Małgorzata Sułkowska

Phenotypic trait variation measured on European genetic trials of Fagus sylvatica L

We present BeechCOSTe52; a database of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) phenotypic measurements for several traits related to fitness measured in genetic trials planted across Europe. The dataset was compiled and harmonized during the COST-Action E52 (2006–2010), and subsequently cross-validated to ensure consistency of measurement data among trials and provenances. Phenotypic traits (height, diameter at breast height, basal diameter, mortality, phenology of spring bud burst and autumn–leaf discoloration) were recorded in 38 trial sites where 217 provenances covering the entire distribution of European beech were established in two consecutive series (1993/95 and 1996/98). The recorded data refer to 862,095 measurements of the same trees aged from 2 to 15 years old over multiple years. This dataset captures the considerable genetic and phenotypic intra-specific variation present in European beech and should be of interest to researchers from several disciplines including quantitative genetics, ecology, biogeography, macroecology, adaptive management of forests and bioeconomy.

Capillary Electrophoresis as Useful Tool in Analysis of Fagus sylvatica L. Population Genetic Dynamics

The Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) is one of the method widely used in modern molecular genetics, applied for fast and efficient DNA fragment separation in the sieving polymer in the electric field [1]. The use of this method has increased dramatically over the last fifteen years, due to high precision of small nucleic acid separation (even to the singe nucleotide level) of the available material analysed in the field of analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry, and biotechnology. Essentially, the CE technique has been used for genome sequencing projects, e.g. Human Genome Project [2] or many others assignments (for animals, plants, bacteria and fungi), published in NCBI database (www.ncbi.org).

Genetic variability of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in maternal regions of provenance

Abstract The analysis of chosen selected Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), populations representing different seed regions: 107 (Międzyzdroje), 305 (Woziwoda), 206 (Strzałowo), 208 (Białowieża), 504 (Bolesławiec), 606 (Józefów) were performed using 10 isoensyme markers: Gdh (E.C.1.4.1.2), Sdh-A, Sdh-B (E.C.1.1.1.25), Pgd-B (E.C.1.1.1.44), Mdh-A, Mdh-C (E.C.1.1.1.37), Got-A, Got-B, Got-C (E.C.2.6.1.1), Dia-C (E.C.1.8.1.4). There were calculated following genetic parameters: allelic frequencies, observed and expected heterozygosities, and Wright’s fixation indexes. In populations, the results of analysis indicated presence of rare alleles. In all study populations, the average effective number of alleles per locus was 1.46 and was lower than expected number of alleles per locus of 1.93. The results for the effective number of alleles of the population per locus were as follows: Strzałowo and Białowieża 1.54, Bolesławiec 1.48, Jozefów 1.44, Świnoujście 1.42, Woziwoda 1.35. Average observed heterozygosity in the studied populations was calculated at the level of 0.26 and it was lower than the expected heterozygosity at 0.28. For populations, the level of heterozygosities were as follow: Strzałowo 0.35, Bolesławiec and Białowieża 0.25, Józefów 0.27, Świnoujście 0.23, Woziwoda 0.26. In particular loci level of heterozygosity was different, as the most heterozygous Mdh-C locus was estimated, while minimum Got-C. Significant differences in allele frequency of Hardy-Weinberg deviation equilibrium were found in 10 cases: Strzałowo (Got-C), Bolesławiec (Got-B), Białowieża (Got-B, Gdh), Józefów (Mdh-C), Międzyzdroje (Got-B, Got-C, Mdh-C), Woziwoda (Got-C, Gdh). All studied populations had a lower effective number of alleles per locus (Ne) comparing to the observed number of alleles (Na). Wright’s fixation indices were negative for populations: Strzałowo (-0.09), Józefów (-0.03), Międzyzdroje (-0.01) and positive for: Białowieża (0.12), Woziwoda and Bolesławiec (0.07). The extremely high Wright’s fixation index (0.12) was observed for Białowieża population.

Environmental Risk Assessment of Genetically Modified Plants (Gmo) – Challenges and Approaches

Never before in the history, the invasion of the alien pest had been so numerous, causing important finan-cial losses, and at the same time EU countries had faced the lack of efficient tools to control them. The concern of public health became an urgent issue, livelihoods of growers are threatened, and export markets exposed at high risk, if policies for mitigating the pest impact are not being urgently modernized. Nowadays, these prob-lems are increasing because the ability of exotic species to invade virtually all regions of the word has been ac-celerated by global climate change, increased interna-tional travel, and on-going difficulties of detection in early invasion stages. Consequently, invasive pest and pathogen problems have not only begun to place grow -ers and commodity exporters in many countries at great financial risk, but have also stretched to the limits the capabilities of regional, national and international regu-latory agencies for dealing with them.Because of the ever-increasing numbers of in -sect pests that are invading importing and exporting countries throughout the word, a three-day mini-symposium and workshop entitled “Opportunities for enhancement of integrated pest management” were held in April 1–3, 2014 at Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), involving 45 prominent entomolo -gists, plant pathologists, invasion biologists, and pol -icy advisers. Among different topics of a symposium, the induced plant resistance, functional biodiversity, the role of ecological infrastructures and invasive (al -ien) pests and natural enemies, as well as perspectives and bottlenecks in manipulation of insect behaviour for enhancement of integrated pest management (IPM) were discussed. The workshop dealt with implication of biodiversity in genetically modified plants, and with on-farm behaviour of European cherry fly (