Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is an important nutritious vegetable. Despite its high economic and industrial value, very little attention has been paid to assess genetic diversity of okra at molecular level. For effective conservation and proper deployment of germplasm, a study on diversity analysis of okra germplasm was conducted with DNA markers. Microsatellite/Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were utilized to evaluate the genetic diversity among 96 accessions of Abelmoschus, of which 92 accessions were of A. esculentus and one accession each of A. tuberculatus, A. moschatus, A. moschatus subspecies tuberosus and A. manihot. A set of 40 SSR primers were tested, of which 30 primers gave reproducible amplification which were used further for diversity analysis. With a mean of 7.1 bands per SSR, DNA amplification with 30 SSRs generated a total 213 bands, of which 60.66 % were recorded polymorphic. Polymorphic information content ranged between 0.11 and 0.80 with an average of 0.52, indicating that the majority of primers were informative. The Jaccard’s coefficient ranged from 0.107 to 0.969. The UPGMA analysis grouped Abelmoschus genotypes into three main clusters at a cut-off of 0.20. Results of present study revealed that sufficient variation exists among the studied accessions and GAO-5 which was found highly diverse can be exploited for okra improvement. The outcome of present research would assist to make use of Ablemoschus germplasm for okra breeding.

Assessment of genetic diversity among okra genotypes using SSR markers

Significance of fermentation process on biochemical properties of Phaseolus vulgaris (red beans).

Late Aptian angiosperm pollen grains from Patagonia: Earliest steps in flowering plant evolution at middle latitudes in southern South America

Reproductive biology and pollen–pistil interactions in Passiflora species with ornamental potential

Vigna trilobata (L.) Verdc. and V. stipulacea (L.) Kuntz. of section Aconitifoliae were studied based on morphological characters to address taxonomic delineation. We have attempted to resolve the identities of these two species by studying a representative set of collections (125 accessions) across diverse eco-geographical zones of India. Agro-morphological traits were recorded for 47 descriptor states to differentiate the two species. Remarks on some additional characters not reported in earlier studies were highlighted with an aim to facilitate field identification of these taxa and use in their genetic resource management. Key diagnostic characters essential for delineating identities of these two species were presented.

Delineating taxonomic identity of two closely related Vigna species of section Aconitifoliae: V. trilobata (L.) Verdc. and V. stipulacea (Lam.) Kuntz in India

Pollen–pistil interactions play a crucial role in successful introgressions for desirable traits and are often restricted by presence of pre- or post-fertilisation barriers in various crops. Importance of wild germplasm of Abelmoschus (Malvaceae) as source of genes for biotic and abiotic stress resistance in crop improvement programmes have long been recognised by breeders. In the present study, behaviour of pollen germination and pollen tube growth were evaluated with respect to the seed set among four species of Abelmoschus. Alien pollen tubes showed significantly high growth inhibition in okra (A. esculentus) pistils and seldom penetrated the stigma. Pollen tube growth was normal in A. esculentus × A. caillei and its reciprocal cross, indicating the potential for its use in genetic improvement. Delayed pollen tube growth along with other structural abnormalities like twisting, swelling, high branching, bi-furcated tip and variation in callose form (reverse orientation and irregularity in callo...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00173134.2013.768699

Pollen germination characteristics, pollen–pistil interaction and reproductive behaviour in interspecific crosses among Abelmoschus esculentus Moench and its wild relatives

A new species of Malvaceae, Abelmoschus palianus Sutar, K. V. Bhat et S. R. Yadav is described and illustrated from Chhattisgarh, India. The morphological differences between the new species and related taxa are discussed.

A new species of Abelmoschus Medik. (Malvaceae) from Chhattisgarh, India

Seed morphology of Abelmoschus is known to be variable, but patterns of variation have never been critically studied. We studied seed macro- and micro-morphological characters, including seed shape/size, seed coat pattern and trichome density/structure in multiple samples to evaluate the taxonomic significance of seed characters. Among the studied characters, seed shape and trichome structure were found to have major taxonomic importance and proved to be valuable characters for separating taxa. Two main seed types were present: seeds with deciduous trichomes and seeds with persistent trichomes. These characters offer significant evidence to the distinctness of certain species (A. esculentus, A. moschatus subsp. moschatus, A. moschatus subsp. tuberosus, A. crinitus and A. angulosus). Further, our results indicate that A. moschatus subsp. tuberosus should be maintained as a separate subspecies while A. manihot subsp. tetraphyllus var. pungens may be merged in A. angulosus. No significant intraspecific variation was observed, except in A. esculentus. We conclude that seed coat sculpturing and seed trichomes do indeed provide stable and diagnostic characters for many morphologically closely related taxa of Abelmoschus and that LM/SEM techniques can be useful in solving systematic problems and management of Abelmoschus genetic resources.

Taxonomic importance of seed macro‐ and micro‐morphology in Abelmoschus (Malvaceae)

The seed coat morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy in 21 species (of which two are both cultivated and wild) of subgenus Ceratotropis (Piper) Verdc. and one species each from subgenus Plectotropis and subgenus Vigna of genus Vigna. The macromorphological and micromorphological seed characters, which include seed shape, testa texture, hilum, aril, testa pattern and ornamentation of periclinal wall, exhibited well-defined variability among the studied taxa. The smallest seeds were recognized in Vigna subramaniana (1.97 × 1.91 mm) and the largest in Vigna unguiculata (7.02 × 4.45 mm). The smallest hilum was observed in Vigna subramaniana (0.50 ± 0.01 mm) and the largest in Vigna umbellata (3.57 ± 0.05 mm). Novel morphological features such as reticulate, reticulate-foveate, alveolate, colliculate-pusticulate, substriate, ruminate-reticulate and ruminate-channelled reticulations of periclinal wall of the testa cell and hilum structure were observed in addition to those reported in...

Seed coat sculpture of subgenus Ceratotropis (Piper) verdc., genus Vigna Savi in India and its taxonomic implications

In the present study, numerical taxonomy approach has been used for the first time to access the taxonomy and species relationships of Abelmoschus . Sixteen Abelmoschus taxa were subjected to cluster analysis using 52 diagnostic characters related to root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit and seed. In this analysis, the first six principal components (PCs) accounted for the total variance of 79.22%. Similarity values for all 17 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) ranged from 0.18 to 0.82 with an average of 0.34. Abelmoschus sagittifolius  showed maximum similarity value of 0.82 with A. moschatus subsp. tuberosus . On the other hand, minimum similarity values (0.18) were observed between A. tuberculatus and  A. moschatus subsp. tuberosus , A. tuberculatus and A. sagittifolius , A. palianus and A. moschatus subsp. tuberosus , and A. palianus and A. sagittifolius . Neighbour joining (NJ) cluster analysis clearly discriminated 17 OTUs into four major clusters. The present study also validates the utility of morphometric analysis of Abelmoschus with respect to the taxonomy and species relationships. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 22 (2): 87-98, 2015 (December)

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Pravin Patil

Papers

Pollen germination characteristics, pollen–pistil interaction and reproductive behaviour in interspecific crosses among Abelmoschus esculentus Moench and its wild relatives

A new species of Abelmoschus Medik. (Malvaceae) from Chhattisgarh, India

Taxonomic importance of seed macro‐ and micro‐morphology in Abelmoschus (Malvaceae)

Seed coat sculpture of subgenus Ceratotropis (Piper) verdc., genus Vigna Savi in India and its taxonomic implications

Numerical taxonomy of Abelmoschus Medik. (Malvaceae) in India