Seed Testing and Quality-Assurance
H igh-quality seed is the basis for profitable and productive agriculture, be it a large commercial field operation, a small familyowned farm, or a greenhouse-based operation producing bedding plants or specialty horticultural crops. Assessing seed quality and assuring the buyer of the validity of the seed label (Fig. 1) has been an important mission of the various seed regulatory agencies of state and federal governments and service-testing provided by commercial seed-testing laboratories around the world. Based on validity of labeling, commercial sales of seed have been a profitable business to both the seed producer and the consumer. In the United States and Canada, seed-testing rules have been developed and standardized by the Assn. of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) and in other countries around the world by the Inter-
Genetic Analysis of Maize (Zea mays L.) Hybrids Using Microsatellite Markers
Genetic purity is one of the most important quality criteria required for successful hybrid seed production. In this study, molecular markers were used for assessing the genetic purity and diversity of three commercially important maize F1 hybrids (Pasha, Frida and PG1661) and their parental inbred lines. Fifty Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) markers were used to analyze samples, also the efficiency of the markers were compared. Twenty three primer pairs among the fifty markers were able to detect polymorphism between the different types of hybrids with an average of 0.69 polymorphism information content (PIC) value. Genetic purity analyses revealed more than 98% homogeneity in the hybrid seeds. The hybrids were grouped into three main clusters. It can be concluded that, molecular markers are efficient to study the genetic purity and diversity in maize hybrids and microsatellites are more accurate marker-type because of their co-dominancy. Keywords: Maize; Seed genetic purity; Genetic diversity; SSRs; Cluster analysis
Multiculturalism: Beyond Food, Festival, Folklore, and Fashion
Abstract Using well-conceived instructional design, educational programs appropriately can reflect racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.