Implementation of two high through-put techniques in a novel application: detecting point mutations in large EMS mutated plant populations

Background  

The establishment of mutant populations together with the strategies for targeted mutation detection has been applied successfully to a large number of organisms including many species in the plant kingdom. Considerable efforts have been invested into research on tomato as a model for berry-fruit plants. With the progress of the tomato sequencing project, reverse genetics becomes an obvious and achievable goal.     

Transient diabetes mellitus in a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo)

A 3.5-year-old spayed female ferret, fed a diet high in refined sugar, was referred for lethargy, polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia. Diabetic ketoacidosis was diagnosed. Treatment included insulin therapy and a low carbohydrate diet. Diabetes mellitus resolved 54 d later, and insulin therapy was discontinued. There has been no recurrence of the diabetes mellitus.     

Analysis of flonicamid and its metabolites in dried hops by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical method was developed for the determination of the neo-nicotinoid insecticide flonicamid ( N-cyanomethyl-4-trifluoromethylnicotinamide) and its metabolites N-(4-trifluoronicotinoyl) glycine (TFNG), 4-trifluoronicotinic acid (TFNA), and 4-trifluoromethylnicotinamide (TFNA-AM) in dried hops. The method utilized C18 and polymeric solid phase extraction (SPE) column cleanups, liquid-liquid partitioning, and liquid chromatography (LC) with mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Method validation and concurrent recoveries from untreated dried hops ranged from 66 to 119% for all compounds over five levels of fortification (0.005, 0.02, 0.2, 2.0, and 4.0 ppm). Flonicamid-treated hop samples collected from three field sites had the following residues: flonicamid levels of 0.561-2.85 ppm, TFNA levels of 0.302-0.470 ppm, TFNA-AM levels of 0.038-0.177 ppm, and TFNG levels of 0.098-0.204 ppm. Untreated hop samples from all fields had residues <0.005 ppm for flonicamid, TFNA, TFNA-AM, and TFNG. The limit of quantitation and limit of detection for all compounds were 0.005 and 0.0025 ppm, respectively.     

不同施肥条件下夏玉米的干物质积累、产量及氮肥利用效率

针对我国华北地区夏玉米生产中所面临的氮素污染和秸秆资源严重浪费等问题，中国农业大学和德国霍恩海姆大学(Hohenheim University of Germany)自1999以来开展了中德国际合作项目“华北平原作物高产高生产力条件下环境可承受的持续农业研究”。研究表明：在同一时期，优化施肥、秸秆还田优化施肥与传统施肥夏玉米干物质积累量无显著性差异。拔节到吐丝，优化施肥的干物质日增长量和干物质积累量并不低于传统施肥，吐丝到灌浆，略低于传统施肥；秸秆还田优化施肥两阶段的干物质日增长量和干物质积累量最高。3处理间夏玉米产量无显著性差异。优化施肥和秸秆还田优化施肥条件下，氮肥当季利用率显著高于传统施肥。     

优化水肥和传统水肥对冬小麦生长发育及产量的影响

在优化水肥条件下，冬小麦生育进程与传统水肥一致，株高、单位面积总茎数、叶面积指数和干物质积累量的动态变化与传统水肥差异不明显，物质生产结构优于传统水肥处理，主茎上四叶总叶面积略有减少，其基部节间长度明显缩短，穗下节间增长，穗数略微增加，穗粒数减少，收获时千粒重优势显著，最终产量略高于传统水肥。     

Molecular mapping of powdery mildew resistance genes in wheat: A review

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (syn. Erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici), is one of the most important diseases of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Molecular mapping and cloning of genes for resistance to powdery mildew in hexaploid wheat will facilitate the study of molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to powdery mildew diseases and help understand the structure and function of powdery mildew resistance genes, and permit marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. So far, 48 genes/alleles for resistance to powdery mildew at 32 loci have been identified and located on 16 different chromosomes, of which 21 resistance genes/alleles have been tagged by restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), random-amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs), sequence-tagged sites (STS) or simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for adult plant resistance (APR) to powdery mildew have been associated with molecular markers. The detailed information on chromosomal location and molecular mapping of these genes has been reviewed. Isolation of powdery mildew resistance genes and development of valid molecular markers for pyramiding resistance genes in breeding programs is also discussed.