Wheat x pearl millet hybridization: consequence and potential

Summary Eight grain pearl millet (2n=14) accessions were crossed as male to hexaploid spring wheat cv. Fukuho (2n=6x=42). An average of 80% wheat pistils showed pearl millet pollen tube entry in the ovules, compared to 56% in wheat x maize cv. Seneca 60 cross. Of the 15 embryos, obtained through in vitro immature seed culture from wheat x pearl millet crosses, 3 plantlets were produced and grown to maturity. These three were of the somatic chromosome constitution 2n=42, 21 and 22, respectively. Haploid wheat plant (2n=21) apparently originated from pearl millet chromosome elimination during embryogenesis. The 22 chromosome plant had retained a single pearl millet chromosome at tillering stage, but this chromosome was eliminated from pollen mother cells prior to and also during gamete formation. The significance and potential uses of this wide cross is discussed.     

中国辽西地区谷子品种遗传多样性的SSR分析

为研究中国辽西地区谷子品种的遗传差异,本研究利用28对SSR标记对辽西地区8个推广面积较大的优质高产谷子品种(包括7个谷子育成品种和1个农家品种)进行遗传多样性分析。研究结果表明:有14对SSR引物共检测出43个等位变异,平均每对引物检出的等位变异数为3.07,14个位点的平均多态信息量(PIC)为0.485;遗传相似性(GS)的变化范围为0.071 4~0.857 1,平均值为0.601 9。聚类分析发现8个品种可分为两大类,农家种与育成品种朝谷14聚为一类,其他6个育成品种聚为另外一类。SSR标记的指纹图谱表明运用4对引物可将8份地方谷子品种成功区分开。本研究结果可为辽西地区谷子品种的亲本选配和遗传改良提供理论依据。     

土壤水分对谷子(粟)结实的影响及其生理效应

土壤水分对谷子结实的影响主要在结实阶段.土壤水分过少或过多,都能显著降低结实率、成粒数和产量.这一时期以保持土壤毛管持水量的70%左右对结实最为有利.供水不足,首先影响根系活性和体内水分状况,从而影响体内外气体交换,降低光合速率和呼吸强度,同时影响细胞膜透性,导致体内物质代谢过程改变,降低有机物质的积累,造成穗部营养贫乏,形成秕谷.土壤水分过多,通气不良,影响根系活性,降低伤流量,抑制体内代谢过程及物质运转,造成穗部营养不足,形成秕谷.     

Growth and ion accumulation responses of four grass species to salinity

Ion inclusion or ion exclusion are the two main strategies developed by plants to tolerate saline environments. Shoot sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺), and calcium (Ca²⁺) in four perennial grass species (tall wheatgrass, Nuttall's alkaligrass, creeping foxtail, and switchgrass) treated with nutrient solution salinity levels ranging from 2 to 32 dS m^?1 were measured. As the nutrient solution salinity was increased from 2 to 10 dS m^?1, tall wheatgrass, creeping foxtail and Nuttall's alkali grass had increased shoot Na⁺ and decreased Ca²⁺ concentration while maintaining growth suggesting that these species tolerated these changes in shoot ion concentration. In contrast, switchgrass excluded Na⁺ from the shoot and maintained K⁺ and Ca²⁺ concentrations but suffered dramatic shoot dry weight reduction. Thus, the Na⁺ exclusion mechanisms present in switchgrass were less efficient in maintaining growth under the 10 dS m^?1 nutrient solution treatment than the Na⁺ inclusion mechanisms used by the other three species.     

不同含水率对谷子籽粒压缩力学性质与摩擦特性的影响

为了探明不同含水率谷子籽粒的物理机械性质,减少谷子籽粒在播种、碾米加工及储运等过程中受到压缩载荷及摩擦而产生的机械损伤,该文针对不同含水率的谷子籽粒进行压缩力学性质与摩擦特性试验。研究了谷子籽粒的挤压破碎过程,获得不同含水率谷子籽粒的力-位移（变形）曲线,破坏力、变形量及破坏能。随着含水率升高,破坏力减小,变形量和破坏能呈现先降低后升高的变化规律。同时采用赫兹接触理论,得到谷子籽粒单向表观弹性模量和许用挤压应力,结果表明二者都随含水率升高线性降低。分别测定了谷子籽粒与钢板和铝板间的滑动摩擦系数,随含水率升高,谷子与该2种材料的摩擦系数均增大,且与铝板的摩擦系数要高于钢板。根据试验结果,分别拟合得到了压缩和摩擦力学性能指标与谷子含水率的关系方程,为谷子播种、仓储、加工等装备设计及参数优化提供了基础依据。     

Development of Core Subset of Finger Millet Germplasm Using Geographical Origin and Data on 14 Quantitative Traits

Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] is an important cereal food crop in Africa and South Asia. It is a hardy crop that can be grown in very diverse environments from almost at sea level to about 2400 m.a.s.l. Finger millet has an excellent food value as its seeds contain protein ranging from 7 to 14% and are particularly rich in methionine amino acid, iron, and calcium. Despite all these merits, this crop has been neglected from the main stream of crop improvement research. One of the means to boost its production and productivity is to enhance utilization of finger millet germplasm to breed superior varieties. Keeping this objective in view, a core subset of finger millet germplasm (622 accessions) based on origin and data on 14 quantitative traits was developed from the entire global collection of 5940 accessions held in the genebank at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India. The comparison of means, variances, frequency distribution, Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H′) and phenotypic correlations indicated that the core subset represents the entire collection. These tests indicated that sampling was optimal and the diversity has been captured very well in the core subset. The correlation analysis indicated that panicle exsertion and longest finger length could be given lower priority in the future germplasm evaluation work of finger millet.     

Development of EST-SSR in foxtail millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria italica</Emphasis>)

The development of EST-SSR in foxtail millet (Setaria italica) for polymorphism and transferability study was reported here. From 1213 EST sequences, 30 SSRs were obtained and primers were designed for 26 SSRs. Among them, four pairs of SSR primers amplified polymorphic products in 12 foxtail millet cultivars and one accession of Setaria viridis, a wild relative of foxtail millet, with 10 alleles detected for the four loci and 2.5 alleles per locus. In addition, ten SSR markers could be transferred to other nine Gramineae species. The putative functions of 11 ESTs containing polymorphic and transferable SSRs were also identified.     

A minute P application contributes to a better establishment of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) seedling in P deficient soils

Many soils of the semi-arid tropics are deficient in P, and under such adverse conditions, the establishment of pearl millet seedlings is a critical step to achieve satisfactory crop stands. Phosphorus fertilizer is expensive for small holder farmers and is only applied at low rates, insufficient to give satisfactory crop stands. Methods are needed to enhance productivity at low rates of application. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a minute application of P at early seedling stage, equivalent to 125–500 g P/ha, would enhance the plant establishment under P-limiting conditions. We measured the minimum application of P needed to elicit a response of different genotypes. Pot experiments were conducted with pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) hybrids to measure the response to P placed close to the root system, 5 days after sowing (DAS), compared with a non-limiting P control (DAP). The placement treatments were 0, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 mg soluble P per seedling, applied as KH₂PO₄ solution. The localized placement of P increased biomass in all three soils tested. In one soil, plant biomass at 1000 μL (1 mg P) reached about 50% of the non limited control. If applied later than 19 DAS the placement had no effect on the plant biomass. Hybrid ICMP 451-P8 was more responsive than hybrid 81B-P6. Placement to 20 inbred lines of pearl millet increased biomass by an average of 105% compared with no placement with large genotypic variation. Although this work was not intended to be a way of applying P fertilizer to pearl millet under field conditions, it showed that applying minute amount of P to pearl millet seedling (equivalent to 125–500 g P/ha) enhanced their establishment and led to improved growth for at least 5–6 weeks after sowing. Further work is in progress to develop a feasible technology for field crops based on the results of this study.     

不同基因型谷子品种(系)对干旱胁迫的响应及抗旱性评价

旨在为旱区谷子生产及抗旱育种提供理论依据。以10个谷子品种(系)为研究对象,采用管栽试验,研究了干旱胁迫对不同基因型谷子生长及产量相关性状的影响。结果表明,在干旱胁迫条件下,参试的10个谷子品种(系),叶绿素含量下降的幅度为4.90%~33.11%,株高降低的幅度为9.56%~30.93%,穗长减小的幅度为5.58%~30.90%,穗粗减小的幅度为3.42%~16.34%,单穗重降低的幅度为7.30%~45.71%,单穗粒重降低的幅度为11.83%~54.72%,出谷率降低的幅度为4.89%~16.60%。抗旱性评价结果表明,‘冀谷31’、‘沧谷5号’、‘冀谷19’等3个品种的抗旱性较好。     

Evaluation of Associative Effect of Whole Corn Silage and Millet Straw by Gas Production Technique in vitro

This research adopted fermentation gas production method in vitro to evaluate the associative effect of whole corn silage (WCS) and millet straw (MS).The WCS was mixed with MS in the proportion of 100:0,80:20,60:40,50:50, 40:60,20:80 and 0:100 with 3 replicates per group.The gas production,pH,ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N), volatile fatty acids (VFA), microbial crude protein (MCP) and dry matter loss (DML) for 24,48 and 72 h of varying forage combinations were analyzed.Single factor associative effects index (SFAEI) and multiply factors associative effects index (MFAEI) of different combinations were calculated. The results showed as follows:There were significant differences of gas production among different combinations (P<0.05),and the best combination was the WCS80 group. With creasing of the content of MS,DML decreased,but the DML of WCS80 and WCS100 were similar (P>0.05). The MCP concentration of WCS100 and WCS80 was extremely significantly or significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05;P<0.01). The VFA concentration showed significant differences among different combinations (P<0.05).Among the different combinations of WCS and MS,the MFAEI of WCS80 was the largest,and that were 0.5517,0.5094 and 0.9860 at 24,48 and 72 h,respectively. The best combination of WCS and MS was 80:20.