Abstract Traditionally, the quantification of anthocyanin content requires destructive sampling followed by chemical analysis with elaborate process. The aim of this study was to use non-destructive methods for prediction of anthocyanin by using color values from handheld colorimeter. Five hundred and fifty-eight yardlong bean samples that have pale green to dark purple pod color were used for color measurement and anthocyanin analysis. The partial least square regression (PLSR) was used to correlate spectral data with anthocyanin content. The PLSR model could predict anthocyanin content with correlation coefficient of 0.900 and standard error of prediction of 1.994 A/gFw. The results indicated that colorimeter readings can be correlated with anthocyanin content in yardlong bean and could be used as an alternative to chemical analysis. This method is reliable, rapid and inexpensive and can be used to screen a large number of yardlong bean accessions or populations under high anthocyanin breeding program.

Abstract The Thailand governmental institutes play important roles in genetic improvement of sweet corn in Thailand. We assessed the genetic diversity of 268 sweet corn inbreds from three major institutes (NCSRC-KU, CNFCRC, and KKU) and three commercial hybrids using 20 SSR markers. The markers detected 224 alleles in total, with an average of 11.2 alleles per locus. Overall gene diversity was relatively high, being 0.7. Allelic richness, gene diversity, and heterozygosity in the inbreds among the three institutes were comparable. However, the inbreds from KKU possessed the greatest number of unique alleles and rare alleles, albeit they showed the highest percentage of genetic impurity. Neighbor-joining, principal coordinate, and STRUCTURE analyses showed that the inbreds were genetically different. Our findings provide insight into the breeding gene pool and population structures of the sweet corn germplasm of the public sector in Thailand, enhancing efficiency of sweet corn germplasm utilization for developing new varieties.

Abstract A limitation in improvement of jatropha (Jatropha curcas) has been the low genetic variation among the available germplasm. An alternative to create genetic variability and incorporate desirable traits is through wide crossing. Due to reproductive barriers, wide crossing in jatropha has had limited success. In this experiment, intergeneric hybridization between jatropha and castor bean (Ricinus communis) was performed. In both direct and reciprocal crosses, a few stigma-compatible pollen grains were found. The pollen tube grew normally and reached the style base within an hour after pollination, but the embryo aborted a few days later. This indicated that the hybridization barrier was post-fertilization and thus the ovules were excised, cultured in MS medium supplemented with 1 mg L-1 IAA, and subcultured every four weeks. Finally we obtained one intergeneric hybrid plant, which was vegetatively propagated for further study.