Dyckia ibiramensis is an endemic species from southern Brazil, known for its ability to adapt to extreme environmental variations. This study reports the development of species-specific microsatellite markers and the assembly and annotation of the plastid genome of D. ibiramensis, aiming to generate new genomic resources useful for studies on the conservation and evolution of this endangered species. A total of 33,112 microsatellite loci were identified, of which 10 were selected and validated for genotyping 30 individuals from natural populations, showing high genetic variability. These 10 microsatellite markers were very informative for the evaluation of genetic variability. These microsatellite markers evidenced moderate to high genetic diversity at the individual level, low population differentiation, and the capacity of the species to recover population size from ancient genetic bottlenecks. The assembled plastid genome revealed conserved structures and the occurrence of features at the gene level, likely related to stress response to environmental conditions. This study expands the understanding of the genetics of D. ibiramensis, highlighting the importance of genomic strategies for the conservation of endangered species. In situ and ex situ conservation strategies should be used to avoid the extinction of this endemic southern Brazilian genetic resource in nature.

Biodiversity knowledge gaps and biases persist across low-income tropical regions. Genetic data are essential for addressing these issues, supporting biodiversity research and conservation planning. To assess progress in wildlife genetic sampling within the Philippines, I evaluated the scope, representativeness, and growth of publicly available genetic data and research on endemic vertebrates from the 1990s through 2024. Results showed that 82.3% of the Philippines’ 769 endemic vertebrates have genetic data, although major disparities remain. Reptiles had the least complete coverage but exhibited the highest growth, with birds, mammals, and amphibians following in that order. Species confined to smaller biogeographic subregions, with narrow geographic ranges, or classified as threatened or lacking threat assessments were disproportionately underrepresented. Research output on reptiles increased markedly, while amphibian research lagged behind. Although the number of non-unique authors in wildlife genetics studies involving Philippine specimens has grown steeply, Filipino involvement remains low. These results highlight the uneven and non-random distribution of wildlife genetic knowledge within this global biodiversity hotspot. Moreover, the limited participation of Global South researchers underscores broader inequities in wildlife genomics. Closing these gaps and addressing biases creates a more equitable and representative genetic knowledge base and supports its integration into national conservation efforts aligned with global biodiversity commitments.

This work analyses the genetic potential of Stevia rebaudiana beyond its sweetening properties, aiming to reassess its conservation and utilization in breeding programmes. This focus is justified by the growing global demand for natural sweeteners and the challenges posed by extreme weather events and diseases affecting crop yield and quality. The relationship between the species’ genetic diversity and its response to biotic and abiotic stresses is explored, as well as the limitations of current conservation and breeding strategies. Findings reveal underutilized genetic resources, limited integration of genomic tools in breeding efforts and a lack of robust in situ conservation initiatives. Genotypic variability has been observed in response to diseases such as Septoria leaf spot, while abiotic factors, including salinity and drought, can significantly influence steviol glycoside content. It is concluded that an integrated approach, combining dynamic conservation, photoperiod‐informed breeding strategies, improvements in seed viability, omics‐based tools and coherent public policies, is essential to ensure crop resilience and genetic sovereignty, especially in regions of origin such as Paraguay. The sustainable use of Stevia’s genetic diversity could foster more sustainable, healthier and fairer production systems.

Genetic diversity and phytochemical content are critical factors for enhancing the utility of wild plant species for breeding and conservation. In this study, we investigated wild ramie (Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich. var. tenacissima (Roxb.) Miq.) populations from six coastal and island regions of South Korea. Genetic diversity was assessed in 150 samples using genotyping-by-sequencing, which revealed high genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.438) among the populations. Notably, the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.297 to 0.422, whereas the allele richness ranged from 1.256 to 1.323. These findings suggest significant genetic variability within and among the populations. Phytochemical analyses were conducted to measure total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC, respectively) over 2 years. The TPC varied significantly across regions and years, with averages ranging from 2.2 to 30.3 mgGAE/g in 2021 and 3.2 to 19.6 mgGAE/g in 2022. Similarly, the TFC values exhibited regional and annual differences with significant environmental influences. Although TPC showed strong genotype-by-environment interactions, TFC was predominantly affected by environmental factors. This study highlights the potential of wild ramie as a reservoir of genetic and biochemical traits for the development of improved cultivars with high antioxidant properties. By linking genetic diversity to phytochemical variation, this study highlights the importance of conserving wild genetic resources and optimizing their use in breeding programmes. These findings provide a foundation for further exploration of the genetic and environmental factors that influence economically valuable traits in wild plants.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most prevalent zoonotic parasitic infections worldwide. When acquired during pregnancy, T. gondii can be transmitted to the fetus, with clinical outcomes influenced by gestational age at time of infection and the parasite’s genotype. Prenatal screening enables the detection of maternal seroconversion and offers a critical window for intervention. In Uruguay, despite mandatory serological screening during pregnancy, national data on T. gondii seroprevalence and maternal seroconversion have not been updated in two decades. In addition, the genetic diversity of local strains remains poorly characterized. In this study, we analysed publicly available serological data from pregnant individuals attending Uruguay’s largest public maternity hospital between 2019 and 2023. We found that seroprevalence has modestly declined from 50% (reported in 1998) to 45.5%, with a congenital transmission rate of 0.58%. Clinical analysis of affected newborns revealed chorioretinitis as the predominant manifestation. To investigate parasite diversity, we performed genotyping of T. gondii strains using in silico PCR-RFLP following molecular detection. Our findings revealed substantial genetic diversity, including novel allele combinations not previously described in the region. These results highlight both the continued public health burden and the evolving genetic landscape of T. gondii in Uruguay. Our findings underscore the need to strengthen surveillance and prevention strategies for congenital toxoplasmosis in South America.

Spirometra is a genus of zoonotic cestodes with an ambiguous species-level taxonomic history. Previously, Spirometra mansonoides was considered the only species present in North America. However, recent molecular data revealed the presence of at least three distinct species in the USA: Spirometra sp. 2 and 3, and Spirometra mansoni. This study aimed to elucidate the diversity and potential host associations of Spirometra species among companion animals in the USA. Samples (N = 302) were examined from at least 13 host species, including mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Sample types included eggs isolated from faeces (n = 222), adult specimens (n = 71) and plerocercoids (n = 9) from 18 different states and 2 territories across the USA. Extracted genomic DNA was subjected to PCR targeting a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. Generated sequences (n = 136) were included in a phylogenetic analysis. Spirometra mansoni was detected in domestic cats (n = 76), dogs (n = 12), a White’s tree frog (n = 1), a Cuban knight anole (n = 1), a green iguana (n = 1) and a serval (n = 1) across 15 states and Puerto Rico. Spirometra sp. 2 was found only in dogs (n = 3) from Florida and Spirometra sp. 3 was found only in cats (n = 41) from 17 states. All plerocercoid samples were consistent with S. mansoni. The results confirm that at least three distinct Spirometra species are present and established in companion animals, such as dogs and cats, and likely are using various native and exotic species as paratenic hosts within the USA.

Some Iranian local sainfoin landraces were studied to evaluate morphologic diversity and some related parameters according to 31 characteristics. Results indicated remarkable diversity for all characteristics whereas the phenotypic and genotypic CV (coefficient of variation) amounts were high for most of the measured characteristics. The magnitudes of heritability and genetic gain showed good potential in all of the sainfoin landraces. Also, the genetic advance as a mean per cent (breeding potential) for four characteristics was low while for 11 characteristics like thousand seed weight was moderate whereas for the other 16 remaining characteristics like total fresh and dry yield as well as seed yield was high, so the genetic advance of most characteristics was high and moderate and they can be improved by suitable selection strategy. Sainfoin landraces were categorized into four clusters via Wilks' lambda in both years whereas cluster-I with 10 common landraces at both years were early flowering and maturing while the seven common landraces of cluster-II and four common landraces of cluster-III indicated moderate values for most of sainfoin's traits. The three common landraces of cluster-IV (G14 from Azna, G19 from Kahlaran, and G25 from Saqqez) indicated higher values for most characteristics of sainfoin, and can be advised for releasing as the superior cultivars or used in crossbreeding programmes for generating the new cultivars with high-yield performance as well as high quality.

Citrus aurantium also known as sour orange or bitter orange is among important Citrus species of the angiosperm subfamily Aurantioideae of the Rutaceae family. Due to importance of Citrus species as the source of food and medicine, they have been subject of been extensive genetic studies throughout the world. Sour orange plants are cultivated in the north and south parts of Iran but we have very limited genetic data on them. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim to study the population genetics of these important fruit plants in the country and provide information on their genetic structure and diversity. We used SCoT molecular markers in 61 plants of 12 sour orange populations. We obtained 33 SCoT bands of which one to two private bands were observed in populations 1 and 5. Genetic diversity parameters determine in the studied populations revealed a low to moderate genetic diversity. Genetic grouping of the populations by UPGMA dendrogram and multidimensional scaling identified two major genetic groups. The studied populations differed significantly in their genetic content as revealed by AMOVA. Distinguishing SCoT loci are identified by Neis'and Gst as well as DAPC analysis. Some of the SCoT loci were significantly associated with geographical variables as revealed by RDA and LFMM analyses.

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is one of the oldest and most economically important edible nut species due to its high nutritional value. Iran is known as one of the most important centres of the origin and diversity of walnuts worldwide. This research was carried out to determine the genetic relationships of some old walnut genotypes in Iran in order to select superior genotypes and better conserve them. The results of morphological evaluation of the fruits showed that the highest coefficients of variation were related to nut weight, kernel weight, percentage kernel, thickness and weight of the shell, and thickness and weight of the packing tissue in both years. The average morphological traits among the studied genotypes were different, such that the highest nut weights in the first and second years were 15.59 and 14.79 g and the corresponding lowest values were 7.37 and 7.79 g, respectively. The highest and lowest kernel weights were observed in the first years to be 8.09 and 3.80 g and in the second years were 6.94 and 2.65 g, respectively. The highest kernel percentages in the first and second years were 64.97 and 59.79% and the lowest percentages were 39.52 and 27.80% in the first and second years, respectively. Molecular evaluation results showed that the 16 start codon of target (SCoT) primers amplified a total of 166 bands with an average of 10.44 bands per primer. The number of polymorphic bands was changed from 2 to 19 in primers SCoT-19 and SCoT-15. The average polymorphism information content value was 0.30 and the highest amount of this index (0.36) was observed in SCoT-14 and SCoT-19 primers. The results of principal component analysis and analysis of molecular variance indicated the presence of relatively high diversity within the investigated genotypes. The amount of genetic diversity within the investigated regions was 84% and that between areas was 16%. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that SCoT markers could provide helpful information on the genetic relationships among walnut genotypes, which can be used in future walnut breeding and conservation programmes.

This study aimed to investigate vetch genotypes’ responses to moderate and severe drought stress and identify stress tolerance markers in arid conditions. Ten vetch genotypes (Vicia dassycarpa Ten., V. pannonica Crantz., V. michauxii Spereng., V. sativa-Ardebil, V. sativa-Dashtyar, V. sativa-Fereydonshahr, V. sativa-Mashhad, V. sativa-Semirom, V. sativa-Shahrekord and V. villosa Roth.) were cultivated under three water-deficit conditions: control, moderate and severe drought stress. These conditions represented maximum allowable depletion levels of 30, 50 and 85% of soil available water, applied after the six-leaf stage in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 growing seasons. The findings highlight the vetch's response to drought stress is influenced by stress severity and genotype. The result indicated a wide range of genetic diversity in agro-physiological traits among the studied vicia germplasm. Vicia dassycarpa Ten. shows highest straw yield and shorter days to flowering and maturity. Vicia michauxii Spreng. demonstrates high grain yield and advantageous traits like increased water content, photochemical efficiency of photosystem II, chlorophyll b, carotenoids and membrane stability index. It has lower soluble carbohydrate, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and proline content. Additionally, V. michauxii Spreng. exhibits superior agronomic traits such as more seeds per pod, per plant and higher 1000 seeds weight, serving as reliable markers for drought tolerance. The results emphasize V. dassycarpa Ten. for fodder and V. michauxii Spreng. for grain production in water-limited regions. Further research on gene expression related to drought tolerance traits should enhance our understanding of vetch.

Diversity in agronomically important traits of wild emmer wheat, Triticum dicoccoides, the progenitor of most cultivated wheats, was examined in l60 genotypes representing 16 populations derived from a wide ecogeographical spectrum of climate, soil and water availability in Israel and Turkey. The analysis included 14 quantitative economic characters including heading date, culm length, biomass, grain yield and its components, and grain protein percentage.

The results led to two major conclusions: (i) agronomically important traits varied genetically: ecogeographic diversity in these traits is dramatically displayed when populations are grown in a relatively standardized environment; and (ii) genetic diversity is revealed not only between, but also within populations. Thus, genotypes excelling in some of these characters were found in several populations.

Salvia miltiorrhiza is an outcrossing and perennial herb native to China. Although well-known for its medicinal value, there is a lack of knowledge regarding its natural population genetics. Here, we used 12 microsatellite markers to investigated population genetic diversity and structure of 215 samples from populations naturally distributed in central eastern China. A moderate level of genetic diversity was detected probably due to the over-mining of its roots. The allelic richness (AR) ranged from 3.034 to 4.889 with an average of 3.891. Moreover, pairwise estimates of FST among the populations of S. miltiorrhiza varied from 0.036 to 0.312 and two clusters were obtained by STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components. It is likely that the genetic differentiation of these two clusters was formed during glacial periods. Our result provides insights into the conservation of this valuable medicinal plant.

The North East Hill Region (NEHR) of India is home to diverse maize landraces including pigmented accessions rich in antioxidants and nutritional properties. The present study attempted to characterize a representative collection of this mostly unexplored diversity. Altogether eighty-three local maize landraces from the seven hill states of the NEHR were studied with special emphasis on pigmentation diversity. For the morphological traits, a significant ANOVA indicated the presence of substantial genetic variability for which selection would be fruitful. A number of these accessions were found to have traits that help cope with moisture stress, improve stalk strength and optimize photosynthesis. Principal component analysis studies for the yield attributing traits indicated that ear weight was most variable. The bleaching/histological studies confirmed that anthocyanin pigment when present was always restricted to the aleurone layer of the kernels, typical of blue maize. Quantitative analysis for kernel anthocyanin/phlobaphene content also revealed genetic differences among the accessions. Genetic analysis using the model-based STRUCTURE indicated significant population structuring among the accessions. Specifically, for the pigmentation diversity studies both principal coordinate analysis and neighbour joining methods revealed near concurrent population structuring due in part to the high differentiation of seven of the twenty-one pigmentation specific loci studied. The results obtained provide comprehensive evidence of a significant amount of genetic differentiation among the landraces under study. Landraces are valuable reservoirs of favourable alleles for which selection can be made and, as in this study, identify accessions for breeding maize with enhanced levels of beneficial secondary metabolites.

Improvement in genetic gains of crops could be achieved by phenomics' characterization of agronomic, physiological and stress-related traits. Molecular and strategic breeding programmes require broad range of foreground and background phenotypic information for crop improvement. The current experiment was performed on 123 advanced soybean (Glycine max L.) genotypes including seven local lines belongs to four different maturity groups (000-lV) to estimate the endogenous potential of various yield-related traits. The experimental trial was repeated for two cropping seasons. Four traits out of six, yield per plant (YPP), number of seeds per plant, number of pods per plant and plant height (PH), showed maximum variation (CV%) that directly correlate with variability in the subjected population. PH, number of pods, 100-seed weight and YPP showed strong positive correlation in both years. Among the principal components, factors 1 and 2 showed maximum contribution in phenotypic variability ranges from 19 to 48.5% and 26 to 47.7% in the first and second years, respectively. Number of pods showed significant positive correlation with genotypes in both years. Dendrogram showed two distinct groups of soybean genotypes. Genetic variation and association among the accessions is indispensable for effective conservation and utilization of germplasm. Principal component analysis helps to identify the diverse genotypes that will be used as a parent for various breeding programmes. These phenotypic data will be used for detection of heat stress-related quantitative trait loci with genotypic data in genome-wide association studies experiments.

The evolutionary relationship between domesticated Oryza species and their wild relatives in North East India is not well understood. To improve the understanding of the evolutionary relationship, this study investigates the genetic diversity of 68 indigenous rice landraces from North East India, ten O. rufipogon genotypes, and nine O. nivara genotypes using chloroplast variable repeat markers which, due to non-recombination and uniparental inheritance, enable better phylogenetic inference. Reference genotypes IR64 (indica) and Nipponbare (japonica) were included to characterize various phylogenetic clusters. Using distance-based hierarchical clustering, model-based structuring and principal component analysis, selected landraces from the three North Eastern Indian states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh were grouped into two phylogenetically different clusters that represented the IR64 and Nipponbare groupings. Interestingly, despite the fact that a cluster analysis combining North East landraces and wild relatives likewise produced two separate clusters (cluster I: Nipponbare, cluster II: IR64), the majority of the wild relatives were only clustered in the IR64 cluster. This suggests that the two distinct evolutionary histories of the rice landraces in North East India are distinguished by their genetic affinity for wild relatives and their variation in the indica and japonica pools. These results highlight chloroplast divergence influencing the genetic diversity of North East landraces with wild relatives. Further, these findings will enable in-depth studies on the functional significance of chloroplast diversity on trait adaptation in rice landraces.

Sticta canariensis is a lichen which is rare in all parts of its range in Atlantic Europe and Macaronesia, where it occurs in laurisilva forests, a habitat highly threatened by global change. Thus, this species is of high priority for inclusion in conservation programmes where genetic diversity should be considered. We have established new microsatellite loci and generated a dataset that demonstrates the genetic diversity of the lichen-forming fungus S. canariensis from eight locations across its disjunct range, in Macaronesia, Norway and England. We genotyped 25 microsatellite loci for 65 specimens and detected five genetic clusters which resemble major geographical divisions, specifically among the Macaronesian archipelagos. The total number of observed alleles ranged from 2 to 22. These are the first microsatellite markers developed for S. canariensis and they will be useful for population genetic studies and for conservation assessments.

A breeding programme of aromatic vanilla, dating back to 1944, was conducted in Ambohitsara, Antalaha, SAVA (Sambava, Antalaha, Vohemara, Andapa) – Madagascar. Imported, local, wild and cultivated vanillas were used as progenitors and thousands of hybrids were generated. However, this germplasm has not undergone any genetic evaluation, and it appears that these valuable genetic resources have been dispersed or lost after the end of the programme (2000). This study aims to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of rescued genotypes currently held in a local collection in Antalaha. Double digest restriction associated-site (RAD)-seq (ddRAD)-seq protocol was applied, providing 865 million read sequences from 56 accessions. The ddRAD sequences have been deposited to the SRA archive of NCBI. From the data, 23,701 filtered concordant common Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified using the three widely used tools (Stacks, BCFtools, Genome Analysis ToolKit - GATK) for short-read library sequencing. These SNPs were used for germplasm evaluation. Clustering analysis segregated samples into five genetic groups: Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla pompona, hybrid Tsitaitra, Vanille Banane and the phenotype Tsivaky. Our analysis revealed distinct subgroups within V. pompona and Tsitaitra, emphasizing the importance of further characterization to accurately reflect the genetic diversity and facilitate better utilization of these accessions in future research and germplasm management. The presence of private alleles in all groups (from 487 to 2866) indicated that populations were diverging and represented a large gene pool that could be useful for future breeding efforts. The genetic data obtained from this study offers valuable insights into the genetic diversity and structure of the vanilla population, with potential applications in breeding and conservation efforts.

A total of 32 sweet potato genotypes were evaluated to assess the genetic diversity based on quantitative traits and molecular markers, as well as stability for yield and related traits. Wider variability was observed for the traits like vine length (181.2–501.3 cm), number of leaves/plant (103.0–414.0 cm), internodal length (3.20–14.80 cm), petiole length (6.5–21.3 cm), leaf length (8.50–14.5 cm), leaf breadth (8.20–15.30 cm), leaf area (42.50–115.62 cm2), tuber length (7.77–18.07 cm), tuber diameter (2.67–6.90 cm), tuber weight (65.60–192.09 g), tuber yield (7.77–28.87 t ha−1), dry matter (27.34–36.41%), total sugar (4.50–5.70%) and starch (18.50–29.92%) content. Desirable traits such as tuber yield, dry matter and starch content have shown high heritability (>60%) with moderate to high genetic advance. Under molecular analysis, a total of 232 alleles were observed from all 32 microsatellite markers, which ranged from 4 to 14 with an average of 7.77 alleles per locus. In the population, the average observed heterozygosity (0.51) was higher than the expected heterozygosity (0.49). The contribution of genotype, genotype by environment interaction to the total variations was found to be significant. Based on the multi-trait stability index (tuber length, tuber diameter, tuber weight and tuber yield), genotypes X-24, MLSPC-3, MLSPC-5, ARSPC-1 and TSP-12-12 were found to be most stable. Among them, the high-yielding and stable genotypes TSP-12-10 (26.0 t ha−1) and MLSPC-3 (23.9 t ha−1) can be promoted for commercial production or used as parental material in future crop improvement programmes.

In Ethiopia, the low productivity of garlic is largely due to a shortage of high yielding and stable varieties. To address this issue, thirteen garlic genotypes were evaluated for yield stability and performance across six different environments in central and southeast Ethiopia. The genotypes were analysed using Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) and genotype-by-environment interaction (G × E) methods. Results showed that the genotypes differed significantly for bulb yield performance and morphological traits, with G-020/03 and G-054/03 producing the highest bulb yield with 25.39% and 18.39% yield advantages over the check variety, Kuriftu, respectively. Furthermore, G-020/03 demonstrated better yield stability across most environments, while G-054/03 exhibited specific adaptability. GGE biplot analysis confirmed that these two genotypes were among the three winning genotypes in terms of yield performance and relative stability. Therefore, G-020/03 and G-054/03 have been selected as candidate varieties for release, potentially improving garlic productivity in Ethiopia.

The North-Eastern region (NER) of India falls under the Eastern Himalayan region and it is a bio-diversity hub. Diverse maize landraces with wide adaptability to extreme climatic and soil scenario like heavy rainfall, drought and acidic soil conditions have been grown in NER since time immemorial. However, maize diversity in NER region has drastically reduced due to introduction of high yielding varieties and hybrids. Modern maize breeding programmes are focused on high yield but other unique traits like stay green trait, prolificacy (more than one fertile ear per plant), self-fertilizing ability are also important and the local germplasm of the NER region can contribute with these unique traits. Prior to the selection of any lines in several breeding programmes, assessment of genetic diversity and population structure are basic requirements. Hence, in the present study assessment of genetic diversity and population structure study in 30 maize inbreds developed from different germplasm of NER was undertaken using SSR markers, selected for their broad distribution throughout the genome, in order to assess the extent of allelic diversity among the lines and whether any population structure could be established. In addition to assessing molecular diversity, the study aims to evaluate the potential for yield and other beneficial and unique alleles that have high potential to contribute in the genetic enhancement programme of maize.