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100443"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139026207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant GenePub Date : 2023-11-30DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100442
Anindita Chakraborty , Swapnila Choudhury , Shikta Rani Kar , Promita Deb , Stephen J. Wylie
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Gene editing for tolerance to temperature stress in plants: A review” [Plant Gene 37 (2024) 100439]","authors":"Anindita Chakraborty , Swapnila Choudhury , Shikta Rani Kar , Promita Deb , Stephen J. Wylie","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100442","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100442","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100442"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352407323000409/pdfft?md5=a4d076addf270ab8e360e78d45aa64db&pid=1-s2.0-S2352407323000409-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138480358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant GenePub Date : 2023-11-28DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100441
Rebecca M. Lyon, Eric T. Johnson, Patrick F. Dowd
{"title":"Undesirable protein sequence variations in maize genes that confer resistance to fungal pathogens and insect pests","authors":"Rebecca M. Lyon, Eric T. Johnson, Patrick F. Dowd","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Diseases and insect pests<span><span> greatly impact sustainable production in maize. Maize inbred lines have varying levels of resistance to these pathogens and insects, but little is known about the diversity of their resistance proteins. In this study, genes encoding seven proteins that are involved in resistance to insects and pathogens in maize were analyzed in 46 maize inbred lines to elucidate the differences in </span>amino acid sequences<span><span><span>. The proteins of interest are superlectin, maizewin, hydrolase, geranyl geranyl </span>transferase<span>, quinone oxidoreductase, AIL1, and </span></span>defensin<span><span>. The protein sequences encoded by genes for superlectin, AIL1, and defensin were found to be disrupted in some maize inbreds but were conserved in others. The characterized disruptions resulted from single amino acid changes, insertions, or deletions. While the effect of single amino acid changes is hard to predict, </span>insertions and deletions likely disrupt protein function, increasing the susceptibility of maize plants to insects and/or diseases. Functional resistance genes can be incorporated from the identified maize inbreds into commercial hybrids to promote enhanced insect and pathogen resistance.</span></span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100441"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138557954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant GenePub Date : 2023-11-20DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100439
Anindita Chakraborty , Swapnila Choudhury , Shikta Rani Kar , Promita Deb , Stephen J. Wylie
{"title":"Gene editing for tolerance to temperature stress in plants: A review","authors":"Anindita Chakraborty , Swapnila Choudhury , Shikta Rani Kar , Promita Deb , Stephen J. Wylie","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100439","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Temperature stress is a factor limiting agricultural production in many regions. High and low temperatures can cause irreversible damage to plants, affecting the development and profitability of crops, and are a threat to national and global food security. Raising agricultural outputs by developing elite crop cultivars capable of coping with damaging environmental temperatures is a primary objective of plant breeders. Gene editing systems offer opportunities to rapidly develop improved cultivars. Gene editing has already been applied to several species to improve valuable traits, including yield, quality, nutritional values and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. This review focuses on the recent progress and future potential of gene editing in developing new cultivars with greater heat and cold stress tolerance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100439"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352407323000379/pdfft?md5=1c579e6efbc96c40353aacb1c708f8c0&pid=1-s2.0-S2352407323000379-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138413464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant GenePub Date : 2023-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100440
SaeidReza Poursakhi , Hossein Ali Asadi-Gharneh , Mehdi Nasr-Esfahani , Zahra Abbasi , Hamed Hassanzadeh Khankahdani
{"title":"Identification of novel associations of candidate marker genes with resistance to onion-fusarium basal rot interaction pathosystem","authors":"SaeidReza Poursakhi , Hossein Ali Asadi-Gharneh , Mehdi Nasr-Esfahani , Zahra Abbasi , Hamed Hassanzadeh Khankahdani","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100440","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100440","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We evaluated the selected populations of eighteen open-pollinated short-day onion genotypes for FBR-Fusarium basal rot (<span><em>Fusarium oxysporum</em></span> f. sp. <em>cepae-FOC</em><span>) susceptibility; population genetic variation<span> via ISSR marker; and transcriptome analysis using qRT-PCR with six novel selected marker genes: </span></span><em>R1</em>, <em>R5</em>, <em>RGA29</em>, <span><em>lectin</em></span>, <em>LOX</em>, and <em>Osmotin</em>, at tree time post inoculation (wpi). Screening for resistance showed the average severity between 4.7 and 88.9%; of which, the lowest one was in ‘Saba’ and ‘Saba – HS (6.7 and 4.7%, respectively). ISSR analysis recorded 226 amplified bands, of which 160 bands showed polymorphism, of which ISSR1 and ISSR10 primers showed the best performance. We also found that following inoculation with <em>FOC</em> could regulate defense-related marker genes; <em>R1</em>, <em>PR5</em>, <em>Lectin</em>, <em>LOX</em>, <em>Osmotin</em>, and <em>RGA29</em> in resistant onion “Saba” and ‘Saba’-HS in comparison to susceptible and controls, non-inoculated ones ranging from 1.23 to 6.99 -fold significantly. Surprisingly, marker genes; <em>Lectin</em>, <em>LOX</em>, and <em>Osmotin</em> were also expressed to <em>FOC</em><span> simultaneous, though basically are resistance to other biotic and abiotic stress: </span><em>Lectin</em> to <span><em>Rhizoctonia solani</em></span>, Aphid, and major sap-sucking pests; <em>LOX</em><span> to root-knot and cyst nematode, </span><span><em>Heterodera glycines</em></span>; <em>Osmotin</em> to drought stredd, and oxidative burst in plants. This indicates the double, and or multiple roles of our selected marker genes covering two or more functions at a time. The findings introduce newly resistant onion genotypes, and also can be used in management programs to reduce damages caused by <em>FOC</em> disease. Cumulatively, the transcriptome-data provide novel-insights into the response of onions for improving onion-breeding to <em>FOC.</em></p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100440"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138390348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Detecting QTLs controlling chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in Iranian wheat recombinant inbred lines","authors":"Narges Sahranavard , Eisa Jorjani , Hossein Sabouri , Sharifeh Mohahamad Alegh , Mahnaz Katouzi","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100437","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100437","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence<span> is one of the methods to detect a disorder in the photosynthetic system<span>, which reflects the photochemical state of the plant. Identification of the genetic structure of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters can provide useful solutions for breeding varieties with higher potential. The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying quantitative loci (QTL) related to chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in an Iranian RILs<span> wheat population. One hundred and twenty F8 RILs of wheat derived from crossing Kohdasht (KHD) and Gonbad (GND) cultivars in the form of an alpha lattice design were studied in 2019 and 2020. The analysis of QTLs was performed in the software R using the package QTL.gCIMapping.GUI v2.0. The genetic map was constructed with 423 SSR markers, 21 CBDP markers, 58 ISJ markers, and 19 SCoT markers (521 polymorphic alleles) distributed on 21 wheat chromosomes. This map covered 3167.9 cM of the wheat genome and had an average marker spacing of 6.1, 6, and 6.2 cM for the A, B, and D genomes, respectively. Thirteen of the fourteen QTLs discovered in 2019 and four of the nine QTLs discovered in 2020 had an explanatory coefficient greater than 15% and were considered major QTLs. In 2019, pleiotropic QTLs were found at position 1.79 cM on chromosome 3A and between two markers Xwmc11-3A and BARC1177. In 2020, two QTLs, qABS/ RC </span></span></span></span><img>1B and qTRo/ RC <img>1B were located at position 36.80 cM 1B and between two markers Xgpw4331-1B and Xgpw5162-1B, and two QTLs, qETo/ RC-5D and qREo / RC-5D were located at position 63.25 cM chromosome 5D and correspond to the position of marker cfd266. Pleiotropic QTLs as well as major QTLs can be used in marker-assisted selection for chlorophyll fluorescence traits in wheat breeding projects.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100437"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135614734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant GenePub Date : 2023-10-18DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100436
V. Kamal Kumar, R. Rajalakshmi
{"title":"Population diversity analysis of an underutilized legume, winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) using ISSR markers","authors":"V. Kamal Kumar, R. Rajalakshmi","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100436","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100436","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Seventy genotypes of winged bean representing five populations, include the, genotypes from India (IN), Thailand (TH), Nigeria (NI), Ghana (GH) and Papua New, Guinea (PNG) were taken for the study. Widely accepted population analysis tools;, POPGene Ver.1.32, GenAlEx Ver. 6.5, Splits Tree Ver.4.15.1, STRUCTURE Ver., 2.3.4 and Structure Harvester Ver.6.0 and MVSP Ver.3.22 were used for data, interpretation. Results revealed that the highest diversity was observed in Thailand, population. Genetic diversity between populations was not related to geography. All the, Indian samples except PT-1 grouped together, one Thailand sample (PT-33) was, totally different from other Thailand samples and PT-69 of PNG highly distinct from, other samples. Cluster analysis revealed that four Thailand samples (PT-31, PT-32, PT-48, and PT-49) two Indian samples (PT-28 and PT-29) and two Thailand samples, (PT-42 and PT-46) are genetically closer with less Euclidean distance of 0, whereas, PT-39 showed a maximum distance of 0.87. From this study, PT-33 (EC 178272), PT-, 69 (EC 38821 P2) and PT-39 (EC 178291) could be labelled as genetic variants.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"36 ","pages":"Article 100436"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50182735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Heterosis of quality protein maize inbred lines for agronomic traits and association with genetic distances based on SSR and phenotypic markers","authors":"Solomon Tayo Akinyosoye , Morufat Oloruntoyin Balogun , Samuel Adelowo Olakojo","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100435","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Due to high cost, limited labour, and longer time required in hybrid development, identifying promising hybrids at an early stage without large-scale yield trials is crucial. Therefore this study estimated heterosis of quality protein maize hybrids for grain yield (GY) and other agronomic traits and investigated relationship of genetic and phenotypic distances (GD, PD) of inbreds with hybrid performance (HP) and mid-and-better parent heterosis (MPH, BPH). Forty-five hybrids generated by half-diallel with 10 inbreds were evaluated for GY and other agronomic traits at three locations. The yield trials were conducted for two years (2017 and 2018 cropping seasons). The GD and PD were 0.45 and 0.40 based on SSR and phenotypic data, respectively, this shows moderate genetic variation existed among inbreds. GY had highest MPH (77.55%) and BPH (53.96%) with hybrid TZEEQI-9 × TZEEQI-16 having highest MPH (382.8%) and BPH (331.7%), across locations. Positive and significant association existed between SSR-GD with HP, MPH and BPH for ear length, kernels/row and 100-seed weight (<em>r</em> = 0.31** to 0.41**), this suggests these traits can be predicted from SSR-based GD of parents. These traits could be used for indirect selection for yield improvement. However, negative correlation was obtained between SSR-GD with HP, MPH and BPH for anthesis and silking (<em>r</em> = −0.29 to −0.03), this indicates the dominance for earliness to flowering and silking than their parental lines. The two distance measures can be used to differentiate between maize inbreds and assigned them to different heterotic groups and Breeders can therefore prioritize crosses with high heterosis and desirable phenotypic traits, saving time, resources, and field space.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"36 ","pages":"Article 100435"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50182737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}