RESUMO

Grafting is typically utilized to merge adapted seedling rootstocks with highly productive clonal scions. This process implies the interaction of multiple genomes to produce a unique tree phenotype. However, the interconnection of both genotypes obscures individual contributions to phenotypic variation (rootstock-mediated heritability), hampering tree breeding. Therefore, our goal was to quantify the inheritance of seedling rootstock effects on scion traits using avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass as a model fruit tree. We characterized 240 diverse rootstocks from 8 avocado cv. Hass orchards with similar management in three regions of the province of Antioquia, northwest Andes of Colombia, using 13 microsatellite markers simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Parallel to this, we recorded 20 phenotypic traits (including morphological, biomass/reproductive, and fruit yield and quality traits) in the scions for 3 years (2015-2017). Relatedness among rootstocks was inferred through the genetic markers and inputted in a "genetic prediction" model to calculate narrow-sense heritabilities (h 2) on scion traits. We used three different randomization tests to highlight traits with consistently significant heritability estimates. This strategy allowed us to capture five traits with significant heritability values that ranged from 0.33 to 0.45 and model fits (r) that oscillated between 0.58 and 0.73 across orchards. The results showed significance in the rootstock effects for four complex harvest and quality traits (i.e., total number of fruits, number of fruits with exportation quality, and number of fruits discarded because of low weight or thrips damage), whereas the only morphological trait that had a significant heritability value was overall trunk height (an emergent property of the rootstock-scion interaction). These findings suggest the inheritance of rootstock effects, beyond root phenotype, on a surprisingly wide spectrum of scion traits in "Hass" avocado. They also reinforce the utility of polymorphic SSRs for relatedness reconstruction and genetic prediction of complex traits. This research is, up to date, the most cohesive evidence of narrow-sense inheritance of rootstock effects in a tropical fruit tree crop. Ultimately, our work highlights the importance of considering the rootstock-scion interaction to broaden the genetic basis of fruit tree breeding programs while enhancing our understanding of the consequences of grafting.

RESUMO

RESUMEN Potato yellow vein virus (PYVV), es uno de los fitopatógenos más limitantes para la producción de papa en la región de Los Andes. A pesar que se le ha detectado infectando tomate en Colombia, el conocimiento de las características biológicas de las cepas presentes en este hospedante es muy limitado. En este estudio, utilizando secuenciación masiva de nueva generación (NGS), se obtuvo la secuencia completa de los tres segmentos genómicos del PYVV en plantas de tomate en Marinilla (Antioquia) y se evalúo la utilidad de tres juegos de cebadores para su detección mediante pruebas de RT-PCR convencional y en tiempo real (RT-qPCR). El genoma de la secuencia consenso presentó tamaños de 8043 nt (ARN1), 5346 nt (ARN2) y 3896 nt (ARN3) y se identificaron los diez ORF previamente reportados en este virus, aunque, en general, éstos presentaron menores niveles de identidad que los registrados entre cepas de PYVV de papa. Análisis de variación y de selección identificaron dos regiones en los ORF MET/HEL y CPm que presentan selección positiva, lo que podría estar asociado a la adaptación por hospedante. Los tres juegos de cebadores amplificaron las regiones esperadas de la cápside de PYVV, siendo posible identificar, por diferencias en valores de temperatura de fusión (Tm) y por secuenciación Sanger, la ocurrencia de al menos dos variantes principales de este virus en el Oriente Antioqueño, lo que concuerda con los niveles moderados de polimorfismos encontrados en las secuencias obtenidas por NGS.

ABSTRACT Potato yellow vein virus (PYVV) is one of the most important pathogens of potato in the Andean region. In spite of having been detected in tomato crops in Colombia, knowledge on the biological characteristics of PYVV is limited on this host. In this study, next-generation sequencing (NGS) of a PYVV strain infecting tomato in Marinilla District (Antioquia) was performed; additionally, three primer set useful in RT-PCR and RT-qPCR detection were also tested. The consensus genome consisted of three RNA segments of 8043 nt (RNA1), 5346 nt (RNA2) and 3896 nt (RNA3) encoding ten ORF with slight lower sequence identity in relation to PYVV isolates from potato. Sequence analysis suggests the presence of regions potentially undergoing positive selection in the ORFs coding for MET/HEL and CPm possibly as a result of host adaptation. Experimental validation of primers resulted in amplicon with the expected size while melting temperature analysis and sequencing suggest the presence of at least two PYVV infecting S. lycopersicum in east Antioquia in agreement with the NGS data.