Terap (Artocarpus elasticus Reinw. ex Blume) is a native Indonesian plant that can be a functional and medicinal food source. The conservation of terap has focused on implementing the field gene bank at botanical gardens. These methods presented risks, such as aging, pest and disease susceptibility, and weather-related threats; thus, diversifying conservation strategies, notably through seed banking, is imperative to mitigate these challenges. This study aimed to determine the physiological maturity level and critical moisture content crucial for effective terap seed banking. When harvested, physiological maturity determination used three fruit colors: green, orange, and orange-fall fruits. The critical moisture content identification of seeds had seeds dried for 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days in a room at 18 °C ± 2 °C and 55%–65% relative humidity, as predicted by regression analysis. The results indicated optimal quality and viability from physiologically mature orange fruits harvested 100–120 days after anthesis, with 35.31 g 100-seed dry weight and 75%–80% germination percentage. The germination evaluation revealed that the first count was 35 days after sowing, and the final count was 50 days after sowing. The seeds had 0.63% per 24 h germination rate, 64% germination uniformity, and more than 82% emergence ability. The critical moisture content was 36.93%, suggesting terap seeds are recalcitrant; hence, seed banking requires storage conditions to be moist. In addition, storing seeds can also proceed by in vitro techniques, using tissue culture and cryopreservation.

Keywords: Germination, moisture content, recalcitrant, seed banking, seed characteristic

Key findings: Terap fruits colored orange were physiologically mature fruits with physiologically mature seeds. The critical moisture content was 36.93%, suggesting terap seeds are recalcitrant. These findings will benefit terap germplasm conservation. Proper germplasm conservation will maintain the genetic diversity of terap and make it easier for breeders to manage the germplasms for their future work.

In sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) crops for further improvement, one of the breeding efforts can continue through colchicine-induced mutations. Previously, PT GMP had developed through breeding GMP3 cultivars by mutation induction using colchicine. Nevertheless, no studies have investigated how colchicine affects agronomic traits. This pertinent research complements the results of previous work, namely, observing the anatomical characteristics of stomata. The presented study sought to determine the agronomic traits of sugarcane cultivar GMP3 breeding through colchicine induction. The study perceived a descriptive analysis of the agronomic features of nine-month-old mutants of sugarcane cultivar GMP3, carried out in 2021 at the Gunung Madu Plantations, Lampung, Indonesia. The assessment compared the treatment means, with the data further analyzed through clusters and PCA analyses using MVSP software. The results revealed that 21 mutants of the sugarcane cultivar GMP3 had considerable genetic diversity, such as medium-sized leaf width, dark green leaf color, cylindrical internode shape, no dorsal plane hairs, leaf shape with branches at the edges of the leaves, medium internode length (>13 cm), and stem diameter (2.5–3.0 cm). The phenetic analysis showed the degree of relationship between the control and 21 mutants of the cultivar GMP3, with similarity indices ranging from 0.70 to 1.00, confirming the similarity of agronomic traits. The principal component analysis (PCA) indicated the relationship between the control and cultivar GMP3 mutants for qualitative traits with an eigenvalue (>0.20), revealing that 13 agronomic traits played a considerable role in cluster grouping. These findings can become a basis for future research on colchicine-mutated sugarcane.

Keywords: Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), cultivar GMP3, colchicine mutation, agronomic traits, cluster and principal component analyses

Key findings: The 21 colchicine mutants of cultivar GMP3 revealed considerable diversity in agronomic traits, i.e., medium-sized leaf width, dark green leaf color, leaf shape with branches, no dorsal hairs, cylindrical segment shape, medium segment length (>13 cm), and medium-sized stem diameter (2.5–3.0 cm). The results obtained can benefit a basis for future sugarcane breeding through colchicine mutation.

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields are gradually increasing in Russian plains, though a limited yield exists, which could point back to insect pest incursion in wheat fields. However, in the past up to the present, yield losses due to insect pest invasion were approximately 20% annually. The latest study aims to determine the effectiveness of the insecticide Thiamethoxam (350 g/l) used in controlling insect pests through wheat seed treatment. The experiments laid out in 2019 and 2020 in the foothill zone of Abinsky, Astrakhan region, Russian Federation. The randomized complete block design (RCBD) used with four replications and a plot size of 100 m². The treatment included one winter wheat variety and four treatments: T1 = Kaytoks, KS @ 0.5 l/t, T2 = Kaytoks, KS @ 1.0 l/t, T3 = Cruiser, KS @ 1.0 l/t, and T4 = the control (untreated). Based on the crop season evaluation, a significant increase resulted in the pest population (4.74 to 26.57 adults/m²) in the control plots. The plots amended with insecticide Thiamethoxam (350 g/l) at the rate of 0.5 l/t showed lesser pest population (0.25 to 1.25 adults/m²), and plots with 1.0 l/t ranged from 0 to 0.5 adults/m². Results also revealed that insecticides of the manufacturers, i.e., Kaytoks, KS, and Cruiser, KS, proved effective in pest control, ranging from 80 to 100%. The wheat seeds treated with Kaytoks, KS (0.5 l/t) and (1.0 l/t) increased their yield compared with control by 9.3 to 14.8% (2019) and 15.6 to 17.3% (2020). Thus, to achieve insect pest control and yield increase in wheat varieties, seed treatment using Thiamethoxam (Kaytoks, KS) at an application rate of 1.0 l/t can be a vital crop protection tool for cereal crops and an eco-friendly method.

Keywords: Winter wheat, insect pests, insecticides, seed treatment, Thiamethoxam, grain yield

Key findings: Seed treatment with Thiamethoxam (350 g/l) significantly reduced the incidence of five key insect pests and increases winter wheat grain yield in the Astrakhan region, Russia. Thus, Thiamethoxam (350 g/l) can be a recommended option to the farming community for better pest control and increased grain yield.

This study assessed the leaf pigments and the activity of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzymes in soybean local cultivars, i.e., Genetic-1, Tomaris, Baraka, Nafis, and Sochilmas, under the influence of the phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria alternata. In local soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivars during the budding and flowering periods, the A. alternata micromycetes influenced and decreased the chlorophyll a and b index compared with the control, validating the relationship of soybean leaf chlorophyll with the phytopathogenic micromycetes. Compared with the control variant, carotenoid content in the leaves of some soybean cultivars increased to varying degrees in variants with phytopathogenic micromycetes while decreasing in other genotypes to varying degrees. An outcome of the study revealed that the amount of leaf pigments in local soybean varieties infected with the phytopathogenic micromycete A. alternata is higher during the plant’s flowering than during its budding period. Compared with other soybean cultivars, the Baraka and Nafis appeared with enhanced peroxidase enzyme activity by the artificial exposure to the A. alternata fungus. The results further revealed that polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity also increased by 117.7% and 152.0% in the cultivars Tomaris and Baraka, respectively, under the influence of A. alternata micromycetes compared with the control. The activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzyme was higher in the soybean cultivars Tomaris and Nafis under the influence of A. alternata than in other cultivars and the control. The activity of the peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase enzyme, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase heightened in all the soybean cultivars under the influence of the phytopathogenic micromycete A. alternata compared with the control treatment.

Keywords: Soybean (G. max L.), Alternaria alternata, budding, flowering, chlorophyll, carotenoid, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, control, physiological and biochemical traits

Key findings: In the physio-biochemical defense system of the soybean (G. max L.), it was evident that a sharp increase of the protective enzymes occurred in resistant genotypes by showing considerable tolerance to the fungus A. alternata. Therefore, the local soybean cultivars Tomaris and Nafis were the choice resistant cultivars to A. alternata that can serve as base materials in future breeding programs to develop the soybean-resistant cultivars to alternariosis.

Phytochemicals are plant-based bioactive compounds produced by plants for their protection. In Allium species, the principal bioactive phytochemicals include organosulfur compounds, polyphenols, and saponins. Most of them have also displayed antioxidant activities aside from other biological properties. Selection for productivity, disease resistance, and long shelf life has brought the biologically active substances out of control of selection. However, at the same time, enhancement of their contents could result from hybridization with some wild species of Allium.

Keywords: Allium L., calorie content, biochemical composition, nutritional values, onions, chives, garlic, leeks

Key findings: Genus Allium L. species is a valuable source of biologically active compounds, such as vitamins, dietary fibers, antioxidants, and cholesterol-lowering compounds.

Information on the inheritance of adaptive traits to high plant density (HD) and low N (LN) in maize is a prerequisite for breeders to develop tolerant varieties to these stresses. The objective of the presented study was to estimate additive and dominance variances, heritability, and genetic advancement of the adaptive traits of tolerance to HD and LN stresses. Eight diverse maize inbred lines tolerant to HD and LN were options for diallel crosses. Parents and F1 crosses sustained evaluation in two seasons under nine environments, viz., three plant densities (high = HD, medium = MD, and low = LD) × three N levels (high = HN, medium = MN, and low = LN). A randomized complete block design with three replications functioned in each environment. Both additive and dominance variances were significant; dominance was appreciably higher than the additive variance in most cases. The degree of dominance was more in the over-dominance range. The highest heritability, along with the highest genetic advance, succeeded from the environment stressed for both HD and LN for leaf angle, penetrated light at the bottom of the plant, and leaf area produced 1g grain, and from the environment stressed for HD for plant height and 100-kernel weight. Moreover, the results suggested that heterosis breeding is the method of choice for the genetic improvement of most studied traits.

Keywords: Plant density, Low N, combining ability, additive, dominance, heritability

Key findings: The results of this study will help maize breeders plan a proper breeding program for improving hybrids tolerant to high plant density and low N stresses in Egypt.

Late sowing of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop correlates with high temperatures. Thus, temperature is one of the main restraining factors influencing wheat yield productivity, especially during the grain-filling period. The best solution to this problem is to evolve heat-tolerant genotypes. Yet, heat tolerance is a complicated issue, causing it a challenge to make a reliable assessment of it. High-temperature stress is a chief ecological constraint hampering the productivity of hexaploid wheat in most parts of the globe. Wheat genotypes, which persist against abiotic stresses, especially at terminal stress periods, are options to meet Pakistan’s food requirements in the coming years. In the current study, concerning SCA effects, the F₁ hybrids, such as TD-1 × Kiran-95, NIA-Sarang × TJ-83, Benazir × AS-2002, TD-1 × Kiran-95, NIA-Sarang × Benazir, and TJ-83 × AS-2002, expressed rewarding SCA effects for several characteristics under the heat-stress environment; hence, they could be alternatives in future wheat breeding programs. Heterosis may further be a pursuit for these crosses to get the advantage of hybrid vigor.

Keywords: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), heterosis, yield, heat stress, genotypes, physiological and yield traits

Key findings: Regarding SCA effects, the F₁ hybrids, such as TD-1 × Kiran-95, NIA-Sarang × TJ-83, Benazir × AS-2002, TD-1 × Kiran-95, NIA-Sarang × Benazir, and TJ-83 × AS-2002, articulated rewarding SCA effects for several traits under heat-stress environment. Hence, they can be options in future wheat (T. aestivum L.) breeding programs.

Coffea canephora × C. arabica-crossing direction has shown to have a complete post-zygotic barrier. The study sought to unravel the degree of seed failure of paternal excess interspecific hybridization of C. canephora × C. arabica. The present research was conducted at the Pakuwon Experimental Station, Indonesian Industrial and Beverage Crops Research Institute (IBCRI), from August 2019 until March 2022. The C. canephora “Sidodadi” hand pollination used freshly collected pollen from C. arabica “Mangening” and C. arabica “AGK,” as well as from C. canephora “Kriting” and C. liberica. The fruit set was observed three months after anthesis (MAP) and six MAP. Cherry fruit and seed morphometric traits were measured at harvest time, with the number of seeds with collapsed endosperm (empty seed) also recorded. The surviving healthy seeds subsequently were sown to observe germination percentage. The number of leaf pairs on developing seedlings was recorded at a 2-month interval. Results showed that paternal excess had generated larger fruit and seeds but mostly contained collapsed endosperm. Few healthy developed seeds could germinate and subsequently develop into seedlings that are more vigorous. Interestingly, the interspecific homoploid crossing of C. canephora × C. liberica also exhibited a robust post-zygotic barrier.

Keywords: Coffea, interploidy, parent-of-origin, paternal excess, reproductive isolation

Key findings: These findings could become preliminary information related to the early-acting postzygotic reproductive barrier between diploid maternal of C. canephora and tetraploid paternal of C. arabica. The low frequency of hybrid seeds succeeded to germinate and develop into normal seedlings. These novel F1 hybrids could potentially be integrated in future coffee breeding programs.

Zinc deficiency prevails in one-third of the world’s population, which is mainly due to the intake of cereals grown on zinc-deficient soils. Biofortification is a top priority among different solutions to this condition and is an agricultural intervention suitable for farmers and consumers due to accessibility and cost-effectiveness. Maize (Zea mays L.) is a short-duration and high-yielding crop that can grow in two seasons per annum and is the most suitable cereal for biofortification. The present study investigated 150 genetically diverse maize inbred lines for grain-zinc contents, yield, and yield-contributing traits, employing an augmented field design. Significant genotypic diversity was prominent for the studied traits. The first four components of the principal component analysis (PCA) depicted an Eigen value of more than one, which explained 73.5% of the total variability. Among inbred lines, E102, E38, E92, E52, E91, E1, E93, E54, E28, E25, E72, E30, and E90 showed higher grain-zinc contents and average grain yields per plant in the PCA-based study. The grain-zinc contents were less than the desired level (33 mg kg-1) notified by HarvestPlus. Creating significant genetic diversity and exploiting its existing level for heterotic performance is a prerequisite to achieve the desired level of grain-zinc contents and yield. Correlation studies revealed a significant positive association of average grain yield per plant with the ear length, the number of grains per row, the number of rows per cob, and 1000-grain weight. Selection of inbred lines based on the standards of positive association with grain yield per plant could improve total yield.

Keywords: Maize, augmented design, biofortification, correlation coefficients, genetic variability, PCA

Key findings: Improving grain-zinc contents can succeed by selecting early maturing genotypes with less anthesis-silking interval (ASI). Lesser days to silking and days to tasseling cause early mobilization of available zinc from tassel to cob; hence, more zinc is available for grain under long grain-filling periods. High-kernel zinc contents improve grain weight due to enhanced carbohydrate supply for grain filling. Indirect selection to develop zinc biofortified maize genotypes should require high mean values for plant height, total grain weight, ear length, and grain yield and lower mean values for days to silking and days to tasseling.

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is a fundamental approach for enhancing the cotton crop quality. However, the comprehensive bibliometric analysis within this research domain is still lacking. In August 2023, we conducted a scientific, computer-assisted review methodology based on the bibliometric record use of the Scopus dataset. Employing an innovative research methodology has gathered the data to descend prevailing research trends, influential journals, document types, prolific authors, and key countries related to MAS application in cotton research. The bibliometric analysis helped determine the current general research direction and trend of publications about MAS application in cotton research in the most prolific and distinguished journals and document types with years, authors, countries, and keywords. Data extraction, integration, and visualization employed the VOS-viewer, Microsoft Excel, and Map-chart. The presented review referred to 273 research manuscripts published in 72 journals retrieved from the Scopus database, with China and the United States identified as the most productive nations. Authors, including Zhan T, Zhang J, Guo W, Fan DD, and Yuan Y, emerged as influential contributors to MAS studies. The most important fields were agricultural and biological science, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. The latest review research will objectively assess the current state of MAS utilization in cotton research, offering valuable insights for individuals seeking information on MAS techniques in cotton and serving as a reference guide for researchers exploring further studies in this domain.

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis, marker-assisted selection (MAS), cotton, Scopus database, collaborative network, co-accurate network, subject area

Key findings: The study provides a comprehensive overview of MAS research in cotton, emphasizing the leadership of China and the USA. Developing countries should strengthen MAS initiatives by collaborating with chief authors and organizations crucial for further advancements in this field.