Ken-ichi Tanno

Allelic variation at the EF-G locus among northern Moroccan six-rowed barleys

A germplasm panel of 52 six-rowed barley landraces from northern Morocco was analysed by a Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences (CAPS) assay of a fragment of the elongation factor G ( EF-G ) gene. Forty-nine of these accessions carried allele A, and the other three carried allele D. The latter all originated from a narrow region close to the border with Algeria, whereas the former were represented across the whole collection area. Since six-rowed D allele carriers are present in North Africa, along with both two-rowed cultivated and wild barleys, it is likely that the European six-rowed barley varieties carrying the D allele have Moroccan parentage.

Harvest index is a critical factor influencing the grain yield of diverse wheat species under rain-fed conditions in the Mediterranean zone of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria

Abstract Environmental and plant factors critical to the grain yields of bread (Triticum aestivum L.), durum (T. durum L.) and emmer (T. dicoccum L.) wheat cultivars were investigated at two Mediterranean rain-fed field sites: Adana in southeastern Turkey (2009 and 2010) and Aleppo in northern Syria (2009). The grain yield (GY) and biological yield (BY) of most cultivars were higher in Adana than in Aleppo, and the lower GY in Aleppo resulted from lower harvest index (HI) and lower BY due to higher temperatures and lower rainfall. The variations in the HI among cultivars were greater in Adana than in Aleppo. The GY was closely related to the HI but not the BY across cultivars at each site, and a higher GY was accompanied by a superior conversion-efficiency of incident radiation during the grain filling period for grain yield [GY/Ra, where Ra is the cumulative radiation for 30 days after heading (D30)] across all observations. The GY/Ra correlated negatively with the average temperature for D30, and higher HI values resulted in higher GY/Ra. In Adana, the time from anthesis to physiological-maturity decreased as the average temperature for D30 increased, resulting in a lower HI. Cultivars exhibiting the early heading trait can effectively escape the negative impacts of terminal high-temperature and water-shortage conditions on the HI. The results suggested that the HI is a critical factor for GY across diverse wheat cultivars under terminal high-temperatures and water-shortages in Mediterranean areas, and the BY is also an important factor under severe water-limitation conditions.

Multiplex PCR effectively identifies tetraploid Triticum AABB – or AAGG-genome species

We developed a multiplex PCR DNA marker for quick and easy identification of the AAGG-genome timopheevii lineage, including Triticum timopheevii , Triticum araraticum and hexaploid Triticum zhukovskyi (AAA m A m GG), and the AABB-genome emmer wheat lineage, including Triticum durum , Triticum dicoccum and Triticum dicoccoides . Distinguishing between tetraploid AAGG- and AABB-genome wheat species based on morphology is known to be difficult. This multiplex PCR system is based on the simultaneous PCR amplification of two chloroplast regions, matK and rbcL . The matK region molecularly distinguishes the two lineages, whereas the rbcL region is a positive control amplicon. We also examined whether the simple sequence repeat is a fixed mutation within species, using genetic resources in the collection of KOMUGI, Kyoto University, which comprises accessioned species collected across diverse geographical areas. The multiplex PCR marker distinguished AAGG from AABB species with complete accuracy.

The Origins of Agriculture

Wheat, barley and legumes constitute a major part of the diet that we consume on a daily basis. However, these crops were not a major food resource for the most part of human history until they were first cultivated in West Asia about 10,000-12,000 years ago. The first domestication of these crops, therefore, was an epoch-making episode which underpinned the foundation of our modern civilization. This chapter reviews past studies concerning the origin of plant domestication such as the nuclear zone hypothesis, a climate-driven model and the core area hypothesis. Then, based on a careful examination of archaeobotanical evidence and recently published data we introduce an alternative view which emphasizes the protracted, multi-trajectory development of early agriculture.