ABSTRACT
Groundnut productivity and quality have been impeded by rising temperatures in semi-arid environments. Hence, understanding the effects and molecular mechanisms of heat stress tolerance will aid in tackling yield losses. In this context, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was developed and phenotyped for eight seasons at three locations for agronomic, phenological, and physiological traits under heat stress. A genetic map was constructed using genotyping-by-sequencing with 478 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci spanning a map distance of 1,961.39 cM. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using phenotypic and genotypic data identified 45 major main-effect QTLs for 21 traits. Intriguingly, three QTL clusters (Cluster-1-Ah03, Cluster-2-Ah12, and Cluster-3-Ah20) harbor more than half of the major QTLs (30/45, 66.6%) for various heat tolerant traits, explaining 10.4%-38.6%, 10.6%-44.6%, and 10.1%-49.5% of phenotypic variance, respectively. Furthermore, important candidate genes encoding DHHC-type zinc finger family protein (arahy.J0Y6Y5), peptide transporter 1 (arahy.8ZMT0C), pentatricopeptide repeat-containing protein (arahy.4A4JE9), Ulp1 protease family (arahy.X568GS), Kelch repeat F-box protein (arahy.I7X4PC), FRIGIDA-like protein (arahy.0C3V8Z), and post-illumination chlorophyll fluorescence increase (arahy.92ZGJC) were the underlying three QTL clusters. The putative functions of these genes suggested their involvement in seed development, regulating plant architecture, yield, genesis and growth of plants, flowering time regulation, and photosynthesis. Our results could provide a platform for further fine mapping, gene discovery, and developing markers for genomics-assisted breeding to develop heat-tolerant groundnut varieties.
ABSTRACT
Carotenoids, especially lutein and beta-carotene, offer benefits to human health in general and to eye health in particular. However, more data on the contribution of plant foods to carotenoid intake is of importance for developing strategies for promoting eye health in regions where cataract is highly prevalent such as in South India. The most frequently consumed 5 uncultivated and 5 commercially grown South Andhra Pradesh leafy vegetables were selected based on interviews with 100 local women. The lutein and beta-carotene contents of fresh and cooked samples were determined using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Lutein values ranged from 53 to 143 microg/g and 58 to 175 microg/g in fresh and cooked samples, respectively. beta-carotene contents were found to range from 45 to 119 microg/g in fresh samples and from 40 to 159 microg/g in cooked samples. No significant difference was observed between the carotenoid contents of wild and commercially grown species. According to their reported frequency of consumption, the 10 species considered in this study contribute 40% of the daily recommended intake of beta-carotene. This is the first report of lutein content in fresh samples of Celosia argentea L., Rumex vesicarius L., Digera muricata (L.) Mart., and Amaranthus cruentus L. as well as in cooked samples of all species included in this study.
