Lixia Wang

Bio: Lixia Wang is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Germplasm & Vigna. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 4 citations.

Adzuki Bean (Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi) Breeding

Abstract: Adzuki bean [Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi], an annual pulse crop, belongs to the genus Vigna and subgenus Ceratotrapis. It provides nutritional elements for the human diet and fertilizes soil by nitrogen fixation. It has been traditionally planted and consumed in East and Southeast Asia, especially in China, Japan and Korea, so it came to be called the Asia legume. Adzuki bean was dispersed to other continents for commercial uses in recent decades. Wild adzuki bean (V. angularis var. nipponensis), considered to be the ancestor of cultivated adzuki bean, occurs in East Asia and in the Himalayan Region, which are presumed to be where the domestication of adzuki bean took place. Another wild form, V. nepalensis, called the weedy adzuki bean, is mainly found in Eastern Nepal and around. A large portion of adzuki bean germplasm has been collected and conserved in different gene banks. DNA marker analysis suggests that there are obvious genetic distinctions between different forms, but the diversity among cultivated germplasm is quite low, indicating that the wild forms could be an important genetic resource for breeding. However, the genetic and genomic studies on this species are lagging and include only low-density genetic maps and a few maps of genes. That is the reason conventional breeding of adzuki bean has achieved rapid improvement, while no modern biotechnology has yet been used in breeding.

Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis): Chemical compositions, physicochemical properties, health benefits, and food applications.

Abstract: Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis), also called red bean, is a legume of Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family. This crop is native to East Asia and is also commercially available in other parts of the world. It is becoming a research focus owing to its distinct nutritional properties (e.g., abundant in polyphenols). The diverse health benefits and multiple utilization of this pulse are associated with its unique composition. However, there is a paucity of reviews focusing on the nutritional properties and potent applications of adzuki beans. This review summarizes the chemical compositions, physicochemical properties, health benefits, processing, and applications of adzuki beans. Suggestions on how to better utilize the adzuki bean are also provided to facilitate its development as a functional grain. Adzuki bean and its components can be further developed into value-added and nutritionally enhanced products.

VaSDC1 Is Involved in Modulation of Flavonoid Metabolic Pathways in Black and Red Seed Coats in Adzuki Bean ( Vigna angularis L.)

Abstract: Seed coat colour is an important nutritional quality trait. Variations in anthocyanins and flavonoids induce the diversity of seed coat colour in adzuki bean (Vigna angularis L.). Red seed coat and black seed coat are important adzuki bean cultivars. Insights into the differences of flavonoid metabolic pathways between black and red adzuki bean are significant. In this study, we explored that the difference in seed coat colour between the red (Jingnong6) and the black (AG118) is caused by the accumulation of anthocyanins. The RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) and real-time reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR results showed that the Vigna angularis L. seed coat color (VaSDC1) gene, an R2R3-MYB transcription factor, should be the key gene to regulate the black and red seed coat colours. In three different colouring staes of seed development, VaSDC1 was specifically expressed in the black seed coat (AG118) landrace, which activates the structural genes of flavonoid metabolic pathways. As a result, this caused a substantial accumulation of anthocyanins and created a dark blue-black colour. In the red (Jingnong6) seed coat variety, low expression levels of VaSDC1 resulted in a lower accumulation of anthocyanins than in AG118. In addition, VaSDC1 was genetically mapped in the interval between simple-sequence repeat (SSR) markers Sca326-12, Sca326-4, and BAgs007 on chromosome 3 using an F4 segregating population derived from the cross between Jingnong6 and AG118. These results will facilitate the improvement of nutritional quality breeding in adzuki beans.

Morphological Characterization and Diversity Analysis of Adzukibean [Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi and Ohashi] Germplasm

Abstract: Adzuki bean [Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi and Ohashi] is a self-pollinated legume crop (2n=22) belonging to the genus Vigna of thefamily Leguminosae. Its center of origin is East Asia andit is mainly cultivated in China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Bhutan, India, Nepal, US, South America, New Zealand and Africa. V. angularis var. nipponensis is the presumed wild ancestor of cultivated adzuki bean (Yamaguchi et al., 1992). This wild species is distributed across a wide area of Japan, the Korean and China peninsula, including Taiwan, Nepal and Bhutan (Vaughan et al., 2004). China is the largest producer of adzuki bean in the world with an estimated production of about 260 thousand tons in the year 2019-20. In Japan, it is the second most important legume after soybean with a consumption of about 140,000 tonnes per year (Anonymous, 2019). Outside East Asia, Canada and Australia have also started producing adzuki bean in recent years, mainly for export reasons. In India, it is considered as an underutilized crop and its cultivation is limited to the North-eastern and Northern hill zones. It occasionally grows in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi and Bilaspur districts of Himachal Pradesh where it is mainly grown International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 10 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

The Vigna Genome Server, ‘VigGS’: A Genomic Knowledge Base of the Genus Vigna

Abstract: The genus Vigna includes legume crops such as cowpea, mungbean and azuki bean, as well as >100 wild species. A number of the wild species are highly tolerant to severe environmental conditions including high-salinity, acid or alkaline soil; drought; flooding; and pests and diseases. These features of the genus Vigna make it a good target for investigation of genetic diversity in adaptation to stressful environments; however, a lack of genomic information has hindered such research in this genus. Here, we present a genome database of the genus Vigna, Vigna Genome Server ('VigGS', http://viggs.dna.affrc.go.jp), based on the recently sequenced azuki bean genome, which incorporates annotated exon-intron structures, along with evidence for transcripts and proteins, visualized in GBrowse. VigGS also facilitates user construction of multiple alignments between azuki bean genes and those of six related dicot species. In addition, the database displays sequence polymorphisms between azuki bean and its wild relatives and enables users to design primer sequences targeting any variant site. VigGS offers a simple keyword search in addition to sequence similarity searches using BLAST and BLAT. To incorporate up to date genomic information, VigGS automatically receives newly deposited mRNA sequences of pre-set species from the public database once a week. Users can refer to not only gene structures mapped on the azuki bean genome on GBrowse but also relevant literature of the genes. VigGS will contribute to genomic research into plant biotic and abiotic stresses and to the future development of new stress-tolerant crops.