Petr Smykal

Palacký University Olomouc · Department of Botany

One hundred and sixty-four accessions representing Czech and Slovak pea (Pisum sativum L.) varieties bred over the last 50 years were evaluated for genetic diversity using morphological, simple sequence repeat (SSR) and retrotransposon-based insertion polymorphism (RBIP) markers. Polymorphic information content (PIC) values of 10 SSR loci and 31 RB...

The distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) requirements involve expensive, space- and time-consuming measurements of morphological traits. Moreover, for a majority of traits, interactions between genotype and environment complicate the evaluation. Molecular markers have a potential to facilitate this procedure, increase the reliability of dec...

In vitro clonal propagation of plants should generate identical copies of the selected genotype. However, associated stress might result in a breakdown of control mechanisms and consequent instability of the genome. We have used several molecular methods to assess the genetic stability of long-term propagated (24 years) multiple shoot in vitro cult...

The genus Nicotiana contains species and varieties that respond differently to photoperiod for flowering time control as day-neutral, short-day and long-day plants. In classical photoperiodism studies, these varieties have been widely used to analyse the physiological nature for floral induction by day length. Since key regulators for flowering tim...

Fast and efficient DNA fingerprinting of crop cultivars and individuals is frequently used in both theoretical population genetics and in practical breeding. Numerous DNA marker technologies exist and the ratio of speed, cost and accuracy are of importance. Therefore even in species where highly accurate and polymorphic marker systems are available...

In celebration of the bicentennial of the birth of Gregor Johann Mendel, the genius of genetics, this Special Issue presents seven papers [...]

The physical dormancy of seeds is likely to be mediated by the chemical composition and the thickness of the seed coat. Here, we investigate the link between the content of phenylpropanoids (i.e., phenolics and flavonoids) present in the chickpea seed coat and dormancy. The relationship between selected phenolic and flavonoid metabolites of chickpe...

The development of agriculture is one of the most transformative changes in the history of humankind. Among the most common changes occurring during plant domestication are reductions in seed dispersal and changes in pigmentation. Although there are archaeological records of these processes, the advancement of genomics offers a tool to achieve grea...

Main conclusion We showed that wild pea seeds contained a more diverse combination of bioactive GAs and had higher ABA content than domesticated peas. Abstract Although the role of abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GAs) interplay has been extensively studied in Arabidopsis and cereals models, comparatively little is known about the effect of d...

Vicia villosa Roth, commonly named hairy vetch (HV), is one of the most promising cover crop (CC) legumes, commonly included in strategies aimed at increasing agriculture sustainability. Due to the generally low yield, the availability of commercial seed is often limited. The objective of this study was to identify management and key weather factor...

Increasing the proportion of locally produced plant protein in currently meat-rich diets could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity¹. However, plant protein production is hampered by the lack of a cool-season legume equivalent to soybean in agronomic value². Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) has a high yield potential and...

This document, developed with the input of many experts, aims to provide a framework for the efficient conservation and effective use of globally important collections of pea genetic resources.

[This corrects the article .].

Grain legumes present outstanding nutritional and nutraceutical properties while being an economically affordable plant-based protein source for humans that contributes to achieving future food and feed security in the context of an increasing world population. Legumes also provide crucial services to agriculture through their ability to fix atmosp...

Grain legumes present outstanding nutritional and nutraceutical properties while being an economically affordable plant-based protein source for humans that contributes to achieving future food and feed security in the context of an increasing world population. Legumes also provide crucial services to agriculture through their ability to fix atmosp...

Increasing the proportion of locally produced plant protein in currently meat-rich diets could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emission and loss of biodiversity. However, plant protein production is hampered by the lack of a cool-season legume equivalent to soybean in agronomic value. Faba bean ( Vicia faba L.) has a high yield potential and is...

Grain legumes present outstanding nutritional and nutraceutical properties, while being an economically affordable plant-based protein source for humans that contributes to achieving future food and feed security in the context of an increasing world population. Legumes also provide crucial services to agriculture through their ability to fix atmos...

Crop domestication is a co-evolutionary process that has rendered plants and animals significantly dependent on human interventions for survival and propagation. Grain legumes have played an important role in the development of Neolithic agriculture some 12000 years ago. Despite being early companions of cereals in the origin and evolution of agric...

Alongside the use of fertilizer and chemical control of weeds, pests, and diseases modern breeding has been very successful in generating cultivars that have increased agricultural production several fold in favorable environments. These typically homogeneous cultivars (either homozygous inbreds or hybrids derived from inbred parents) are bred unde...

Seed coats serve as protective tissue to the enclosed embryo. As well as mechanical there are also chemical defence functions. During domestication, the property of the seed coat was altered including the removal of the seed dormancy. We used a range of genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches to determine the function of the p...

There is a relatively long history of plant hybridization traced back to ancient time, both from theoretical as well as practical perspectives. At first considered as an evolutionary dead-end, it was soon recognized to have important role in plant speciation. Beside his work on pea, G.J. Mendel also conducted interspecific hybridization using sever...

Electronically driven micromanipulation (EDM) with microscopic control was used as a novel tool for sample preparation prior to direct (matrix assisted) laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric ((MA)LDI-MS) analysis of mature pea seed coat composition in defined layers. Microscissors were used for seed coat fragment shape adjustment, microtwe...

Aleksandar Mikić was born in Pančevo, Serbia, on 9 January 1974, and died on 5 September 2021, Novi Sad, Serbia. He received BSc in 1998, MSc in 2008, and PhD in 2014 in Plant Genetics and Breeding at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture. He worked as Research Associate and annual legume breeder at the Institute of Field and Vegetable...

Legume seed dormancy has been altered during the domestication process, resulting in non-dormant seeds with a testa that is readily permeable for water. Ultimately, this provides fast and uniform germination, in contrast to dormant seeds of the wild progenitor. To date, germination and seed dormancy were studied mostly in relation to two types of c...

Chickpea is second most important and nutritionally rich legume crop consumed worldwide. Domestication of chickpea and other legumes took place in Fertile Crescent. Differences between wild and cultivated chickpea are considered as domestication syndrome traits. Seed dormancy is key domestication trait of legumes, it synchronizes seed germination w...

Beginning approximately 10,000 years ago, the advent of agriculture led to strong selection on agricultural crops. Crop wild relatives, compatible with crops and persisting in natural populations, remain critical reservoirs of adaptive genetic variation for crop improvement. With habitat loss, landuse change, and a rapidly changing climate, many cr...

Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) is the second most cultivated vetch worldwide being used as a forage and cover crop. As it is not domesticated, it displays several wild traits including seed dormancy. The physical seed dormancy (PY) variation could be useful depending on the specific context. High PY is desirable for ley farming systems, while low...

Multi service cover crops are used to provide ecosystem services, particularly for nitrogen management, such as “nitrate catching” and "green manuring" effects Sowing cover crop mixtures including legumes and non legumes have the advantage of combining the provision of both services related to N management thanks to phenomena of niche complementari...

In angiosperms, the mature seed consists of embryo, endosperm, and a maternal plant-derived seed coat (SC). The SC plays a role in seed filling, protects the embryo, mediates dormancy and germination, and facilitates the dispersal of seeds. SC properties have been modified during the domestication process, resulting in the removal of dormancy, medi...

The history of agriculture can be viewed as a series of key events, such as the Neolithic Revolution, post-domestication expansion of agriculture to new regions, secondary domestications of new crops, movement over the Silk Road, the Columbian Exchange, the Industrial Revolution, the Green Revolution and even the more recent, ongoing genomic revolu...

The Neoplasm trait in pea pods is reported to be due to the lack of ultraviolet (UV) light in glasshouse conditions or in response to pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L.) damage. This pod deformation arises from the growth of non-meristematic tissue on pods of domesticated peas (Pisum sativum L. subsp. sativum). Neither expressivity, nor the effect of p...

The history of agriculture can be viewed as a series of key events, such as the Neolithic Revolution, post-domestication expansion of agriculture to new regions, secondary domestications of new crops, movement over the Silk Road, the Columbian Exchange, the Industrial Revolution, the Green Revolution and even the more recent, ongoing genomic revolu...

Premise: Seed germination over time is characterized by a sigmoid curve, called a germination curve, in which the percentage (or absolute number) of seeds that have completed germination is plotted against time. A number of individual coefficients have been developed to characterize this germination curve. However, as germination is considered to...

Medicago truncatula (barrel medic) and Pisum sativum subsp. elatius (wild pea) accessions originating from variable environmental conditions in the Mediterranean basin were used to study physical seed dormancy (PY) release. The effect of soil burial on PY release was tested on 112 accessions of medic and 46 accessions of pea over the period of 3 mo...

Legumes have played an important part in cropping systems since the dawn of agriculture, both as human food and as animal feed. The legume family is arguably one of the most abundantly domesticated crop plant families. Their ability to symbiotically fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility has been rewarded since antiquity and makes them a key prote...

Seed dormancy and timing of its release is an important developmental transition determining the survival of individuals, populations, and species in variable environments. Medicago truncatula was used as a model to study physical seed dormancy at the ecological and genetics level. The effect of alternating temperatures, as one of the causes releas...

Legumes represent the second most important family of crop plants after grasses, accounting for approximately 27% of the world's crop production. Past domestication processes resulted in a high degree of relatedness between modern varieties of crops, leading to a narrower genetic base of cultivated germplasm prone to pests and diseases. Crop wild r...

Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa ssp. villosa Roth) is native of Europe and Western Asia and it is the second most cultivated vetch worldwide. Hairy vetch is used as forage species in semiarid environments and as a legume cover crop in sub-humid and humid regions. Being an incompletely domesticated species, hairy vetch can form spontaneous populations in...

Seed dormancy and timing of its release is important developmental transition determining the survival of individual as well as population and species. We used Medicago truncatula as model to study legume seed dormancy in ecological and genomics context. The effect of oscillating temperatures as one of the dormancy release factor was tested over th...

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to identify loci associated with agronomic (days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, seed yield and seed weight), seed morphology (shape and dimpling), and seed quality (protein, starch, and fiber concentrations) traits of field pea (Pisum sativum L.). A collection of 135 pea accessions f...

Background: A water-impermeable testa acts as a barrier to a seed's imbibition, thereby imposing dormancy. The physical and functional properties of the macrosclereids are thought to be critical determinants of dormancy; however, the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of and release from dormancy in pea are not well understood. Methods: Seeds...

The authors would like to call the reader’s attention to the following correction in the section “Semiquantitative analysis“, page 1176, of the original publication.

Reproductive isolation is an important component of species differentiation. The plastid accD gene coding for the acetyl-CoA carboxylase subunit and the nuclear bccp gene coding for the biotin carboxyl carrier protein were identified as candidate genes governing nuclear-cytoplasmic incompatibility in peas. We examined the allelic diversity in a set...

Published in Grain Legumes, 51, 8, 2009

Background Seed germination is one of the earliest key events in the plant life cycle. The timing of transition from seed to seedling is an important developmental stage determining the survival of individuals that influences the status of populations and species. Because of wide geographical distribution and occurrence in diverse habitats, wild p...

Atmospheric solids analysis probe mass spectrometry (ASAP-MS) was used for the first time for direct surface analysis of plant material. It can be readily used for surface analysis of whole and intact pea seeds and their seed coats, and for the study of the profile of fatty acids on the outer surface. Furthermore, ASAP-MS in combination with multiv...

Pea, one of the founder crops from the Near East, has two wild species: Pisum sativum subsp. elatius, with a wide distribution centered in the Mediterranean, and P. fulvum, which is restricted to Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Using genome wide analysis of 11,343 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on a set of wild P....

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Transgressive segregation is referred to as the occurrence of progeny in segregating populations with higher and/or lower values than that of both parents, and it is often found in the progeny derived from distant crosses. Transgressive segregation represents a potential source of novel genetic variation in plant breeding. In the study, interspecif...

Humans have domesticated hundreds of plant and animal species as sources of food, fiber, forage, and tools over the past 12,000 years, with manifold effects on both human society and the genetic structure of the domesticated species. The outcomes of crop domestication were shaped by selection driven by human preferences, cultivation practices, and...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194056.].

Knowledge of current genetic diversity and mating systems of crop wild relatives (CWR) in the Fertile Crescent is important in crop genetic improvement, because western agriculture began in the area after the cold-dry period known as Younger Dryas about 12,000 years ago and these species are also wild genepools of the world’s most important food cr...

Mantel correlograms (Legendre & Legendre 2012) showing the scale of variation in the correlation of either environment with geography (a) and Fst with geography (b) and environment (c) using eight geographic distance classes of equal width (50 km) and seven environmental distance classes of unequal width to overcome the problem of the low number of...

Selfing rates of the studied populations in relation to the probability of occurrence in the current and future (CCSM4 rcp6.0) projected climatic niche. (DOCX)

GPS data for 59 wild pea populations. (PDF)

Principal component analysis (PCA) of molecular data. (DOCX)

Results of spatial autocorrelation analysis showing mean kinship coefficient (Ritland 1996) between samples, that are divided into 20 distance groups according to pairwise geographical distance. Black points show mean distance of the distance groups. (DOCX)

Complete DARTseq dataset. (ZIP)

WorldClim extracted bioclimatic variables and geographical distances of studied 14 populations. (PDF)

Summary of DARTseq analysis. Percentage of observed (Hobs), expected (Hexp) and missing datapoints derived from all and polymorphic DARTseq loci per 14 studied populations are shown. (PDF)

Inter-population pairwise Fst (above diagonal, ANOVA approach) and geographical distances (bellow diagonal, km). (PDF)

The domestication of one species by another has occurred several times in evolutionary history, such as the cultivation of fungal species by attine ants, ambrosia beetles and termites. However, the most prolific domesticators are humans, who have tamed hundreds of plant and animal species as sources of food, fibres, forages, and tools over the past...

Wild Cicer species are considered as useful genetic resources for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses due to limited resistance in cultivated chickpeas. As a wild perennial species in the genus Cicer L., Cicer isauricum P.H. Davis is an endemic species to Turkey and endangered status according to the International Union for Conservation of Na...