Sibel Aziz

The review summarizes practical experiences in using mutation breeding for crop improvement in South-Eastern Europe (SEE) and Central Asia (CA), demonstrating that mutation breeding can be a field-validated, effective approach for developing climate-resilient crops. Drawing on coordinated research conducted within national breeding programs and international initiatives supported by FAO/IAEA, applied methodologies, trait-evaluation strategies, and concrete breeding outputs in cereals, legumes, and industrial crops are presented. The use of gamma irradiation, fast neutrons, and chemical mutagens has successfully generated stable mutant lines stable mutant lines with enhanced traits, such as increased thousand-grain weight in wheat, altered oil quality in sunflower, and improved drought tolerance in common bean and sesame. The integration of classical pedigree selection with modern breeding tools such as high-throughput phenotyping, molecular and biochemical markers, and doubled-haploid technology has enabled earlier and more efficient identification of superior genotypes in mutation breeding programs. The review underscores the practical relevance of mutation breeding in contemporary pipelines to maintain yield stability and quality under adverse environmental conditions.

Conserved Ortholog Set II (COSII) markers represent a well-established resource for comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses in the Solanaceae family. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive in silico assessment of COSII orthologs in Solanum lycopersicum L., Solanum tuberosum L., and Capsicum annuum L. using an integrated workflow that combined OrthoFinder-based orthogroup inference, hierarchical orthogroup (HOG) reconstruction, synteny mapping, and evaluation of copy number. We identified 2,853 COSII-associated orthogroups, of which 2,359 (82.7%) were shared among all the three species, forming a deeply conserved solanaceous core. Among the three species, 1,839 orthogroups represented strict single-copy loci, reflecting their high evolutionary stability. Across these loci tomato and potato retained nearly complete single-copy status, whereas C. annuum L. displayed moderate copy-number variation (mean 1.35 genes per orthogroup; 22% multicopy), with duplicated clusters enriched on chromosomes 1-3, as well as on unplaced scaffolds (CA00). Hierarchical orthogroup analysis revealed substantial gene family expansion at the ancestral Solanaceae node, followed by lineage-specific diversification within Solanum and Capsicum. Synteny mapping showed extensive collinearity among genomes, combined with localized breaks and rearrangements in pepper. Together, these findings highlight a dual evolutionary pattern in Solanaceae: a highly conserved COSII genomic backbone, alongside lineage-specific structural innovations in C. annuum. COSII remains a reliable marker system for phylogenetics, comparative genomics, and marker-assisted breeding. The observed Capsicum-specific multicopy expansions overlap genomic regions enriched for stress-response gene families, suggesting links between structural variation and abiotic stress adaptation.

Drought compromises edible vegetable production worldwide, including common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) an economically important crop that is highly dependent on optimum rainfall or abundant irrigation. In the present study, phenotypic data of 26 Bulgarian common bean mutant lines and cultivars subjected to drought stress has been summarized, and drought stress reaction was evaluated by chlorophyll fluorescence and proteomics approaches. Several basic photosynthetic parameters were examined during treatment to evaluate the drought stress response, and the mutant lines showed different responses. Subsequently, a relationship was found between productivity and photosynthetic performance with the expression of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase through comparative 2D-gel based electrophoresis; accumulation of the well-known stress-related proteins markers dehydrins and small heat shock proteins was established as well. These findings support the further selection of drought tolerant common bean lines for a sustainable agriculture.

Domesticated crops are characterized by narrow genetic base reflecting one or more bottlenecks during millennia-long selection. As a result, current breeding programs are limited in available germplasm and are forced to deal with incremental improvements of yield, resistance, nutritional value, etc. Since the establishment of modern genetics and biotechnology, several new approaches have emerged to extend the genetic base and germplasm improvement. Among these methods, induced mutagenesis appeared as most useful conventional breeding tool. Although, its successful application currently requires good knowledge of modern molecular tools. In this paper we will make an attempt to overview SSR, ISSR and ISAP techniques as well as to offer examples of their application in tomato breeding programs.