Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2023) | Viewed by 12952

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: genetics and breeding of broccoli; plant breeding and climate changes; glucosinolate metabolism and its control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), a member of the Brassicaceae plant family, is an important vegetable containing high concentrations of various nutritive and functional molecules—especially the anticarcinogenic glucosinolates, including glucoraphanin and glucobrassicin. In the past 35 years, broccoli consumption has increased over 200% worldwide, especially in China and the United States. However, there are still some problems in the fully mechanized harvesting of broccoli and extending its shelf life. The purpose of this Special Issue is therefore to disseminate the advances in germplasm innovation, high-efficiency breeding technologies, genetics in important traits, and genome editing of broccoli.

Dr. Zhansheng Li
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • broccoli
  • genetics
  • germplasm innovation
  • genome editing
  • nutrition
  • glucosinolate
  • plant disease
  • climate changes

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3488 KiB  
Article
Identification of Black Spot Resistance in Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) Germplasm Resources
by Quan Zhang, Ferdinando Branca, Ning Li, Ning Liu and Yunhua Ding
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 2883; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14072883 - 29 Mar 2024
Viewed by 443
Abstract
Black spot disease, caused by Alternaria alternata, results in enormous losses in broccoli production. The current measures to prevent black spot disease mainly rely on seed disinfection and chemical control, but excellent disease-resistance resources are relatively scarce. In this study, we screened [...] Read more.
Black spot disease, caused by Alternaria alternata, results in enormous losses in broccoli production. The current measures to prevent black spot disease mainly rely on seed disinfection and chemical control, but excellent disease-resistance resources are relatively scarce. In this study, we screened primers for black spot disease identification and conducted black spot disease resistance identification of 173 lines, including 70 hybrid lines and 103 inbred lines. Based on the phenotype, we have set five grades to present different symptoms of illness: high disease resistance, disease resistance, disease tolerance, susceptibility, and high susceptibility (the disease resistance gradually weakens). According to our phenotypic evaluations, 3, 55, 65, 45, and 5 lines were classified into high disease resistance, disease resistance, disease tolerance, susceptible, and high susceptibility, respectively. By comparing the proportion of resistant lines between hybrid and inbred lines, we noticed that the frequency of hybrid varieties with high disease resistance and disease resistance (28.57%) was lower than that in inbred lines (36.89%), indicating that the resistance resources have not yet been effectively utilized in hybrid broccoli breeding. Therefore, our results identified the resistance resources to black spot disease in broccoli, which lays the foundation for the exploration of disease resistance genes as well as the analysis of disease resistance mechanisms in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli)
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17 pages, 4198 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses of Glucosinolate Biosynthesis-Related Genes in Different Organs of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica)
by Xiuling Tian, Hongju He, Xiaolu Yu, Yaqin Wang, Liping Hu, Bing Cheng, Yunhua Ding and Guangmin Liu
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(10), 5837; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13105837 - 9 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1354
Abstract
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) is a globally popular vegetable because of its nutrient richness, especially its glucosinolates (GSLs). The content of GSLs in different organs of broccoli varies greatly. However, few studies have focused on the differences in the [...] Read more.
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) is a globally popular vegetable because of its nutrient richness, especially its glucosinolates (GSLs). The content of GSLs in different organs of broccoli varies greatly. However, few studies have focused on the differences in the GSLs biosynthesis-related genes in different organs. In this study, we selected extreme individuals from an F2 population of broccoli and mixed them to form low and high glucoraphanin content pools of leaf, stalk and floret, respectively. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses showed that 539, 755 and 617 genes are significantly differentially expressed, and 44, 66 and 118 metabolites are significantly differentially accumulated in leaf, stalk and floret comparison groups, respectively. The combined analysis revealed that some genes such as Bo5g113720, Bo2g161100 and Bo7g09800, Bo4g018590, Bo5g021810, and Bo2g011730 showed different expression trends between low and high glucoraphanin content pools, which increased the accumulation of glucoraphanin. These genes have different expression levels in the three plant parts. Strikingly, the accumulation of glucoraphanin upregulated the expression of plant hormone signal transduction-related genes TIFY, JAR1, IAA, GH3 and SAU, and also increased the levels of tentatively identified flavonoid metabolites. Our study deepens the understanding of glucosinolate biosynthesis in different organs at the molecular level, and also provides evidence for the crosstalk between glucosinolates and flavonoids biosynthesis pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli)
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16 pages, 3115 KiB  
Article
Development of Novel Markers and Creation of Non-Anthocyanin and Anthocyanin-Rich Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) Cultivars
by Chunqing Liu, Xueqin Yao, Guangqing Li, Lei Huang, Chenghong Liu and Zhujie Xie
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 6267; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126267 - 20 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1567
Abstract
In broccoli, anthocyanin pigments can be accumulated in the flower bud epidermis, resulting in a purple-green head. This study aimed to create non-anthocyanin green broccoli varieties and anthocyanin-rich purple broccoli varieties using new F3′H and Pur7.1-K1 molecular markers, respectively. The breeding program [...] Read more.
In broccoli, anthocyanin pigments can be accumulated in the flower bud epidermis, resulting in a purple-green head. This study aimed to create non-anthocyanin green broccoli varieties and anthocyanin-rich purple broccoli varieties using new F3′H and Pur7.1-K1 molecular markers, respectively. The breeding program started with crosses of the recipient (superior variety and line) LF02 line with the donor line SN60 carrying the recessive allele f3′h and the donor line BT126 carrying the dominant allele Pur7.1. The F1 hybrids were confirmed with molecular markers and backcrossed with the recurrent parent LF02, followed by cycles of foreground and background selection at each stage. A total of 161 green plants with the f3′hf3′h genotype and 152 purple plants with the Pur7.1Pur7.1 genotype were selected from the BC3F2 line. Among these, 34 green plants and 28 purple plants demonstrated >85% background recovery. The identified plants were selfed to obtain 301 green and 416 purple BC3F3 plants for assessment of major agronomic traits. After these investigations, two green broccoli lines without anthocyanin and three anthocyanin-rich purple lines with the best yield/quality characteristics were obtained. The development of these lines might help provide basic materials and the theoretical basis for breeding commercial broccoli varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli)
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12 pages, 1071 KiB  
Article
The Establishment and Application of Models for Recommending Formula Fertilization for Different Maturing Genotypes of Broccoli
by Guangqing Li, Xueqin Yao, Chunqing Liu, Lei Huang, Chenghong Liu and Zhujie Xie
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 6147; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126147 - 17 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1337
Abstract
According to the requirements of different fertilizers for early-maturing and late-maturing broccoli, this study aimed to establish the models of formula fertilization to apply them in the recommendation of fertilization by the aid of soil testing performed in main broccoli-producing areas. In this [...] Read more.
According to the requirements of different fertilizers for early-maturing and late-maturing broccoli, this study aimed to establish the models of formula fertilization to apply them in the recommendation of fertilization by the aid of soil testing performed in main broccoli-producing areas. In this paper, based on the effective functions of for nitrogen- (N), phosphorous- (P), and potassium (K)-balanced fertilizers for broccoli of two different mature types, the models of formula fertilization were established. The recommend formula fertilization was accomplished in 12 different plots in the same broccoli-producing areas. The analysis of N, P, and K fertilizer contributions to broccoli yield indicated that the application rate of N, P, and K fertilizers for early-maturing variety was higher than that for late-maturing variety, when the yield contribution rate of N, P, and K fertilizers reached the extreme value. The contribution of K fertilization to the yield even had a significantly negative effect with the continuous increase of K fertilizer application for the late-maturing broccoli variety. The results showed that the different optimal combinations of applying N, P, and K fertilizers could be recommended, according to the different genotypes and soil nutrient levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli)
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11 pages, 2026 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity and DNA Fingerprinting in Broccoli Carrying Multiple Clubroot Resistance Genes Based on SSR Markers
by Qi Xie, Yongyu Zhao, Yumei Liu, Fengqing Han, Wei Liu and Zhansheng Li
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4754; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094754 - 9 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2305
Abstract
To identify cultivars quickly and accurately, DNA fingerprinting of 10 broccoli varieties was performed by using simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker technology. Highly informative and polymorphic SSR markers were screened using broccoli and rapeseed. Out of the 93 SSR marker pairs, 21 pairs [...] Read more.
To identify cultivars quickly and accurately, DNA fingerprinting of 10 broccoli varieties was performed by using simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker technology. Highly informative and polymorphic SSR markers were screened using broccoli and rapeseed. Out of the 93 SSR marker pairs, 21 pairs were selected and found to have good polymorphism. Each marker pair generated 1 to 10 polymorphic bands with an average of 4.29. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.41 with a range from 0.16 to 0.95. Six selected marker pairs established the fingerprinting of the 10 accessions and their unique fingerprints. Cluster analysis of 10 accessions showed that the genetic similarity coefficient was between 0.57 and 0.91. They can be divided into 3 groups at the genetic similarity coefficient (GSC) of 0.73. The above results indicated that DNA fingerprinting could provide a scientific basis for the identification of broccoli polymerized multiple clubroot resistance genes. Research shows that SSR marker-based DNA fingerprinting further ensures plant seed purity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli)
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15 pages, 2783 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Selenium Treatment Promotes Glucosinolate and Glucoraphanin Accumulation in Broccoli by Activating Their Biosynthesis and Transport Pathways
by Qi Wu, Junwei Wang, Huiping Huang, Shuxiang Mao, Qiuyun Wu and Ke Huang
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4101; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094101 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1884
Abstract
Supplementation using selenium (Se) on plants is an effective and widely used approach. It can not only be converted to more Se rich compounds but promote the accumulation of glucosinolates (GSLs) with anti-carcinogenic properties. However, the molecular mechanism of Se in regulating GSLs [...] Read more.
Supplementation using selenium (Se) on plants is an effective and widely used approach. It can not only be converted to more Se rich compounds but promote the accumulation of glucosinolates (GSLs) with anti-carcinogenic properties. However, the molecular mechanism of Se in regulating GSLs synthesis remains unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of Se treatment (50 μM sodium selenite) on GSLs, glucoraphanin (4MSOB), and sulforaphane compounds in broccoli tissues. The transcript levels of genes involved in sulfur absorption and transport, GSLs biosynthesis, translocation, and degradation pathways were also evaluated. The study showed that Se treatment remarkably promoted the accumulation of total sulfur and total Se contents and increased Trp-derived GSLs levels in roots by 2 times. The 4MSOB concentration and sulforaphane content in fresh leaves was increased by 67% and 30% after Se treatment, respectively. For genes expressions, some genes involved in sulfate uptake and transporters, GSLs biosynthesis, and transporters were induced strongly upon Se exposure. Results revealed that exogenous Se treatment promotes the overaccumulation of GSLs and 4MSOB content in broccoli by activating the transcript levels of genes involved in sulfur absorption, GSLs biosynthesis, and translocation pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli)
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18 pages, 2709 KiB  
Article
Bacterial Diversity and Dominant Spoilage Microorganisms in Fresh-Cut Broccoli
by Siqi Cui, Xiaolu Yu, Ya Chen, Jianli Zhang and Guangmin Liu
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3370; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073370 - 25 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3210
Abstract
Different cutting types not only affect the quality and bioactive substances of broccoli but may produce wounding stress that influences the quantity and diversity of microorganisms and finally leads to safety concerns. In this study, three different fresh-cutting types (floret (F), quarterly cut [...] Read more.
Different cutting types not only affect the quality and bioactive substances of broccoli but may produce wounding stress that influences the quantity and diversity of microorganisms and finally leads to safety concerns. In this study, three different fresh-cutting types (floret (F), quarterly cut floret (QF) and shredded floret (FS)) and four storage stages (0, 1, 2 and 3 day(s)) were designed to detect the bacterial diversity in broccoli. Results showed that the quantity and growth of microorganisms in fresh-cut broccoli were positively correlated with the intensity of fresh-cut damage, and the 97 strains isolated using 16S rRNA gene sequences were mainly classified into four phyla: Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. The predominant phylum was Proteobacteria, dominated by Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp. Four representative strains of different species were selected to analyze their spoilage potential on fresh-cut broccoli. Pseudomonas spp. had great impacts on the corruption of broccoli, which affected fresh-cut broccoli by metabolizing to produce nitrite and consuming nutrition. Moreover, Comamonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp. also affected the quality of broccoli, but received little attention previously. This study provides a reference for precise bacteriostasis and preservation of fresh-cut vegetables such as broccoli. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Broccoli)
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