Turmeric rhizome cross section has inner and outer cores. Inner core is assumed to be valuable for turmeric curcumin content. Can we predict curcumin content of a genotype by just looking at the inner core colour?
If the same question was asked for 'rainbow' carrots (different color of carrots), then it should be working. Those 'rainbow' carrot varieties have different color roots. Genes control those colors are well studied. By just looking at the root cross section, one experienced carrot breeder can tell what possible genotype they have (see attachment).
Some traits are controlled by genetics and are also affected by environmental factors. Especially, when a color trait is greatly associated with genetic and environment interaction (GxE). Do you know whether the color intensity of turmeric rhizomes affect by different environments? If so, then it is hard to identify its genotypes by just visualizing the color of their rhizome cross section. The color from one location can be different from the other location.
Yes colour in turmeric is affected by environment. But in a particular environment, can we discriminate genotypes? Is there any work on carrot you can suggest to me.
Hi Giridhar,
1. You are right. The color in turmeric is affected by environment (see attached paper).
2. In a particular location, I think, it is possible. Especially you have already established a good 'color reference' (ex. in this location, the color of variety 'A' should look like this, and variety 'B' should look like this...etc). However, even at a single location, the nutrients (fertilizer) of soil can also affect the color, as mentioned in the attached paper. If the soil nutrients are not homogenous across the growing plot. The color can also be different for the roots in the same plot.
Visualizing of color intensity for predicting genotypes also difficult if you have many varieties/genotypes growing together. If you have only 2-3 varieties, prediction might be much easier, especially when their color intensity is obvious different (ex. one is intense, one is light and one is medium).
3. Carrot roots (I am talking about different color verities: orange, blue, white, yellow,......) are somewhat easier to do so because they have distinct colors. It is also difficult to distinguish genotypes by visualizing color intensity of a same color carrot (ex. orange carrot).
While it can be difficult to determine a genotype from visualizing the color of turmeric roots, a model system was developed to predict the maximum yield of curcumin content of a specific variety at a specific location with a specific climate. See attachment.
Paper title: "Development of Prediction Model and Experimental Validation in Predicting the Curcumin Content of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). "
The model ignores the genotype, Genotype and Environment interaction. The model is treating the curcumin production is wholly governed by environment. The model predicted curcumin content for a new site (Figure 12, site: Pottangi) was 0.8. I personally know that the station at Pottanig, Odisha, India has released several turmeric varieties. The research station houses 300 turmeric germplasm lines. The curcumin in these lines vary between 0.5 to 8 %, but the reported value was 0.8. The important released varieties contain curcumin content between 3-7 %. I think the work is exploratory in nature and data set size (as I am trained in Machine Learning) is quite insufficient and do not meet the data requirements.
@ Giridhar, thank you for pointing that out, as I only quick browse through the abstract.
Yau Sir, thank you for the quick response. I am still pondering at this question.
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