Biology subjects

Maloof, J. N.

Publications and source records attributed to Maloof, J. N..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

Leaf shape is a predictor of fruit quality and cultivar performance in tomato

O_LICommercial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely grown vegetable crops worldwide. Heirloom tomatoes retain extensive genetic diversity and a considerable range of fruit quality and leaf morphological traits.\nC_LIO_LIHere the role of leaf morphology was investigated for its impact on fruit quality. Heirloom cultivars were grown in field conditions and BRIX by Yield (BY) and other traits measured over a fourteen-week period. The complex relationships among these morphological and physiological traits were evaluated using PLS-Path Modeling, and a consensus model developed.\nC_LIO_LIPhotosynthesis contributed strongly to vegetative biomass and sugar content of fruits but had a negative impact on yield. Conversely leaf shape, specifically rounder leaves, had a strong positive impact on both fruit sugar content and yield. Cultivars such as Stupice and Glacier, with very round leaves, had the highest performance in both fruit sugar and yield. Our model accurately predicted BY for two commercial cultivars using leaf shape data as input.\nC_LIO_LIThis study revealed the importance of leaf shape to fruit quality in tomato, with rounder leaves having significantly improved fruit quality. This correlation was maintained across a range of diverse genetic backgrounds and shows the importance of leaf morphology in tomato crop improvement.\nC_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Integrating transcriptomic network reconstruction and QTL analyses reveals mechanistic connections between genomic architecture and Brassica rapa development

Plant developmental dynamics can be heritable, genetically correlated with fitness and yield, and undergo selection. Therefore, characterizing the mechanistic connections between the genetic architecture governing plant development and the resulting ontogenetic dynamics of plants in field settings is critically important for agricultural production and evolutionary ecology. We use a hierarchical Bayesian Function-Valued Trait (FVT) approach to estimate Brassica rapa growth curves throughout ontogeny, across two treatments and in two growing seasons. We find that the shape of growth curves is relatively plastic across environments compared to final height, and that there are trade-offs between growth rate and duration. We determined that combining FVT Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) and genes/eigengene expression identified via transcriptomic co-expression network reconstructions best characterized phenotypic variation. Further, targeted eQTL analyses identified regulatory hotspots that colocalized with FVT QTL and co-expression network identified genes and mechanistically link FVT QTL with structural trait variation throughout development in agroecologically relevant field settings.

genomics↗