Successful <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated transformation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus tomentosa</Emphasis> with apple <Emphasis Type="Italic">SPDS</Emphasis> gene

The problem of salinized soils has become one of the most serious constraints to agricultural and forest productivity. With the purpose of enhancing salt stress tolerance of Populus tomentosa, we transformed this tree species with spermidine synthase （SPDS） genes derived from an apple by an Agrobacterium-mediated method. Four transgenic clones were confu＇med by PCR and Southern blot analysis. As well, the expression of introduced SPDS genes was analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR.     

Response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma cacao</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Inga edulis</Emphasis> seedlings to cross-inoculated populations of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Response of Theobroma cacao L. (cacao) and the shade tree Inga edulis Mart. (inga) seedlings from an organically-grown cacao plantation to inoculation with native arbuscular mycorrhizae forming fungi (AMF) was studied in a cross-inoculation assay under greenhouse conditions. Seedlings of inga and cacao were grown in pots filled with heat-treated soil from the plantation. Control was heat-treated soil without inoculum and roots of cacao and inga from the plantation were applied as AMF inocula. Undisturbed soil blocks were used as a “positive control” of the inoculation potential of untreated soil and roots combined. No AMF structures were observed in the roots of either species in the heat-treated control. All inocula were infective in both hosts and the differences in the total AMF colonization percentage between the hosts were not significant but inga had significantly higher colonization by hyphal coils and arbuscules. Cacao roots but neither inga roots nor soil block inocula stimulated cacao growth. All inocula significantly increased growth of inga, which had higher relative mycorrhizal responsiveness than cacao. Thus, in spite of the strong infectivity of the inocula in both hosts, cacao and inga responded differently to the same AMF populations. The strong conspecific preference of cacao suggests that attention must be paid to the AMF inoculum used for this species. However, the strong response of inga to cacao root inoculum indicates that the two species may share same AMF symbionts, thus enabling positive interactions between them, including formation of common mycelial networks.     

Insecticidal properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thymus persicus</Emphasis> essential oil against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tribolium castaneum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sitophilus oryzae</Emphasis>

Red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae (L.) are considered to be the major insect pests in storage. Essential oils from aromatic plants are recognized as proper alternatives to fumigants. Thymus persicus (Ronniger ex Rech. f.) is one of these plants that have medicinal properties and is indigenous to Iran. The essential oil was obtained from aerial parts of the plant and analyzed by GC and GC–MS. Carvacrol (44.69%) and thymol (11.05%) were the major constituents of the oil extracted. In this experiment, fumigant toxicity of the essential oil was studied against T. castaneum, S. oryzae at 27 ± 1°C and 60 ± 5% RH in dark condition. The adult insects were exposed to the concentrations of 51.9, 111.1, 207.4 and 370.4 μl/l air to estimate median lethal time (LT₅₀) values. The fumigant toxicity was increased in response to increased essential oil concentrations. The LT₅₀ values at the lowest and the highest concentrations tested were ranged from 28.09 to 13.47 h for T. castaneum, and 3.86 to 2.30 h for S. oryzae. It was found that S. oryzae adults were much more susceptible to the oil than T. castaneum. After 24 h of exposure, the LC₅₀ values (95% fiducial limit) for T. castaneum and S. oryzae were estimated to be 236.9 (186.27–292.81) and 3.34 (2.62–4.28) μl/l air, respectively. These results suggest that T. persicus essential oil merits further study as potential fumigant for the management of these stored-product insects.     

Bioremediation of CCA-treated wood by brown-rot fungi <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fomitopsis palustris</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coniophora puteana</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laetiporus sulphureus</Emphasis>

This study evaluated oxalic acid accumulation and bioremediation of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood by three brown-rot fungi Fomitopsis palustris, Coniophora puteana, and Laetiporus sulphureus. The fungi were first cultivated in a fermentation broth to accumulate oxalic acid. Bioremediation of CCA-treated wood was then carried out by leaching of heavy metals with oxalic acid over a 10-day fermentation period. Higher amounts of oxalic acid were produced by F. palustris and L. sulphureus compared with C. puteana. After 10-day fermentation, oxalic acid accumulation reached 4.2 g/l and 3.2 g/l for these fungi, respectively. Fomitopsis palustris and L. sulphureus exposed to CCA-treated sawdust for 10 days showed a decrease in arsenic of 100% and 85%, respectively; however, C. puteana remediation removed only 18% arsenic from CCA-treated sawdust. Likewise, chromium removal in F. palustris and L. sulphureus remediation processes was higher than those for C. puteana. This was attributed to low oxalic acid accumulation. These results suggest that F. palustris and L. sulphureus remediation processes can remove inorganic metal compounds via oxalic acid production by increasing the acidity of the substrate and increasing the solubility of the metals.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Enzymatic saccharification and ethanol production of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia mangium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraserianthes falcataria</Emphasis> wood,and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Elaeis guineensis</Emphasis> trunk

We examined the saccharification and fermentation of meals from Acacia mangium wood, Paraserianthes falcataria wood, and Elaeis guineensis trunk. The levels of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and ethanol production were highest for P. falcataria wood and lowest for A. mangium wood. Ultrasonication pretreatment of meal further increased the rates of hydrolysis and ethanol production in meal from P. falcataria wood. Through this pretreatment, hemicelluloses (xylan and xyloglucan) and cellulose were released in the meal from P. falcataria wood. Loosening of hemicellulose associations can be expected to make P. falcataria wood more useful for bioethanol production.     

Aboveground biomass equations for individual trees of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaecyparis obtusa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larix kaempferi</Emphasis> in Japan

Generic equations are proposed for stem, branch and foliage biomass of individual trees in even-aged pure stands of Cryptomeria japonica, Chamaecyparis obtusa and Larix kaempferi. Biomass data was collected from a total of 1,016 individual trees from 247 stands throughout Japan, and five regression models were assessed by root mean square error, mean bias, fit index (FI), and AIC. The results show that a power equation using diameter at breast height (dbh) and height is the most suitable for all species and components. This equation is more accurate than the familiar power equation that uses ‘dbh² height’, and it expresses the greater volume of branch and foliage mass of trees with a lower height/diameter ratio. A power equation using dbh is more reasonable for models with dbh as the only independent variable and more accurate than a power equation using ‘dbh² height’ for estimating branch and foliage mass. Estimating error for branch and foliage mass is larger than that for stem mass, but the entire aboveground biomass can be estimated with an error of less than 19%, except in the case of small trees with dbh less than 10 cm.     

Modelling <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora</Emphasis> disease risk in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Austrocedrus chilensis</Emphasis> forests of Patagonia

Austrocedrus chilensis forests suffer from a disease caused by Phytophthora austrocedrae, which is found often in wet soils. We applied three widely used modelling techniques, with different data requirements, to model disease potential distribution under current environmental conditions: Mahalanobis distance, Maxent and Logistic regression. Each model was built using field data of health condition and landscape layers of environmental conditions (distance to streams, slope, aspect, elevation, mean annual precipitation and soil pH NaF). We compared model predictions by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and Kappa statistics. A reasonable ability to predict observed disease distribution was found for each of the three modelling techniques. However, Maxent and Logistic regression presented the best predictive performance, with significant differences with respect to the Mahalanobis distance model. Our results suggested that if good absence data are available, Logistic regression should be used in order to better discriminate sites with high risk of disease. On the other hand, if absence data are not available or doubtful, Maxent could be a very good option. The three models predicted that around 50% (49–56%) of the currently asymptomatic forests are located on sites at risk of disease according to abiotic factors. Most of these asymptomatic forests surround the current diseased patches, at distances lower than 100 m from diseased patches. Management considerations and the scope of future studies were discussed in this article.     

Inoculation with the ectomycorrhizal fungi <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisolithus arhizus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scleroderma</Emphasis> sp. improves early growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Shorea pinanga</Emphasis> nursery seedlings

Trees of the family Dipterocarpaceae are the dominant trees in Southeast Asian tropical forests where they play an important ecological role and are also important commercially. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of ectomycorrhizal fungi on the growth of dipterocarp species in peat soils. Seedlings of Shorea pinanga were inoculated with spores of two ectomycorrhizal fungi, Pisolithus arhizus and Scleroderma sp. were grown in pots containing sterilized peat soil for 7 months. The percentage of ectomycorrhizal colonization on S. pinanga exceeded 86%. Colonization of S. pinanga roots by ectomycorrhizal fungi resulted in increased shoot height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and shoot fresh and dry weight. Survival rates of S. pinanga were greater for inoculated seedlings than control seedlings. These results suggest that inoculation of ectomycorrhizal fungi can improve the early growth of S. pinanga grown in tropical forests and that this technique will accelerate the rehabilitation of degraded dipterocarp forests.     

Biochemical changes associated with flowering in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bambusa arundinacea</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bambusa nutans</Emphasis>

Biochemical changes associated with flowering in Bambusa arundinacea Linn and Bambusa nutans Wall. ex Munro were analyzed. Gregarious flowering was initiated in natural areas and plantations of B. arundinacea in late 2014 and reached full bloom in early 2015, whereas sporadic flowering recorded during 2014–2015 in vegetatively propagated plants of B. nutans. Leaf and nodal shoot samples from flowering culms/shoots and nonflowering culms/shoots were collected in February 2015 at the initiation of fruit filling, then analyzed and compared for soluble sugars, phenols and peroxidase activity. In both species sugars were higher in leaves of flowering culms/shoots and lower in nodal shoots of flowering culms/shoots compared to the nonflowering. Phenols were lower in leaves and nodal shoots of flowering B. arundinacea, but higher in leaves and decreases in nodal shoots of B. nutans. Peroxidase activity increases in leaves and nodal shoots of B. arundinacea after flowering but increases in nodal shoots and decreases in leaves of B. nutans.     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalypt</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> plantations on soil water in Sumatra

Indonesia’s pulp and paper industry needs a large area of sustainably grown plantations to support its continued development. Acacia mangium has been the key species underpinning the pulp and paper industries in Sumatra, however increased disease pressure on A. mangium is expected to require large-scale conversion of Acacia plantations to Eucalyptus in the near future. The effect of such a large scale change in plantation species on soil moisture, for both tree production, and catchment hydrology is unknown. In this study we sought to characterize the impacts of plantation species (Acacia or Eucalyptus) and nitrogen management, on soil moisture, soil water depletion and depth to groundwater under stands of Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus pellita over the first 2–3 years after establishment. The study was conducted in experiments at four sites in Sumatra, Indonesia. Soil moisture and soil water depletion were not influenced by plantation species or fertilizer treatment. Soil moisture content and soil water depletion were strongly influenced by shallow groundwater at two of the four sites, however depth to groundwater did not influence stem growth. Results from the field trials cautiously suggest that large scale conversion of Acacia mangium to Eucalypt species in these regions is unlikely to result in increased moisture stress, nor is conversion of plantation species likely to lead to substantial differences in catchment hydrology. This study demonstrated the importance of conducting multi-site studies when investigating biophysical relationships in forest/plantation systems.     

Germination and seedling growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dimorphandra jorgei</Emphasis> MF Silva and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Swartzia macrostachya</Emphasis> Benth. var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">riedelii</Emphasis> Cowan

Dimorphandra jorgei MF Silva (Caesalpinaceae) and Swartzia macrostachya Benth. var. riedelii Cowan (Fabaceae) are tree species from the southern Bahian Atlantic Forest, identified for the restoration of degraded areas. The objective of this research is to study their seed germination and seedling growth to develop simple methods for seedling production in small scale nurseries. Because the species have distinct dormancy and germination characteristics, the seeds were submitted to different treatments. D. jorgei seeds were immersed in hot water, scarified and stored for 12 weeks in the laboratory environment (25°C). S. macrostachya seeds were submitted to different combinations of drying and storage in the laboratory environment or refrigerator (4°C). Seedlings were submitted to two light treatments for 3 months: partial shade (52% of full sun) and full shade (12% of full sun). In D. jorgei, the highest germination occurred for scarified seeds (87%) and for seeds stored for 12 weeks and then scarified (69%). In S. macrostachya the undried control seeds had the highest germination, followed by that of the refrigeration storage treatment, without predrying (99% and 97%, respectively). The average values for the growth parameters were greater in full shade for D. jorgei, while S. macrostachya seedlings showed greater growth rates in partial shade. Two months growth is recommended before D. jorgei seedlings are of the sufficient size and leaf number for field planting. On the other hand, a period of 4 months is recommended for S. macrostachya, due to its relatively slow growth.     

Comparative efficacy of NeemAzal and local botanicals derived from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Azadirachta indica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plectranthus glandulosus</Emphasis> against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sitophilus zeamais</Emphasis> on maize

The efficacy of NeemAzal powder, two local neem (Azadirachta indica ) products [neem seed powder (NSP) and neem seed oil (NSO)], as well as a local Lamiaceae, Plectranthus glandulosus leaf powder, applied at four different rates for the control of Sitophilus zeamais was determined. Mortality was recorded 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after S. zeamais infestation, followed by the determination of F₁ progeny production. Grain damage, population increase and grain germination were assessed for treated grains that were stored for 4 months. Grains treated with P. glandulosus powder and NSP had relatively low mortality (5.0–22.5%) after 3 days whereas NeemAzal and NSO had higher mortality (55.0–98.8%). Maximum mortality of 99, 100, 96 and 74% were achieved for NeemAzal (12 g/kg after 14 days), NSO (4 ml/kg after 7 days), NSP (40 g/kg after 14 days) and P. glandulosus powder (40 g/kg, after 14 days), respectively. In the same order, 7-day LC₅₀ values were 0.02 g/kg, 1.46 ml/kg, 12.44 g/kg and 28.9 g/kg. The three neem products greatly reduced progeny emergence, while P. glandulosus powder was less effective. NeemAzal protected the grains against S. zeamais damage better than the local neem products, which in turn provided far better grain protection against the weevil damage than P. glandulosus powder. NeemAzal was superior to the local neem products in grain protection against germination loss, with P. glandulosus being the least effective. NeemAzal and NSO had sufficient efficacy to be a component of an integrated management package for S. zeamais.     

Morphological characteristics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">variabilis</Emphasis> charcoal prepared at different temperatures

The morphology of charcoals was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Charcoal of Quercus variabilis was prepared in an electric furnace under nitrogen gas atmosphere at 400, 600, 800 and 1,000°C. Charring temperature greatly affects the structure of charcoal. In charcoal prepared at 400°C, most of the morphological characteristics remained relatively unchanged with the exception of the cell-wall layering. The cell walls appeared homogenous and glass-like. Above 400°C, there was an increase in cell-wall thinning and volumetric shrinkage with an increase in the charring temperature. These two factors were responsible for most of the observed changes in structure. Fracture surfaces became increasingly rough and disrupted. Vessel elements were increasingly distorted and tyloses disintegrated with increases in temperature. Parenchyma cells exhibited greater shrinkage except at the pits. This resulted in the appearance of distinctive small protuberances over the surface of the parenchyma cells. Rhomboidal calcium crystals were found to be abundant at all the temperatures studied, but at 800 and 1,000°C the crystals had a sponge-like appearance.     

Osmoregulators in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hymenaea courbaril</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hymenaea stigonocarpa</Emphasis> under water stress and rehydration

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different water deficiency and rehydration levels on the concentrations of osmoregulators in two plant species (Hymenaea courbaril and H. Stigonocarpa) in the Amazon. We adopted a 2 × 5 × 5 factorial system, referring to 2 species (H. courbaril and H. stigonocarpa) and 5 stages of hydration and rehydration. The five hydration and rehydration stages were established in: (1) Control treatment E0; (2) Plants with 13 days of stress after incubation—E13; (3) Plants with 26 days of stress E26; (4) The plants that were established after 26 days after incubation and rehydrated for two days (RD2); (5) rehydrated for two days (RD4). The plants that were established after 26 days after incubation and rehydrated for four days. The experiment totaled fifty young plants with five replicates. Biochemical measurements were performed at the beginning of the experiment (E0) at 13 (E13) and 26 (E26) days after the water stress, in which the plants were rehydrated, repeating the analyses after two (RD2) and four (RD4) days. Both species increased the sucrose concentration by 18%, with a decrease of 52% in starch content. The RD4 time presented the highest mean starch concentration (0.19 mmol g^?1 of the residue for H. courbaril and 0.27 mmol g^?1 of residue for H. stigonocarpa). Increased proline concentrations were recorded for controls until RD2 for both species. For glycine betaine, the highest increases in treatments E26 and RD2 were observed for the H. courbaril species. Our rehydration period was not sufficient for total recovery of pre-stress concentrations of all studied solutes.     

High level expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">PsG6PDH</Emphasis> from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus suaveolens</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis>

In order to investigate the functions of the gene PsG6PDH and the mechanisms underlying freezing tolerance of Populus suaveolens, the recombinant expression vector pET-G (pET30a-G6PDH), which contained full encoding region of PsG6PDH gene, was established. The recombinant was identified by lawn-PCR and double enzyme digestion and then transformed into expression host XA90 and induced by isopropyl-â-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG) to express 100 kD polypeptide of G6PDH fusion protein. The results showed that the expressed amount of the fusion protein culminated after 1 mmol&#8226;L^–1 IPTG treatment for 4 h and that pET-G product was predominately soluble and not extra-cellular secreting.     

Effectiveness of Neem (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Azadirachta indica</Emphasis>) insecticides against Brassica pod midge (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dasineura brassicae</Emphasis> Winn<Emphasis Type="Italic">.</Emphasis>)

The efficiency of the botanical insecticide (BI) NeemAzal T/S (containing 1% Azadirachtin A), on the basis of azadirachtin applied in a dose of 20 g a.i. ha⁻¹ against Brassica pod midge (Dasineura brassicae), has been monitored for 4 years. The biological efficiency of BI was compared with the efficiency of some synthetic insecticides. It was ascertained that BI was very efficient in decreasing the number of damaged oilseed rape pods (ranging from 56.5 to 85.9% compared to untreated plants) and its efficiency was comparable with synthetic insecticides based on Chloronicotinyl (Thiacloprid) and Neonicotinoid (Acetamiprid). BI’s efficiency was, in some years, even significantly higher compared to pyrethroid (λ-cyhalothrin). The high biological efficiency of azadirachtin that we ascertained was significantly reflected in increasing potential crop yields. The yield increase of azadirachtin ranged between 9.3 and 19.4% compared to the control sample. Azadirachtin showed the highest yield for the whole time of experimentation, and in some years the yield increase was significantly higher compared to some synthetic agents.     

Potential contribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus durata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adenostoma fasciculatum</Emphasis> supplemented with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Medicago sativa</Emphasis> on intake and digestibility in sheep and goats

A digestion trial was conducted to estimate the potential contribution of the chaparral browse Quercus durata (leather oak) and Adenostoma fasciculatum (chamise) on intake and nutrient digestion in goats and sheep. Four wether Kiko goats (avg. wt. 22.9 kg) and four wether Targhee sheep (avg. wt. 39.6 kg) were housed in metabolism cages. Alfalfa pellets were used as a dietary supplement. Digestibility of the shrubs was measured by difference and metabolizable energy (ME) and ME intake (MEI) were calculated from digestibility and plants intake values. Oak and chamise had low crude protein (CP) content (6.5 and 4.3% DM) and high content of extractable condensed tannins (17.8 and 9.8% DM). In vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD) and ME for oak and chamise were 35.6 and 33.1% and 5.0 and 4.7 MJ/kg DM, respectively. In vivo OMD (calculated by difference with alfalfa) and MEI, for browse were greater (P < 0.01) for goats fed chamise compared to sheep. In oak, OMD was similar for both animal species but MEI was greater (P < 0.01) for goats. Greater (P < 0.05) DM and CP intakes (per kg BW^0.75) were observed for goats fed either oak or chamise compared with sheep. When an energy source was given as supplement, the potential contribution of chamise and oak to total ME requirements for maintenance was about 58.3 and 60.4% in goats and about 17.1 and 32.9% in sheep, respectively. In consequence, metabolizable energy supplied by these shrubs may not be adequate for maintenance when, during grazing, they are consumed in high proportions with other chaparral plants that may have lower nutritional value than the alfalfa supplemented in this study. Under an appropriate supplementation program, goats could be more effective than sheep to control fuel load in California chaparral, as they consume more chamise and leather oak and obtain more nutrients from them.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bursaphelenchus mucronatus</Emphasis> (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) vectored by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monochamus </Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">urussovi</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Hokkaido,Japan

Bursaphelenchus mucronatus Mamiya et Enda has been recovered for the first time from adults of the cerambycid beetle, Monochamus urussovi (Fischer), in Hokkaido, Japan. The nematode was also recovered from the inner bark of Picea jezoensis (Siebold et Zuccarini) Carrière and Abies sachalinensis (Fr Schmidt) Masters infested with M. urussovi larvae. PCR–RFLP analysis indicated that B. mucronatus in Hokkaido is the European type.     

Warfarin resistance test and polymorphism screening in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">VKORC1</Emphasis> gene in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rattus flavipectus</Emphasis>

The buff-breasted rat (Rattus flavipectus) is a major agricultural pest across China. Warfarin-resistant animals have been found in several major provinces in China, and are hampering effective control. Molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides have been determined for other species, but genetic information regarding resistance in R. flavipectus remains unknown. The vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) encoded by VKORC1 gene is the molecular target of coumarin anticoagulants, and amino acid substitutions in VKORC1 coding-regions have been reported as one of the supposed mechanisms of warfarin resistance. Here, lethal feeding test in R. flavipectus (n = 36) was conducted in Zhanjiang, China. Four animals (11%) survived the test period of 25 days and were identified as warfarin resistance. Polymorphism across the whole genome DNA sequence of the VKORC1 gene was screened out and compared with resistant and non-resistant rats. A total of nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified including seven SNPs in introns and two SNPs in exons, and the SNP (2317A > G) located in exon 3 led to the amino acid substitution (Tyr139Cys) in VKORC1 protein. Based on the characteristics of Tyr139Cys mutation of VKORC1 in humans or rats and its relationship with warfarin-resistance, Tyr139Cys mutation may be one mutation responsible for anticoagulant resistance in R. flavipectus. Given the low numbers of resistant rats in our feeding test, wider surveillance, tests of resistance development in a larger wild population and further researches on the genetic mechanisms of anticoagulant resistance in R. flavipectus are necessary.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> morphogenic response of leaf sheath of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllostachys bambusoides</Emphasis>

Nodal segments from secondary branches of saplings of Phyllostachys bambusoides were inoculated in MS medium to assess the in vitro morphogenic response of leaf sheath through the induction to callogenesis by Picloram(4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) at different concentrations of carbohydrate under the same conditions with presence or absence of luminosity.In our experiment,secondary explants were kept in MS medium containing 8.0 mg·L-1 of Picloram for the callus formation.Calluses were transferred in MS medium supplemented with sucrose,fructose and glucose(control,2%,4% and 6%).Results show that Picloram induced the callogenesis in leaf sheath.The secondary embryogenesis was formed in yellow-globular callus.The sucrose as carbohydrate source in the absence of light was more efficient to induce rhizogenesis.Glucose was more efficiency in the presence of light.Callogenic induction and further embryogenesis evidenced the competence and determination of leaf sheath cells.