Wild species of rice possess tremendous genetic variations and harbour resistance genes for biotic stresses. Bacterial blight (BB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is a major disease affecting rice production globally. The current study characterized 116 accessions from 17 species of Oryza for BB disease during three seasons viz., kharif 2020, rabi 2020–21, kharif 2021 using an isolate of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) strain IX-020. A total of 40 accessions including Oryza rufipogon, O. nivara, O. officinalis and O. australiensis showed consistence resistance to the bacterial blight disease across the seasons. These accessions were further subjected to molecular characterization using 11 Xa genes viz., Xa4, xa5, xa13, Xa21, Xa23, Xa27(t), Xa32(t), Xa33, Xa35(t), Xa38 and xa41 with gene-specific markers to ascertain the novelty. Some key resistance genes such as Xa4, Xa23, Xa27(t), Xa32(t), Xa33, Xa35(t) and xa41 were detected in multiple accessions, with O. rufipogon and O. eichingeri harbouring particularly complex combinations of these genes. Notably, several accessions viz., IC521672 (O. nivara), EC861665 (O. officinalis), EC861677 (O. latifolia), EC861711 (O. punctata) and EC861738 (O. eichingeri) did not show the presence of any known genes indicating the possibility of novel genetic loci conferring BB resistance in these wild species. These promising accessions identified in the study are potential novel sources for bacterial leaf blight resistance in rice and will be useful for the development of durable bacterial blight resistance rice cultivars.

Germplasm resources are the foundation for improving crop varieties and a strategic asset for global food security. They also advance plant breeding, agricultural biotechnology and the production of essential agricultural goods. To assess the distribution, diversity and conservation status of food crop germplasm in the Hainan Province, China, we conducted a detailed survey of the Hainan Island. Between 2017 and 2022, we collected 330 food crop germplasm resources, encompassing 16 cereal crops, including rice, maize, sweet potato. The collected germplasm resources exhibited traits of high resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses, including common diseases and drought stress, as well as superior quality and adaptability to poor soil conditions such as sandy land. However, challenges such as low productivity and hybrid degradation were identified. These resources were primarily found in Haikou City, Baisha County, Danzhou City, Wuzhishan City and Sanya City. Additionally, we collected several ancient local varieties and endangered germplasm resources such as ‘Jiezi rice’ and ‘Wuzhishan maize’. This study serves as a reference for the conservation, development and utilization of local food crop germplasm resources in Hainan Province and lays the foundation for breeding and developing new varieties.

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are significant and specialized metabolites found in Brassicas that have crucial roles in both human and plant defence. The present study investigated sinigrin, progoitrin and glucoerucin in Indian cauliflower genotypes using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For this, 37 genotypes of cauliflower from early (14), mid-early (6), mid-late (15) and late (2) maturity groups along with broccoli (two) and Sicilian purple (one) were evaluated in randomized block design during 2019–20 and 2020–21. Glucoerucin was predominant in most of the cauliflower genotypes (30), followed by sinigrin (5) and progoitrin (2). It was also prominent in broccoli genotypes. Progoitrin was the principal GLS in Sicilian Purple ‘PC-1 (2.430 μmol/g). In cauliflower, the glucoerucin, progoitrin and sinigrin were ranged from 0.067 to 7.248 μmol/g, 0.001 to 0.849 μmol/g and 0.001 to 3.310 μmol/g, respectively. Pusa Deepali (early), Pusa Sharad (mid-early) and Pusa Shukti (mid-late) were found to be ‘low progoitrin-high glucoerucin’ varieties in their respective groups. In the late group, Pusa Snowball Kt-25 had low progoitrin. Glucoerucin and sinigrin were highest in the mid-early group. Progoitrin was highest in genotypes harvested in the first fortnight of November and the second fortnight of February, whereas sinigrin and glucoerucin were maximum in the genotypes harvested during the second fortnight of November. The K-means clustering identified four clusters, and principal component analysis revealed two principal components. The information on three GLSs in Indian cauliflower will be useful for breeding varieties with desirable GSL profiles for public health and plant defence.

This study examines the morphological and chemical characteristics of seeds from five Fritillaria species: Fritillaria pinardii, Fritillaria pontica, Fritillaria kittaniae, Fritillaria imperialis and Fritillaria alfredae Post subsp. glaucoviridis (Turrill) Rix. Morphological measurements included total length, total width, embryo length, embryo width, seed left-wing coverage width, seed right-wing coverage width and the distance between crossing points. These measurements revealed significant differences among the species. For example, F. imperialis exhibited the longest seeds and the largest embryos, while F. alfredae Post subsp. glaucoviridis had the smallest dimensions. Chemical analyses were conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, identifying various significant compounds across the species. High proportions of 2,2-dimethoxybutane were found in the seed samples. In F. pontica, compounds such as 2,2-dimethoxybutane (66.33%) and 1,1-dipropoxypropane (13.24%) were prevalent. Fritillaria kittaniae seeds showed high levels of benzene, 1,1′-(3,3-dimethyl-1-butenylidene) bis- (25.57%) and cyclohexene, 3-methyl-6-(1-methylethylidene)- (6.89%). In F. imperialis, significant compounds included 1,3-dioxolane-4-methanol, 2-ethyl-2-methyl (9.73%) and dodecane (5.73%). Fritillaria pinardii had notable amounts of 3,6-dimethyloctane (4.81%), while F. alfredae subsp. glaucoviridis contained 2-methoxyethyl(trimethyl)silane (13.21%). Principal component analysis and cluster analysis revealed clear groupings based on morphological and chemical similarities. Fritillaria pinardii, F. pontica and F. kittaniae formed a cluster due to their similar morphological and chemical characteristics, whereas F. imperialis and F. alfredae subsp. glaucoviridis formed a distinct group. These findings provide valuable insights into the identification and classification of Fritillaria species. Integrating morphological and chemical data can enhance the accurate identification of these species. This study contributes to understanding the natural diversity of Fritillaria species and has implications for ecological studies.