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Agronomy
Special Issues
Beverage Crops Breeding: For Wine, Tea, Juices, Cocoa and Coffee
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Beverage Crops Breeding: For Wine, Tea, Juices, Cocoa and Coffee

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 7608

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peng Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: environmental impact assessment for tea production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jianqiang Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: germplasm resources; linkage analysis; quantitative trait loci; GWAS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Beverage crops (Wine, Tea, Juices, Cocoa and Coffee) are among the most important agricultural commodities of great economic value to the world. However, the future of beverage crops is threatened by increasing damage caused by plant pathogens, insect pests and various abiotic stresses such as cold, heat, dry conditions, etc. These challenges call for new varieties with improved horticultural traits, organoleptic properties, environment adaptability, high resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, high nutrients uptake and utilize ability.

Given the ongoing interest in beverage crops breeding, this Special Issue aims to collect original research as well as review articles exploring different aspects of beverage crops breeding for genetic resources improvement, stress biology, plant metabolism and quality improvement, climate change mitigation, and other related aspects that can advance the understanding of beverage crops breeding. The key topics include, but not limited to, new findings or technical advances in areas of:

  1. The innovation and utilization of new methods and technologies in beverage crops breeding;
  2. The utilize of genetic resources for yield or quality improvement;
  3. The genetic regularities and regulatory mechanisms of beverage crops agronomic, quality, and resistance traits;
  4. The physiological and ecological response of crop varieties to severe abiotic/biotic stresses;
  5. The research on improving crop nutrients utilization efficiency.

We also welcome scientific research in agronomic aspects dealing with beverage crops cultivation.

Dr. Peng Yan
Dr. Jianqiang Ma
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • beverage crops
  • breeding
  • genetic resources
  • abiotic/biotic stresses
  • metabolism
  • quality

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3662 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Germplasm from Sierra Leone and Togo Based on KASP–SNP Genotyping
by Ranjana Bhattacharjee, Mohamed Mambu Luseni, Komivi Ametefe, Paterne A. Agre, P. Lava Kumar and Laura J. Grenville-Briggs
Agronomy 2024, 14(11), 2458; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14112458 - 22 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1491
Abstract
Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is a tropical tree species belonging to the Malvaceae, which originated in the lowland rainforests of the Amazon. It is a major agricultural commodity, which contributes towards the Gross Domestic Product of West African countries, where it accounts [...] Read more.
Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is a tropical tree species belonging to the Malvaceae, which originated in the lowland rainforests of the Amazon. It is a major agricultural commodity, which contributes towards the Gross Domestic Product of West African countries, where it accounts for about 70% of the world’s production. Understanding the genetic diversity of genetic resources in a country, especially for an introduced crop such as cacao, is crucial to their management and effective utilization. However, very little is known about the genetic structure of the cacao germplasm from Sierra Leone and Togo based on molecular information. We assembled cacao germplasm accessions (235 from Sierra Leone and 141 from Togo) from different seed gardens and farmers’ fields across the cacao-producing states/regions of these countries for genetic diversity and population structure studies based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers using 20 highly informative and reproducible KASP–SNPs markers. Genetic diversity among these accessions was assessed with three complementary clustering methods, including model-based population structure, discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), and phylogenetic trees. STRUCTURE and DAPC exhibited some consistency in the allocation of accessions into subpopulations or groups, although some discrepancies in their groupings were noted. Hierarchical clustering analysis grouped all the individuals into two major groups, as well as several sub-clusters. We also conducted a network analysis to elucidate genetic relationships among cacao accessions from Sierra Leone and Togo. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed high genetic diversity (86%) within accessions. A high rate of mislabeling/duplicate genotype names was revealed in both countries, which may be attributed to errors from the sources of introduction, labeling errors, and lost labels. This preliminary study demonstrates the use of KASP–SNPs for fingerprinting that can help identify duplicate/mislabeled accessions and provide strong evidence for improving accuracy and efficiency in cacao germplasm management as well as the distribution of correct materials to farmers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beverage Crops Breeding: For Wine, Tea, Juices, Cocoa and Coffee)
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13 pages, 1491 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiles of IMB Genes Reveal Their Potential Roles in the Gametophytic Sexual Reproduction Process of Camellia sinensis
by Xiaohan Xu, Anqi Xing, Zichen Wu, Yi Sun, Xuefeng Xu, Shujing Liu, Zhen Zhao, Xuan Chen, Xinghui Li and Yuhua Wang
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14051073 - 19 May 2024
Viewed by 1378
Abstract
It is of great significance to explore the molecular mechanism of gametophytic sexual reproduction in the genetic improvement and breeding of tea plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze]. Imported beta family members (IMBs) are a class of widely distributed nucleoplasmic transport receptor proteins [...] Read more.
It is of great significance to explore the molecular mechanism of gametophytic sexual reproduction in the genetic improvement and breeding of tea plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze]. Imported beta family members (IMBs) are a class of widely distributed nucleoplasmic transport receptor proteins in eukaryotes, affecting plant development and reproduction, and participating in flowering time and sexual reproduction. Still missing, though, is a thorough examination of IMB members in tea plants. Here, seven members of the IMB gene family were screened by a genome-wide investigation in tea plants. These members were scattered unevenly throughout five chromosomes. All of them contained the conserved KAP95 and HEAT Repeat domains. Additionally, the promoter regions of CsIMBs harbored cis-acting elements associated with plant hormones, light, and abiotic stress responses. In order to further confirm the function of CsIMBs in the sexual reproduction of tea plants, the expression patterns of CsIMBs in different flower development stages and the ovary (before and after pollination) were analyzed. The expression results highlighted that CsIMBs were related to the fertility and fruiting of tea plants. Furthermore, five of the seven CsIMBs (CsIMB1a, CsIMB1b, CsIMB2, CsIMB3a, and CsIMB3b) were found to be localized in the nucleus revealed by subcellular localization analysis. These results offer a comprehensive characterization of IMB genes as well as insights into the potential roles of CsIMBs participating in the gametophytic sexual reproduction of C. sinensis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beverage Crops Breeding: For Wine, Tea, Juices, Cocoa and Coffee)
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17 pages, 26887 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Soybean–Tea Intercropping on the Photosynthesis Activity of Tea Seedlings Based on Canopy Spectral, Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses
by Xiaojiang Li, Yang Xu, Yilin Mao, Shuangshuang Wang, Litao Sun, Jiazhi Shen, Xiuxiu Xu, Yu Wang and Zhaotang Ding
Agronomy 2024, 14(4), 850; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040850 - 18 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1881
Abstract
Intercropping soybean in tea plantations is a sustainable cultivation system that can improve the growing environment of tea plants compared to monoculture tea. However, the effects of this system on the photosynthesis activity of tea seedlings have yet to be reported. Therefore, we [...] Read more.
Intercropping soybean in tea plantations is a sustainable cultivation system that can improve the growing environment of tea plants compared to monoculture tea. However, the effects of this system on the photosynthesis activity of tea seedlings have yet to be reported. Therefore, we used tea cultivar ‘Zhongcha108’ as experimental materials to investigate the effects of intercropping soybean on the canopy spectral parameters and photosynthesis activity of tea seedlings. Canopy spectral reflectance data showed that soybean–tea intercropping (STS) improved the reflectance of 720, 750 and 840 nm bands in tea seedlings’ canopy. The vegetation indexes (VIs) value related to photosynthetic pigments in STS was obviously higher than monoculture tea (T). In addition, the Fv/Fm and SPAD value in STS were also clearly higher. Transcriptome analysis data indicated that STS induced the expression of light-harvesting complex (LHC) genes, photosystem subunit (Psbs and Psas) genes and dark reaction biological process genes (FBP1, RPE, Calvin cycle protein CP12-1 and transketolase). These results indicate that STS enhanced the photosynthesis activity. The metabolome analysis showed that STS promoted the accumulation of carbohydrate metabolites, which further provided evidence for the enhancement of photosynthesis in the leaves of tea seedlings. This study enhanced our understanding of how intercropping soybeans in a young tea plantation improves the photosynthesis activity to promote tea seedlings’ growth and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beverage Crops Breeding: For Wine, Tea, Juices, Cocoa and Coffee)
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13 pages, 3658 KiB  
Article
Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis Reveals the Effect of Cultivation Altitude on Tea Metabolites
by Xiaomiao Tian, Si Chen, Qiusheng Zhong, Junyu Wang, Jiedan Chen, Liang Chen, Doogyung Moon and Jianqiang Ma
Agronomy 2024, 14(4), 812; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040812 - 13 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2029
Abstract
Cultivation altitude is a comprehensive environmental factor that significantly affects tea quality. To gain a deeper understanding of the effect of cultivation altitude on tea metabolites, a widely targeted metabolomic method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze [...] Read more.
Cultivation altitude is a comprehensive environmental factor that significantly affects tea quality. To gain a deeper understanding of the effect of cultivation altitude on tea metabolites, a widely targeted metabolomic method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze tea samples derived from three altitudes (86 m, 256 m, and 880 m) of two cultivars, ‘Mingke 1’ (MK) and ‘Fuyun 6’ (FY). The results showed that distinct groups of tea samples from different altitudes and cultivars were observed based on PCA. A total of 64 and 56 altitude-related differential metabolites were identified in MK and FY, respectively. Among them, 16 compounds were consistent in both cultivars and were clustered in the metabolic pathways for flavonoid (11 compounds), amino acid (3), and fatty acid (2). The content of all flavonoids and one amino acid (L-aspartic acid) gradually decreased with increasing altitude; on the contrary, the others showed an opposite trend. Furthermore, we identified 57 differential metabolites between two cultivars. Two specific compounds (8-C-hexosyl chrysoeriol O-hexoside and pelargonidin 3-O-β-D-glucoside) were exclusively found in MK, while one compound (4-hydroxybenzoic acid) was present only in FY. These findings offer insight into the metabolic responses of tea plants to different altitudes, providing further understanding on the influence of the environment on tea plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beverage Crops Breeding: For Wine, Tea, Juices, Cocoa and Coffee)
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