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Nut Crop Molecular Breeding
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Nut Crop Molecular Breeding

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2023) | Viewed by 4314

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xinwang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
USDA ARS, Pecan Breeding & Genetics, Somerville, TX 77879, USA
Interests: pecan scion and rootstock breeding; genetics and genomics; climate adaptation
Dr. Lu Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Interests: pecan and tree fruit physiology and production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The values of nut crops are increasing with the challenges in human health and food security globally. Popular nut crops include almond, chestnut, hickory nuts, pecan, and walnut. Most nut crops are currently economically propagated clonally from cuttings due to genetic self-incompatibility and long breeding cycles. Nut crop breeding includes both scion and rootstock and targets multiple horticultural trait improvements to introduce better cultivars to commercial orchards. In particular, disease resistance or tolerance, environment adaptation, nut yield and quality are the major goals for the nut tree breeders. Scion cultivar breeding contains improvement of tree form, tree size, disease/pest resistance, nut quality, and nut yield. Rootstock breeding includes tree growth, soil environment adaptation, root microbiome, and disease/pest resistance.

In the past, nut tree breeding was conducted mostly using the traditional methodologies, i.e., artificial pollination and a long process of field evaluation. Nut breeding has now entered its genomic era with the dramatic increase in next-generation sequencing technology. New genetic tools have been applied to germplasm evaluation and conservation, population structure, high-throughput screening of the breeding population, and trait–marker association. However, molecular breeding of nut crops faces many challenges compared to other common crops.

You are invited to submit your latest experimental articles and reviews, highlighting various aspects of nut crops, including but not limited on scion/rootstock traditional and molecular breeding, tree/orchard management, and trait improvement, to this Special Issue.

Dr. Xinwang Wang
Dr. Lu Zhang
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • nut crops
  • molecular breeding and genetics
  • QTL
  • GWAS
  • genomic selection
  • orchard management
  • rootstock selection and adaptation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1930 KiB  
Article
Influence of Geographical Orchard Location on the Microbiome from the Progeny of a Pecan Controlled Cross
by Kimberly Cervantes, Ciro Velasco-Cruz, L. J. Grauke, Xinwang Wang, Patrick Conner, Lenny Wells, Clive H. Bock, Cristina Pisani and Jennifer J. Randall
Plants 2023, 12(2), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12020360 - 12 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1576
Abstract
Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K.Koch production has expanded beyond the native distribution as the genetic diversity of the species, in part, has allowed the trees to grow under broad geographic and climatic ranges. Research in other plant species has demonstrated that the phytobiome enhances [...] Read more.
Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K.Koch production has expanded beyond the native distribution as the genetic diversity of the species, in part, has allowed the trees to grow under broad geographic and climatic ranges. Research in other plant species has demonstrated that the phytobiome enhances their ability to survive and thrive in specific environments and, conversely, is influenced by the prevailing environment and plant genetics, among other factors. We sought to analyze the microbiota of pecan seedlings from the controlled cross ‘Lakota’ × ‘Oaxaca’ that were made in Georgia and Texas, respectively, to determine if the maternal geographical origin influences the microbiome of the resulting progeny. No significant differences in bacterial communities were observed between the seeds obtained from the two different states (p = 0.081). However, seed origin did induce significant differences in leaf fungal composition (p = 0.012). Results suggest that, in addition to some environmental, epigenetics, or host genetic components, ecological processes, such as dispersal mechanisms of the host, differentially impact the pecan microbiome, which may have ramifications for the health of trees grown in different environments. Future studies on the role of the microbiome in plant health and productivity will aid in the development of sustainable agriculture for improved food security. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nut Crop Molecular Breeding)
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19 pages, 1462 KiB  
Article
Consumer Hedonic Ratings and Associated Sensory Characteristics and Emotional Responses to Fourteen Pecan Varieties Grown in Texas
by Xiaofen Du, Xinwang Wang, Adriana Muniz and Keith Kubenka
Plants 2022, 11(14), 1814; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11141814 - 09 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2016
Abstract
Pecan is one of the top five most widely consumed tree nuts, and pecan nut quality is a major factor for consideration in breeding better pecan cultivars for use by producers. However, the pecan industry faces a hurdle to evaluate its nutmeat taste, [...] Read more.
Pecan is one of the top five most widely consumed tree nuts, and pecan nut quality is a major factor for consideration in breeding better pecan cultivars for use by producers. However, the pecan industry faces a hurdle to evaluate its nutmeat taste, and there has so far been limited evaluation of consumer attitudes toward pecan nutmeat. This study aimed to investigate the consumer (n = 198) hedonic rating, diagnostic sensory attribute intensity, and emotional response for 14 pecan samples, consisting of native/seedling and improved varieties. The results showed all kernels received positive hedonic scores (>5, 9-point hedonic scale) for overall acceptance and the acceptability of size, interior color, typical-pecan flavor, and raw-nut flavor. The primary sensory attributes (intensities > 5.0, 0–10 line scale) were typical-pecan and raw-nut flavors, followed by buttery flavor, sweetness, and astringency. Kernel off-flavors were not perceived in general. For 20 emotion-associated terms, the intensity of the satiating effect was medium, while the energizing effect was lower. The major emotional responses were healthy, satisfied, and comfort, followed by calm, interested, premium, and relaxed. Kernel variety difference was significant (p ≤ 0.05) for all these measured variables. Consumer overall acceptance toward pecan kernels was driven by the acceptability of flavor and interior color, flavor intensities, no off-flavors, and positive emotional responses; kernel size was not an impactful factor. The six most preferred varieties were 86TX2-1.5, Pawnee, Barton, 1997-09-0012, 1991-01-0026, and Harris Super. This study is the first to use consumer input to assess nut quality and consumption preference and will be foundational to ongoing breeding programs to develop new pecan cultivars that will better meet consumer preferences and expectations, and therefore will be accepted by the processing industry and growers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nut Crop Molecular Breeding)
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