Matilda Bissah

Radish exhibits remarkable diversity in root morphology and architecture, which are crucial traits for nutrient and water uptake, stress adaptation and marketability. This study assessed root variability in 23 radish accessions, including a wild relative, landraces, and cultivars. Plants were grown in controlled greenhouse, and 2D images of roots acquired, using a high-resolution flatbed scanner fitted with a transparent acrylic tray (30 cm × 20 cm). Root analysis was performed using the WinRHIZO Pro software (Regent Instruments Inc., Quebec, Canada). Results of the analysis of variance revealed significant genotype variation (p < 0.01) for nearly all traits, except average length of link. Turkish accessions recorded the longest average root length and greater root branching, whereas Chinese and Korean accessions exhibited significantly larger root diameters and higher root biomass-related trait values. Landraces developed the most extensive root systems, wild relatives showed high trait variability, and cultivars were more uniform in root volume and diameter. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive associations (p < 0.01) among root length, surface area, projected area, and branching, suggesting a coordinated system for soil exploration. Principal component analysis identified five functional clusters, explaining 93.485% of total variation. This study revealed the presence of a wide range of variation in radish root traits and provides a foundation for trait selection, targeting resource-use efficiency, and market needs.

Introducing asexual reproduction through seeds – apomixis – into crop species could revolutionize agriculture by allowing F1 hybrids with enhanced yield and stability to be clonally propagated. Engineering synthetic apomixis has proven feasible in inbred rice through the inactivation of three genes (MiMe), which results in the conversion of meiosis into mitosis in a line ectopically expressing the BABYBOOM1 (BBM1) parthenogenetic trigger in egg cells. However, only 10–30% of the seeds are clonal. Here, we show that synthetic apomixis can be achieved in an F1 hybrid of rice by inducing MiMe mutations and egg cell expression of BBM1 in a single step. We generate hybrid plants that produce more than 95% of clonal seeds across multiple generations. Clonal apomictic plants maintain the phenotype of the F1 hybrid along successive generations. Our results demonstrate that there is no barrier to almost fully penetrant synthetic apomixis in an important crop species, rendering it compatible with use in agriculture.

Introducing asexual reproduction through seeds – apomixis – into crop species could revolutionize agriculture by allowing F1 hybrids with enhanced yield and stability to be clonally propagated. Engineering synthetic apomixis has proven feasible in inbred rice through the inactivation of three genes ( MiMe ), which results in the conversion of meiosis into mitosis in a line ectopically expressing the BABYBOOM1 (BBM1) parthenogenetic trigger in egg cells. However, only 10–30% of the seeds were clonal. We show here that synthetic apomixis can be induced in a F1 hybrid of rice by inducing MiMe mutations and egg cell expression of BBM1 in a single step. We generated hybrid plants that produced more than 95% of clonal seeds across multiple generations. Clonal apomictic plants maintained the phenotype of the F1 hybrid along successive generations. Our results demonstrate that there is no barrier to almost fully penetrant synthetic apomixis in an important crop species, rendering it compatible with use in agriculture.