Biology subjects

Duque, L. O.

Publications and source records attributed to Duque, L. O..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Domestication drives changes in floral functional traits that impact generalist pollinator visitation

Crop domestication is an evolutionary process that has led to extraordinary plant phenotypic changes in response to artificial selection. The extent to which domestication has altered floral phenotypes and the implications of these changes for plant-pollinator interactions remain unclear. Here, we characterized the floral phenotypes of wild and domesticated species in the genus Cucurbita (squash and pumpkins) and quantified their relative attractiveness to generalist and specialist pollinators. Our results show that functional floral traits change with domestication and that some of these changes impact the visitation of generalist pollinators but not specialists. Crops displayed larger flowers with shorter anthers and wider corollas, lower volatile richness, higher sugar content in pollen, and lower sucrose:glucose ratios in nectar. These trait shifts were associated with pollinator behavior in generalist pollinators, which preferentially visited domesticated flowers. We demonstrate that domestication alters functional plant traits and that these changes affect generalist pollinator preference in agricultural settings.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Early root architectural traits and their relationship with yield in Ipomoea batatas L.

Root system architecture in storage root crops are an important component of plant growth and yield performance that has received little attention by researchers because of the inherent difficulties posed by in-situ root observation. Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important climate-resilient storage root crop of worldwide importance for both tropical and temperate regions, and identifying genotypes with advantageous root phenotypes and improved root architecture to facilitate breeding for improved storage root yield and quality characteristics in both high and low input scenarios would be beneficial. We evaluated 38 diverse sweetpotato genotypes for early root architectural traits and correlated a subset of these with storage root yield. Early root architectural traits were scanned and digitized using the RhizoVision Explorer software system. Significant genotypic variation was detected for all early root traits including root mass, total root length, root volume, root area and root length by diameter classes. Based on the values of total root length, we separated the 38 genotypes into three root sizes (small, medium, and large). Principal component analysis identified four clusters, primarily defined by shoot mass, root volume, root area, root mass, total root length and root length by diameter class. Average total and marketable yield and number of storage roots, was assessed on a subset of eight genotypes in the field. Several early root traits were positively correlated with total yield, marketable yield, and number of storage roots. These results suggest that root traits, particularly total root length and root mass could improve yield potential and should be incorporated into sweetpotato ideotypes. To help increase sweetpotato performance in challenging environments, breeding efforts may benefit through the incorporation of early root phenotyping using the idea of integrated root phenotypes.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Early root phenotyping in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) uncovers insights into root system architecture variability

BackgroundWe developed a novel, non-destructive, expandable, ebb and flow soilless phenotyping system to deliver a capable way to study early root system architectural traits in stem derived adventitious roots of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.). The platform was designed to accommodate up to 12 stems in a relatively small area for root screening. This platform was designed with inexpensive materials and equipped with an automatic watering system. MethodsTo test this platform, we designed a screening experiment for root traits using two contrasting sweetpotato genotypes, Covington and NC10-275. We monitored and imaged root growth, architecture, and branching patterns every five days up to 20 days. ResultsWe observed significant differences in both architectural and morphological root traits for both genotypes tested. After 10 days, root length, surface root area, and root volume were higher in NC10-275 compared to Covington. However, average root diameter and root branching density were higher in Covington. ConclusionThese results validated the effective and efficient use of this novel root phenotyping platforming for screening root traits in early stem-derived adventitious roots. This platform allowed for monitoring and 2D imaging root growth over time with minimal disturbance and no destructive root sampling. This platform can be easily tailored for abiotic stress experiments, permit root growth mapping and temporal and dynamic root measurements of primary and secondary adventitious roots. This phenotyping platform can be a suitable tool for examining root system architecture and traits of clonally propagated material for a large set of replicates in a relatively small space. SubjectsPlant Science, Agricultural Science

plant biology↗