I.     NOTES

        Oat Newsletter Announcement

        Instructions for Contributors

        Statement of Purpose of the Organization of the American Oat Workers Conference

        American Oat Workers Conference Committees 1998 - 2002

        American Code of Ethics for Germplasm Exchange

        VI International Oat Conference Announcement

II.    REPORT

        AUSTRALIA

                ADELAIDE

Oat Improvement in Southeastern Australia - P. K. Zwer, K. J. Williams, S. D. Hoppo, T. M. Hoppo, D. K. Schaefer, P. J. Smith, and C. A. Ross

CAMDEN

Occurrence and Pathogenic Specialisation of Puccinia coronata (oat crown rust pathogen) in Australia - 1998/99 - Robert F. Park

Pathogenic Changes in Puccinia coronata (Oat Crown Rust Pathogen) With Respect To Recently Deployed Crown Rust Resistant Cultivars in Australia - Robert F. Park

CANADA

MANITOBA

Oat Crown Rust in Canada in 1998 - James Chong

Oat Stem Rust, a Potential Problem for Oat Production in Western Canada - Brent McCallum, Donald Harder, and Ken Dunsmore

Oat Breeding Program at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Cereal Research Centre Winnipeg - Jennifer Mitchell-Fetch

'Quantitative Indoor Assay' (QIAssay) identifies Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) for Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) tolerance and related traits in a population of Kanota/Ogle Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) - Steve Haber, Brian O. Gillis, and James Chong

SASKATCHEWAN

Germplasm of the Genus Avena at Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC) - A. Diederichsen, D. Kessler, and D. Williams

Production of Microsatellite Markers for Oat (Avena sativa L.) - Cheng-Dao Li, Brian G. Rossnagel, and Graham J. Scoles

Groat Breakage in Milling Oat - B. G. Rossnagel

Oat in Saskatchewan 1998 - B. G. Rossnagel and G. J. Scoles

NEW ZEALAND

Oat Breeders Seek Southern Advantage - Michael Breitmeyer

RUSSIA

New Catalogue of Avena World VIR Collection - I. G. Loskutov

Response of Oat Species on Gibberellic Acid - I. G. Loskutov

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

IDAHO

National Small Grains Collection Activities - H. E. Bockelman

Evaluation of National Small Grains Collection Germplasm Progress Report - Oats - H. E. Bockelman and D. M. Wesenberg

MINNESOTA

Oat Rusts in the United States in 1998 - K. J. Leonard, D. L. Long, M. E. Hughes, D. H. Casper, and G. E. Ochocki

Oat Production and Research in Minnesota - D. D. Stuthman, H. W. Rines, R. L. Phillips, K. J. Leonard, D. V. McVey, and R. Dill-Macky

OHIO

Oat Breeding and Research in Ohio 1998-1999 - R.W. Gooding, L.D. Herald, K.G. Campbell, and B. Franchino

SOUTH DAKOTA

Oat Research in South Dakota - Dale L. Reeves

WISCONSIN

Oat Breeding, Genetics, and Molecular Genetics Research - H. F. Kaeppler and R. D. Duerst

CDC Baler - B. G. Rossnagel

Vista - H. F. Kaeppler, R. D. Duerst, and R. A. Forsberg
 
 

The Oat Newsletter is intended for informal communication among oat workers. Persons involved in any aspect of the oat industry and research, including production and breeding, pathology, biotechnology, and milling and processing, are invited to submit information about their programs in the Oat Newsletter.

All issues of the Oat Newsletter from Volume 44 onward will be published electronically in the Internet via a link from GrainGenes to the Oat Newsletter homepage at http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/oatnewsletter/. Printed paper versions will no longer be available. However, limited printed copies of the Oat Newsletter will be provided to those that do not have access to the Internet, on a cost-recovery basis. Requests should be sent to:

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Contributions for Volume 46 may be submitted at any time, but should be submitted no later than April 1, 2000. The editor encourages you to submit your article(s) several weeks earlier than the deadline date, if you can do so. Contributions to the Oat Newsletter must conform to the following guidelines:

a. Prepare articles in English. Maximum length should not exceed 4 pages, single spaced.

b. Articles should be prepared in PC WordPerfect (preferred), PC Microsoft Word, or ASCII file format. Do not number pages. Articles should be titled as follows:

Please include full mailing address and/or e-mail address for each article, as the Oat Newsletter will no longer be distributed by mail, hence no need of publishing a mailing list in Volume 44 and future issues of the Newsletter.

c. To facilitate conversion to html format required for posting on the Internet, please use the "Create Table" feature in the word processor to make tables, as tables created by spaces and tabs do not convert properly.

d. Photographs or images saved in .jpg or .gif format can be submitted with your articles.

e. Manuscripts should be carefully proofed. Manuscripts considered unsuitable for inclusions will be returned to the author(s) for revision and resubmission for a future volume.

f. An electronic version of the article should be submitted by mail or e-mail to:

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This statement, approved by the members of the American Oat Workers Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 22, 1994, shall serve to delineate the purpose and organizational structure of an American Oat Workers Conference. This Conference shall be made up of scientists and other workers actively engaged in the improvement, management, and utilization of oats. These requirements being met, active participation in the Conference constitutes membership, and all attending members at a particular meeting of the Conference shall have voice and vote in all matters properly brought before the Conference during a regular business meeting to be held during each meeting of the Conference. The Conference shall meet at a time, generally every four years, and at a location to be selected by vote of the attending membership at the previous meeting of the Conference. The Executive Committee, described below, shall have the authority to call emergency meetings of the Conference as necessary.

The purpose of the, American Oat Workers Conference shall be to advance oat improvement and culture in North America and the world by providing a vehicle for:

1. The dissemination of information on current research.

2. The discussion of regional and continental problems of oat improvement and integration of applicable research.

3. Encouraging the exchange and preservation of germplasm.

4. Standardization of data recording and terminology.

5. Planning regional and continental performance nurseries as appropriate.

6. Preliminary announcements of planned cultivar releases.

7. Action on other matters that may properly come before the Conference.
 
 

The American Oat Workers Conference shall be under the general leadership of an American Oat Workers Conference Committee composed of official representatives of the various regions and countries and of a general Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee shall be the Chairman, Chair-Elect, Past Chairman, and Secretary of the American Oat Workers Conference and the Editor of the Oat Newsletter, and they need not be official representatives of the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. The Executive Committee shall appoint a nominating committee for a slate of officers for the offices of Chairman and Secretary of the Conference. The Chairman-elect and Secretary shall be elected by the membership of the Conference during the regular business meeting to be held each time the Conference meets. The term of office shall be four years and the Chairman, Chairman-elect, and Secretary will assume their duties immediately after adjournment of the Conference wherein elected. The Chairman-elect will automatically become the Chairman for the ensuing four year period. These officers may serve consecutive terms if properly elected by the Conference. The Editor of the Oat Newsletter shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. The Editor of the Oat Newsletter may serve consecutive terms. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to appoint an Acting Editor of the Oat Newsletter should that position be vacated between regular Conference meetings. The Past Chairman, Secretary, and Editor of the Newsletter shall be non-voting members of the American Oat Workers Conference unless they are also serving as representatives on the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. The Chairman shall be a voting member of the latter Committee and shall preside over all business meetings of the Committee and of the American Oat Workers Conference.

The American Oat Workers Conference shall be made up of official representatives from the various countries and regions as follows:
 

Where the representative cannot attend an official conference, he may designate an alternate.

In addition to the above minimum representation, three representatives shall be elected at large by the Conference during the regular meeting once every four years. Also, the elected chairman of the Conference shall be a member of the Committee. Thus, the total voting membership of the committee shall not exceed 14. Representatives from the various regions shall be selected by one of the following methods:

1. U.S.A. Regional Representatives normally shall be elected by the appropriate Regional Committee. In the event no such committee exists, the Secretary of the Conference shall contact oat workers within the region by mail once every four years and solicit nominations for a representative and subsequently conduct an election by mail ballot. The individual receiving the most votes shall serve as representative.

2. Canadian Regional Representatives shall be elected by: Western: The Barley and Oat Subcommittee of the Prairie Regional Registration Committee for Grain; and Eastern: The Eastern Expert Committee on Cereals and Oilseeds. These groups will have the option of electing the third representative to fill the designated Federal position or of requesting Federal representation; whichever is more appropriate.

3. The representative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shall be the National Technical Advisor for Oat Improvement.

4. The Mexican representative shall be designated by the appropriate government official or organization.

Alternates may be elected or appointed for each representative on the American Oat Workers Conference Committee.

Standing Committees

There shall be Standing Committees of the American Oat Workers Conference as follows:

1. Committee on Nomenclature and Cataloguing of Oat Genes

This Committee shall consist of three Conference members appointed by the Chairman of the American Oat Workers Conference. It shall serve to assign symbols and catalog new genes governing characters in oats. Such genes will be listed and described in the Oat Newsletter on an annual basis. The Committee will also be responsible for considering periodical updating and revision of the original publication on the subject, which was entitled "A Standardized System of Nomenclature for Genes Governing Characters of Oats". There shall be no limit of office of committee members.

2. Nomination Committee for Distinguished Service to Oat Improvement Award

This Committee shall consist of three Conference members appointed by the Chairman of the American Oat Workers Conference and shall include at least two members who have served on the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. Their term of office shall be from date of appointment until the end of the following Conference meeting.
 
 

The American Oat Workers Conference shall sponsor an Oat Newsletter to be published on an annual basis for the purpose of dissemination of information on current oat research and research needs. Members of the Conference are encouraged to submit information about their current research programs in response to an annual request to be made by the Editor of the Oat Newsletter. The Newsletter shall also serve as a vehicle of publication for the minutes of the business meetings of the Conference and of the American Oat Workers Conference Committee as well as for Committee Reports and other Conference notes. Abstracts of papers presented at meetings of the Conference also shall be published in the appropriate issues of the Newsletter.

Contributions from countries outside the Conference will be accepted for inclusion in the Newsletter, and should be encouraged so as to promote the dissemination of oat research information and news.

The Oat Newsletter shall be distributed to all members of the Conference and upon request, to other interested oat and cereal crops workers outside the American Oat Workers Conference. The American Oat Association in conjunction with the Editor of the Newsletter shall maintain a mailing list for this purpose and publish it in each Oat Newsletter. An Oat Newsletter Editorial Committee of four (three researchers and one industry representative) is to be appointed by the AOWC Chair.
 
 

The American Oat Workers Conference shall confer the "Distinguished Service to Oat Improvement Award" upon persons in recognition of their outstanding research contributions and/or meritorious service toward making oats a successful agricultural species. The recipient(s) of this award shall be nominated by the Committee previously described as having this charge, and they shall be elected for the award by a majority vote of the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. No restriction shall be placed upon whom may receive the award. However, as a general guide, the award should be presented to person or persons who have devoted a significant portion of their professional career and a significant number of years working with oats through research, extension, or other professional activities. The number of recipients should not be limited, but in general, not more than one to three persons would be recognized at one Conference meeting.

The Award shall be conferred at a regular meeting of the American Oat Workers Conference. Manifestation of the award shall be denoted by the presentation of a suitable plaque or certificate to the recipient. A brief (not to exceed two typewritten pages) statement about the recipient and a photograph of the recipient shall be printed in the first volume of the Oat Newsletter after the presentation.
 

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Executive Committee:

        Chair: Fred Kolb
        Crop Sciences, University of Illinois
        1102 South Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61821, U.S.A.
        E-mail: F-kolb@uiuc.edu

        Past Chair: Brian Rossnagel
        Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan
        51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A8
        E-mail: Brian.rossnagel@usask.ca

        Chair-elect: James Holland
        Iowa State University, Department of Agronomy
        Ames, IA 50011-1010, U.S.A.

        Secretary: Howard Rines
        Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
        University of Minnesota
        411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Buford Circle
        St. Paul, MN 55108, U.S.A.
        E-mail: Rines001@maroon.tc.umn.edu
 

Oat Newsletter Editorial Committee (1998 - 2001):

        Editor: James Chong
        Cereal Research Centre, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
        195 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2M9
        E-mail: Jchong@em.agr.ca

        Past Editor: Michael McMullen
        Department of Plant Sciences
        North Dakota State University
        Fargo, ND 58105, U.S.A.
        E-mail: mmcmulle@plains.nodak.edu

        Editor-elect: Dave Hoffman
        USDA-ARS
        National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility
        PO Box 307
        Aberdeen, Idaho 83210-0307, U.S.A.
        E-mail: Dhoffman@uidaho.edu

        Industrial Representative:
 

Member at Large:

        Trevor Pizzey, Can-Oat, Portage-la-Prairie, Manitoba, Canada

Dale Reeves, Plant Science Department, South Dakota State University, South Dakota, Brookings, SD 57006, U.S.A.

Darrell Wesenberg, National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility, USDA-ARS, P.O. Box 307, Aberdeen, ID 83210, U.S.A. E-mail: Dwesenb@uidaho.edu

Regional Representatives: (page 20 vol 44)

        Eastern Canada - Vernon Burrows, Eastern Cereal & Oilseed Research Center, Ottawa, Canada

        Western Canada - James Chong, Cereal Research Center, Winnipeg, Canada

        AAFC - Ken Campbell, Research Coordination, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Canada

        North Central USA - Heidi Kaeppler, University of Wisconsin, U.S.A.

        Northeastern USA - Mark Sorrells, Cornell University, Ithaca, U.S.A.

        Western USA - David Hoffman, University of Idaho, Aberdeen, U.S.A.

        USDA-ARS - Charles Murphy, USDA, Beltsville, U.S.A.

        Mexico - Jose Salmeron, APDO, Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico
 

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In past decades, oat workers worldwide have generously shared their oat germplasm with colleagues to enhance oat breeding and research. However, plant variety protection and patent mechanisms focus attention on proprietary rights afforded developers/owners of germplasm materials. The purpose of this code is to encourage the continued exchange of oat germplasm by recognizing these rights and by codifying the obligations of persons receiving unreleased oat germplasm. The following code was approved by the members of the American Oat Workers Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 22, 1994.

The originating breeder, station, or company has property rights to unreleased oat germplasm such as pure lines, early generation lines or populations, bulk populations, breeding stocks, or genetic stocks. These rights are not waived with the distribution of seeds or plants of any of these unreleased materials. In this context, "released" materials include named cultivars or breeding or genetic stocks described in an official statement of release.

• The owner/breeder, in distributing seeds or plant materials of unreleased oat germplasm, grants permission for their use: (1) in performance tests under the recipient's control, such as the USDA Uniform Early and Uniform Mid-season Oat Performance Nurseries, the Eastern or Western Canadian Cooperative Pre-registration Trials, or any national or international oat disease nurseries; and (2) as parents for making crosses for use in basic research or for selection leading to the development of cultivars. Uses of unreleased germplasm for which written approval from the owner/breeder is required include: selecting from the stock; induction of mutations through tissue culture or other means; insertion of recombinant DNA; use in backcrosses for addition of a gene(s) controlling a specific trait; testing in outlying nurseries not coordinated by USDA or Agriculture Canada; use as parents in commercial F₁ hybrids or as components in synthetic or multiline cultivars; or seed increase and release as a cultivar.
• The recipient of unreleased seeds or plant material shall make no secondary distribution of the germplasm without the permission of the owner/breeder.
• The recipient of unreleased materials shall take precautions to prevent unauthorized transfer or theft of seed of these materials from nurseries or seed inventories.
• The owner/breeder of unreleased oat germplasm stocks may waive, in writing, any of the above restrictions, or may impose additional restrictions.
• Retention and use of the germplasm accompanying this statement indicates your agreement with the policies set forth in this statement.

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We have received a good response with registrations of interest, and have guided us in the development of the programme, associated workshops, and pre-/post-conference activities. We welcome your continued interest.

Confirmation of sponsorship has been good, with excellent support from Quaker Oats (U.S.A.), North American Oat Workers, and the Foundation for Arable Research (N.Z.). We are hoping to confirm several other potential sponsors that have expressed interest in this conference.

We welcome Australian colleagues Robyn McLean and John Oates, who have joined the local organizing committee. Their inputs are particularly valuable to ensure an Australasian perspective is maintained, as well as bringing a wealth of practical experience of the oat crop.

Dates of the Conference are now extended to include the full week. Monday 13 November for registration and workshops; Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 November for the conference paper presentations, and Friday 17 November for a regional workshop at Gore. There will be a busy and interesting accompanying persons programme during the conference paper presentation period. We particularly recommend visitors attend the Canterbury Agricultural & Pastoral Show (11-12 November) and if possible attend the regional workshop tour of Southland. It will prove to be a good one!

We have made significant additions to our web site (to be completed by the end of May 1999). Visit us on http://www.crop.cri.nz/informat/oats2000.

Remember, for those wishing to make contributions to the demonstration plots - please get in contact with Keith Armstrong on armstrongk@crop.cri.nz and for general programme enquiries and workshops to contact Richard Cross on crossr@crop.cri.nz. For registration details, contact Helen Shrewsbury on shrewsbh@lincoln.ac.nz.
 

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Breeding Program

The SARDI based Oat Breeding Program in cooperation with VIDA develops improved oat varieties for both Victoria and South Australia. The breeding program is focused on improving yield potential, disease resistance, and milling, feed, and hay end-use quality in both naked and husked oat varieties.

Cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera avenae), stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci), stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. avenae), crown rust (caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae), and barley yellow dwarf virus are the major yield limiting diseases in South Australia and Victoria. The disease screening programs are a cooperative effort with SARDI Field Crops Pathology and the Plant Breeding Institute, The University of Sydney. In addition, field evaluation sites are sown and assessed by members of the breeding program for these important diseases.

The quality evaluation programs for grain and hay end-use are an important component in the breeding program. NIR whole grain calibrations were developed to predict protein, oil, and groat yield in seed of F₄ and later generations. Digital imaging is currently being incorporated in the quality evaluation program for both grain and hay end-use. Hay samples are sent to FeedTest, Agriculture Victoria, where NIR calibrations are used to predict crude protein and digestibility. Palatability is also an important character that will be incorporated in the quality assessment program when a rapid reliable analysis is available.

Yield potential, agronomic characters, and disease resistance are assessed at 10 locations in southeastern Australia by members of the Oat Breeding Team. Approximately 20 locations are sown and harvested by the SARDI Field Crop Evaluation Team and District Agronomists in Victoria.

Linkages to other research programs in SARDI, the University of Adelaide, and the Cooperative Research Centre for Molecular Plant Breeding have resulted in projects to develop doubled haploid technology and molecular markers for quality and disease resistance in the Oat Breeding Program.
 

Molecular Markers

A genetic map is being produced to identify molecular markers linked to quality and disease resistance traits in a cultivated oat cross. This project is being funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Molecular Plant Breeding, which is based at the University of Adelaide on the Waite Campus.

A single-seed descent population was produced from the cross Potoroo × Mortlock. This population is segregating for cereal cyst nematode and stem nematode resistance and tolerance derived from Potoroo and high protein, high groat yield, and desirable end use qualities for milling oats derived by Mortlock.

As a prelude to constructing a genetic map of this cross, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) screens are being conducted on the population parents, using mainly CDO and BCD probes chosen to give good coverage of linkage groups on the published hexaploid oat maps. To date, 165 RFLP probes have been tested, with 78 (47%) revealing polymorphism between the parents. The polymorphic RFLP markers will be used as anchor loci for map construction, with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers used to increase marker density.
 

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Oat leaf rust occurred widely in the eastern mainland states of Australia in the 1998 cereal growing season, where it was commonly found on wild oats. A concerted effort was made in 1998 to obtain a detailed picture of pathogenic variability in this pathogen. This task was a difficult one with P. coronata as most collections of the disease are made from wild oats, and in nearly all cases, such collections comprised two or more pathotypes. Coupled with this, the host:pathogen interaction with many of the genes represented in the differential set displayed temperature sensitivity, making it essential to have good temperature control in order to obtain meaningful results. The current differential set (Table 1) has been in use since 1995, and was developed by Dr. David Bonnett, a former Ph.D. student. The current pathotype nomenclature comprises a coded triplet value (Table 1a) followed by a list of numbers which correspond to virulence on 12 supplementary differentials (Table 1b). Several current cultivars are also included in the latter set.

About 80% of the samples received have been processed to date. Of these, about 70% comprised two or more (up to four) pathotypes. This contrasts with about 12% for the 1998/99 survey of wheat leaf rust. This meant that a great deal of subculturing was necessary in order to establish the identity of the pathotypes involved.

The results obtained to date indicate that the population is clearly structured with good evidence of groups of pathotypes within which individuals were most likely derived via single step mutation. As in previous surveys, pathotype diversity was greatest in NSW and Qld. The most widespread pathotype was 0071-0 (referred to as the Amby pathotype, formerly pt 384), which was detected in all eastern states. This pathotype, along with the Cleanleaf pathotype (0207-5,6,10) were by far the most commonly isolated pathotypes, accounting for about 60% of all isolates. The Cleanleaf pathotype was first detected in 1995 following the release of the cultivar Cleanleaf in 1992, and its frequency has increased rapidly in the years since. Previous genetic studies by Dr. Bonnett indicated that Cleanleaf has the genes Pc38, Pc39, and an uncharacterized resistance gene.

Virulence was also detected for the new cultivar Warrego, in a variant of pt 0007-5,6,8,10. The resistance in Warrego which has been overcome by the new pathotype does not correspond to any of the genes in the differentials being used. Virulence was not detected for the genes Pc50, Pc68, and Pc91, or for the cultivars Bettong and Barcoo.
 

Table 1. Differential oat genotypes used to differentiate pathotypes of P. coronata in Australia, 1998/99
 

A. Coded triplet differentials:
 

B. Supplementary differentials:
 

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The crown rust resistances of several oat cultivars released in north eastern Australia in recent years have been overcome by new pathotypes of Puccinia coronata.

The gene Pc68, transferred from Avena sterilis to A. sativa by Wong et al. (1983; Can. J. Genet. Cytol. 25, 329-335), was incorporated into two cultivars released by Agriculture Canada, A.C. Assiniboia and AC Medallion. These cultivars were released in Australia in 1997 under the names Graza 68 and Moola, respectively. A differential with Pc68 was included in the differential set used to assess pathogenicity of P. coronata in Australasia in 1995, and all isolates examined during years 1995 to 1998 were avirulent for this gene. In June 1999, leaf rusting of Graza 68 and Moola was noticed in experimental plots in Queensland at two sites, Warwick and Kingsthorpe. Additional observations at Gympie also indicated heavy rusting of Moolah. Greenhouse tests with rust samples from both locations confirmed virulence for Pc68, and further indicated that the new pathotype had most likely arisen by a single step mutation to virulence for Pc68 in pathotype 0207-4,6,10 (the "Cleanleaf" pathotype) (Fig. 1). The designation for the Pc68 virulent pathotype is 0307-4,6,10 (the "Graza 68" pathotype).

The presumed parental pathotype, 0207-4,6,10, was first detected in 1995, in Queensland, following the release of cultivar Cleanleaf in 1992. It combined virulence for three resistance genes present in the cultivar Cleanleaf (Pc38, Pc39 and an unidentified gene, PcCl), and by 1998 had increased in frequency to comprise about 45% of isolates examined from northern New South Wales / Queensland (99 isolates out of a total of 227). This pathotype is regarded as having originated as a single step mutant derived from pathotype 0007-4,6,10 (the "Riel" pathotype), which gained prominence following the release of cultivar Riel (Pc38 and Pc39) in 1993 (Fig. 1). A further presumed single step mutational change was detected in 1998, in which an isolate of pathotype 0007-4,6,8,10 (a derivative of the Riel pathotype) with added virulence for an uncharacterised resistance gene in cultivar Warrego was detected (the "Warrego" pathotype) (Fig. 1).

The apparent ease with which P. coronata has overcome recently deployed resistance genes is a clear indication of the need to avoid releasing cultivars with single effective resistance genes. To date, virulence has not been detected for gene Pc91. It will be important to assess the value of newly characterised genes such as Pc94 and to try to deploy the genes identified as useful in combination to reduce the liklihood of new pathotypes with matching virulences.
 
 

Fig. 1. Diagrammatic representation of selected putative pathogenic changes in Puccinia coronata in north eastern Australia. Years of first detection, where known, are given in bold type.

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Oat crown rust was more severe and widespread in Manitoba in 1998 than in recent years. Traces of crown rust infections were first found in commercial oat fields during the last week of June. The disease increased rapidly in the following weeks, particularly in areas where local conditions were conducive for development. By late July up to 80% of crown rust severities were commonly found in cultivars with resistance genes Pc38 and Pc39, i.e. Dumont, Riel, and Robert. Only trace levels of infections were found in the two newly released cultivars, AC Assiniboia and AC Medallion. In 1998, crown rust also was more severe and widespread in eastern Saskatchewan than for many years. Wild oat with crown rust severities ranging from slight to 80% were found west of Regina and Weyburn.

A hexadecimal nomenclature system was used to identify virulence phenotypes of Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae isolates. Virulence and avirulence combinations of the isolates on 16 single-gene differential oat lines, arranged into groups of four (subset 1 = Pc40, Pc45, Pc46, Pc50; subset 2 = Pc38, Pc39, Pc48, Pc68; subset 3 = Pc51, Pc52, Pc58, Pc59; subset 4 = Pc54, Pc56, Pc62, Pc64), were assigned with a four-letter code. Single-gene lines with Pc94 and Pc96 were included in the differential set as supplemental differentials. One hundred and ten virulence phenotypes were identified from 265 single-pustule isolates established from collections from Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 1998, using these 18 differentials. In Ontario, 23 virulence phenotypes were identified from 71 isolates.

Frequency and distribution of P. coronata f. sp. avenae isolates virulent on the 18 differentials are shown in Table 1. As in recent years, the rust populations in Ontario and eastern prairie region (Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan) were predominated by isolates with virulence to genes Pc38 and Pc39. The most common virulence phenotype in Ontario in 1998 was BQBB at 26.8% of the isolates, followed by BQBG at 23.9% of the isolates. In the eastern Prairie region, the most common phenotype also was BQBB at 12.8% of the isolates, followed by BQLB at 7.6% and LQBB at 6.4% of the isolates. The resistance of the two newly released cultivars, AC Assiniboia and AC Medallion, which have genes Pc38, Pc39, and Pc68 combined, is effective against the prevalent isolates, as virulence frequency to Pc68 is still occurring at low levels in the Canadian prairie region. Genes Pc48, Pc94, and Pc96 are being used in the breeding program at Cereal Research Centre to develop oat cultivars with new crown rust resistance gene combinations. Several isolates were found to have virulence on AC Assiniboia and AC Medallion in 1998, and on lines with the Pc38, 39, 48 gene combination. Gene Pc94, derived from the diploid A. strigosa, continues to be highly effective to all P. coronata f. sp. avenae isolates in Canada as it has since 1992.
 

Table 1. Frequency and distribution of Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae isolates virulent on differential lines of Avena sativa with single genes (Pc) for crown rust resistance in Canada in 1998
 

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The last serious epidemic of oat stem rust in the plains region of North America was in 1977, when about 35% of the crop in Manitoba was lost. Since then most oat varieties grown in the rust area of western Canada have been resistant to the prevalent races of stem rust. The resistance has mainly been provided by gene Pg13, complemented by genes Pg9 and Pg2. Races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. avenae found previously in western Canada with virulence to Pg13 and Pg9 were avirulent to Pg2 and therefore did not attack the commonly grown oat cultivars. Race NA67 of P. graminis f. sp. avenae, found in western Canada for the first time in the 1998 survey, can attack the combination of genes Pg13, Pg9, and Pg2. This race was collected from both cultivated and wild oats and was recovered from 23 of 106 (21.7%) collections made in Manitoba (Table 1). NA67 is virulent to oat differential lines containing genes Pg1, Pg2, Pg3, Pg4, Pg8, Pg9, Pg13, and Pg15 but is avirulent on differential lines containing Pg16 and Pga. In 1987 a similar race, NA75, was found in Minnesota by Dr. Don McVey. NA75 differs from NA67 in being avirulent to Pg3. While the severity of oat stem rust was relatively low in 1998 there is a possibility for significant losses in future years if conditions are conducive for stem rust, because of the presence of race NA67. Resistance genes Pg10, Pga, and Pg16 have been identified as useful sources of resistance against NA67 and other oat stem rust races.

The resistance phenotype of Pga, however, is due to two recessive complementary genes making breeding more difficult. Also, virulence to this resistance has been found in Manitoba over the past few years. Gene Pg16 would be an excellent source of resistance, but so far the association of some additional chromatin from Avena barbata has had a yield depressing effect. Gene Pg10, originally known as PgG, (from 'Illinois' Hulless) has shown a uniform moderately resistant reaction when tested with 58 different stem rust pathotypes in seedling tests, and has shown good resistance in field nurseries. Gene Pg10 is inherited as a single partially dominant gene, and is independent of all other known Pg genes. This gene produces a very unique infection type that can be used to detect it in crosses involving other resistance genes. Because of its apparent lack of specificity to date and ease of use, this gene could be utilized to complement other resistance genes in areas where stem rust is a threat.
 

Table 1. Isolates of Puccinia graminis f.sp. avenae collected in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 1998
 

Host Pg genes

Collections from

Races	effective/ineffective	Total	Percent	Avena fatua	Avena sativa
NA27	9,13,15,16,a/1,2,3,4,8	14	13.2%	4	10
NA29	9,13,16,a/1,2,3,4,8,15	59	55.7%	29	30
NA30	13,16,a/1,2,3,4,8,9,15	10	9.4%	7	3
NA67	16,a/1,2,3,4,8,9,13,15	23	21.7%	7	16
		106		47	59

 
 

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Reports indicate that the oat acreage in Manitoba for 1998 was one million acres, with 900 000 acres being harvested for grain. This represents a 200 000 acre increase from 1997. Manitoba Crop Insurance reported the insured 1998 oat acreage in Manitoba as 653 714 acres, an increase over the 1997 acreage of 495 432. The variety planted on the largest proportion of the acreage (34%) was Riel, a cultivar developed at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This is somewhat surprising due to the fact that Riel carries only Pc38 and Pc39 genes for resistance to oat crown rust. Robert, Dumont, AC Preakness and AC Assiniboia, also lines developed at CRC, were grown on 47% of the oat acreage. Three new lines released in 1997, AC Assiniboia, AC Medallion (developed at CRC) and Triple Crown (developed by Svalof) are gaining acceptance by producers because of their resistance to prevalent races of oat crown rust. There also were five American cultivars grown on about 9% of the total acreage. These cultivars are not registered for sale in Canada.

The yields in 1998 ranged from 33 to105 bushels/acre, with an average yield of 74.8 bu/acre. The 10-year average yield for oat is 60 bu/ac. Oat returns per acre have been competitive with other crops. Also, the disease problems being encountered with wheat and barley, such as Fusarium Head Blight, are making oat a very appealing alternative. On a whole, producers seemed pleased with the oat crop for 1998.

The major research efforts of the oat breeding program at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Winnipeg is geared toward increasing disease resistance, higher yield, and improved quality to provide producers and end users with an superior product. A cooperative agronomy project is ongoing with two graduate students at the University of Manitoba, which includes a semidwarf line. This will enable the program to include a production package with the semidwarf line which may be proposed for release next February.

Another area on which the CRC has been working is a Germplasm Release/Material Transfer Agreement for handling germplasm exchanges. CRC is hoping that this agreement can be utilized to ensure proper rust resistance gene deployment and thereby protect the interests of Manitoba producers. The agreement outlines that specific rust resistance genes developed at CRC should be utilized in breeding programs only, and should be incorporated into pyramids with additional effective resistance genes. It is hoped that proper pyramiding will protect the longevity of the resistance. Other researchers and institutions are encouraged to make comments regarding this agreement and to utilize it for their own germplasm transfers if they wish.
 
 

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To identify 'Quantitative Trait Loci' (QTLs) accurately, it is essential the trait in question be assessed reproducibly with little variation within treatments. Linkage maps have been prepared linking QTLs of an array of agronomic, quality and disease-resistance traits in a Kanota/Ogle (K/O) population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs), but identifying QTLs for BYDV tolerance has proved difficult because: a) the parents' tolerance traits do not differ greatly; b) symptoms are affected by environmental interactions; and c) symptom scoring is subjective.

We developed a 'Quantitative Indoor Assay' (QIAssay) for BYDV tolerance in oat (1) that minimized within-treatment variations caused by environmental interactions; the objective parameters of height loss, heading delay, loss of flag leaf area, and loss of single panicle mass under disease pressure were determined to assess BYDV tolerance. In a QIAssay analysis of 68 K/O RILs, two disease BYDV-tolerance QTLs were identified and mapped to the same positions as those found earlier in a study of symptoms of Clintland64 (susceptible)/IL86-5698 (tolerant) RILs (2). QTLs were also identified for parameters that were components of yield loss under disease pressure: height loss; loss of flag leaf area; and delay of panicle emergence. An additive model of these QTLs combined with those for disease tolerance could account for the indoor performance of K/O RILs under BYD pressure. A strong bimodal QTL (in linkage group 22) was also identified for BYDV-ELISA titres. However, virus titres as determined by ELISA at 14 d post inoculation, were not related to performance under disease pressure.

A selected subset of the RILs will be tested in a replicated, artificially inoculated field trial in summer 1999. This subset of 15 RILs encompasses the range of BYDV tolerance as well as the results from the additive-QTL-model for BYDV tolerance observed in the QIAssay.
 

Table 1. QTLs indicated by analysis of QIAssay results from K/O RILs
 

References

• Haber, S., Duguid, S. and Gillis, B.O. 1998. A Quantitative Indoor Test to Identify Oat Lines that Perform well under Barley Yellow Dwarf Disease Pressure. Oat Newsl. 44: 34-35.

 
• Jin, H., Domier, L.L., Kolb, F.L., and Brown, C.M. 1998. Identification of Quantitative Loci for Tolerance to Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus in Oat. Phytopath. 88: 410-415.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Background

The Canadian National Seed Genebank, which was recently moved from Ottawa to Saskatoon, will put special emphasis on its oat collection over the next four years. The genus Avena L. has been given higher priority for rejuvenation and characterization, because PGRC's oat collection is one of the largest for this genus in the world. There are further reasons for choosing oat as a major project at PGRC: 1) Part of this collection is the world base collection of oat, which is held under an agreement with the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), Rome. 2) Although most cereal seeds can be stored over long periods of time Avena is inclined to loose viability. 3) Oat is of particular agricultural significance in the northern climates of America and Europe. 4) The present lack of any characterization data available for external users limits the use of the PGRC collection. 5) The collection of oat germplasm, in particular the wild species in the genus, has been carried out under the leadership of Canadian scientists and the monograph of B. Baum (1977) is a milestone in oat research. The transfer of several resistance genes from the wild species, some of them with different ploidy levels, to the hexaploid cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) has been conducted successfully by J. Chong at the Cereal Research Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba. The project initiated at PGRC hopes to further enhance the use, the preservation, and the knowledge about the diversity of this genus.

Initial Steps

The rejuvenation and characterization of 4000 accessions of cultivated oat and 1000 accessions of wild oat is planned in each of the next four years at Saskatoon. Rejuvenation will be done in the field or, if necessary, in the greenhouse. A descriptor list for Avena has been generated. This list was circulated to Canadian oat breeders and pathologists and discussed with curators of oat collections at genebanks in the U.S.A., Russian Federation, and Germany. Several morphological and agronomical traits will be recorded and transferred to the Genetic Resources Information Network - Canadian Version (GRIN-CV) database, which will be accessible via Internet. The traits recorded have to serve two main purposes: 1) They should allow the proper taxonomical identification of the accessions; and 2) they should contain information of interest to breeders and other users of the collection at PGRC.

The Cereal Research Centre at Winnipeg (J. Chong) will conduct screening for disease resistance and this data will also be entered into the database. Evaluation of quality characters of the oil will be conducted at the Saskatoon Research Centre (P. Raney). A research proposal to support this work, submitted to the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF), Regina/Saskatchewan, was approved. The Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan has agreed to participate in rejuvenation and characterization of some of this oat germplasm (B. Rossnagel).

The State of the Avena Germplasm at PGRC

Presently, there are close to 32,000 accessions held by PGRC. The collection covers 29 species of the genus and three hybrids (Table 1). Five species are cultivated plants, the others represent all wild species described for Avena. For breeding purposes the hexaploid species A. sterilis (Fig. 1), a weedy plant of the Mediterranean area, Europe, Ethiopia, and Western Asia has been used as source for several resistance genes in oat breeding. The collection is currently subdivided into a number of sub-collections using different prefixes. For instance, there are Avena accessions with CAV, PGR, CN, CIav, and PI prefixes. In the near future all of these accessions will be issued new numbers under the CN prefix. The old prefixes and numbers however, will be part of the GRIN-CV database and facilitate identification. The availability of the Avena accessions to external users depends on the present seed supply. In several cases rejuvenation and increase of the seed is necessary.

First Increase of Different Avena Species in the Greenhouse During Winter 1998/1999

In November 1998 the rejuvenation of 75 accessions of oat species different from A. sativa was started. The viability of the accessions was variable. Thirty-two seeds from each accession were subjected to optimal conditions for the germination of Avena (Moxon 1993). The seeds, which germinated, were planted in pots and grown in the greenhouse. Only 24 accessions had a viability greater than 85%, which is the minimum standard recognized in many genebanks to reduce the chances of genetic shift and drift. The accessions were characterized and five of them had their recorded species classification corrected. This underlines the necessity of rejuvenation and characterization of the collection to ensure viability and to receive better information on the accessions.

Publication of the Data

The database, which will be used for publication of the characterization and evaluation data, will be structured following the Genetic Resources Information Network (GRIN) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This database has been modified to meet specific Canadian needs and is called GRIN-CV.
 

Table 1. Composition of the Avena species collection at PGRC
 

* = cultivated species
 

Taxonomic Treatment of the Genus

The taxonomy of the Avena species needs further clarification in order to create a consistent system for communication. The publication of Baum (1977) will be used for the treatment of wild species. For the cultivated species of the genus, the research conducted at the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry at St. Petersburg will be taken into consideration (Kobyljanskij and Soldatov 1994). There exists some confusion regarding the names of widespread cultivated species. For example, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD 1998) lists four cultivars of oat under Avena nuda, but these cultivars obviously do not belong to the diploid species A. nuda L., but are hulless cultivars of the hexaploid species A. sativa, which can be classified as A. sativa subsp. nudisativa (Husnot.) Rod. et Sold. The Canadian list of varieties, therefore, lists some of these varieties under the informal name "Hulless Spring Oat", which is more informal than the OECD, but at least correct. Also, the OECD lists two cultivars of the species A. byzantina C. Koch, a species not acknowledged as such by Baum (1977) nor the USDA-GRIN system, but which is still used by many European taxonomists to distinguish more primitive, but drought-resistant oat types from the more common A. sativa L. These examples show, that the proper species naming is essential and the characterization of the PGRC oat collection will generate better insight into these questions.

Conclusion

The PGRC oat collection is unique in the world and of special interest to Canada. Oat breeding takes place at four Centres across Canada (Lacombe, Ottawa, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg) along with pathology and quality research. At present there are 61 cultivars of oat registered in Canada. The OECD (1998) lists 351 cultivars of oat. However, many of these cultivars are closely related to each other and the PGRC collection is an important source for genetic diversity. The germplasm preserved at PGRC can be more effectively used, if more data about the collection is accessible to the public. The collection needs rejuvenation to prevent loss of valuable genetic resources. Comments of breeders, taxonomists, research scientists, and others on the project outlined are very much welcomed.

References

Baum, B. R. 1977. Oats: wild and cultivated. A monograph on the genus Avena L. (Poaceae). Biosystematics Research Institute, Department of Agriculture, Research Branch. Monograph No. 14, Ottawa.

Kobyljanskij, V. D. and V. N. Soldatov (eds.). 1994. Flora of Cultivated Plants (Russ.), Oat. Vol. 2, Part 3. Kolos, Moscow.

Moxon, S. (ed.). 1993. Rules for Testing Seeds. Association of Official Seed Analysts. Journal of Seed Technology 16, 1-72.

OECD. 1998. List of cultivars eligible for certification 1998. Internet: http://www.oecd.org/agr/code/index.htm

USDA. 1999. World Economic Plants in GRIN. Internet: http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/tax/taxecon.html
 

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Microsatellite DNA, also defined as Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) DNA, is abundant and highly polymorphic in eukaryotic genomes. The large number of alleles that can be identified at a microsatellite locus allows for greater power in comparing molecular maps across crosses. Microsatellite markers should also have greater cross-applicability than other markers. Unfortunately, microsatellite-containing loci are difficult and time-consuming to identify. The major challenge to developing microsatellite markers is to obtain sequence information adjacent to the microsatellite. In a previous study, we constructed several microsatellite-enriched libraries. In this article we report on an improved microsatellite enrichment method; the synthesis of 44 microsatellite primer sets, evaluation of polymorphism of these primers in 12 Avena species and 20 oat cultivars and testing for polymorphism of the 44 oat and 54 barley microsatellite primer sets in the Kanota X Ogle and Marion X Terra mapping populations.

Microsatellite Enrichment Method Improvement

In a previous study (Li CD et al. 1998, Proc. Canadian Plant Molecular Biology Conference, Edmonton, pp. 34) we constructed (GAA/CTT)n, (AG/CT)n, and (AC/TG) enriched libraries. These libraries had several shortcomings, including: 1) 20% of clones were duplicates in the library; 2) 28% were imperfect microsatellite clones; and 3) microsatellites were relatively short (from 6 to 26 repeats with most of them around 15).

To solve these problems, we made several modifications to the original method (R. L. Jarret et al., Genome 40: 433-441) as follows: 1) we increased the starting DNA to 6 g, but eliminated the first round of PCR; 2) we increased the hybridization temperature from 55°C to 75°C, but decreased the hybridization time from 60 to 20 min; and 3) we increased the washing stringency from 6X SSC to 1X SSC. The resulting libraries (AC and AG repeats) contained more than 80% microsatellite clones after prescreening by PCR using the microsatellite oligo as an internal primer. The microsatellite clones contain 15 to 36 repeats. These libraries should provide enough SSR clones for construction of a saturated microsatellite linkage map and subsequent genetic analysis of oat.

Sequencing Microsatellite Clones and Designing Primers

Sixty clones have been sequenced from different libraries. Fifty-four clones contained microsatellite sequences. However, seven were repeat clones and three did not have the primer sequence at one end. In total, 44 primer sets were designed using Lasergene software (DNAstar, U.S.A.) and subsequently synthesized. The primer sequence, repeat types and loci amplified in Avena are summarized in Table 1.
 

Table 1. Summary of oat microsatellite primers
 

Primer name	Primer sequence	Repeat type	Loci	Size bp	Tm
AM1 AM2   AM3   AM4   AM5   AM6   AM7   AM8   AM9   AM10   AM11   AM12   AM13   AM14   AM15   AM16   AM17   AM18   AM19   AM20   AM21   AM22   AM23   AM24   AM25   AM26   AM27   AM28   AM29   AM30   AM31   AM32   AM33   AM34   AM35   AM36   AM37   AM38   AM39   AM40   AM41   AM42   AM43   AM44	5'GGA TCC TCC ACG CTG TTG A 5'CTC ATC CGT ATG GGC TTT A 5'TGA ATT CGT GGC ATA GTC ACA AGA 5'AAG GAG GGC ATA GGG AGG TAT TT 5'CTG GTC ATC CTC GCC GTT CA 5'CAT TTA GCC AGG TTG CCA GGT C 5'GGT AAG GTT TCG AAG AGC AAA G 5'GGG CTA TAT CCA TCC CTC AC 5'TTG TCA GCG AAA TAA GCA GAG A 5'GAA TTC GTG ACC AGC AAC AG 5'AAT GAA GAA ACG GGT GAG GAA GTG 5'CCA GCC CAG TAG TTA GCC CAT CT 5'GTG AGC GCC GAA TAC ATA 5'TTG GCT AGC TGC TTG AAA CT 5'CAA GGC ATG GAA AGA AGT AAG AT 5'TCG AAG CAA CAA ATG GTC ACA C 5'CAA AGC ATT GGG CCC TTG T 5'GGC TTT GGG ACC TCC TTT CC 5'AAA ATC GGG GAA GGA AAC C 5'GAA GGC AAA ATA CAT GGA GTC AC 5'TCG TGG CAG AGA ATC AAA GAC AC 5'TGG GTG GAG GCA AAA ACA AAA C 5'TGC TGA AGT GAA CAA TCG C 5'CCT TCT CCA ACA ACT CTA C 5'CGG CGT GAT TTG GGG AAG AAG 5'CTA GTA ACG GCC GCC AGT GTG CTG 5'GTG GTG GGC ACG GTA TCA 5'TGG GTG GCG AAG CGA ATC 5'GTG ACC GTA AAC GAT AAC AAC 5'AAG CAA GAC GCG AGA GTA GG 5'CGG GTT GGC ATC GAC TAT 5'TGA CCA GGC TCT AAC ACA 5'CGA GAT TTC GGT GTA GAC 5'CCG GGA ATT AAC GGA GTC 5'CAA TGT CGT CGG TGT GAG TTT 5'TAC GAG TGT GGC ACG AGC 5'ATA GAA CGG CAT GAT AAC GAA ATA 5'GCG CGA CAA CAG GAC CTT C 5'TGT CGA TTT CTT TAG GGC AGC ACT 5'TCG CGA GAA AGA TGG AAA GGA GA 5'ACG TTGGTC TCG GGT TGG 5'AAA TCC TTG ACT TCG CTC TGA 5'ATT GTA TTT GTA GCCC CCA GTT C 5'AAG AGC GAC CCA GTT GTA TG 5'TCT TTA AGG ATT TGG GTG GAG 5'AAT CTT CGA GGG TGA GTT TCT 5'GTT ATT GAT TTC CTG ATG TAG AGA 5'AGA GCC AAG AAA GCA ACT G 5'AGC CTG GAC ATG TAA TCT GGT 5'AGC CCT GGT CTT CTT CAA CA 5'ATA AAG GGG GCA TTG GAT T 5'AAC ATA TTG GGC ATT CAC AT 5'CAA AGG CCA AAT GGT GAG 5'CCG CAA AGT CAT ATG GAG CAT 5'GAC CTC TTG AGT AAG CAA CG 5'TGG TCT TCC TAT CCA CAA TG 5'TCC CGC AAA ATC ATC ACG A 5'AAG GGA GCA TTG GTT TTG TT 5'TGA AGA TAG CCA TGA GGA AC 5'GTG CAA ATT GAG TTT CAC G 5'GCA AAG GCC ATA TGG TGA GAA 5'CAT AGG TTT GCC ATT CGT GGT 5'AGT GAA GGC GAT GGC GAA 5'GGA TAA TGC ACC CGA GTT GC 5'GCA AAG GTT AAA TGG TGA GA 5'GCC AAC ATA TTG TGC ATA CA 5'GAG TAA GCA AAG GTC AAA TG 5'GTT AGC ACT TCC CAC AAA ATC A 5'CGT GAC CTT TAT ATC ACC ACT 5'GTG GCT CGT GAT ATT GGC AC 5'CTT CCC GCA AAG TTA TCA T 5'AGG GGC ATT GGC TTT GTC 5'CTT CCA CAA GGCAAC GAG TC 5'GGT TAG CAC TTC CCG CAA A 5'TGA TGA CCT CTT GAG TAA GCA 5'TGC CTT TCG TGG ACT TAC TA 5'TTG GGC ATG CCC TTG TT 5'GCC TTG GAG AGT AAA TTC TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM 5'CTC TGG GGG TGG TAG TTC CT 5'GAA AGA CAG GCC TCC ACA AAT 5'CCA AAG GAA ACA AGT CAA TAG 5'TTC CCG CAA AGT CAT CAT 5'GCT TCC CGC AAA TCA TCA T 5'GAG TAA GCA AAG GCC AAA AAG T 5'AGC CCC TAC AAA GCC ATC A 5'CAA GCA AAG GAC GAA CAA TAG 5'CGT TGG CCC CTT TTT TCA GTG 5'AGG GGC ATT GGC TTT GTC C	(AG)21.(CAGAG)6 (AG)24   (AG)35   (AG)34   (AG)27   (AG)20   (AG)21   (AG)15   (AG)19   (AG)20   (AG)12.(AAAG)3 (AG)20   (AG)15   (AC)21   (AC)14   (AG)4..(AC)16   (AC)13   (AC)14   (AC)3..(AC)6..(AC)5..(AC)7 (TG)10.(CG)5   (AT)5..(AC)5..(AC)5 (AC)22   (AC)19   (AAG)5..(TCA)5   (AC)8..(AC)4(CT)4 (AAG)14   (AAG)10   (GAA)8   (GAA)9   (GAA)14   (GAA)23   (GAA)19   (GAA)15   (GAA)10   (GAA)14   (GAA)9   (GAA)9   (GAA)9   (GAA)8   (GAA)7   (GAA)10   (GAA)16   (GAA)17   (GAA)11	S S   S   S   D   S   S   M   M   M   M   S   M   M   S   S   S   M   S   S   M   M   S   M   S   S   S   S   S   S   D   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   D   S   S   S   S   M	204 144   280   166   172   209   156   254   217   186   225   310   201   133   229   114   250   270   251   258   210   138   247   170   229   224   161   135   143   203   186   295   246   181   216   142   213   178   238   249   205   193   162   174	56 64   62   60   60   65   55   59   61   59   62   54   64   59   58   54   52   56   62   64   60   60   59   57   61   52   57   55   56   55   62   62   55   52   60   52   61   56   50   52   52   53   52   54

Note: Loci, S: single locus; D: two loci; M: multiple loci
 

Identifying Avena Species and Cultivars Using Microsatellite Markers

Fourty-four oat and 54 barley microsatellite primer sets were used to test for polymorphism across 12 Avena species (A. longiglumis, A. wiestii, A. canariensis, A. strigosa, A. clauda, A. abyssinica, A. barbata, A. maroccana, A. murphyi, A. sterilis, A. fatua, and A. byzantina) and 20 A. sativa cultivars (Brawn, Belle, Triple Crown, Calibre, AC Preakness, CDC Pacer, Jim, Gem, AC Juniper, AC Assiniboia, AC Stewart, 86Ab4582, AC Mustang, Novosadski4226, P8640A-1-31-5-4, CA921019, Ripon, Jerry, CDC Boyer, and Q287178). One to 12 alleles were identified in the different species and cultivars. Twenty-nine of 44 oat primer sets and 14 of 54 barley primer sets showed polymorphism.

A phylogenetic tree of the 12 Avena species was constructed from the microsatellite polymorphisms using NTSYS (Fig. 1). The four hexaploid species A. sativa, A. byzantina, A. fatua, and A. sterilis were grouped into two subgroups, while the diploid species A. longiglumis and A. strigosa, and the tetraploid species A. maroccana and A. abyssinica showed more divergence. In contrast, various phylogenetic trees of the 20 A. sativa cultivars could be constructed depending on the parameters used for NTSYS. One of them is shown in Figure 2.
 

Figure 1 Dendrogram of 12 Avena species constructed from microsatellite polymorphisms
 
 
 

Figure 2. Dendogram of 20 oat cultivars constructed from the microsatellite polymorphisms.
 

Polymorphism of Microsatellite Primers in the Mapping Populations

Kanota, Ogle, Marion and Terra were tested for polymorphism of the microsatellite markers in the Kanota X Ogle and Marrion X Terra mapping populations. Twenty-four polymorphic primer sets were identified. Mapping is in progress.

Funding from Quaker Oats and NSERC is gratefully acknowledged.
 

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Purpose

A study was conducted to investigate the genetic basis of oat groat breakage during milling and its association with other important milling quality traits. Results were also used to develop standard tests for use in selection and to evaluate an array of germplasm for breakage.

Objectives

1. To evaluate western Canadian and introduced oat germplasm for genetic differences for groat breakage, determine the heritability of that trait and select for improved genotypes.

2. To evaluate different methodology to test groat breakage on a laboratory scale using laboratory dehullers to determine best laboratory method.

Results and Discussion

Objective 1

Samples were obtained from four different sets of trials grown at from 1-14 sites in Saskatchewan during 1995-1998. These included Oat Groat Breakage Project trials and Single Seed Descent Groat Breakage trials specifically designed for the project; the Saskatchewan Regional Variety Testing Project Oat trials and the Quaker Quality Oat Project trials. Samples were evaluated for percent groat breakage by hand separation of broken from whole groats within dehulled samples produced by one or both of the Quaker Lab Impact or Codema Lab dehullers. Samples were also evaluated for other important milling quality traits: test weight, grain weight, plumpness, percent groat (determined by hand dehulling and by Codema dehulling), percent protein, percent fat, and percent beta-glucan.

It was clearly demonstrated that genetic differences are a major factor in differences in groat breakage. This finding is new in that oat millers previously consistently identified environment as the major factor influencing the degree of breakage at their mills. This project confirmed that while growing environment has an influence, genotype is more significant. Groat breakage is moderately heritable and effective selection for low groat breakage is possible.

Among registered varieties tested, Derby was identified as most susceptible to breakage. While other registered varieties did not vary greatly, Elvy and AC Mustang were generally less susceptible. The recently interim registered genotype OA971-2 was identified as consistently less susceptible and that is a definite contributor to its high milling yield. Many different germplasm sources from a wide array of locations were also evaluated. Plenty of variation for groat breakage is available in the germplasm available to western Canadian breeding programs and much low breakage material is fortunately in locally adapted material. Some of the best breeding lines identified were OT367, OT368, and SA96314 from the CDC program; OA971-2 and OA971-7 from the AAFC, Ottawa program; OT283 from the AAFC Winnipeg program; 86Ab4582 from the USDA-ARS Aberdeen program; and Triple Crown, Elvy, and OT546 from the Svalov-Weibull, Sweden program.

Analysis of milling quality trait relationships revealed that breakage was not associated with test weight, percent groat, or percent protein. One positive relationship for which the project had limited data, and which was not strong was the indication that low breakage may be associated with higher beta-glucan.

On the negative side was the consistent strong relationship of low breakage with high fat and with smaller, thin grain. These relationships are undesirable for milling quality and for producers, since larger seeded, plump grain is superior for other reasons. Fortunately the project demonstrated diligent selection will allow breeders to develop large seeded, plump, high milling yield genotypes with acceptable low groat breakage. Very large grain size and plumpness may have to be slightly compromised to achieve very low breakage, however, genotypes such as the CDC breeding line OT373 have very acceptable levels of breakage, yet has the largest, plumpest grain and hig