The genetic structure of forty eight Ethiopian Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) isolates, representing three major wheat growing regions was investigated using 15 AFLP primer combinations. AFLP analysis generated large number of polymorphic bands (markers) and allowed easy identification of the different genotypes. The study showed a high level of genetic diversity within the isolates. There was no population subdivision based on origin of isolates as reflected by a low coefficient of genetic differentiation (0.107), and a single dendrogram cluster consisting of all isolates except three. Gene flow among populations was estimated to be high. The AFLP analysis characterized the isolates to have high genetic diversity and homogeneity across regions. The developed AFLP fingerprints for the Ethiopian Pgt isolates reported herein could support the breeding program to develop strategies for the deployment of resistance genes in its continued effort to minimize the impact of stem rust on wheat in Ethiopia.
Keywords: AFLP, wheat, stem rust, genetic diversity, population differentiation
Abstract In the course of a breeding programme for high‐linolenic‐acid linseed (oilflax, Linum usitatissimum L.) doubled‐haploid lines (DH‐lines) of three F 1 hybrids were generated using an anther‐culture technique. A total of 82 DH‐lines were generated and multiplied in 1993, of which 39 were suitable for testing in a repeated field trial in 1994. Yield, fat content and fatty‐acid composition were determined. The yield of the DH‐lines was not significantly different from that of respective mid‐parent values. Fatty‐acid composition and fat content showed remarkable variation, and DH‐lines exceeded cross parents in some cases for both fat content and linolenic‐acid proportion. Superior DH‐lines surpassed mid‐parent linolenic‐acid‐content values by 4.5% and fat content by 1.9%. The results indicate that anther culture is a useful tool in linseed breeding.
Oils and fats are the most important renewable raw materials for the chemical industry. Hitherto, industrial oleochemistry has concentrated predominantly on the carboxy functionality of fatty acids but, more recently, modern synthetic methods have been applied extensively to fatty compounds for the selective functionalization of the alkyl chain. Radical, electrophilic, nucleophilic, and pericyclic as well as transition metal catalyzed additions to the C-C double bond of, for example, oleic acid as the prototype of a readily accessible, unsaturated fatty acid have led to a large number of novel fatty compounds from which interesting properties are expected. Functionalization of C-H bonds in the alkyl chain is also feasible with remarkable selectivity. Effective and highly versatile catalysts for the metathesis of esters of unsaturated fatty acids have been developed, which lead to new and interesting omega-unsaturated fatty acids. The epoxidation of unsaturated fatty acids has been developed extensively. Enzymatic reactions allow syntheses with high selectivity and yield of mono- and diglycerides and esters of carbohydrates with a variety of surfactant properties. Regio- and enantioselective microbial hydrations and hydroxylations widen the spectrum of selective reactions. Of considerable significance is that, with the use of gene technology, natural oils and fats have been improved significantly and will be improved still further, insofar as they show a more uniform and often unusual fatty acid spectrum. Numerous fatty acids are now available in a purity which makes them attractive for synthesis and as raw materials for the chemical industry.