Root skin color is one of the economically important traits in radish (Raphanus sativus), and the pigmentation in red skin varieties is largely attributable to anthocyanin accumulation. Pelargonidin was found as a major anthocyanin pigment accumulated in the sub-epidermal layer of red radish roots. In the 20 F2 population generated from the F1 with red root skins, root skins with red and white colors segregated in a 3:1 ratio. Additionally, a test cross between a red F3 individual and a white skin individual gave rise to 1:1 segregation of red and white, indicating that the root skin color of radish is determined by a single locus and red color is dominant over white. We performed association mapping for root skin color using SNPs obtained from RNA-seq analysis. Segregation analysis on the 152 F3 test-cross population revealed an RsMyb1 transcription factor as a candidate gene to determine root skin color. A PCR marker based on the polymorphism within 2 kb of RsMyb1 was developed and tested on 12 and 152 individuals from F2 and F3 test cross populations, respectively, and red and white root skin colors were completely distinguished corresponding to the genotypes. Expression levels of RsMyb1 in red or purple root cultivars were significantly higher than in white root cultivars. These findings suggest that RsMyb1 is a crucial determinant for anthocyanin biosynthesis in radish roots, and the molecular marker developed in this study will be useful for marker-assisted selection for red skin individuals at early seedling stages.

Park et al. Meiosis in xBrassicoraphanusbut less than in the stabilized line. These findings suggest that structural dissimilarity between B. rapa and R. sativus chromosomes prevents non-homologous interactions between the parental chromosomes in allotetraploid xBrassicoraphanus, allowing normal diploid-like meiosis when homologous pairing partners are present. This study also suggests that CO suppression between non-homologous chromosomes is required for correct meiotic progression in newly synthesized allopolyploids, which is important for the formation of viable gametes and reproductive success in the hybrid progeny.

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the potential of interactance mode of NIR spectroscopy technology for the estimation of soluble solids content (SSC) and firmness of muskmelons. Methods: Melon samples were taken from local greenhouses in three different harvesting seasons (experiments 1, 2, and 3). The fruit attributes were measured at the 6 points on an equator of each sample where the spectral data were collected. The prediction models were developed using the original spectral data and the spectral data sets preprocessed by 20 methods. The performance of the models was compared. Results: In the prediction of SSC, the highest coefficient of determination (Rcv 2 ) values of the cross-validation was 0.755 (standard error of prediction, SEP=0.89°Brix) with the preprocessing of normalization with range in experiment 1. The highest coefficient of determination in the robustness tests, Rrt 2 =0.650 (SEP=1.03 °Brix), was found when the best model of experiment 3 was evaluated with the data set of experiment 2. The best Rcv 2 for the prediction of firmness was 0.715 (SEP=3.63 N) when no preprocessing was applied in experiment 1. The highest Rrt 2 was 0.404 (SEP=5.30 N) when the best model of experiment 3 was applied to the data set of experiment 1. Conclusions: From the test results, it can be concluded that the interactance mode of VIS/NIR spectroscopy technology has a great potential to measure SSC and firmness of thick-skinned muskmelons.

Background Hybridization and polyploidization events are important driving forces in plant evolution. Allopolyploids formed between different species can be naturally or artificially created but often suffer from genetic instability and infertility in successive generations. xBrassicoraphanus is an intergeneric allopolyploid obtained from a cross between Brassica rapa and Raphanus sativus, providing a useful resource for genetic and genomic study in hybrid species. Objective The current study aims to understand the cause of hybrid sterility and pollen abnormality in different lines of synthetic xBrassicoraphanus from the cytogenetic perspective. Methods Alexander staining was used to assess the pollen viability. Cytogenetic analysis was employed to monitor meiotic chromosome behaviors in pollen mother cells (PMCs). Origins of parental chromosomes in xBrassicoraphanus meiocytes were determined by genome in situ hybridization analysis. Results The xBrassicoraphanus lines BB#4 and BB#6 showed high rates of seed abortion and pollen deformation. Abnormal chromosome behaviors were observed in their PMCs, frequently forming univalents and inter-chromosomal bridges during meiosis. A positive correlation also exists between meiotic defects and the formation of micronuclei, which is conceivably responsible for unbalanced gamete production and pollen sterility. Conclusion These results suggest that unequal segregation of meiotic chromosomes, due in part to non-homologous interactions, is responsible for micronuclei and unbalanced gamete formation, eventually leading to pollen degeneration and inferior fertility in unstable xBrassicoraphanus lines.

Purpose:In near infrared spectroscopy, interactance configuration of a light source and a spectrometer probe can provide more information regarding fruit internal attributes, compared to reflectance and transmittance configuration. However, there is no through study on the parameters of interactance measurement setup. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the parameters on the estimation of soluble solids content (SSC) and firmness of muskmelons. Methods: Melon samples were taken from greenhouses at three different harvesting seasons. The prediction models were developed at three distances of 2, 5, and 8 cm between the light source and the spectrometer probe, three measurement points of 2, 3, and 6 evenly distributed on each sample, and different number of fruit samples for calibration models. The performance of the models was compared. Results: In the test at the three distances, the best results were found at a 5 cm distance. The coefficient of determination (Rcv 2 ) values of the cross-validation were 0.717 (standard error of prediction, SEP=1.16 °Brix) and 0.504 (SEP=4.31 N) for the estimation of SSC and firmness, respectively. The minimum measurement point required to fully represent the spectral characteristics of each fruit sample was 3. The highest Rcv 2 values were 0.736 (SEP=0.87 °Brix) and 0.644 (SEP=4.16 N) for the estimation of SSC and firmness, respectively. The performance of the models began to be saturated when 60 fruit samples were used for developing calibration models. The highest Rcv 2 of 0.713 (SEP=0.88 °Brix) and 0.750 (SEP=3.30 N) for the estimation of SSC and firmness, respectively, were achieved. Conclusions: The performance of the prediction models was quite different according to the condition of interactance measurement setup. In designing a fruit grading machine with interactance configuration, the parameters for interactance measurement setup should be chosen carefully.