Trypsin inhibitors (TI) in raw soybean grain, mainly represented by the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor protein (KTI), prevent the normal activity of the digestive enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin in humans and monogastric livestock. The inactivation of TI is achieved through costly and time-consuming heat treatment. Thermal processing also impairs the solubility and availability of the soybean grain protein. Therefore, the genetic elimination of KTI has been proposed as a suitable alternative to heat treatment. The aim of this study was to screen the collection of European soybean cultivars with six genetic markers (one SSR marker and five SNP markers) previously proposed as tightly linked to the KTI3 gene encoding the major Kunitz trypsin inhibitor seed protein of soybean and validate their usability for marker-assisted selection (MAS). The six markers were validated on a subset of 38 cultivars with wide variability in KTI content and in the F2 and F3:5 progenies of two crosses between the known high- and low-KTI cultivars. Three genetic markers (SSR Satt228 and two SNP markers, Gm08_45317135_T/G and Gm08_45541906_A/C) were significantly associated with KTI content in a subset of 38 cultivars. Low-KTI alleles were detected in both low- and high-KTI genotypes and vice versa, high-KTI alleles were found in both high- and low-KTI genotypes, indicating a tight but not perfect association of these markers with the KTI3 gene. The genetic marker SSR Satt228 showed a significant association with KTI content in the F2 progeny, while the SNP markers Gm08_45317135_T/G and Gm08_45541906_A/C allowed significant discrimination between progeny with high- vs. low-KTI progenies in the F3:5 generation. These three markers could be applied in MAS for low-KTI content but not without the additional phenotyping step to extract the desired low-KTI genotypes.
Soybean is generally grown as a rainfed crop worldwide and very often is exposed to drought and high temperatures. The objectives of this study were to determine the performance and stability of 32 elite soybean genotypes for seed protein and oil contents across six dry and eight normal environments and to determine the influence of environment on the relationship between the two traits. In the combined ANOVA, genotypes (G), environments (E) and G × E were significant for both traits with protein content being more sensitive to environmental changes than oil content. Mean seed protein content decreased by 4.5% under drought conditions compared to normal ones and ranged from 2.3% to 7.1% for individual genotypes. At the same time drought caused a slight increase in seed oil content of +1.2%, with a range of −1.3% to +4.5% for individual genotypes. Genotype stability in terms of regression coefficient (b) and coefficient of variation (CV) was in moderate to weak negative correlation with mean genotype performance for protein content, while no correlation was observed between genotype stability and mean genotype performance for oil content. Protein and oil content were significantly negatively correlated in normal environments (r = −0.33), while no correlation between the traits was observed in dry environments (r = −0.02).
Istraživan je utjecaj različitih sustava obrade tla i korištenja slame kao malča te njihove interakcije na prinos i agronomska svojstva jare pšenice. Pokus je postavljen u sjeverozapadnoj Hrvatskoj na fluvioslu u humidnim uvjetima 2021. godine s tri sustava obrade tla (glavni faktor): konvencionalna obrada s oranjem do 20 cm u jesen i tanjuranjem u proljeće (CT), primjena kombiniranog oruđa do 15 cm u proljeće (MT), podrivanje na dubinu 35-40 cm u jesen te rahljenje kombiniranim oruđem do 15 cm u proljeće (RT). Svaki sustav obrade podijeljen je na parcele sa i bez slame kao podfaktorom pokusa. Obrada tla imala je značajan učinak (p<0,05) samo za hektolitarsku masu, dok je značajan učinak korištenja malča zabilježen za masu 1000 zrna i sedimentacijsku vrijednost. Interakcija obrade i slame pokazala je značajan učinak na sva istraživana svojstva (prinos, masa 1000 zrna, hektolitarska masa, sadržaj proteina, sadržaj vlažnog lijepka, sedimentacijska vrijednost). Prema dobivenim rezultatima može se zaključiti da se plitkom obradom (MT) ostvaruje zadovoljavajući prinos u odnosu na konvencionalnu obradu, ali je za optimizaciju kemijskih karakteristika prinosa jare pšenice potrebno testirati i druge agrotehničke mjere.
Soja se uzgaja na 121 milijuna hektara te predstavlja četvrtu najzastupljeniju ratarsku kulturu u svijetu, dok u Hrvatskoj po zastupljenosti površina zauzima treće mjesto. U promatranom razdoblju od 2009 do 2019 uzgajala se u prosjeku na 65.068 ha uz prosječni prinos zrna od 2.6 t ha-1. Najveći prinos ostvaren je 2018. godine (245 188 t), a iste godine postignut je i najveći prinos zrna (3.18 t ha-1). Proizvodnju soje u Hrvatskoj karakterizira pozitivan trend u porastu površina čemu su pridonijele stabilne i visoke cijene sirovina i otkupa te sustav poticaja i potpora, dok su na porast prosječnog prinosa zrna najviše utjecali primijenjena tehnologija i znanje proizvođača te izbor kvalitetnog sortimenta. Soja sa 80 milijuna HRK vrijednosti izvoza koliko je ostvareno u 2020. predstavlja jedan od najznačajnijih izvoznih proizvoda RH. U 2020. soju je sijalo 9.864 korisnika u sustavu potpora i to na 84.302 ha što je 8.5 ha soje po korisniku. Sjemenska proizvodnja također bilježi konstantan porast, a u uzgoju je najzastupljeniji rani do srednje rani domaći sortiment Poljoprivrednog instituta Osijek te talijanski rani sortiment. Mogućnost postrne sjetve, sposobnost fiksacije dušika u plodoredu, te sigurnost otkupa NON – GM sortimenta idu u prilog mogućnosti intenzivnijeg povećanja površina i prinosa zrna soje u Hrvatskoj.
Micromeria croatica is an endangered species with a great potential for use as a medical as well as ornamental plant. For commercial use, an efficient propagation protocol is required. The aims of this study were to establish an efficient protocol for micropropagation and rooting of M. croatica. A number of factors were tested including the influence of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at different concentrations as well as the effect of explant orientation and topophysis on shoot proliferation. Rooting was investigated in agar-based medium supplemented with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at various concentrations. Media with 1 and 2 mg/L of BAP produced the highest number of shoots/explant. However, the lower concentration of BAP should be recommended due to longer shoots without any sign of hyperhydration. Explant orientation and node position showed equal capability for shoot proliferation. Importantly, 100% efficiency of rooting was achieved in an agar-based rooting medium. Acclimatisation exceeded 90%. Taken together, an efficient protocol for micropropagation and rooting of M. croatica has been established for future production.
The objective of this study was to determine the progress in grain yield and grain quality accomplished with conventional breeding methods, as well as to identify stable, widely or specifically adapted genotypes under central European growing conditions. Recently developed soybean elite lines of maturity groups (MGs) 00, 0 and I were compared with commercial cultivars (standards) in comparative field tests during three consecutive years (2018-2020) in Osijek, Croatia. The ANOVA results showed significant genotype, environment, and genotype-by-environment interaction effects. There was a significant improvement in productivity and quality in comparison to standards, while stability parameters for tested traits indicated there are stable and mostly specifically adaptable elite lines. Improvement of the domestic gene pool and high agronomic performances of elite lines stable in most important economic traits will considerably contribute to increasing and improving soybean production in central Europe.
Soybean is the most grown high-protein crop in the world. Despite the rapid increase of acreage and production volume, European soybean production accounts for only 34% of its consumption in Europe. This study aims to support the optimal exploitation of genetic resources by European breeding programs by investigating the genetic diversity and the genetic structure of 207 European cultivars or American introductions registered in Europe, which were genotyped by the SoySNP50K array. The expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.34 for the entire collection and ranged among countries from 0.24 for Swiss cultivars to 0.32 for American cultivars (partly reflecting differences in sample size between countries). Cluster analysis grouped all genotypes into two main clusters with eight subgroups that corresponded to the country of origin of cultivars and their maturity group. Pairwise Fst values between countries of origin showed the highest differentiation of Swiss cultivars from the rest of the European gene pool, while the lowest mean differentiation was found between American introductions and all other European countries. On the other hand, Fst values between maturity groups were much lower compared to those observed between countries. In analysis of molecular variance, the total genetic variation was partitioned either by country of origin or by maturity group, explaining 9.1% and 3.5% of the total genetic variance, respectively. On the whole, our results suggest that the European soybean gene pool still has sufficient diversity due to the different historical breeding practices in western and eastern countries and the relatively short period of breeding in Europe.