The Carrot Genome

The Carrot Genome
Author: Philipp Simon
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2019-05-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030033899

This book provides an up-to-date review and analysis of the carrot’s nuclear and organellar genome structure and evolution. In addition, it highlights applications of carrot genomic information to elucidate the carrot’s natural and agricultural history, reproductive biology, and the genetic basis of traits important in agriculture and human health. The carrot genome was sequenced in 2016, and its relatively small diploid genome, combined with the fact that it is the most complete root crop genome released to date and the first-ever Euasterid II genome to be sequenced, mean the carrot has an important role in the study of plant development and evolution. In addition, the carrot is among the top ten vegetables grown worldwide, and the abundant orange provitamin A carotenoids that account for its familiar orange color make it the richest crop source of vitamin A in the US diet, and in much of the world. This book includes the latest genetic maps, genetic tools and resources, and covers advances in genetic engineering that are relevant for plant breeders and biologists alike.

The Carrot Genome

The Carrot Genome
Author: Philipp Simon
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2019
Genre: Carrots
ISBN: 9783030033903

This book provides an up-to-date review and analysis of the carrots nuclear and organellar genome structure and evolution. In addition, it highlights applications of carrot genomic information to elucidate the carrots natural and agricultural history, reproductive biology, and the genetic basis of traits important in agriculture and human health. The carrot genome was sequenced in 2016, and its relatively small diploid genome, combined with the fact that it is the most complete root crop genome released to date and the first-ever Euasterid II genome to be sequenced, mean the carrot has an important role in the study of plant development and evolution. In addition, the carrot is among the top ten vegetables grown worldwide, and the abundant orange provitamin A carotenoids that account for its familiar orange color make it the richest crop source of vitamin A in the US diet, and in much of the world. This book includes the latest genetic maps, genetic tools and resources, and covers advances in genetic engineering that are relevant for plant breeders and biologists alike.

Genetic Analysis of Domestication and Carotenoid Accumulation in Carrot (Daucus Carota L.) and the Polyploidization of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.)

Genetic Analysis of Domestication and Carotenoid Accumulation in Carrot (Daucus Carota L.) and the Polyploidization of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.)
Author: Kevin Michael Coe (Ph.D.)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023
Genre:
ISBN:

Carrot is among the richest sources of provitamin A beta-carotene in the human diet. Despite progress in breeding for increased beta-carotene content, relatively little is known about the origin of orange carrots and the genetics of carotenoid accumulation in carrot. The Y, Y2 and Or genes are the three genes associated with the accumulation of various carotenoids in carrot. Y controls the accumulation of all carotenoids, and Y2 controls the accumulation of beta-carotene. Or also controls the accumulation of beta-carotene, yet knowledge about its role in this process is limited. The motivation behind this work was to better understand the role of Or in promoting the accumulation of beta-carotene in carrot as well as identify the origin of orange carrots using genetic data. In addition to carrot, this work also investigates the polyploidization of switchgrass, a potential biofuel crop, by characterizing a retrotransposon family enriched in one of the two subgenomes. In order to address these research questions, an experimental mapping population was generated in which y and y2 were fixed in their homozygous recessive states and Or was segregating. Next, transcriptomes of carrots fixed for the two Or alleles were analyzed across three developmental timepoints. Finally, nearly 400 diverse resequenced carrots were surveyed for signatures of selection. Additionally, in order to characterize the polyploidization of switchgrass and improve the genome assembly, chromosomes were classified into their correct subgenome based on repeat content as well as the abundance of a novel retrotransposon family named Switch and time of polyploidization was estimated based on insertion times of intact retrotransposons. These findings lay the foundation for additional research in carrot and switchgrass, as well as the development of markers for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs.

Exploring Modification of Centromeric Histone 3 (CENH3) as a Strategy for Haploid Induction in Carrot (Daucus Carota)

Exploring Modification of Centromeric Histone 3 (CENH3) as a Strategy for Haploid Induction in Carrot (Daucus Carota)
Author: Chandler Marie Meyer
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023
Genre:
ISBN:

Precision editing of plant genomes has potential to accelerate crop improvement and advance functional genomics. One application of this technology to advance carrot breeding is the use of gene editing to create an in vivo haploid inducer for hybrid carrot production. Carrot (Daucus carota) is an economically important vegetable crop grown in many regions of the world and a major contributor of vitamin A to the human diet. The traditional method for producing carrot hybrid cultivars is a time and resource intensive process. An alternative to the traditional breeding method is the use of doubled haploids as inbred parents. Double haploids are created by the induction of haploids followed by subsequent doubling of the chromosomes. Doubled haploids can be achieved in one generation, which would significantly reduce the amount of time to make inbred parents.Recently, studies in Arabidopsis, wheat (Triticum aestivum), and maize (Zea mays) have demonstrated that modification of centromeric histone H3 (CENH3) can lead to the production of haploid plants. A variety of strategies have been employed to in these studies manipulate CENH3 that have induced haploids, with varying rates of success. Since the function of CENH3 is highly conserved across plant species, modification of CENH3 could lead to the development of an in vivo haploid inducer in any plant. A method for generating gene-edited carrot plants was developed in order to modify the carrot genome. This method utilizes transient transformation of protoplasts followed by regeneration of plants from protoplasts. This method proved efficient at generating a large number of gene-edited, transgene-free carrot plants. An important consideration of performing genomic modification of plants is the potential of inducing unintended changes the genome. To explore if large-scale chromosome aberrations are present in the plants regenerated from protoplasts, whole genome sequencing was performed on these plants. Read depth data from this whole genome sequence data was used for a dosage analysis to detect the presence of numerical or stuctural abberations. Using this analysis, we did not identify the presence chromosome aberrations in the plants regenerated from protoplasts. To determine if mutations in CENH3 can result in uniparental genome elimination, the basis of haploid induction, a variety of carrot plants with amino acid substitutions in the region of CENH3 encoding the histone fold domain were created. Nineteen of these cenh3 mutant plants were crossed with wild-type plants. A progeny of one of these crosses was identified as putative tetraploid that was likely a haploid during its genesis. Therefore, modification of CENH3 in carrot has the potential to induce ploidy changes in carrot.

Gene Expression and Genetic Analysis of Carotenoid Pigment Accumulation in Carrot (Daucus Carota L.)

Gene Expression and Genetic Analysis of Carotenoid Pigment Accumulation in Carrot (Daucus Carota L.)
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 510
Release: 2012
Genre:
ISBN:

Carrot (Daucus carota) is an important vegetable crop, providing over 30% of the pro-vitamin A carotenoids in the human diet in the United States. As a major source of these nutriceutical compounds, research efforts have been directed to the regulation of this complex metabolic pathway. This project focused on evaluating gene expression, sequence changes and genetic mapping as it relates to the accumulation of the carotenoid pigments alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, xanthophylls, and lutein. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to determine the level of expression of genes in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in different carrot culitvars. Two genes, phytoene synthase 1 (PSY1) and phytoene synthase 2 (PSY2) were found to be expressed at significantly higher levels in orange and dark orange carrot cultivars, whereas the pale orange rp "reduced pigment" mutant exhibited reduced phytoene desaturase (PDS) expression. DNA sequence analysis of putative promoter and coding regions of both PSY1 and PSY2 has identified sequence polymorphisms and large deletions were identified in the putative promoter of PSY2 in the dark orange cultivar B2327. Simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs) were used to create a genetic map from an F2 population segregating for the rp mutation. HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) analyses of the carotenoids of carrot leaf tissue demonstrated xanthophylls and beta-carotene as the carotenoids present in all carrots, but significantly higher levels of alpha-carotene was identified in carrot germplasm with orange and dark orange storage roots. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis identified genotype specific variation in photosystem II efficiency, significantly impacted by the time of harvest. To identify new candidate genes involved in carotenoid accumulation in carrot storage root, microarray analysis of sibling white and orange inbred lines from a cross of orange X white carrots was completed. Expression of three genes involved in photosynthesis was significantly higher in the orange rooted carrot germplasm. To examine the role that chromoplast biosynthesis may have in the accumulation of carotenoid pigments, the ratio of nuclear to plastid genome was analyzed in carrot germplasm with differing levels of pigmentation.

Genomic Designing of Climate-Smart Vegetable Crops

Genomic Designing of Climate-Smart Vegetable Crops
Author: Chittaranjan Kole
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2020-03-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319974157

This book reviews modern strategies in the breeding of vegetables in the era of global warming. Agriculture is facing numerous challenges in the 21st century, as it has to address food, nutritional, energy and environmental security. Future vegetable varieties must be adaptive to the varying scenarios of climate change, produce higher yields of high- quality food and feed and have multiple uses. To achieve these goals, it is imperative to employ modern tools of molecular breeding, genetic engineering and genomics for ‘precise’ plant breeding to produce ‘designed’ vegetable varieties adaptive to climate change. This book is of interest to scientists working in the fields of plant genetics, genomics, breeding, biotechnology, and in the disciplines of agronomy and horticulture.

Tomorrow's Table

Tomorrow's Table
Author: Pamela C. Ronald
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2008-04-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0199756694

By the year 2050, Earth's population will double. If we continue with current farming practices, vast amounts of wilderness will be lost, millions of birds and billions of insects will die, and the public will lose billions of dollars as a consequence of environmental degradation. Clearly, there must be a better way to meet the need for increased food production. Written as part memoir, part instruction, and part contemplation, Tomorrow's Table argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture--genetic engineering and organic farming--is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. Pamela Ronald, a geneticist, and her husband, Raoul Adamchak, an organic farmer, take the reader inside their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders so that we can see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. The reader sees the problems that farmers face, trying to provide larger yields without resorting to expensive or environmentally hazardous chemicals, a problem that will loom larger and larger as the century progresses. They learn how organic farmers and geneticists address these problems. This book is for consumers, farmers, and policy decision makers who want to make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices. It is also for anyone who wants accurate information about organic farming, genetic engineering, and their potential impacts on human health and the environment.