Sugarbeet

Male sterility is determined in sugarbeet by the simultaneous presence of a S-type cytoplasm, characterized by a variant mitochondrial DNA organization

, and of the alleles at the X and Z loci, restoring fertility, in the recessive homozygous state.

Near isogenic Lines (NILs) were produced from an initial cross between male-sterile and restorated lines. After several backcross to the male-sterile lines, the degree of genomic identity between the fertile and sterile plants is such that the BSA approach (Bulk Segregant Analysis) can be used to screen the two group of plants for RAPD and AFLPs, in a search for markers associated to the fertility restoration loci.

Markers can assist in the identification and recovery of new O-types, necessary for the mainteinance of the sugarbeet male-sterile lines.

Contacts:
Dr. Giuseppe Mandolino, g.mandolino@isci.it

Drought stress in sugarbeet germplasm

Beta vulgaris accessions have recently been screened for several disease-resistance traits, and for tolerance to the drought stress (http://www.genres.de/idb/beta/)

Several accessions, rated as more tolerant to drought conditions, are being studied for the characteristics of such putative tolerance. Leaf water potential and RWC mainteinance under drought, electrolite leakage and Injury Index are being evaluated for these accessions

and compared to the sugarbeet non-tolerant varieties.

Drought stress is applied in controlled environments to plants of different sugarbeet varieties, of different species and subspecies, in an attempt to dissect the components of the drought tolerance and to evaluate the possibility of introgression into cultivated material.

RNA is extracted from leaf discs of both control and droughted plants of different accessions

, and cDNA is synthetized with the aim to study and identify the genes differentially expressed in the two conditions in different germplasm.

Contacts:
Dr. Giuseppe Mandolino, g.mandolino@isci.it

Germplasm collection, characterization and evaluation

Beta vulgaris is an economically important crop species in the Italian Northern plains. Several new varieties are released each year, and most of the seed is multiplied in Italy, in Veneto and Romagna regions. In these same areas, however, also natural and domesticated population of sea beet and weed beet exist, which can undergo unintended crossing with the cultivated material (bolting sugar beets or seed beets).
Sugar beet breeding lines and their reciprocal relationships can be determined by AFLP analysis . Sugarbeet varieties are hybrids, with some degree of variability within the varieties. AFLP analysis cannot therefore establish unique patterns for varieties, but it can be useful to identify the relatedness of materials under selection or to be used as parentals. ISCI equipment and facilities are available for custom-made AFLP analysis of such material.

Contacts:
Dr. Andrea Carboni, a.carboni@isci.it
Dr. Aniello Mainolfi, a.mainolfi@isci.it
Dr. Giuseppe Mandolino, g.mandolino@isci.it

Analysis of plants and foodstuff

THC content in hemp for certification of the 0.2% content threshold

ISCI is the Institute officially in charge, on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, for monitoring in italian hemp fields the threshold of THC (D9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive cannabinoid). ISCI is also officially authorized to certify that the 0.20 % THC threshold (% of the inflorescence dry weight) is not exceeded

The analysis on hemp plants is carried out by the official gas-chromatographic assay, described in Enclosure V del Regulation (CE) N327/2002, 21/2/2002. The results of the analysis on all the hemp cultivations are sent to AGEA, for the allocation of the UE subsidies to the growers.