Comparative performance of the highly invasive Mimosa invisa and its less invasive subspecies under different nutrient and light conditions

Invasive plants may be more plastic than non‐invasive plants and maintain high fitness under various environmental conditions. Previous studies mainly focused on the comparisons between invasive and native plants, and comparisons between highly invasive and less invasive exotic species are still relatively rare, especially for comparisons at the subspecies level. This study examined the effects of nutrient addition and shading on the performance of the highly invasive Mimosa invisa and its less invasive subspecies M. invisa var. inermis under either isolated or competitive conditions. Nutrient addition increased biomass and plant height and decreased root‐to‐shoot ratio (R/S). Shading decreased biomass and R/S and increased plant height. Under isolated conditions, the two invaders did not differ in R/S, plant height and plasticity of these traits in response to nutrient addition or shading, and the two invaders also did not differ in biomass production under each of the nutrient and light treatments. When the two invaders competed with each other, M. invisa outcompeted M. invisa var. inermis under high soil nutrient conditions, and the two invaders did not differ in performance under other growth conditions. Thus, only considering competition may we find out the difference between highly invasive species and their closely related, less invasive subspecies. Management of M. invisa should focus on habitats with high soil nutrient availability, in which M. invisa is more likely to dominate.     

Crude garlic extract significantly inhibits replication of grapevine viruses

Efforts to control viral diseases of grapevine include the production of certified material and development of virus-resistant transgenic grapevines. However, effective antiviral agents, once the viruses have infected the plants, are still lacking. This study shows that a crude garlic extract has significant antiviral activity against grapevine viruses. Replication of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 2 (GLRaV-2) was obviously inhibited in grapevine cv. Cabernet Sauvignon calli treated with diluted (1:100) garlic extract. The relative RNA levels of GLRaV-2 and grapevine fleck virus (GFkV) in cv. Summer Black grapevine in in vitro-grown plantlets 10 days after treatment with diluted (1:100) garlic extract were about 22% and 20%, respectively, of that in controls. The viral RNA accumulation of GLRaV-2, GFkV, grapevine virus A (GVA), grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) and grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV) in field-grown grapevine cv. Centennial Seedless plants sprayed with diluted (1:100) garlic extract were about 31–40%, 26–38%, 18–31%, 17–42% and 15–18%, respectively, of that in controls. Moreover, the garlic extract treatment led to a significant decrease in viral RNA accumulation of GLRaV-3, GLRaV-2, GVA, GFkV, GFLV, GRSPaV and grapevine Pinot Gris virus in pot-grown grapevine cv. Shine Muscat plants, and viral disease symptoms in these plants were obviously attenuated. In addition, this extract significantly induced expression of pathogenesis-related protein genes and stimulated activity of antioxidant enzymes in grapevines. Taken together, these results indicate that the crude garlic extract acts as a significant inhibitor against a broad range of grapevine viruses.     

Regulatory effect of astragaloside IV on SDF-1α/CXCR4 in EPCs

AIM: To investigate the effects of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) on chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and stromal cell-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α) in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and its mechanism. METHODS: Rat bone marrow-derived EPCs were cultured in vitro. The proliferation, adhesion, migration, apoptosis and tube formation capacity of EPCs treated with AS-IV and AMD3100, a specific blocker of CXCR4, were observed. The effects of AS-IV on the expression of SDF-1α/CXCR4 at mRNA and protein levels and the protein level of p-CXCR4 in the EPCs were determined. RESULTS: AS-IV significantly enhanced the proliferation, adhesion, migration and tube formation abilities of EPCs, reduced the apoptosis of EPCs, and up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of SDF-1α and CXCR4 and the p-CXCR4 protein level in the EPCs. On the other hand, AMD3100 blocked the up-regulating effect of AS-IV on the mRNA and protein expression of CXCR4 and the p-CXCR4 protein level in the EPCs, but did not affect the effect of AS-IV on the expression of SDF-1α. CONCLUSION: AS-IV might enhance the biological function of EPCs by regulating the expression of SDF-1α/CXCR in EPCs.     

Phytophagous insect fauna of Onopordum spp. thistles in the south of Syria

Thistles from the genus Onopordum (Asteraceae) are of Mediterranean and Eurasian origin. They are very common in the south of Syria, in particular in Damascus and Al Suwayda, and are found in fallow fields, pastures, roadsides and neglected areas. In 2015–2017, several sites with large populations of Onopordum spp. were identified. Weekly surveys of some of the sites, mainly in the regions of Damascus and Al Suwayda, revealed a significant diversity of phytophagous insect species, some of which had a very high population density. A total of 29 insect species were detected, belonging to four orders and 21 families. The most abundant species were from the order Coleoptera. These were observed to be feeding on different plant parts of Onopordum spp. Purely endophagous species comprised 38% of the species observed on Onopordum spp., ectophagous species comprised 45% with 17% of species mixed ectophagous and endophagous. Species that only fed on Onopordum spp. represented 34% of all the species observed.     

CMS-D2恢复基因对陆地棉主要性状的影响

选用1对同质异核的哈克尼西棉细胞质雄性不育恢复基因近等基因系——保持系和恢复系为试验材料，分别在黄河流域棉区（河南安阳）和长江流域棉区（江西九江）2个生态点种植，对棉花苗期生长、全生育期主茎功能叶片光合生理指标、花药发育状况、产量及其构成因素以及纤维品质性状进行比较分析。结果表明：（1）恢复基因对棉花苗期生长、花药发育以及全生育期净光合速率无显著影响；（2）恢复基因对黄河流域棉区棉花产量性状具有显著的正效应，对长江流域棉花产量无显著影响；（3）恢复基因可以显著增加棉花纤维长度。本研究对棉花胞质不育恢复系的选育和改良具有一定的指导意义。     

不同氮效率油菜种质苗期氮吸收转运与利用差异研究

氮效率研究是油菜营养性状遗传改良的前提,为探究不同氮效率油菜种质苗期氮吸收、转运和利用的异同,以2个氮效率差异油菜种质H6（氮高效）和L18（氮低效）为供试材料,利用水培营养液设置正常氮（CK）和低氮（LN）2个氮浓度处理,培养14d后检测植株氮含量,计算氮累积量、氮转运系数和氮利用效率。结果显示,不同氮浓度处理对油菜苗期氮的吸收、转运和利用效率影响的差异达到极显著水平（P＜0.01）。与CK相比,LN处理的油菜生物量、氮含量和氮累积量均显著降低,而氮利用效率和根冠比显著提高;氮高效油菜种质H6的生物量、氮累积量、氮转运系数和氮生理利用效率均显著大于氮低效种质L18,分别为L18的2.07、1.42、3.23和1.56倍。从氮的吸收、转运和利用3个方面探讨了低氮胁迫处理下油菜种质苗期氮效率差异的原因,对深入开展油菜氮高效机理研究及油菜品种氮效率改良具有一定的指导意义。     

沙棘果实中主要活性成分质量分布

沙棘作为一种抗逆性、适应性、萌蘖性较强的植物资源，被广泛应用于黄土丘陵地区荒山绿化、土壤改良、水土保持和砒砂岩治理。沙棘不仅具有良好的生态价值，其果实中富含多种生物活性物质。本文凝练了沙棘果实中活性化合物的构成、分布及活性特征，并对沙棘果实活性物质的研究进行展望。基于相关文献，针对黄酮、花青素、酚酸、有机酸、肌醇、维生素、类胡萝卜素、不饱和脂肪酸、甾醇等广泛存在于沙棘果实中的化学成分进行总结分析，提供沙棘果实中上述活性物质分布情况的综合信息。研究表明，针对沙棘果实中活性物质的构成、分布和活性特征的研究较为丰富，但在部分领域仍缺乏研究，如栽培技术条件对活性物质的影响，活性物质与沙棘果实加工中异味的关联性等。本文为沙棘果实在食品、药品及保健品行业中的综合利用提供了理论支撑，为促进沙棘资源在经济中的全面发展提供参考。      

肇庆市红火蚁防控措施研究

广东于2004年发现了红火蚁,对生态和生产生活造成了严重影响,全省各地开始加强对红火蚁的防控.简述了肇庆市红火蚁防控概况及防控措施,总结了防控成效及存在的主要问题,提出了防控策略,以期为肇庆市红火蚁的防治提供科技支撑与保障.     

宁夏地区潜在蒸散发变化特征及成因分析

根据宁夏地区1962-2017年11个国家级气象站的逐日气象资料,采用Penman-Monteith公式计算宁夏地区潜在蒸散发(Potential evapotranspiration,ET₀)日值系列,采用气候倾向率、Mann-Kendall突变检验、ArcGIS反距离权重空间插值、敏感性分析和贡献率等方法对宁夏地区ET₀时空变化特征及影响因素进行分析.结果表明:宁夏地区1962-2017年多年平均ET₀为1 073 mm,其中,中部干旱带最高(1 135 mm),引黄灌区次之(1 095 mm),南部山区最低(893 mm); 宁夏地区ET₀在1986年发生了突变,突变前以0.571 mm/a的幅度下降,突变后以0.109 mm/a的幅度递增,整个周期内,以0.523 mm/a 幅度递增,但变化幅度均不显著.ET₀对不同区域气象要素的敏感性不同,引黄灌区和中部干旱带对最高温度最敏感,敏感性系数分别为0.41和0.43,南部山区为相对湿度(-0.45); 不同气象要素对ET₀的贡献率不同,引黄灌区和南部山区主导因子是最低温度,中部干旱带是平均风速.突变前后,对引黄灌区、中部干旱带和南部山区ET₀贡献率最高的气象要素分别由平均风速、相对湿度和最低温度,变为相对湿度、平均风速和最低温度.     

Cloning and expression analysis of innate immune genes from red sea bream to assess different susceptibility to megalocytivirus infection

As suggested by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), fishes belonging to the genus Oplegnathus are more sensitive to megalocytivirus infection than other fish species including red sea bream (Pagrus major). To assess the roles of the innate immune response to these different susceptibilities, we cloned the genes encoding inflammatory factors including IL‐8 and COX‐2, and the antiviral factor like Mx from red sea bream for the first time and performed phylogenetic and structural analysis. Analysed expression levels of IL‐1β, IL‐8 and COX‐2 and the antiviral factor like Mx genes performed with in vivo challenge experiment showed no difference in inflammatory gene expression or respiratory burst activity between red sea bream and rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus). However, the Mx gene expression levels in red sea bream were markedly higher than those in rock bream, suggesting the importance of type I interferon (IFN)‐induced proteins, particularly Mx, during megalocytivirus infection, rather than inflammation‐related genes. The in vitro challenge experiments using embryonic primary cultures derived from both fish species showed no difference in cytopathic effects (CPE), viral replication profiles, and inflammatory and Mx gene expression pattern between the two fish species.