Abstract Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is an important legume and oilseed crop, native to South America and grown in all tropical and temperate regions of the world. A simplified and rapid direct gene delivery system in peanut was developed by vortexing silicon carbide whiskers with callus and with plasmid harboring chitinase and hygromcin genes. The effects of callus age and whisker quantity on transformation efficiency were evaluated. Transformation efficiency (6.88%) was highest when 200 mg of whiskers were used with 5 µg plasmid for 2 g of 20-day-old callus. Hygromcin-resistant calli were regenerated to complete plants which produced seeds normally. Transgene insertion and number of transgene copieswere confirmed by PCR and southern blot analyses, respectively. Transgene expression was evaluated by a pathogenecity test and RT-PCR analysis. In transgenic events, the resistance level to leaf spot disease was far higher than in control plants.

Increasing scarcity of irrigation water is a major threat to sustainable production of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Identifying genomic regions contributing to abiotic stress tolerance will help develop cotton cultivars suitable for water-limited regions through molecular marker-assisted breeding. A molecular mapping F2 population was derived from an intraspecific cross of the drought sensitive G. hirsutum cv. FH-901 and drought tolerant G. hirsutum cv. RH-510. Field data were recorded on physiological traits (osmotic potential and osmotic adjustment); yield and its component traits (seedcotton yield, number of bolls/plant and boll weight); and plant architecture traits (plant height and number of nodes per plant) for F2, F2:3 and F2:4 generations under well-watered versus water-limited growth conditions. The two parents were surveyed for polymorphism using 6500 SSR primer pairs. Joinmap3.0 software was used to construct linkage map with 64 polymorphic markers and it resulted into 35 markers mapped on 12 linkage groups. QTL analysis was performed by composite interval mapping (CIM) using QTL Cartographer2.5 software. In total, 7 QTLs (osmotic potential 2, osmotic adjustment 1, seedcotton yield 1, number of bolls/plant 1, boll weight 1 and plant height 1) were identified. There were three QTLs (qtlOP-2, qtlOA-1, and qtlPH-1) detected only in water-limited conditions. Two QTLs (qtlSC-1 and qtlBW-1) were detected for relative values. Two QTLs (qtlOP-1 and qtlBN-1) were detected for well-watered treatment. Significant QTLs detected in this study can be employed in MAS for molecular breeding programs aiming at developing drought tolerant cotton cultivars.

The Calotropis procera seed fibers provide an excellent model system to study the genes involved in fiber elongation, fineness and strength. Expansins constitute one of the important gene families involved in plant cell expansion and other cell wall modification processes. Four homologs of Expansin A gene i.e. CpEXPA1, CpEXPA2, CpEXPA3 and CpEXPA4 were isolated from the cDNA library obtained from fast growing Calotropis procera fibers. These homologs represented typical Expansin A family. Each of them had two conserved domains including GH45 like domain and the putative polysaccharide binding domain. The deduced amino acid sequences of the homologs indicated three conserved motifs: i) eight cysteine residues at N-terminus, ii) four tryptophan residues at C-terminus and iii) a Histidine-Phenylalanine-Aspartate motif in the center of the sequence. The presence of N-terminal signal peptide consisting of hydrophobic amino acids and a transmembrane region in all these expansin isoforms suggests their cotranslational insertion into the endoplasmic reticulum and then transportation to the cell wall by secretory pathway. The relative quantification of the four expansins in root, stem, fiber and leave tissues indicated that the transcripts of CpEXPA1, CpEXPA2, CpEXPA3 and CpEXPA4 are variably transcribed in these tissues. The lowest transcription of all the four Expansin A isoforms was observed in elongating roots indicating that root tissue might be having specific expansins other than those confined to air grown organs.

Exploring genetic variation in Gossypium arboreum L. germplasm is useful as it contains many important genes conferring resistance to different stresses. In limited earlier studies, low level of genetic diversity was found by using conventional DNA marker systems which may impede future genome mapping studies. In the present investigation, we explored the extent of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) among 30 conserved regions of Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) of low copy genes between two genotypes of G. arboreum. A total of 27 SNPs including 21 substitutions and 6 Insertions and deletions (Indels) in 7804 bp were found between these genotypes with a frequency of one SNP per 371 bp and one Indel after every 1300 bp. Out of these SNPs, 52% were transitions, whilst 48% SNPs were transversion. In conclusion, SNPs are expedient markers that can explore polymorphism in highly conserved sequences where other markers are not effective.