Seed set and seedling variation in greater yam (Dioscorea alata L.)

Summary A high degree of fruit and seed set was obtained in Dioscorea alata L. by hand pollination. The sexual progeny was studied in comparison with the clonal plants. In general, the seedlings were poor in growth vigour, flowering and tuber production but the variations observed in the different characters were unprecedented, indicating scope for efficacious genetic improvement in this vegetatively propagated crop.     

Ploidy analysis in water yam, Dioscorea alata L. germplasm

Poor reproductive development in yams (Dioscorea spp.) has often been attributed to the polyploid nature of the crop. In this study, flow cytometry was used to determine the ploidy level of 53 accessions of Dioscorea alata, mostly from West African countries, Chad and Puerto Rico. Nuclei were isolated from young leaf material and stained with DAPI(4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole). The nuclear genome size (2C) was measured as an indicator of the ploidy level. Dioscorea rotundata genotypes with known ploidy levels were used as standards. The results showed that the majority of plants were hexaploid (84.9%) with a smaller percentage of tetraploids (15.1%). A higher number of male plants were hexaploid than tetraploids. This is at variance with earlier findings, which reported that hexaploid male plants are rare. Higher ploidy levels were not directly related to sparse or erratic flowering as previously reported as profuse flowering occurred in some male hexaploid accessions. These findings have important implications for yam breeding in relation to yam genetic resources. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The association of sexuality with plant traits and tuber yield in white yam

Summary One 3-to 5-year clonal and two recent seedling-derived populations of white yam cultivars were grown and studied for the association of sex, flowering intensity, number of fruits and seed yield with vegetative characters and tuber yield. Yield was lowest in non-flowering plants and increased in the following order: male, monoecious and female plants; with females yielding almost twice as much as the non-flowering plants. The plants produced from small tuber setts, with higher leaf virus infection, low plant leafiness either had low flowering intensity, fewer fruits and seeds or even failed to flower. The sequence and timing of vegetative and reproductive processes in relation to the difference in yield between male and female plants is discussed. There is a strong indication that the intensity of flowering and fruiting is lower in plants from previous vegetative propagation compared to recent seedling-serived clones.     

PCR Marker-based Analysis of Wild and Cultivated Yams (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dioscorea</Emphasis> spp.) in Nigeria: Genetic Relationships and Implications for <Emphasis Type="Italic">ex situ</Emphasis> Conservation

Reliable characterization of the variation among wild and cultivated yams in Nigeria is essential for improved management and efficient utilization of yam genetic resources. RAPD and double stringency PCR (DS-PCR) analyses were used to investigate genetic relationships and the extent of redundancy among 30 accessions of two cultivated, and 35 accessions of four wild yam species collected from Nigeria. Twenty-five selected random decamer and two microsatellite primers were used individually and in combination to generate DNA profiles for each accession of the six Dioscorea species. The number of amplified fragments varied from 7 to 18 fragments per primer/primer combination. Different levels of intraspecific genetic diversity were found, with Dioscorea rotundata Poir. being the most variable. Based on identical profiles for the RAPD and DS-PCR primers, 12 duplication groups consisting of a total number of 37 accessions were observed in the present study. An UPGMA analysis grouped the majority of plants according to the species. Cultivated yams belonging to the D. cayenensis–rotundata species complex, which were classified into seven morphotypes/varietal groups, could be clearly separated into two major groups corresponding to D. rotundata Poir. and D. cayenensis Lam. D. cayenensis cultivars exhibited a low level of intraspecific variation and were genetically close to the wild species Dioscorea burkilliana J. Miège. D. rotundata cultivars classified into six varietal groups showed a high degree of DNA polymorphism and were separated into two major groups that appeared most closely related to Dioscorea praehensilis Benth. and Dioscorea liebrechtsiana de Wild. We propose, based on these results, that cultivars classified into D. cayenensis should be considered as a taxon separate from D. rotundata. The implications of intraspecific variability for the ex situ conservation of wild and cultivated yam germplasm in Nigeria are discussed.     

淮山品种"桂淮2号"的选育及栽培研究

淮山为薯蓣科薯蓣属多年生蔓性块茎类植物，是药食兼用的高效经济作物。通过优良单株筛选，结合群体观察以及植物学、生理学、产量和营养品质等相关研究，从广西地方种质资源中选育出淮山品种“桂淮2号”，并介绍其特征特性和田间肥水管理及病虫害防治等栽培技术要点。该品种具有淀粉含量高、矿质营养丰富等特点，可作为药材加工和菜用、粮用、饲用等。     

惠楼山药营养保健功能与加工利用

惠楼山药为豫东四大特产之一，明万历年间即为贡品，被封为“一品山药”，其药用及营养价值极高，属纯天然绿色保健品。通过分析惠楼山药的营养成分，综述惠楼山药的保健功能，提出惠楼山药的加工利用途径。     

紫山药中花色苷的快速溶剂萃取

通过正交实验和方差分析,采用快速溶剂萃取(ASE)法研究紫色山药中花色苷的提取温度、循环次数、冲洗体积及静态时间等因素对提取效率的影响.结果表明:快速溶剂萃取技术萃取紫山药花色苷的最佳提取条件为:温度80℃,循环提取4次,冲洗体积120％,静态时间2 min,影响提取效率的主要因素是温度.该技术与常规溶剂提取法相比,具有提取时间短、溶剂用量少、萃取效率高等优点,具有潜在的开发应用价值.     

瑞昌山药茎段组织培养研究

用不同种类、浓度的植物生长调节剂对瑞昌山药茎段进行离体培养试验.试验结果表明,诱导瑞昌山药不定芽萌发最佳培养基为MS+6-BA 1.5 mg/L+NAA 1.0 mg/L,不定芽萌芽率为90%:继代培养用MS+6-BA 0.5 mg/L+NAA 0.5 mg/L,长势较理想;生根培养用1/2 MS+NAA 0.5 mg/L+0.2 g/L活性炭的培养基,瑞昌山药生根的效果最佳.     

基于转换点调控的怀山药多相态微波干燥及品质特性

为解决冻干和冻干-微波真空联合干燥技术存在的耗时长、能耗高、设备成本高等问题，同时获得品质较好的干制品，以怀山药为对象开展多相态微波干燥(multiphase microwave drying，MMD)研究，通过不同微波功率加载方案实现转换点调控，探究转换点干基含水率（0.36、0.59、0.79 g/g）对怀山药干制品品质的影响。并以真空冷冻干燥、微波冷冻干燥和微波真空干燥为对照,研究不同干燥方式对怀山药干燥特性、能耗和品质特性（复水性、收缩率、色泽、硬度、脆度、微观结构）的影响。结果表明：随着微波功率水平的增加，怀山药MMD转换点干基含水率增大，产品复水性降低，收缩程度增大，硬度变大，细胞结构破损程度增加。MMD方案Ⅰ（转换点干基含水率0.36 g/g）干燥时间与微波冷冻干燥相比缩短31.3%，能耗相比真空冷冻干燥、微波冷冻干燥分别降低68%、34%，同时，所得怀山药干制品具有良好的品质和均匀的微观孔隙结构，其复水比（2.44±0.04）、收缩率（0.88±0.02）、色泽、硬度（4.95±0.45）、脆度（2.48±0.51）与微波冷冻干燥无明显差异（P>0.05）。微波真空干燥虽所需能耗低，但其产品复水性最差，收缩最为严重。综合考虑高效低能耗干燥与产品品质提升的需求，可通过转换点调控的多相态微波干燥实现高品质怀山药加工。