Winged beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) are grown as a vegetable legume crop in Thailand. All parts of the plant, including pods, seeds, leaves, flowers, and tubers are edible and are rich in protein and nutrients. Although the major consumption of winged bean is based on pod and tuber yields, only the people of Myanmar and Indonesia utilize winged bean tubers as food materials. The usefulness of the winged bean as an alternative crop for staple food and feed can shed some light on the impact of winged bean. Therefore, the evaluation of the dual purpose of the winged bean based on pod tuber yields is the objective of this study. In this study, ten-winged bean accessions—six accessions obtained from introduced sources and four accessions obtained from local Thai varieties—were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the Agronomy Field Crop Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand from September 2019 to April 2020 and from October 2020 to April 2021. Data, including total pod weight, number of pods, pod length, 10-pod weight, and tuber weight were recorded, and the proximate nutrient and mineral contents in the tubers were also determined. The results revealed that the principal effects of year (Y) and genotype (G) were significant for total pod weight and the number of pods. Moreover, the Y × G interactions were principal effects upon the total pod weights and tuber weights. The results indicated that superior genotype and appropriate environmental conditions are key elements in successful winged bean production for both pod and tuber yields. The winged bean accessions W099 and W018 were consistent in both experimental years for pod and tuber yields at 23.6 and 18.36 T/ha and 15.20 and 15.5 T/ha, respectively. Each accession also proved high in tuber protein content at 20.92% and 21.04%, respectively, as well as significant in fiber, energy, and minerals. The results suggest that the winged bean accessions W099 and W018 can be used for dual-purpose winged bean production in Thailand.

Suwannual T., Chankaew S., Monkham T., Saksirirat W., Sanitchon J. (2017): Pyramiding of four blast resistance QTLs into Thai rice cultivar RD6 through marker-assisted selection. Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 53: 1-8.Thai rice cultivar RD6 is well known for its cooking and eating qualities. However it is susceptible to blast disease, a major rice disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. This study focused on the pyramiding of four QTLs for blast resistance located on chromosomes 1, 2, 11 and 12, from two RD6 introgression lines. Marker-assisted selection was performed and facilitated the selection with 8 microsatellite flanking markers to enable the selection in BC 2 F 2:3 lines. All possible combinations of the four QTL alleles were assessed for blast resistance by artificial inoculation using 8 diverse isolates in a greenhouse and under field conditions using the upland short row method. The results showed that the RD6 introgression lines carrying a high number of QTLs for blast resitance achieved from pyramiding have high levels of blast resistance and broad spectrum of resistance to the blast pathogens prevalent in the region. Only one of the M. oryzae isolates, THL185, was virulent to all the breeding lines, suggesting that the identification of new blast resistance genes or QTLs and pyramiding them into RD6 for durable blast resistance and no yield penalty should be the focus of further research.

RD6 is one of the most favorable glutinous rice varieties consumed throughout the north and northeast of Thailand because of its aroma and softness. However, blast disease and salt stress cause decreases in both yield quantity and quality during cultivation. Here, gene pyramiding via marker-assisted backcrossing (MAB) using combined blast resistance QTLs (qBl 1, 2, 11, and 12) and Saltol QTL was employed in solving the problem. To pursue our goal, the RD6 introgression line (RGD07005-12-165-1), containing four blast-resistant QTLs, were crossed with the Pokkali salt tolerant variety. Blast resistance evaluation was thoroughly carried out in the fields, from BC2F2:3 to BC4F4, using the upland short-row and natural field infection methods. Additionally, salt tolerance was validated in both greenhouse and field conditions. We found that the RD6 “BC4F4 132-12-61” resulting from our breeding programme successfully resisted blast disease and tolerated salt stress, while it maintained the desirable agronomic traits of the original RD6 variety. This finding may provide a new improved rice variety to overcome blast disease and salt stress in Northeast Thailand.

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