1. Leafy Vegetables Germplasm: Stimulating Use Contract number: AGRI Agreement number: 001 AGRI GENRES 870/2004
Partner 4 Palacky
Palacký University in Olomouc
Faculty of Science
Department of Botany
Olomouc – Holice
Czech Republic
overview of work in the year 2007 for project meeting in Angers (France) December 2007

2. Role of partner 4 Palacky in the project:
The group at Palacký University is directly engaged in two workpackages (WPs),
WP2: Regeneration & characterization
WP3: Evaluation;
Some activities are connected with tasks in WP1: Documentation;
Partner P4 develops activities leading to fulfillment of tasks in the WP5: Coordination.

3. Project design and deliverables:
Partner 4 will chararecterize morphologically 30 accessions of lettuce
(WP2 - to be delivered in month 45);
Partner 4 will evaluated 30 accessions of lettuce (identical to those used in WP2) for resistance to 20 isolates of Bremia lactucae
(WP3 – to be delivered in month 45);
Obtained data will be delivered in harmonized format to project database.

4. WP1: Documentation Year 1 Milestone date Milestone description
month 06
Material selected for regeneration and characterization of the four crop groups
month 12
Material selected for the evaluation activities of the four crop groups
Persons involved:
senior researcher: Aleš Lebeda
junior researcher: Eva Křístková
Action:
Request for 30 accessions of old lettuce cultivars sent to curator of the Czech National Germplasm Collection – Research Institute of Crop Production (RICP) in Praha – Ruzyně
Requested collection of accessions was provided by RICP.

5. WP2: Regeneration & characterization
Year 1
Milestone
date
Milestone description
Partner responsible – in format for projst reports
month 12
Regeneration and characterisation for all crops started
P0, P1, P2, P3, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, P10, P13
Milestone
date
Milestone description
Partner responsible – harmonized by partner 4
month 12
Regeneration and characterisation for all crops started
P0, P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, P10, P13

6. Persons involved:
senior researcher: Aleš Lebeda
junior researchers: Ivana Doležalová
Eva Křístková
Alžběta Novotná
Vladimír Vinter
technicians: Xenie Hanáková
Marie Lechnerová
Ladislava Vaverková
Drahomíra Vondráková
Vladimír Všetička

7. 1. Plant material (lettuce):
EVIGEZ number
Name of cultivar
RICP09H
Kamýk
RICP09H
Liban
RICP09H
Lednický
RICP09H
Podřipan
RICP09H
Pražan
RICP09H
Altenburský
RICP09H
Pisárecký raný
RICP09H
Pisárecký žlutozelený
RICP09H
Hanácký letní
RICP09H
Valašský universal
RICP09H
Malý pochoutka
RICP09H
Kunovický
RICP09H
Opavský
RICP09H
Zlatý rekord
RICP09H
Tichotův raný
15 accessions:
old, traditional Czech cultivars;
basic passport data available:
part databases
part EVIGEZ

8. 2. Methods (description of the work in 2007 – characterization of lettuce germplasm accessions)
6-7 March: seeds of 15 accessions sown to Perlite;
16-17 March: seedlings transplanted to the plant beds with garden soil;
19 April: plantlets with fully developed leaves planted to the field, spaced 50 x 50 cm;
each accession was represented by 24 plants;
during vegetative growth of plants - morphologic characterization
• for 8 descriptors according to the minimum descriptor list (elaborated by the ECP/WG Leafy Vegetables and agreeded for the project)
and
• for 11 additional descriptors (Křístková et al., 2007, submitted);
photodocumentation, sampling of achenes

9. Seed sowing to Perlit, transplanting seedlings to the blantbeds in greenhouse

10. Views on lettuce accessions in the field in 2007
10 August 2007
19 June 2007

11. Set of minimum descriptors for Lactuca sativa (ECP/GR, agreed by LVG in Olomouc 2005)
Descriptor name
Descriptor state
Note
Seed colour
1=white/cream, 2=yellow, 3=brown, 4=black
Flower anthocyanin content
0=absent, 1=present
Leaf anthocyanin content
(stand.)
0=absent, 3=weak, 5=medium, 7=strong
At harvest maturity
Outer leaf colour
1=yellow green, 2=green, 3=grey green, 4=blue green, 5=red green
Outer leaf colour intensity
3=light, 5=medium, 7=dark
Head shape (in longitudinal section)
0=head not formed, 1=elliptic, 2=broad elliptic, 3=circular, 4=transverse elliptic
Heart formation
0=absent, 3=slight, 5=moderate, 7=well developed
Homogeneity
1=completely homogeneous, 3=slightly heterogeneous, 5=moderate heterogeneous, 7=very heterogeneous, 9=completely heterogeneous

12. Ingeniously elaborated Czech (IECZ) descriptor list for Lactuca sativa germplasm
11 additional descriptors selected from:
Description of morphological characters of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) genetic resources
E. Křístková, I. Doležalová, A. Lebeda, V. Vinter, A. Novotná (submitted to Plant Genetic Resources (CABI Publishing, UK).
The set consists of 55 descriptors and 15 of them are elucidated by figures.
Example of figure to descriptor „Leaf blade – shape of apex“:
1 truncate – 2 rounded – 3 obtuse – 4 subacute - 5mucronate

13. Examples of L. sativa descriptors in IECZ:
Descriptor number
Descripton name
Descriptor state
1.3. Adult outer leaf (and leaf of non-heading types of lettuce) *
Outer adult leaf - colour
1 yellow green
2 green
3 gray green
4 blue green
5 red and green
99 other
1.3.2.
Outer adult leaf – intensity of colour
3 slight
5 moderate
7 intense *
Outer adult leaf – anthocyanin –distribution
0 absent
1 on the veins
2 on the blade margin
3 diffused on the entire lamina
4 in spots on the entire lamina
Outer adult leaf – anthocyanin - intensity of coloration
0 none *
Outer adult leaf - blistering

14. IECZ descriptor Minimum set ECP/GR
Example of harmonization of obtained data
Descriptor for „ Flower, resp. Inflorescence“
IECZ descriptor
Minimum set ECP/GR
Descriptor number
Descriptor name
Descriptor state
Flower – anthocyanin – distribution pattern on lower part of ligules
0 absent
1 in spots
2 on margin
3 diffused on surface
99 other
1 present
Flower anthocyanin content

15. 4. Results Examples of evaluated characteristics
1. Uniformity in basic characteristics assessed
cultivar Liban
cultivar Kamýk

16. 2. Heterogeneity in head formation within cultivar Pražan

17. 3. Symptoms of Edge burn on cultivar Pražan

18. 4. Necrosis of flower buds - cultivar Zlatý rekord
symptoms expressed only on several plants

19. 5. Heterogeneity in developmental stages within accessions
Opavský
1 plant
Kunovický
50:50

20. 6. Differences in developmental stages among accessions

21. WP3: Evaluation month 18 Evaluations started Started in month 6
Year 1
Milestone
date
Milestone description
Status Partner Palacky
month 18
Evaluations started
Started in month 6
Persons involved:
senior researcher: Aleš Lebeda
junior researcher: Irena Petrželová
Action:
totally 30 isolates of Bremia lactucae controlled in pathogenicity tests in growth chamber on a basic set of differential lettuce genotypes
20 isolates pre-selected for evaluation in year 2 (2008)

22. WP5. Co-ordination and dissemination
Persons involved:
senior researcher: Aleš Lebeda
junior researcher: Eva Křístková
Action:
participation at meetings, elaboration of projects reports, financial agenda
Article on LeafyVeg Project was translated into Czech and sent to „Žurnál“ - official journal of Palacký University in Olomouc and provided to expert group „MedVěd“ which is responsible for communication with media and spreading information on University research activities to public

23. Other issues:
E. Křístková, I. Doležalová, A. Lebeda, V. Vinter, A. Novotná: Description of morphological characters of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) genetic resources
(submitted in 2007 to Plant Genetic Resources (CABI Publishing, UK)).

24. Comments no problems with the study of lettuce no bottlenecks
difficulties with co-financing
external audit – much money to be payied for this action not closely connected to the project itself
Euro/CZK – not possible to keep exactly what was planned in each category

25. We thank you for your kind attention.