Expression of amphicarpy in Vigna lanceolata morphotypes and their hybrids and implications for cultivar development
R. J. Lawn A B C and L. M. Bielig AA College of Marine & Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, 1 James Cook Drive, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
B CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Australian Tropical Science and Innovation Precinct, James Cook University, 1 James Cook Drive, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Emails: robert.lawn@jcu.edu.au; bob.lawn@csiro.au
Crop and Pasture Science 67(9) 978-987 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP16087
Submitted: 10 March 2016 Accepted: 24 April 2016 Published: 2 September 2016
Abstract
Amphicarpy is an adaptation that enhances persistence under various environmental stresses, including heavy grazing, through the production of both aerial and underground seeds on the same plant. The trait occurs in several Australian endemic tropical herbaceous legumes, including Vigna lanceolata. The objective of the current research was to compare aerial and underground reproductive structures in six amphicarpic morphotypes of V. lanceolata (four perennials and two annuals), and in hybrids among these morphotypes and also with a seventh, non-amphicarpic perennial morphotype. The aim was to establish how easily the trait might be manipulated in a breeding program to develop improved amphicarpic cultivars, for ley and forage purposes. In the four amphicarpic perennials, the underground fruiting structures formed on leafless underground stems or rhizomes, and in all four, amphicarpy was habitual, i.e. individual plants routinely developed both aerial and underground fruiting structures. In the two annuals, the underground fruiting structures developed on specialised axillary geotropic stems that arose along the prostrate aerial stems and penetrated the soil or leaf litter. One of the annuals exhibited habitual amphicarpy, whereas the other was opportunistic, in that the underground fruiting structures developed only where aerial stems became covered with soil or leaf litter. F1 hybrids between the two annual morphotypes exhibited habitual amphicarpy, indicating dominance of habitual over opportunistic amphicarpy. F1 hybrids between the four perennial amphicarpic morphotypes were all amphicarpic, reflecting the similar expression of the trait in these forms. By contrast, when these four were crossed with the non-amphicarpic perennial, none of the viable F1 hybrids exhibited amphicarpy, suggesting dominance for non-expression. Many of the perennial F1 hybrids were self-sterile, but in the hybrids that were at least partially fertile, many more geocarpic than aerial seeds were produced, raising the possibility that in the wild, amphicarpy may facilitate the persistence of chance natural outcrosses that might otherwise not survive. The results suggested that it would be feasible to develop amphicarpic annual and amphicarpic perennial cultivars for, respectively, ley and forage purposes.
Additional keywords: adaptation, breeding, forage legume, germplasm resources, geocarpy, ley legume, native pasture legume.
References
Bell LW, Bennett RG, Ryan MH, Clarke H (2011) The potential of herbaceous native Australian legumes as grain crops: a review. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 26, 72–91.| The potential of herbaceous native Australian legumes as grain crops: a review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brown AHD, Grant JE, Burdon JJ, Grace JP, Pullen R (1985) Collection and utilization of wild perennial Glycine. In ‘Proceedings World Soybean Research Conference III’. (Ed. R Shibles) pp. 345–52. (Westview Press: Boulder, CO, USA)
Bull JK (1987) Genetic inter-relationships between morphotypes of Vigna lanceolata Benth. BAgrSc (Hons.) Thesis, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Cameron AG (1996) Evaluation of tropical pasture species as leys in northern Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 36, 929–935.
| Evaluation of tropical pasture species as leys in northern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cameron AG (2001) Nutrients in pasture legumes in the Top End of the Northern Territory. Technical Bulletin No. 262, 3rd edn. Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries, Darwin, NT.
Carberry PS, Chapman AL, Anderson CM, Muir LL (Eds) (1996) Conservation tillage and ley farming systems in the Australian semi-arid tropics. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture (Special issue) 36, 915–1089.
| Conservation tillage and ley farming systems in the Australian semi-arid tropics.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cheplick GP (1987) The ecology of amphicarpic plants. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 2, 97–101.
| The ecology of amphicarpic plants.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BC3M7gvFGmsg%3D%3D&md5=72f574811a06e9a095a167995c504b4bCAS |
Clements RJ, Hayward MD, Byth DE (1983) Genetic adaptation in pasture plants. In ‘Genetic resources of forage plants’. (Eds JG McIvor, RA Bray) pp. 101–115. (CSIRO: Melbourne)
Cocks PS (1999) Reproductive strategies and genetic structure of wild and naturalised legume populations. In ‘Genetic resources of Mediterranean pasture and forage legumes’. Ch. 2. (Eds SJ Bennett, PS Cocks) pp. 20–28. (Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, The Netherlands)
Everist SL (1951) Notes on some plants of Western Queensland. Queensland Naturalist 14, 52–55.
Firth DJ, Wilson GPM (1995) Preliminary evaluation of species for use as permanent ground cover in orchards on the north coast of New South Wales. Tropical Grasslands 29, 18–27.
Garside A, Bell MJ, Magarey RC (2001) Monoculture yield decline—fact not fiction. In ‘Proceedings XXIV International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists Congress’. 17–21 September 2001, Brisbane, Qld. Vol. 2. (Ed. DM Hogarth) pp. 16–21. (International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists: Mackay, Qld)
Gopinathan MC, Babu CR (1987) Breeding systems and pollination in Vigna minima (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae). Plant Systematics and Evolution 156, 117–126.
| Breeding systems and pollination in Vigna minima (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kaul V, Koul AK, Sharma MC (2000) The underground flower. Current Science 78, 39–44.
Kerridge PC, Hardy W (Eds) (1994) ‘Biology and agronomy of forage Arachis.’ (International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT): Cali, Colombia)
Lawn RJ (2015) The Australian Vigna species: A case study in the collection and conservation of crop wild relatives. In ‘Crop wild relatives and climate change’. Ch. 18. (Eds R Redden, SS Yadav, N Maxted, Md E Dulloo, L Guarino, P Smith) pp. 318–335. (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, NJ, USA)
Lawn RJ, Cottrell A (1988) Wild mungbean and its relatives in Australia. Biologist 35, 267–273.
Lawn RJ, Holland AE (2003) Variation in the Vigna lanceolata Benth. complex for traits of taxonomic, adaptive or agronomic interest. Australian Journal of Botany 51, 295–308.
| Variation in the Vigna lanceolata Benth. complex for traits of taxonomic, adaptive or agronomic interest.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lawn RJ, Watkinson AR (2002) Habitat, morphological diversity and distribution of the genus Vigna Savi in Australia. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 53, 1305–1316.
| Habitat, morphological diversity and distribution of the genus Vigna Savi in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lawn RJ, Vu HTT, Bielig LM, Kilian A (2016) Genetic compatibility among morphotypes of Vigna lanceolata and implications for breeding improved cultivars. Crop & Pasture Science 67, 739–750.
| Genetic compatibility among morphotypes of Vigna lanceolata and implications for breeding improved cultivars.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC28Xht1Krs7nO&md5=8b1d127a0c8d32cb85c14c4ef0c24113CAS |
Pengelly BC, Eagles DA (1995) Geographical distribution and diversity in a collection of the tropical legume Macroptilium gracile Poeppiga ex Bentham) Urban. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 46, 569–580.
| Geographical distribution and diversity in a collection of the tropical legume Macroptilium gracile Poeppiga ex Bentham) Urban.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Saravana Kumar P, Lawn RJ, Bielig LM (2012) Comparative studies on reproductive structures in four amphicarpic tropical Phaseoleae legumes. Crop & Pasture Science 63, 570–581.
| Comparative studies on reproductive structures in four amphicarpic tropical Phaseoleae legumes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schultze-Kraft R, Schmidt A, Holm H (1997). Amphicarpic legumes for tropical pasture persistence. In ‘Proceedings International Grasslands Congress XVIII’. Winnepeg, MB, and Saskatoon, SK, Canada. pp. 1-13–1-14. (International Grassland Congress) Available at: www.internationalgrasslands.org/files/igc/publications/1997/1-01-013.pdf (accessed 8 August 2016)
Tindale MD, Craven LA (1988) Three new species of Glycine (Fabaceae: Phaseolae) from north-western Australia, with notes on amphicarpy in the genus. Australian Journal of Systematic Botany 1, 399–410.
| Three new species of Glycine (Fabaceae: Phaseolae) from north-western Australia, with notes on amphicarpy in the genus.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
White CT (1918) On a peculiar subterranean fruiting habit of Vigna lanceolata, R. Br., with a description of a new variety. Queensland Agricultural Journal July 1918, 41–44.
