Investigations into the biochemical basis for nematode resistance in roots of three musa cultivars in response to Radopholus similis infection

The Musa cultivars, Dwarf Cavendish, Yangambi Km5 and Kunnan, exhibit considerable differences in resistance to Radopholus similis. Infection resulted in significant increases in condensed tannins and flavan-3,4-diols in roots (P < 0.001). The highly resistant cultivar Kunnan had the highest levels of condensed tannins before and after infection. The preinfection levels were similar to the postinfection levels of the two other cultivars. Tannins had mostly procyanidin character, but Kunnan also contained propelargonidins; these compounds may be involved in the resistance mechanism. It is suggested that the butanol/HCl assay be used as a rapid test in screening for resistance to R. similis.     

Molecular basis of the nitrogen response in plants

Nitrogen is an essential element for living organisms because it is a crucial constituent of biomolecules. Inadequate supply of usable nitrogen reduces plant growth and crop yield. The primary nitrogen sources for plants are nitrate and ammonium in soils, and plants have multiple layers of sensing and adaptive mechanisms that respond to the availability of these nutrients. The adaptive responses are called ‘nitrogen responses,’ which include morphological and physiological responses enabling plants to efficiently take up nitrogen and adapt to spatiotemporal fluctuations in nitrogen abundance in the field. In this review, we summarize the strategies that plants use to respond to changes in the nitrogen nutrient status in the soil and discuss different effects produced by nitrate and ammonium, emphasizing the important role of nitrate for plant growth. Recent studies revealed the molecular mechanism mediating the primary response to nitrate provision and the molecular mechanisms that coordinate the nitrogen response with responses to another macronutrient, phosphorus. We thus discuss these molecular mechanisms as well.     

植物吸收铵态氮的分子生物学基础

植物对铵离子的吸收和铵离子在细胞间的转运是铵转运蛋白介导的需能主动运输过程。植物铵转运蛋白位于细胞膜上,含有101～1个跨膜域,分子量约为48.kD。研究表明,植物体内的铵转运蛋白由小基因家族成员编码,在表达特性上不同成员具有时空特异性。植物体内铵转运蛋白在功能、生化特性和转录调节水平上存在差异。在不同氮素水平下,铵转运蛋白基因通过转录和翻译调控,对于保持植株的适宜氮素供应以及氮胁迫条件下维持植物细胞中氮素的内稳态具有重要作用。     

植物钾吸收的分子水平研究

本文从钾离子通道、高亲和力K+ 转运体和H+ -ATP酶等 3方面综述了K+营养的分子生物学、生理生化等的研究结果。植物钾吸收与这 3类转运蛋白的关系极为密切。主要论述K+转运体和K+通道及其介导高低亲和力钾吸收方面的作用 ,以及 3类转运蛋白的调节 ,蛋白的表达 ,调节影响K+的吸收运输和利用     

Exogenous succinate increases resistance of maize plants to copper stress

The effect of copper (Cu) excess (1.5, 4.7, 31, 78, 156 μM) and exogenously supplied succinate on plant growth, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and isoenzym profiles of some antioxidant enzymes in maize plants was studied. Excessive Cu supply led to a reduction in the relative growth rate (RGR), tolerance index (TI), chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents, and the quantum yield of PSII electron transport in the light‐adapted state (ΦPSII). Copper treatment induced several changes in the anionic and cationic peroxidases (PODs), as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoenzyme profiles. After 8 d of 78 μM–Cu treatment, two new anionic and two new cationic peroxidase isoenzymes in the roots were registered. Copper applied at concentrations above 31 μM resulted in higher levels of manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn‐SOD) in the roots and Cu,Zn‐superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn‐SOD) in the leaves. However, the addition of Na‐succinate (200 μM) to the root medium prior to Cu treatment increased the capacity of the plants to partially overcome Cu toxicity.     

Evaluation of cultivated and wild barley for resistance to pathotypes ofPuccinia hordei with wide virulence

An isolate ofPuccinia hordei (ND89-3) originally collected in Morocco is virulent on most barley genotypes reported to possess resistance, except cultivar Estate (CI 3410), which possesses theRph3 gene and exhibits a low to intermediate level of resistance (infection type 12). Isolate ND89-3 possesses one of the widest virulence spectrums reported forP. hordei. Accessions ofHordeum vulgare (1,997 in total) andH. spontaneum (885 in total), mostly originating from the Mediterranean region and parts of North Africa, were evaluated with isolate ND89-3 at the seedling stage to identify new sources of leaf rust resistance. Fifty-eight accessions ofH. vulgare, and 222 accessions ofH. spontaneum exhibited low infection types to this isolate. Further evaluations of these resistant accessions with isolates ofP. hordei virulent forRph3,Rph7, andRph12 suggested that most of the resistantH. vulgare accessions possess theRph3 gene. Data suggested additional sources of effective resistance inH. vulgare are rather limited. FiveH. vulgare accessions and 167H. spontaneum accessions were identified as possible sources of new genes for leaf rust resistance. These accessions likely possess resistance genes that are different fromRph1 toRph12, or gene combinations thereof based on their reaction to four leaf rust isolates. Utilization of these accessions in barley breeding will broaden the germplasm resources available for genetic control ofP. hordei. North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 2123. The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Soil horizons as the basis for classification of alluvial soils

The horizons of different types in alluvial soils of central Russia are compared with respect to their morphological characteristics using the method of dendrograms. It is argued that diagnostic soil horizons should clearly reflect in their properties the character of pedogenic processes and, thus, be the basis for classification of alluvial soils. Overall, seven types of soil horizons are suggested as diagnostic horizons for flood-plain soils of the Russian Plain.     

Evaluation of Gossypium arboreum L. Germplasm for resistance to thrips

Summary As part of a project to assess the U.S. Asiatic Cotton Germplasm Collection as a source of genes for pest resistance, forty-three accessions of Gossypium arboreum L. were evaluated for resistance to thrips. Thrips, Thysanoptera spp., are a minor, but widespread pest on cotton, G. hirsutum L. and G. barbadense L. Accessions were planted in free-choice field tests in 1988, 1989, and 1990 at the Cotton Branch Experiment Station, Marianna, Arkansas. Damage ratings, based on a scale of 0 (no damage) to 7 (severe damage), were made approximately one month after planting. Relative score was computed by dividing the rating of each accession by the rating of the reference, G. hirsutum Stoneville 506. The relative score averaged over all G. arboreum accessions by year varied with the year, but was less than 100 (relative score for Stoneville 506) in each case. When data were combined for all three years, twenty-five accessions were significantly better than Stoneville 506. Introgression of the better accessions into G. hirsutum is now in progress.Abbreviations NPGS National Plant Germplasm System - STV 506 G. hirsutum Stoneville 506     

Evaluation of a wild lentil collection for resistance to vascular wilt

Vascular wilt caused byFusarium oxysporum f. sp.lentis Vasud. & Srin. is the major disease of the cultivated lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus). Host plant resistance is the most practical method of disease management. Wild lentils represent an unexplored potential source for disease resistance and other characters. Screening 219 accessions of wildLens Miller and 2 accessions ofVicia montbretii Fisch. & Mey. (syn.Lens montbretii (Fisch et Mey) Davis et Plitm.) for resistance to a Syrian isolate of this fungus at the seedling stage was conducted under artificial inoculation in a plastic house. Resistance at the reproductive growth stage was confirmed in pots in a plastic house and in a wilt-sick plot. Three accessions each ofLens culinaris ssp.orientalis (Boiss.) Ponert andL. nigricans M.B. Godr. ssp.nigricans Godr. and 2 ofL. nigricans ssp.ervoides (Brign.) Lad. maintained their resistance at the reproductive growth stage in the plastic house. All accessions ofL. culinaris ssp.odemensis Lad. andV. montbretii were susceptible. However, in the sick-plot only three accessions (ILWL 79 & ILWL 113 ofL. culinaris ssp.orientalis and ILWL 138 ofL. nigricans ssp.ervoides) maintained a good level of resistance. Resistance at the seedling stage was often found in accessions collected from northern and western sites of the distribution of the genus at low elevations. The most resistant accessions in the field at the reproductive growth stage were from Syria and Turkey.     

Evaluation of wild Lactuca species for resistance of natural infection of powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum)

Summary The 99 accessions of seven wild Lactuca species (L. serriola, L. saligna, L. virosa, L. viminea, L. perennis, L. tenerrima, L. tatarica) and Mycelis muralis (syn. L. muralis) were tested for natural infection of Erysiphe cichoracearum L. serriola accessions were highly susceptible. L. saligna showed highly variable levels of resistance. Other Lactuca species were mostly resistant or only moderately susceptible.     

The inducible formation of urease in rice plants

Enzyme induction has been extensively investigated in bacteria. Recently the mechanism of enzyme induction has been made clear by the advances of research in molecular biology (1,2). Comparable studies with higher plants have received lens attention because of the relatively love rate of induction and there have been few reports about enzyme induction in higher plants (3–11).     

Evaluation of bradyrhizobia strains isolated from field-grown soybean plants in Argentina as improved inoculants

Bradyrhizobium strains were isolated from nodules obtained from field-grown soybean plants sampled in 12 soybean production locations in Argentina. These fields had been annually cropped with soybean and did not show decreases in yields even though they had been neither N-fertilized nor inoculated for at least the last 5 years. We hypothesized that the isolated strains maintained high competitiveness and efficiency in fixing adequate N₂ levels. A set of strains that showed the highest nodular occupancy in each sampling location were assayed for symbiotic performance under greenhouse and field conditions and comparatively evaluated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum E109, the strain officially recommended for inoculant formulation in Argentina. An inoculant pool, formed by four strains obtained from nodules collected from Cañada Rica, developed higher nodular biomass than B. japonicum E 109 in assays carried out in greenhouses under well irrigated conditions. Additionally, neither nodule production nor specific nitrogenase activity decreased with respect to B. japonicum E 109 when plants were drought stressed during 7 days from sowing. The mean yields obtained under field conditions and plotted against the principal component one (CP1) obtained with an additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model showed that the inoculant pool from Cañada Rica had higher contribution to yield than strain E 109, although with lower environmental stability. The inoculant pool from Cañada Rica could be considered an improved inoculant and be used for preliminary assays, to formulate inoculants in Argentina.     

Evaluation of world collection of kabuli chickpea for resistance to iron-deficiency chlorosis

Summary Iron-deficiency chlorosis is often seen in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) fields in the Mediterranean region and is particularly severe in fields where iron-deficiency susceptible cultivars are sown. Therefore, ICARDA's breeding programme field evaluated 6224 kabuli chickpea germplasm accessions for iron-deficiency chlorosis on a high pH Calcic Rhodoxeralf soil (pH 8.5, 20–25% calcium carbonate) at Tel Hadya, Syria during the winter and spring of 1987/88. Two resistant and 17 susceptible lines were grown during autumn, winter and spring of 1988/89 to examine the effect of sowing time on the appearance of the deficiency. About 99% of accessions showed no iron-deficiency symptoms. Evaluation of susceptible accessions during autumn, winter, and spring sowing revealed that iron-deficiency chlorosis was more pronounced during winter sowing. There were also significant genotype x season interactions, indicating differential responses of genotypes to time of sowing. Since the iron-deficiency chlorosis character is controlled by recessive genes, a negative selection to discard the susceptible lines from breeding material is recommended as an effective breeding strategy.Joint contribution from ICARDA and ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics), Patancheru P.O., A. P. 502 324, India.     

Drought pretreatment increases the salinity resistance of tomato plants

Agricultural productivity is worldwide subjected to increasing salinity problems. Various strategies are applied to overcome the deleterious effects of salinity on plants. This study was conducted in order to determine whether drought pretreatment of seedlings or seed pretreatment with NaCl increases the long‐term salinity resistance of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and whether the adaptive response to salinity is accompanied by physiological changes throughout the plant‐growth cycle. When plants were pretreated at the five‐leaf growth stage, the plant dry weight was significantly higher in drought‐pretreated than in non‐pretreated plants after 50 d of salt treatment. The positive effect of drought pretreatment applied at the five‐leaf stage was maintained throughout the entire growth cycle, as fruit yield of drought‐pretreated plants was 40% higher than that of non‐pretreated plants at the end of the harvest period (150 d of 70 mM NaCl treatment). Moreover, the most productive plants maintained lower Na⁺ and Cl^– accumulation in their leaves until the end of the growth cycle, which shows that adaptation is a long‐term response during which the plants adjust their physiology to the environmental conditions. Salt resistance was also improved through seed pretreatment with NaCl. In conclusion, drought pretreatment applied at the five‐leaf stage or seed pretreatment with NaCl provide an alternative way to enhance salt resistance in tomato, and the increase in yield is associated with physiological changes throughout the plant‐growth cycle.     

Evaluation of the sensitivity of a 15N test for nitrogen deficiency in plants

Abstract

A test for nitrogen (N) deficiency in plants showed that rate of uptake of ¹⁵N by excised roots was inversely related to the amount of N supplied to the growing plant. Deficiency was successfully identified from the rate of uptake of ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺ from solution in a two hour period, and this was adopted in the early development of the method. In this study, modifications were tested in a sensitivity analysis, to compare ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺ and ¹⁵NO₃ ^? uptake for different times of immersion and with different washing treatments, to determine the most sensitive method. Common bentgrass (Agrostis capillaris L.), grown in sand culture at a range of N concentrations from deficient to optimum, was the test plant. Although uptake by roots from N deficient treatments was always significantly higher for both ammonium (NH₄) and nitrate (NO₃), the uptake of NH₄ was two to five times higher than that of NO₃. The rate of uptake of both ions was approximately linear over 20 mins, one hour, or two hours. Although a two hour period of immersion would be necessary in some cases to obtain sufficient ¹⁵N in the roots for analysis, it should therefore be possible to interpolate, for direct comparison of rates of uptake by different species, and also with results from similar phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) bioassays, where radioisotope uptake is measured over a shorter time (15 min). The results suggest that the method initially adopted was the most sensitive to identify N deficiency.     

Evaluation of Aegilops tauschii Coss. for resistance to wheat stem rust and inheritance of resistance genes in hexaploid wheat

With the objective to identify new sources of resistance to wheat stem rust, a collection of 169 accessions ofAegilops tauschii, obtained from the IPK genebank at Gatersleben, Germany, were screened for resistance undercontrolled conditions. Fourteen (8%) accessions were resistant to stem rust among which 10 were highly resistant(IT 5 ; and 1) and four exhibited a moderately resistance reaction (IT 5 2). From the synthetic hexaploids whichwere produced by hybridizing resistant Ae. tauschii with susceptible Triticum durum, six synthetics expressed ahigh level of stem rust resistance similar to their corresponding diploid parents, while five displayed either areduced or complete susceptibility compared to their Ae. tauschii parents. This suppression of resistance at thehexaploid level suggests the presence of suppressor genes in the A and/ or B genomes of the T. durum parents.Inheritance of resistance from crosses of five stem rust resistant synthetic hexaploids with two susceptible T.aestivum genotypes revealed that three of the synthetics (syn 101, syn 601 and syn 801) possessed one dominantgene each, syn 111 has two different dominant genes and syn 116 has two complementary interacting genes forstem rust resistance. Intercrosses among the four stem rust resistant synthetic hexaploids indicated that the putativegenes conferring stem rust resistance in each of the synthetics are neither allelic nor closely linked to each other.     

宁夏六盘山10种木本植物抗旱性研究

2005年7—8月在宁夏六盘山南侧的香水河小流域（半湿润地区）和北侧的叠叠沟小流域（半干旱地区）,应用PV技术测定辽东栎（Quercus liaotungensis）、少脉椴（Tilia paucicostata）、白桦（Betula platyphylla）、红桦（Betula albo-sinensis）、糙皮桦（Betula utilis）、华北落叶松（Larix principis-rupprechtii）、华山松（Pinus armandii）、山杨（Populus davidi-ana）、山桃（Prunus davidiana）和沙棘（Hippophae rhamnoides）10种木本植物的多个水分参数,并对这10种木本植物的抗旱性进行综合评定。结果表明：在测定期内,用不同的水分参数比较这10种木本植物的抗旱性大小排序存在一定的差异;采用Fuzzy函数方法综合评定植物的抗旱性研究表明,香水河小流域内7种木本植物的抗旱能力由强到弱为：少脉椴、华山松、辽东栎、华北落叶松、白桦、红桦、糙皮桦;叠叠沟小流域内4种木本植物的抗旱能力由强到弱为：华北落叶松、山桃、沙棘、山杨,其与束缚水/自由水的单指标评价结果相近,说明树种的自身贮水调节能力对抗旱性评价具有重要作用。2种不同水分条件地域内华北落叶松的抗旱能力明显不同,叠叠沟小流域华北落叶松的抗旱能力比香水河小流域强,说明同一树种在干旱条件下通过长期适应会提高抗旱能力。     

Evaluation of useful plants for the treatment of polluted pond water with low N and P concentrations

Eutrophication of ponds for agricultural use has begun to adversely affect rice production and the residential living environment in Japan. Cultivation of useful terrestrial and aquatic plant species in plant-bed filter ditches enables to treat domestic wastewater in addition to resource recycling and amenity functions. We evaluated the ability of several plant species, Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), hanana (Brassica campestris L. var.), African marigold (Tages erecta L.), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.), kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), papyrus (Cyperus papyrus L.), and reed (Phragmites communis Trin.), to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from polluted pond water whose N and P concentrations were much lower than those in domestic wastewater. Artificial pond water containing 2.5 mg L^-1 of N and 0.5 mg L^-1 of P was supplied to ditches at a loading rate of 1.1 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.21 g m^-2 d^-1 for P. Italian ryegrass, papyrus, or kenaf in ditches removed N and P more effectively than other plants. The average removal rate of Italian ryegrass in ditches was 0.62 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.10 g m^-2 d^-1 for P, that of papyrus 0.81 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.15 g m^-2 d^-1 for P, and that of kenaf 0.73 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.11 g m^-2 d^-1 for P. The influence of N and P concentrations on the removal rates of Italian ryegrass, papyrus, and kenaf was studied. Concentrations at a removal rate of zero were 0.2–0.3 mg L^-1 for N and 0.01–0.03 mg L^-l for P. At low concentrations, the plant removal rates increased sharply with the rise in the concentration. When N concentrations exceeded 0.3–0.6 mg L^-1 and P concentrations 0.10–0.45 mg L^-1, the removal rates were high and less affected by the concentration. It was considered that these plant species could be used most efficiently at the concentrations where removal rates are less restricted.     

Evaluation of Roegneria for resistance to head scab caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe

71 accessions from 13 Roegneria species were evaluated for resistance to wheat scab. The results showed that 31 of the 71 accessions possessed high resistance (HR) to initial infection and high resistance (HR) to pathogen spread. The disease spread from inoculated floret to head rachis was not observed, and the incidence of head infection were lower under natural than under artificial inoculation conditions. The intergeneric hybrid F1 of Roegneria tsukushiensis (Honda) B.R. Lu, Yen et J.L. Yang. var. transiens (Hack.) B.R. Lu, Yen et J.L. Yang × Hordeum vulgare Linn. exhibited resistance (R) to pathogen invasion and high resistance (HR) to spread. Therefore, Roegneria could be used as scab resistant resources in cereal breeding. In addition, the relatioship between its resistance and ecological environments where Roegneria was distributed was discussed in this paper.     

Evaluation of emmer wheat and other Triticeae for resistance to Russian wheat aphid

Summary During the winters of 1990/91 and 1991/92, 181 accessions of Triticum dicoccon Schrank from the CIMMYT gene-bank were screened in the field for resistance to Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov). Accessions were sown in hill plots of 10 seeds and artificially infested with D. noxia at the two-leaf growth stage. Hills were visually assessed for damage at tillering, booting and heading. Entries differed significantly in their reaction to D. noxia, and severity of symptoms increased with time. Twenty four of the entries were highly resistant to the aphid. In winter 1991/92, 807 accessions of wild and cultivated wheats (26 species) and synthetic hexaploids were screened similarly for resistance to D. noxia. A large number of A-genome species were resistant, while few D-genome species were identified as resistant. These newly discovered sources of resistance can be used to expand the genetic base of resistance to D. noxia in both bread (T. aestivum L.) and durum wheats (T. turgidum L. convar. durum (Desf.) Mackey).