Wild Himalayan figs (Ficus palmata Forsk.), native to East Asia and the Himalayan region, are closely related to the well-known cultivated fig (Ficus carica L.), which is grown mainly in the Mediterranean region. The Pakistani state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has a rich variety of figs. However, no comprehensive study has been carried out to utilise the diversity of these wild figs for possible use in sustainable fruit production. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the variability of 35 wild fig accessions using quantitative and qualitative traits. Descriptive statistics were used to measure quantitative characteristics, while the coefficient of variance (CV %) was analysed using SAS^® version 9.1. A principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate analysis were performed using R Studio (v1.1.4). Pearson correlation coefficients between characteristics were obtained using SPSS software. The studied accessions showed high variability and the coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 4.46–14.81%. Days to maturity varied from 71 to 86, leaf area from 38.55 to 90.06 cm². The fruit length, fruit diameter and fruit weight ranged from 11.25 to 29.85 mm, 11.85 to 27.49 mm and 2.65 to 9.66 g, respectively. The photosynthetic activity and total chlorophyll content also varied from 7.94 to 10.22 μmol CO₂ m⁻²s⁻¹ and 37.11 to 46.48 μgml⁻¹. In most of the fig accessions studied, apical dominance was found to be ‘absent’ while fruit shape was observed to be ‘globular’. A strong correlation was observed between all the studied characteristics. In the PCA analysis, all 35 fig accessions were distributed in four quadrants and showed a great diversity. This could be a valuable gene pool for future breeding studies and provide improved quality varieties. Wild Himalayan figs from the wild are well adapted to local pedoclimatic conditions and, combined with easy propagation and production can contribute to the local economy and have a significant impact on the socio-economic and ecological balance. The results of this study show high variability in some of the studied traits of 35 accessions from different parts of Northeast Pakistan, indicating their good potential for further enhancement and utilisation in sustainable agricultural production.

WRKY proteins are an important group of transcription factors (TFs) gene family and were identified primarily in plants. WRKY TFs play vital roles in modulating gene expression when plants face detrimental effects due to the environment. In the current study, we focused on using the mandarin citrus (Citrus reticulata) genome to understand the impact of the WRKY gene family on the extraction of alleles mining in mandarins. The mining of the C. reticulata genome identified 46 CrWRKY genes that were classified into three main groups (G1, G2, and G3) further with five subclasses (IIa, IIb, IIc, Iid, and IIe) in the G2 group, and all were presented on 29 scaffolds representing numerous segmental duplications of 100% events established. Multiple sequence analysis predicted the presence of the “WRKYGQK” domain and metal-chelating zinc-finger motif C₂H₂ in 45 genes, while the “WRKYGQK” domain was replaced with “WRKYGKK” only in CrWRKY20. The comparative relationship of CrWRKY with other plant species using dual synteny analysis revealed that the divergence between C. reticulata and C. grandis occurred after the evolutionary divergence of C. clementine, C. sinensis, C. medica, and C. ichangensis. The possible functions of the CrWRKY genes in mitigating environmental effects were predicted using cis-regulatory elements analysis and in silico RNAseq analysis, for the development of plants. These results provide a robust platform and absence of knowledge for the functional identification from key genes of CrWRKY genes in the mandarin for the possible use to improve key desirable agronomic and consumer-driven fruit quality traits in mandarins and related species.

Gene silencing is the epigenetic regulation of any gene in order to prevent gene expression at the transcription or translation levels. Among various gene silencing techniques, RNA silencing (RNAi) is notable gene regulation technique that involves sequence-specific targeting and RNA degradation. However, the effectiveness of transgene-induced RNAi in F₁ generation of chrysanthemum has not been studied yet. In the current study, we used RNAi-constructed CmTFL1 (white-flowered) and CmSVP overexpressed (yellow flowered) transgenic plants of previously conducted two studies for our experiment. Cross hybridization was performed between these intergeneric transgenic and non-transgenic plants of the winter-growing chrysanthemum selection “37” (light pink flowered). The transgene CmSVP was confirmed in F₁ hybrids by RT-PCR analysis, whereas hybrids of CmTFL1 parental plants were non-transgenic. Besides this, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to explain the molecular mechanism of flower development using reference genes. Intergeneric and interspecific hybrids produced different colored flowers unlike their respective parents. These results suggest that generic traits of CmSVP overexpressed plants can be transferred into F₁ generations when crossed with mutant plants. This study will aid in understanding the breeding phenomenon among intergeneric hybrids of chrysanthemum plants at an in vivo level, and such transgenics will also be more suitable for sustainable flower yield under a low-light production system.

W. BARAN, M.A. KHAN, U. HABIB, and R.M. RANA Citation: Baran W, Khan MA, Habib U, Rana RM (2023). Genetic analysis and morphological profiling of ranunculus genotypes. SABRAO J. Breed. Genet. 55(2): 379-387. http://doi.org/10.54910/sabrao2023.55.2.10. Summary Ranunculus is a well-known flower having a great economic value for its bright colors and