Brukental Hillel, Doron-Faigenboim Adi, Bar-Ya'akov Irit, Harel-Beja Rotem, Trainin Taly, Hatib Kamel, Aharon Shlomi, Azoulay-Shemer Tamar, Holland Doron
Fruit Tree Sciences, Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Ramat Yishay, Israel.
The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
Tree Genet Genomes. 2024;20(5):37. doi: 10.1007/s11295-024-01668-4. Epub 2024 Sep 24.
During the process of almond () domestication, essential traits, which gave plants the plasticity for facing unstable environmental conditions, were lost. In general, the domestication process often narrows the natural genetic diversity. Modern selections (i.e., breeding programs) dramatically accelerated this genetic bottleneck trend to a few successful almond cultivars, which are presently the founders of most commercial cultivars worldwide. The concept of utilizing wild species as a source for important traits and for the enrichment of the gene pool was deeply discussed in previous studies. However, in almonds and other species, deliberate utilization of wild species as a genetic resource for breeding programs is quite rare. To address these significant challenges, we generated an interspecific F1 population between the Israeli almond cultivar Um el Fahem (UEF) and a specimen of a local wild almond species, (), originating from the Judea desert. This interspecific F1 population possesses high phenotypic variability, and sixteen segregating traits were phenotyped. Among the segregating traits, we were able to genetically associate six agriculturally important traits, such as leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), flower size, and fruit size. The alleles for Self-Compatibility (SC) and kernel bitterness were previously mapped in almond and were reexamined on the background of the distinctive wild genetic material of . Finally, phenotypic interactions between traits were suggested, such as rootstock perimeter and canopy area that were positively correlated with total yield in the F1 population. This study is a first step towards developing a well-characterized almond interspecies genetic population. The availability of such a genetic tool with detailed phenotypic analysis is crucial to address and explore the profound influence of almond wild species in genetic research and breeding. By using the interspecific population as the infrastructure, we show the advantages and importance of utilizing wild relatives.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11295-024-01668-4.
在扁桃（）驯化过程中，赋予植物应对不稳定环境条件可塑性的重要性状丧失了。一般来说，驯化过程往往会缩小自然遗传多样性。现代选育（即育种计划）极大地加速了这种遗传瓶颈趋势，导致少数成功的扁桃品种出现，这些品种目前是全球大多数商业品种的基础。此前的研究深入探讨了利用野生种作为重要性状来源和丰富基因库的概念。然而，在扁桃及其他物种中，将野生种作为育种计划的遗传资源进行有意利用的情况相当罕见。为应对这些重大挑战，我们构建了以色列扁桃品种乌姆·法赫姆（UEF）与一种源自朱迪亚沙漠的当地野生扁桃物种（）样本之间的种间F1群体。这个种间F1群体具有高度的表型变异性，对16个分离性状进行了表型分析。在这些分离性状中，我们能够将6个农业上重要的性状进行遗传关联，如叶片叶绿素含量（LCC）、花大小和果实大小。自交亲和性（SC）和种仁苦味的等位基因先前已在扁桃中定位，并在独特的野生遗传材料背景下重新进行了研究。最后，提出了性状之间的表型相互作用，如砧木周长和冠层面积与F1群体的总产量呈正相关。本研究是朝着构建一个特征明确的扁桃种间遗传群体迈出的第一步。这样一个具有详细表型分析的遗传工具对于解决和探索扁桃野生种在遗传研究和育种中的深远影响至关重要。通过将种间群体作为基础架构，我们展示了利用野生近缘种的优势和重要性。
在线版本包含可在10.1007/s11295 - 024 - 01668 - 4获取的补充材料。
