Biodiversity Assessment of Sugar Beet Species and Its Wild Relatives: Linking Ecological Data with New Genetic Approaches

Abstract

The value of crop wild relatives has long been acknowledged and this wild resource has been used to improve crop performance with clear economic benefits. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) is the most economically valuable crop species in the order Caryophyllales, B. vulgaris subsp. maritima being the ancestor of the cultivated beets. The wild species of the genus Beta s.l. are commonly found in coastal areas of Europe and Mediterranean Region, where a rich genetic heritage still exists. Broadening the genetic base of sugar beet by introgression with wild relatives is a growing need regarding the maintenance of ecologically important traits. Since wild relatives have adapted to specific habitats, they constitute an important source of novel traits for the beet breeding pool. So, we conducted a broader research project aiming to delimit taxa and identify priority locations to establish genetic reserves of the wild Beta species occurring in Portugal (Western Iberian Peninsula). The aim of this study was: 1) to identify and characterize the main habitats of these wild Beta species; and 2) to present a review of some genetic tools available for future application in sugar beet breeding. In this review, we have focused on EcoTILLING as a molecular tool to assess DNA polymerphisms in wild populations of Beta and identify candidate genes related to drought and salt tolerance, as well as addressed some issues related to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies as a new molecular tool to assess adaptive genetic variation on the wild relatives of sugar beet.

SBMDb: first whole genome putative microsatellite DNA marker database of sugarbeet for bioenergy and industrial applications

“…Genes for various economically and commercially relevant trait of sugarbeet has been reported, e.g. seedling vigour ( 62 ), FLC-like gene BvFL1 associated with annuality and winter hardiness ( 25 ), root traits ( 57 ), non-restoring allele for Owen-type cytoplasmic male sterility, for development of molecular markers for the maintainer genotype ( 61 ), aphid resistance ( 63 ), nematode resistance ( 64 ), QTL for leaf spot ( 65 ), hardiness and bolting ( 66 ) and draught and salt tolerance ( 67 ). To increase the crop efficiency for bioenergy mapping of bioenergy traits are imperative ( 68 ).…”

Genetic and Genomic Tools to Asssist Sugar Beet Improvement: The Value of the Crop Wild Relatives

“…Several genetic diversity studies in sea beet (e.g., Leys et al, 2014 ; Andrello et al, 2016 ) showed a distribution of genetic diversity according to ecogeographical ranges and, recently, discrimination in Portuguese populations from dissimilar habitats were accomplished (Ribeiro et al, 2016 ). Overall, studies with sea beet populations occurring in West Mediterranean Region point out to a clinal gradient, thus promoting adaptive radiation into ecoclines of populations from GP1 species (Monteiro et al, 2013 ). The main outcomes of phylogenetic and genetic diversity studies suggest that agronomically important traits associated to abiotic stress reside in wild species of the GP1 and GP3 and could be used to broaden the genetic basis of sugar beet.…”

Predicting genotype environmental range from genome–environment associations

“…Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima has also traits that could improve sugar beet and the performance of other cultivated varieties, in terms of resistance to salt, and various diseases (Kirchhoff et al, 2012;Kornienko et al, 2014;Monteiro, Romeiras, Batista, & Duarte, 2013;Panella & Lewellen, 2007;Vangeyt, Lange, Oleo, & Debock, 1990). Finally, principal component analysis axes calculated from multiple environmental conditions could also be used as environmental variables and open the possibility of more realistic multiclimatic predictions to represent the true multiconditions occurring in the field.…”