We report here the genetic characterization of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) based on polymorphisms of 50 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci in 114 accessions that included landraces, breeding lines, and commercial open-pollinated and F1 hybrid cultivars widely grown in Asia. Neighbor-joining tree analysis revealed a high level of genetic variability in the collection. The 114 accessions formed three subpopulations represented by five clusters. Distribution of accessions across the five clusters reflected their geographic origin to a large extent. South Asian accessions originating from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan were more closely related to each other than to any other geographical group. Likewise, southeast Asian accessions that originated from Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philippines were grouped together. Accessions that originated from Taiwan were genetically distinct and grouped separately. A landrace from Laos was genetically close to the accessions from Thailand and genetically distinct from the rest of the accessions. White-fruited genotypes were genetically distinct from green- and dark green–fruited genotypes. Low- and medium-bitter accessions were more similar to each other than to the high-bitter genotypes. Accessions with cylindrical fruit were genetically distinct from those with spindle or elongated fruit. Commercial cultivars in each cluster were closely related, which indicated a narrowing of the bitter gourd genetic base in Asia in response to market demands for uniformity and yield. Use of diverse germplasm resources in bitter gourd breeding will help in sustainable breeding and production.

BackgroundMungbean (Vigna radiata [L.] R. Wilczek) is an important legume crop with high nutritional value in South and Southeast Asia. The crop plant is susceptible to a storage pest caused by bruchids (Callosobruchus spp.). Some wild and cultivated mungbean accessions show resistance to bruchids. Genomic and transcriptomic comparison of bruchid-resistant and -susceptible mungbean could reveal bruchid-resistant genes (Br) for this pest and give insights into the bruchid resistance of mungbean.ResultsFlow cytometry showed that the genome size varied by 61 Mb (mega base pairs) among the tested mungbean accessions. Next generation sequencing followed by de novo assembly of the genome of the bruchid-resistant recombinant inbred line 59 (RIL59) revealed more than 42,000 genes. Transcriptomic comparison of bruchid-resistant and -susceptible parental lines and their offspring identified 91 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) classified into 17 major and 74 minor bruchid-resistance–associated genes. We found 408 nucleotide variations (NVs) between bruchid-resistant and -susceptible lines in regions spanning 2 kb (kilo base pairs) of the promoters of 68 DEGs. Furthermore, 282 NVs were identified on exons of 148 sequence-changed-protein genes (SCPs). DEGs and SCPs comprised genes involved in resistant-related, transposable elements (TEs) and conserved metabolic pathways. A large number of these genes were mapped to a region on chromosome 5. Molecular markers designed for variants of putative bruchid-resistance–associated genes were highly diagnostic for the bruchid-resistant genotype.ConclusionsIn addition to identifying bruchid-resistance-associated genes, we found that conserved metabolism and TEs may be modifier factors for bruchid resistance of mungbean. The genome sequence of a bruchid-resistant inbred line, candidate genes and sequence variations in promoter regions and exons putatively conditioning resistance as well as markers detecting these variants could be used for development of bruchid-resistant mungbean varieties.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12870-016-0736-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Chile pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an increasingly important vegetable and spice crop. Among the most devastating chile pepper–infecting viruses, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, are members of the whitefly transmitted Begomovirus, which cause pepper yellow leaf curl (PYLC). An effective PYLC management strategy is the development of resistant cultivars. However, genetic recombination, acquisition of extra DNA components, and synergistic interactions among different begomoviruses have resulted in the rapid emergence of new viruses that can infect new hosts, cause new disease symptoms, and overcome host resistance. In this project, 98 Capsicum entries comprising breeding lines, open pollinated varieties, genebank accessions, and wild species were screened for resistance to strains of Pepper yellow leaf curl Thailand virus (PepYLCThV). We used a randomized complete block design with three replications and 10 plants per replication in field net-houses at two locations (Khon Kaen and Kamphaeng Saen, Thailand) using augmented inoculation by viruliferous whiteflies. Scoring was done at ≈60, 90, and 120 days after inoculation using a standardized 6-point scale (1 = no symptoms to 6 = very severe symptoms), and the average of the scores of 10 plants within each replication was used for analysis. Although no entry was immune to the disease, the breeding line 9852-123 was highly resistant. Several accessions and lines were moderately resistant at both locations, although a high level of variability within these entries was observed. Overall, the disease severity at the Khon Kaen location was greater compared with Kamphaeng Saen, highlighting the importance of multilocation testing for disease resistance. The resistant entry identified here can be used to study gene action and to move resistance genes into well-adapted germplasm.

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