A study of Corchorus L. diversity in Egypt using high-throughput phenotyping platform (HTPP): an Egyptian gene bank example

Genet Resour Crop Evol https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-023-01551-6 RESEARCH ARTICLE A study of Corchorus L. diversity in Egypt using high‑throughput phenotyping platform (HTPP): an Egyptian gene bank example Ehab M. B. Mahdy · Hasan Ahmad Received: 27 July 2022 / Accepted: 23 January 2023 © The Author(s) 2023 Abstract Biodiversity and identification facilitate a prioritization of determination basis for plant evolutionary, phytogeography, biodiversity and conservation of plant genetic resources. High-throughput phenotyping platforms (HTPP) provide more attractive for genotyping for biodiversity evaluation. Descriptor lists include 51 attributes applied on all growth-stages of 53 C. olitorius accessions plus C. capsularis, C. trilocularis, C. tridens, and C. depressus. Three main groups were split. Variance decomposition was estimated within class of 68.87% and between classes of 31.13%. Major distance recorded 18.41 between class 1 (wild taxa only) and class three (18 accessions of C. olitorius). In contrast, the minor distance scored 8.3 between class 2 (35 accessions) and class 3 (18 accessions). Wild taxa with their rarity distribution and habitats prioritize highly conservation due to the association of evolutionary role and importance of genetic improvement. Conservation strategies applied to PGR prioritization are influenced by the distribution frequency and habitat specificity. The results are Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi. org/10.1007/s10722-023-01551-6. E. M. B. Mahdy (*) · H. Ahmad Agricultural Research Center (ARC), National Gene Bank (NGB), 9 Gamaa St., Giza 12619, Egypt e-mail: H. Ahmad e-mail: useful information on genetic diversity at the Egyptian Gene Bank, which could be used for C. olitorius genetic improvement programs and sustainable utilization. Keywords Biodiversity · Corchorus · Heatmapping · Hierarchical clustering analysis · High-throughput genotyping platforms (HTPP) · Morphological characterization Introduction The Corchorus (Family Malvaceae Juss.; formerly Tiliaceae) L., Sp. Pl. 1:529 (1753) is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions (Whitehouse et al. 2001). This genus (2n = 14; genome size of olitorius =  – 1,250 Mb) has a broad sense of biodiversity, variability and adaptability. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (http://www.gbif.org) has reported 215 species, subspecies, varieties, and forms belonging to the genus Corchorus. The precise number of good species, approximately 100 (Saunders 2006), is significantly C. olitorius and C. capsularis that commercially proliferated over the world (Sinha et al. 2011). Africa embraces about 50 species (Aluka 2006–2008: http://www.aluka.org), including olitorius and capsularis, and therefore represents the chief center of diversity and origin have been reported (Edmonds 1990; Plants of South Africa 2009: http:// www. b iodi versi t yexp l orer. o rg/ p lants/ m alva c eae/ Vol.: (0123456789) 13 Genet Resour Crop Evol corchorus.htm). They have various utilizations as raw material for industry of pulp, paper and fiber, and a source of biofuel (Paul 2008), dietary supplements and therapeutic uses (Chopra et al. 1986; Sen 2002; Hazra and Saha 2004; Natesh 2001). The primary five taxa of Corchorus are in Egypt, which are olitorius, tridens, capsularis, trilocularis, and depressus (Boulos 2000, 2009). The taxa of tridens, trilocularis, and depressus characterize resistance to the abiotic stresses. Its genetic diversity has been made safe because of its strong sexual incompatibility barrier between the most cultivated taxa of olitorius and capsularis and secondary gene pools (La Farge et al. 1997). Thus, this is due to very limited genetic variance regarding the adaptability to different agronomic environments and susceptibility to diseases and pests. The species olitorius, a leafy vegetable crop, is still cultivated widely in Egypt; however, not utilized for genetic improvement and breeding new lines/cultivars. Therefore, C. olitorius falls in a broad basket of underutilized species despite its nutritionally rich adaptability to low-input agriculture and sowing over 200 years ago in Egyptian agro-climatic districts (ElWakeel 2007; Mahdy 2012). Only three off-types nominated Balady (meaning local), Falahy and Siwy have been identified, which vary in some clearly morphological attributes (El-Wakeel 2007). More collections with introgression new various Corchorus genetic resources (GR) will help breeders select and breed new promised ones with high-yielding (ElWakeel 2007; Mahdy 2012). These collections will help to find more Corchorus mutants and off-types that have not been collected yet due to humans’ lack of selection applications for a longer time (Mahdy 2012). The high-throughput phenotyping platform (HTPP) provides more accurate information through a comprehensive valuation of morphological traits of interest (Finkel 2009). Various HTPP approaches give them more engaging for genotyping (Agarwal et al. 2008). It requires more available GRs for utmost crops and species to study the HTPP (Rizk and ElSharabasy 2008; El-Sharabasy and Rizk 2019). The HTPPs have witnessed more continual progress in molecular marker technologies and diversity in technologies of array-based markers, which permit the identification of molecular markers appropriate for distinguishing various GRs. The Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) are used in genome selection in linking Vol:. (1234567890) 13 disequilibrium with at least a single marker (Goddard and Hayes 2007). The combination of genomic selection and high-throughput phenotyping has revolutionized genetic improvement programs by bringing superior accuracy in selecting the new promising genotypes (Ingvarsson and Street 2011). Similarly, the progress in the field of HTPPs made it possible to procure exact data for various attributes. The assessment of Corchorus biodiversity conserved in the National Gene Bank (NGB) comprehensively evaluated the 51 morphological attributes. Corchorus GRs comprising 53 C. olitorius accessions and its wild relatives of C. tridens, C. trilocularis, and C. depressus that grows in Egypt subjected to the high-throughput phenotyping platform (HTPP) to make possible new promised varietal breeding in the future. We also attempt to highlight the genepools of wild Corchorus growing in Egypt and focus on taxonomic placement, which enables to utilize for various multi-purposes. Materials and methods Base line data collection A total of 53 olitorius accessions and their wild relatives of tridens, trilocularis, capsularis, and depressus was collected from all naturalized agro- and ecological regions of Egypt. These were conserved under ex situ conditions at National Gene Bank (NGB), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt, and cultivated in the experimental field of National Gene Bank (NGB), Agricultural Research Centre (ARC), Giza, Egypt (Table S1). Species (...truncated)