Differences in the Efficiency of Potassium （K） Uptake and Use in Barley Varieties

Screening of crop genotypes with high K efficiency plays a fundamental role in understanding their physiological mechanisms.In this study,pot culture experiment was conducted to reveal the differences in uptake and use of K among56 barley varieties.The coefficient of variation(CV)of K uptake(Ku)and K dry matter production index(KDMPI)of these varieties were higher than other indices and both Ku and KDMPI were significantly different among the barley varieties.Furthermore,Ku and KDMPI were positively correlated with dry matter weight(DMW)during the whole growth period;K use efficiency(KUE)and K harvesting index(KHI)were significantly related to dry grain weight(DGW)at maturing stage.Through cluster of these indices,Sandrime and AC Westech were found to be the most K-efficient and K-inefficient genotypes of barley,respectively.Significant differences were observed in uptake and use capacity of K between the two genotypes.During the whole growth period,Ku,K dry matter production efficiency(KDMPE),KDMPI and DMW of the Kefficient genotype were found to be 1.5-1.8,1.4-2.3,2.1-3.9,and 1.7-2.1 times higher than those of the K-inefficient genotype,respectively,and at maturing stage,DWG,KUE,and KHI of efficient genotype were higher than those of the inefficient one.The results also showed that Sandrime was the most efficient candidate among the tested varieties for K efficiency and further studies should be conducted to investigate its physiological and biochemical characteristics.     

Inheritance of Seed Color and Luster in Mungbean （ Vigna radiata ）

The inheritance of seed color and seed luster of mungbean was studied by using accessions/varieties with different seed colour, black (Black), green (KPS1) and green (KPS2). In KPS2×Black combination, the F2 seed color was shiny black. The F3 data indicated the following genotype: 3B-for black seed color, and 1 bb for green seed color. Plant purple petiole gene and black seed color gene were very close linkage. There was no segregation between them. Perhaps the same gene B controlled the color of purple petiole. Moreover in KPS1×Black combination F3 seed color population showed a wide rang of phenotypic variability. Perhaps seed luster was controlled by more than two genes.     

A New Host for Meloidogyne incognita （Kofoid ＆ White 1919） Chitwood, 1949 （Nemata： Tylenchida） in Turkey： Potato

Potato is the main material of nutrition comes after the wheat and, is subjected to attacks of different plant parasitic nematodes which cause serious damages in our country. Especially, root-knot nematodes cause serious crop losses on them. Due to usage oflnfested seeds, parasitic nematodes are increasing from year to year. In our country, so far, many infested hosts of Meloidogyne incognita （Kofoid ＆White, 1919） Chitwood, 1949 were detected but there is no report on investigation on potato. During this study, adult females of root-knot nematodes were obtained via extracting gals of 133 tuber samples, collected potatoes fields in the Marmara region especially Balikesir, Bilecik, Bursa, Canakkale, Edirne, Istanbul, Kirklareli, Kocaeli, Sakarya and Tekirdag provinces during 2007-2008. During identification the species, second stage larvae were taken into consideration as well as genital preparations of adult females. For the identification classical methods were used together with molecular methods. As result, M. incognita was detected, only species detected among the Meloidogyne genus upon the 10 provinces investigated in Edirne province, Bosna village. This is the first report of the infestation of this species potato and also in Marmara Region.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Cinnamoyl CoA Reductase Gene（CCR） in Pear（Pyrus pyrifolia）

Pear is a popular and commercially important fresh fruit, and its texture is related to the presence of sclereid formatted by parenchyma cell with lignification in vascular plants. Previous studies have demonstrated that content of lignin may be regulated by cinnamoyl CoA reductase（CCR） in various plants. However, the function of CCR in pears remains very limited. In the present study, we isolated a cDNA encoding CCR（PpCCR, GenBank accession No. KF999958） and its promoter（proPpCCR） from Whangkeumbae pear to investigate the function of CCR in lignin biosynthesis. PpCCR-GFP expressed in rice mesophyll protoplast demonstrated that PpCCR-GFP was localized in the cytoplasm, indicating that CCR may function in cytoplasm without localization signals. In transgenic plants carrying PpCCR, we observed higher lignin content compared with that in wild type plants, further suggesting that PpCCR can affect the lignin contents through regulating lignin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. More studies in other plants are needed to confirm our conclusion.     

Potentials of New Information and Communication Technologies （ICTs） in Agriculture Sector

There is a widespread belief that information and knowledge are vital for rural and agricultural development. Today, generation of new and various information and knowledge sources need new information and communication channels. New information and communication technologies can decrease poverty by promotion rural people access to education, health, government and financial services; overall, they can improve livelihood. The purpose of this study was to identify potentials of new information and communications technologies （ICTs） in agricultural and rural sector. Documentary research and literature review were used as research method. Findings revealed that the most applications for these ICTs in rural and agricultural sector were： E-trade of inputs and outputs, extension and training activities for rural dwellers, advertisement of rural tourism products, knowledge transfer from urban to rural and vice versa, official procedures and geographic information system （GIS） for management of natural resources.     

Single and Combined Effects of As （Ⅲ） and Acetochlor on Phosphatase Activity in Soil

The actions and interactions of acetochlor and As on the soil phosphatase activity were investigated after 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 30 and 60 d of exposure under control conditions. The soils were exposed to various concentrations of acetochlor and As individually and simultaneously. The results showed that acetochlor, As only, and combined pollution all clearly inhibited soil phosphatase activity. The maximum inhibition ratios of soil phosphatase activity by acetochlor, As only and combined pollution were 36.44, 74.12 and 61.29%, respectively. Two kinetic models, ν=c/(1+bi) (model 1) and ν=c(1+ai)/(l+bi) (model 2), were used to describe the relationship between the concentrations of As and acetochlor and the activity of soil phosphatase. The semi-effect dose (ED 50 ) values induced by As and acetochlor stress based on the inhibition of soil phosphatase were 18.1 and 33.11 mg kg-1, respectively, according to calculation by model 1. The interactive effect of acetochlor with As on soil phosphatase primarily consisted of significant antagonism effects at the higher concentrations tested. The step regression results show that the toxicity order was As (III)>acetochlor>As (III)×acetochlor throughout the incubation period.     

Comparative Studies of Substrate and Inhibitor Specificity of Glutathione S-Transferases in Six Tissues of Oxya chinensis （Thunberg） （Orthoptera： Acrididae）

Specific activity, substrate specificity, and kinetic parameters （Km and Vmax） of glutathione S-transferases （GSTs） towards three substrates, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene （CDNB）, 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene （DCNB）, and p-nitrobenzene chloride （pNBC） were investigated in six tissues （foregut, midgut, hindgut, fat body, hemolymph, and muscle） of Oxya chinensis. In addition, the inhibition in vitro （ethacrynic acid, and Cibacron Blue 3GA） of Oxya chinensis in the six tissues was also investigated. Glutathione S-transferase activity was detected in all the six tissues examined. The rank order of GST activities towards CDNB was fat body 〉 midgut 〉 hindgut 〉 muscle 〉 foregut 〉 hemolymph both in females and males. Glutathione S-transferase activities in the fat body in females and males were 1.3- to 10.4-fold and 1.1- to 10.0- fold higher than those in the other tissues. The rank order of GST activities towards the other substrates changed slightly. From these results, it was inferred that GSTs in the fat body and midgut played important roles in detoxifying xenobiotics including insecticides and plant allelochemicals in O. chinensis. In the three substrates examined, CDNB seemed to be the best substrate, followed by pNBC and DCNB. The kinetic parameters of GSTs were different among the six tissues. This suggested that GSTs in different tissues have various affinities and catalytic efficiency to substrates. In vitro inhibition study showed that the median inhibition concentration （IC50） values of the two inhibitors to GSTs from the six tissues were different. The results suggested that the two inhibitors have different inhibition potency to GSTs from the different tissues. The observed changes in kinetic parameters and inhibition in vitro among the six tissues of the insect might suggest that the number and structure of isoenzymes and their rate of expression varied for the different tissues.     

Immunocytochemical Identification and Localization of Diffuse Neuroendocrine System （DNES） Cells in Gastrointestinal Tract of Channel Catfish （Ictalurus punctatus）

To detect distribution and relative frequency of diffuse neuroendocrine system （DNES） cells in the gastrointestinal tract of channel catfish （lctalurus punctatus）, the intestinal tract of channel catfish was divided into seven portions from proximal to distal： the enlarged area after oesophagus, cardia, fundus, pylorus, and anterior, middle, and posterior intestine. Immunohistochemical method using the strept avidin-biotin-complex （SABC） was employed. All antisera between seven portions of the channel catfish were compared statistically using statistical package for the social science （SPSS）. Five types of DNES ceils were determined： neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive （NPY-IR） cells were demonstrated in both anterior and middle intestine; serotonin （5-HT） immunoreactive cells were detected throughout the whole gastrointestinal tract; vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP） positive cells were at the highest frequency in pylorus; glucagon-immunoreactive （GLU-IR） cells were moderate in number in the fundus and anterior, middle intestine, and no immunoreactivity was determined in the other portions; somatostatin （SOM） positive cells were more abundant in the anterior and middle intestine. The regional distribution and relative frequency of immunoreactive cells in the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, are essentially similar to those of other fish. However, some characteristics are observed in this species, which further proved that the diversity of the physiological function of DNES cells was based on their morphology.     

Alterations of Alternative Splicing Patterns of Ser/Arg-Rich （SR） Genes in Response to Hormones and Stresses Treatments in Different Ecotypes of Rice （Oryza sativa）

Ser/Arg-rich (SR) genes encode proteins that play pivotal roles in both constitutive and alternative splicing of pre-mRNA. However, not much effort has been made to investigate the alternative splicing of their own pre-mRNA. In this study, we conducted comprehensive analyses of pre-mRNA splicing for 22 SR genes in three rice (Oryza sativa L.) ecotypes indica, japonica and javanica. Using different ecotypes we characterized the variations in expression and splicing patterns of rice SR genes in different tissues and at different developmental stages. In addition, we compared the divergence in expression and splicing patterns of SR genes from seedlings of different rice ecotypes in response to hormones application and environmental stresses. Our results revealed the complexity of alternative splicing of SR genes in rice. The splicing varies in different tissues, in different ecotypes, in response to stresses and hormones. Thus, our study suggested that SR genes were subjected to sophisticated alternative splicing although their encoding proteins were involved in the splicing process.     

Differences in the Efficiency of Potassium（K） Uptake and Use in Five Apple Rootstock Genotypes

Plants that grow well while accumulating and transporting less potassium（K） perform better than more-sensitive plants when under deficiency conditions, which makes low-K-input and environmentally friendly agriculture possible. We conducted hydroponics and sand culture experiments to evaluate the efficiency of various apple（Malus domestica Borkh） rootstocks in their K uptake and utilization. Five genotypes were selected which are widely used in China- M. hupehensis Rehd, M. prunifolia Borkh, M. robusta Rehd, M. sieversii Roem, and M. rockii Rehd. Plant heights, root and shoot dry weights, and K concentrations were recorded. These genotypes differed markedly in dry weights, absolute and relative K concentrations, absolute and relative K accumulations, and their K efficiency ratio under deficient K conditions. The last parameter, expressed as relative shoot dry weight, was strongly and positively correlated with the other four parameters in each genotype. Therefore, we suggest that this parameter could serve as an index when selecting K-efficient genotypes. In this study, we have determined that M. sieversiiand M. rockii are K-inefficient genotypes; M. prunifolia is K-efficient genotype; M. hupehensis and M. robusta have moderate levels of potassium efficiency.     

Comparative Analysis of Hina Gene Sequences in Wild （Hordeum spontaneum） and Cultivated （H. vulgare） Barleys

The Hina gene is one of the two known Hin genes for hardness, and its RNA expression is correlated with grain hardness and dry matter digestibility variation. In this study, only one clone of Hina gene was obtained from one barley accession. A total of 121 Hina gene sequences were isolated from 121 wild barley {Hordeum spontaneum) accessions in Israel, Iran, and Turkey, and then their molecular characteristics were compared with 97 Hina gene sequences from 74 cultivated barley (H. vulgäre) lines in Europe and 23 landrace (H. vulgäre) with global distribution and other 26 Hina gene sequences from cultivated barleys (H. vulgäre) with unknown global distribution. C/s-acting regulatory element (CARE) searching revealed that there were different types of regulatory element for the Hina gene in wild and landrace/cultivated barleys. There were six consistent cw-acting binding sites in wild and landrace/cultivated barleys, whereas 8 to 16 inconsistent TATA-boxes were observed. In addition, three special elements (E2Fb, Spl, and boxS) were only observed in wild barley, while one (AT 1 -motif) was only found in landrace/cultivated barley. Forty-four deduced amino acid sequences of HINA from wild and landrace/cultivated barleys were obtained by deleting repetitive amino acid sequences, and they were clustered into two groups on the basis of Neighbor-Joining analysis. However, there was no obvious difference in the amino acid sequences of HINA between wild and landrace/cultivated barleys. Comparing to protein secondary structure of wheat PINA, it was indicated that HINA also existed a signal peptide. In addition, HINA was a hydrophilic protein on the basis of the protein properties and composition.     

Expression of BMP Receptors in Porcine Granulosa Cells （GCs） and Their Regulation by Luteinizing Hormone （LH）

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play critical roles in follicle growth and development. BMPs initiate signaling by assembling BMP receptors and activating Smads, which in turn alter expression of target enes. The mechanism underlying the regulation of the expression of BMP receptors and Smads during follicle development in pigs is still unknown. By quantitative real-time PCR, the mRNA expression of BMP receptors and Smads in granulosa cells (GC) was investigated.Cells were obtained from small porcine follicles (SF; <3 mm diameter) and dominant follicles (DF; >6 mm diameter); ActRIA and BMPR2 mRNA levels in DF were significantly higher (P<0.05) than that in SF, whereas BMPRIB, Smad4 and Smad7 expression tended to decrease (P>0.05). The levels of BMPRIA, ActR2, Smadl, Smad5, and Smad8 mRNA did not differ between DFs and SFs. To investigate the effect of LH on BMP receptors in GC, cells obtained from porcine DFs were cultured in medium supplemented with different doses of luteinizing hormone (LH). High doses of LH (4 IU mL-1)significantly decreased the concentration of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in medium and the expression of Cyp19a1 (P450 aromatase, P450arom) and Cypl lal (cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme P450, P450scc), while significantly increased viable cell numbers and up-regulated expression of cyclin dependent kinase-4 (CDK4) and cyclin D2. However,LH had no effect on the expression of BMP receptor genes. Thus, the present study indicates that the expression of members of the BMP signaling pathway in porcine GC is regulated during follicle development and the expression of BMP receptors are not regulated by LH in porcine GCs.     

Effects of Exogenous Jasmonic Acid on Concentrations of Direct-Defense Chemicals and Expression of Related Genes in Bt （Bacillus thuringiensis） Corn （Zea mays）

Bt corn is one of the top three large-scale commercialized transgenic crops around the world.It is increasingly clear that the complementary durable approaches for pest control,which combine the endogenous defense of the crop with the introduced foreign genes,are promising alternative strategies for pest resistance management and the next generation of insect-resistant transgenic crops.In the present study,we tested the inducible effects of exogenous jasmonic acid(JA) on direct-defense chemical content,Bt protein concentration,and related gene expression in the leaves of Bt corn cultivar 34B24 and non-Bt cultivar 34B23 by chemical analysis,ELISA,and RT-PCR.The results show that the expression of LOX,PR-2αMPI,and PR-1 genes in the treated leaf(the first leaf)was promoted by exogenous JA both in 34B24 and 34B23.As compared with the control,the concentration of DIMBOA in the treated leaf was significantly increased by 63 and 18% for 34B24 and 34B23,respectively.The total phenolic acid was also increased by 24 and 12% for both 34B24 and 34B23.The Bt protein content of 34B24 in the treated leaf was increased by 13% but decreased significantly by 27% in the second leaf.The induced response of 34B24 was in a systemic way and was much stronger than that of 34B23.Those findings indicated that there is a synergistic interaction between Bt gene and internally induced chemical defense system triggered by externally applied JA in Bt corn.     

Molecular Characterization and Expression Profiles of Myrosinase Gene（RsMyr2） in Radish（Raphanus sativus L.）

Myrosinase is a defense-related enzyme and is capable of hydrolyzing glucosinolates into a variety of compounds, some of which are toxic to pathogens and herbivores. Many studies revealed that a number of important vegetables or oil crops contain the myrosinase-glucosinolate system. However, the related promoter and genomic DNA sequences as well as expression profiles of myrosinase gene remain largely unexplored in radish（Raphanus sativus）. In this study, the 2 798 bp genomic DNA sequence, designated as RsMyr2, was isolated and analyzed in radish. The RsMyr2 consisting of 12 exons and 11 introns reflected the common gene structure of myrosinases. Using the genomic DNA walking approach, the 5′-flanking region upstream of RsMyr2 with length of 1 711 bp was successfully isolated. PLACE and PlantCARE analyses revealed that this upstream region could be the promoter of RsMyr2, which contained several basic cis-regulatory elements including TATA-box, CAAT-box and regulatory motifs responsive to defense and stresses. Furthermore, recombinant pET-RsMyr2 protein separated by SDS-PAGE was identified as myrosinase with mass spectrometry. Real-time PCR analysis showed differential expression profiles of RsMyr2 in leaf, stem and root at different developmental stages（e.g., higher expression in leaf at cotyledon stage and lower in flesh root at mature stage）. Additionally, the RsMyr2 gene exhibited up-regulated expression when treated with abscisic acid（ABA）, methyl jasmonate（MeJA） and hydrogen peroxide（H2O2）, whereas it was down-regulated by wounding（WO） treatment. The findings indicated that the expression of RsMyr2 gene was differentially regulated by these stress treatments. These results could provide new insight into elucidating the molecular characterization and biological function of myrosinase in radish.     

Process of Salinisation of a Lagoon and a Coastal Aquifer in Annaba Area （East Algerian）

The study area is located in a Mediterranean region, so the effects of the climate variations are very important. The authors contribution to this subject is based on the compilation of many results obtained from dissertations and theses that are carried out under their supervision. The main tool used, in addition to other methods, is the water hydrochemistry as it is proved very useful in obtaining good results and helpful in getting objective interpretations regarding the presence and absence of salinity. Several factors are undertaken to show the presence of salts in waters in the plain, the lithology of the geological formations shows that they are composed of alluvium sediments where the permeability is quite high, and this enables hydraulic communication between the fresh water of the aquifer and saline water of the sea. The study of climate shows a decrease of precipitation which favors an important decrease of recharge rate to the aquifer, and hence a decrease of water resource. The strontium which is a good indicator for the origin of salinity shows a variation that indicates a variation in the distribution of the salinity, and therefore diverse origins of salinity all over the studied area. This can infer the presence of marine invasion in the down-stream part of the aquifer, whereas elsewhere salinity is caused by the presence of evaporitic formation, mainly by the argillaceous matrix in the bottom of the lake. in the up-stream part of the aquifer. In the lake, salinity is explained