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Chromosomes of Bupleurum L. Especially for the Classification and Cross-Breeding of B. falcatum L. sensu lato
Published in Sheng-Li Pan, Bupleurum Species, 2006
Shigeki Ohta, Eiji Miki, You-Chang Zhu, Chang-Qi Yuan
The present author has previously reported chromosome study in B. falcatum L. s. l. from Japan and abroad, with reference to the chromosome differentiation at metaphase and the speciation within the taxonomic group (Ohta et al., 1986; Ohta, 1991). Tanaka (1971, 1980, 1987) demonstrated that chromosome information at resting stage was useful to trace the speciation in Orchidaceae with a relationship to the cross-ability (affinity of crossing). In this chapter, we report the results of chromosome study at mitotic prophase and metaphase, and at resting stage in B. falcatum L. s. l. from Japan, Korea, China, Russia, and European countries including some of the other species, and based on them and their morphological study, propose the scientific names for Japanese and Korean plants of this species. Additionally, we describe for the first time artificial hybridization between the Japanese and the Korean source plants of Bupleuri radix.
Gamma irradiation to induce beneficial mutants in proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.): an underutilized food crop
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2022
Neethu Francis, Ravikesavan Rajasekaran, Iyanar Krishnamoorthy, Raveendran Muthurajan, Chitdeshwari Thiyagarajan, Senthil Alagarswamy
Hardiness and resource use efficiency of millets make them particularly enticing for sustainable agriculture, food and nutritional security (Habiyaremye et al. 2016). Among millets, proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a promising candidate with many desirable traits (Das et al. 2019). It is a self-pollinated tetraploid crop of Poaceae family with a chromosome number 36 (2n = 4x = 36). It has very high water-use efficiency and hence low water requirement (Baltensperger 2002). Proso millet is a short duration crop (60–90 days) that can come up well in marginal lands. The short growing season of the crop help to escape drought, complete lifecycle quickly and grow well in arid and semi-arid regions (Gupta et al. 2011). It is rich in protein (10–14 g/100 g), is gluten-free and has a lower glycemic index than most cereals. It is also a good source of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Focused crop improvement programs can better exploit the immense potential of the crop and make it an alternative to the present-day cereals in the context of climate change (Rajasekaran and Francis 2020). The major stumbling block in achieving the desired crop improvement is the limited variability that is available for selection. The self-pollinated nature of the crop makes evolutionary dead end and limits the creation of natural variation. Small florets, overlapping anther dehiscence and stigma receptivity and withering of anthers in 5–10 minutes make artificial hybridization difficult.