Comparative Analysis of Population Genetic Structure in Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius） Biotypes B and Q Based on ISSR Marker

Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius） biotypes B and Q are two invasive biotypes in the species complex. The comparison of the population genetic structure of the two biotypes is of significance to show their invasive mechanism and to their control. The intersimple sequence repeats （ISSR） marker was used to analyze the 16 B-biotype populations and 4 Q-biotype populations worldwide with a Trialeurodes vaporariorum population in Shanxi Province, China, and a B. tabaci non-B/Qbiotype population in Zhejiang Province, China, was used as control populations. The analysis of genetic diversity showed that the diversity indexes of biotype Q including Nei＇s gene diversity index, Shannon informative index, and the percentage of polymorphic loci were higher than those of biotype B. The high genetic diversity of biotype Q might provide the genetic basis for the excellent ecological adaptation. Cluster analysis suggested that the ISSR could not be used in the phylogenetic analysis though it could easily distinguish the biotypes of B. tabaci. The difference of the population genetic structure between the biotype B and the biotype Q exists based on the ISSR marker. Meanwhile, the results suggested that the molecular marker has its limitation in the phylogenetic analysis among the biotypes of B. tabaci.     

Sequence Analysis of mtDNA COIGene and Molecular Phylogeny of Different Geographical Populations of Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius）

Bemisia tabaci(Gennadius) is a serious pest in many cropping systems worldwide and occurs in different biotypes. The mtDNA COIgene of the 12 Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) populations from different regions and countries were analyzed. Based on mtDNA COI sequences, their biotypes were characterized and phylogenetic relationships among these populations were established with the method of UPGMA. The results indicated the genetic similarity between those populations from Beijing, Zhengzhou, Zaozhuang, Nanjing, Shanghai, Haikou, and the B-biotype populations from California, Texas, Arizona reached 99.8-100%, which meant the nation-wide infested populations of B.tabaci in China in recent years were B-biotypes. Another population collected from Kunming of Yunnan Province showed very high similarity with Q-biotype B.tabaci from Spain and Morocco, which meant the Kunming population was Q-biotype. This is the first report on the invasion of Q-biotype into China.     

Comparative Studies of Substrate and Inhibitor Specificity of Glutathione S-Transferases in Six Tissues of Oxya chinensis （Thunberg） （Orthoptera： Acrididae）

Specific activity, substrate specificity, and kinetic parameters （Km and Vmax） of glutathione S-transferases （GSTs） towards three substrates, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene （CDNB）, 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene （DCNB）, and p-nitrobenzene chloride （pNBC） were investigated in six tissues （foregut, midgut, hindgut, fat body, hemolymph, and muscle） of Oxya chinensis. In addition, the inhibition in vitro （ethacrynic acid, and Cibacron Blue 3GA） of Oxya chinensis in the six tissues was also investigated. Glutathione S-transferase activity was detected in all the six tissues examined. The rank order of GST activities towards CDNB was fat body 〉 midgut 〉 hindgut 〉 muscle 〉 foregut 〉 hemolymph both in females and males. Glutathione S-transferase activities in the fat body in females and males were 1.3- to 10.4-fold and 1.1- to 10.0- fold higher than those in the other tissues. The rank order of GST activities towards the other substrates changed slightly. From these results, it was inferred that GSTs in the fat body and midgut played important roles in detoxifying xenobiotics including insecticides and plant allelochemicals in O. chinensis. In the three substrates examined, CDNB seemed to be the best substrate, followed by pNBC and DCNB. The kinetic parameters of GSTs were different among the six tissues. This suggested that GSTs in different tissues have various affinities and catalytic efficiency to substrates. In vitro inhibition study showed that the median inhibition concentration （IC50） values of the two inhibitors to GSTs from the six tissues were different. The results suggested that the two inhibitors have different inhibition potency to GSTs from the different tissues. The observed changes in kinetic parameters and inhibition in vitro among the six tissues of the insect might suggest that the number and structure of isoenzymes and their rate of expression varied for the different tissues.     

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity of Sichuan Common Wheat Landraces in China by SSR Markers

Genetic diversity of 62 Sichuan wheat landraces accessions of China was investigated by agronomic traits and SSR markers. The landrace population showed the characters of higher tiller capability and more kernels/spike,especially tiller no./plant of six accessions was over 40 and kernels/spike of three accessions was more than 70. A total of 547 alleles in 124 polymorphic loci were detected with an average of 4.76 alleles per locus by 114 SSR markers. Parameters analysis indicated that the genetic diversity ranked as genome A>genome B>genome D,and the homoeologous groups ranked as 5>4>3>1>2>7>6 based on genetic richness (Ri). Furthermore,chromosomes 2A,1B and 3D had more diversity than that of chromosomes 4A,7A and 6B. The variation of SSR loci on chromosomes 1B,2A,2D,3B,and 4B implied that,in the past,different selective pressures might have acted on different chromosome regions of these landraces. Our results suggested that Sichuan common wheat landraces is a useful genetic resource for genetic research and wheat improvement.     

Density and Seasonal Dynamics of Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius） Mediterranean on Common Crops and Weeds Around Cotton Fields in Northern China

The density seasonal dynamics of Bemisia tabaci MED were evaluated over two years in a cotton-growing area in Langfang, Hebei Province, northern China on cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） and six other co-occurring common plants, common ragweed （Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.）, piemarker （Abutilon theophrasti Medicus）, sunflower （Helianthus annuus L.）, sweet potato （Ipomoea batatas L.）, soybean （Glycine max L.）, and maize （Zea mays L.）. The whitefly species identity was repeatedly tested and confirmed; seasonal dynamics on the various host plants were standardized by the quartile method. B. tabaci MED appeared on weeds （the common ragweed and piemarker） about 10 days earlier than on cotton, or the other cultivated plants. The peak population densities were observed over a span of 2 to 3 weeks on cotton, starting in early （2010） or mid-August （2011）. The common ragweed growing adjacent to cotton supported the highest B. tabaci densities （no. on 100 cm2 leaf surface）, 12-22 fold higher than on cotton itself. Sunflower supported more B. tabaci than the other plants, and about 1.5-2 fold higher than cotton did, Our results indicate that weeds （esp. the common ragweed） around cotton fields could increase the population density of B. tabaci MED on cotton, while sunflower could act as a trap crop for decreasing pest pressure on cotton.     

Response of Cytochrome P450 Expression to Maize Volatiles in Helicoverpa armigera (Hner)

The 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase (ECOD) activities of cytochrome P450s and differential expression of six cytochrome P450 genes induced by the volatiles from both damaged and undamaged maize plants were investigated in the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hner). The ECOD activity changed with time of exposure to maize volatiles. At 36 h after cotton bollworm larvae exposure to maize volatiles, the ECOD activities in cotton bollworm damaged and artificially damaged groups were 2.36 and 4.53 times higher than the control group respectively. The relative expression levels of CYP4S1, CYP6B2 and CYP6B7 in the cotton bollworm were significantly increased in artificially damaged plant group, which was 2.93, 5.09 and 10.66 times higher than that in the control group, respectively. The expression levels of CYP6B2, CYP6B6, CYP9A12, and CYP9A14 were much lower in the larvae exposure to volatiles from both healthy and pest damaged maize seedlings than in the control group at 12 h after larvae exposure to maize volatiles. For the cotton bollworm damaged maize group, the expression of CYP4S1 and CYP9A14 increased.     

Comparisons of yield performance and nitrogen response between hybrid and inbred rice under different ecological conditions in southern China

In order to understand the yield performance and nitrogen(N) response of hybrid rice under different ecological conditions in southern China, field experiments were conducted in Huaiji County of Guangdong Province, Binyang of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Changsha City of Hunan Province, southern China in 2011 and 2012. Two hybrid(Liangyoupeijiu and Y-liangyou 1) and two inbred rice cultivars(Yuxiangyouzhan and Huanghuazhan) were grown under three N treatments(N1, 225 kg ha–1; N2, 112.5–176 kg ha–1; N3, 0 kg ha–1) in each location. Results showed that grain yield was higher in Changsha than in Huaiji and Binyang for both hybrid and inbred cultivars. The higher grain yield in Changsha was attributed to larger panicle size(spikelets per panicle) and higher biomass production. Consistently higher grain yield in hybrid than in inbred cultivars was observed in Changsha but not in Huaiji and Binyang. Higher grain weight and higher biomass production were responsible for the higher grain yield in hybrid than in inbred cultivars in Changsha. The better crop performance of rice(especially hybrid cultivars) in Changsha was associated with its temperature conditions and indigenous soil N. N2 had higher internal N use efficiency, recovery efficiency of applied N, agronomic N use efficiency, and partial factor productivity of applied N than N1 for both hybrid and inbred cultivars, while the difference in grain yield between N1 and N2 was relatively small. Our study suggests that whether hybrid rice can outyield inbred rice to some extent depends on the ecological conditions, and N use efficiency can be increased by using improved nitrogen management such as site-specific N management in both hybrid and inbred rice production.     

The production relationship of destruxins and blastospores of Metarhizium anisopliae with virulence against Plutella xylostella

Metarhizium anisopliae as an essential entomopathogenic fungus has been known to produce destruxins(a kind of cyclo-peptidic mycotoxins) and blastospores in submerged culture. Blastospores and destruxins are candidates for insecticides, but the relations of both productions and the impact factors are unclear yet. In this study, we investigated the effects of inoculums, rotation, dissolved oxygen(DO) on the productions of blastospores and destruxins A and B(DA and DB) in submerged culture of M. anisopliae strain Ma Q01. The results indicated that DO levels were regulated by inoculum amounts and rotation speeds, meanwhile, the productions of DA, DB and blastospores were also closely influenced by those factors. Totally, when DO value was more than 40%, the higher productions of destruxins and blastospores were achieved, by contrast, lower than 40% of DO values resulted in lower productions. The regression analysis suggested that the productions of DA, DB and blastospores were positively correlated with the DO levels. Meanwhile, the positive correlations between the productions of DA or DB and blastospores were also found. Briefly, when the rotation is 150 r min–1 and the inoculum is 1.0×10~6 spore m L~(–1), the DA, DB and blastospores achieved the best production of 61.81 mg m L~(–1), 24.74 mg m L~(–1) and 5.73×10~6 spore m L~(–1), respectively. In addition, the pathogenicities of blastospores and conidia against Plutella xylostella were bioassayed. The higher mortalities of P. xylostella were totally recorded in blastospore treatments than in conidia treatments, especially in lower dosages and earlier periods. Our research will give some new insights to production of destruxins and blastospores by using M. anisopliae.     

Performance of Fatty Liver Development in Response to Brown Rice and Corn-Based Diets in Overfed Landes Geese （Anser anser）

The effect of brown rice and corn-based diets on fatty liver weight, carcass traits, lipids accumulation and liver composition of Landes geese (Anser anser) after feeding the same amount of each diet was investigated. After 2 weeks overfeeding,besides body weight and body weight gain increased significantly, the fatty liver weights were increased dramatically from 94.67 to 554.67 and 754.00 g in corn treatment and rice treatment, respectively, and the accumulation lipids in adipose tissues reached up to or close to 2 folds of initial weight in both treatments. Liver weight was greater in brown rice group than in corn group (P＜0.05). Compared to before overfeeding, triacylglycerols (TG) in geese fatty liver increased dramatically and predominated (from 9.08% to close to or more than 90% of hepatic lipids), whereas phospholipids (PL) and cholesteryl esters (CE) decreased sharply in both treatments (P＜O.05). However, the percentages of lipids, TG and PL in fatty liver were higher in brown rice treatment than in corn treatment, and that of CE was lower (P＜O.05). It indicates that overfeeding chiefly results in lipids accumulation in goose fatty liver and adipose tissues. Brown rice-based diet induces greater fatty liver, and brown rice is one of high quality overfeeding ingredients instead of corn.     

Performance of autoregulatory Senescence-inhibition Gene in Rice

The Performance of autoregulatory senescence - inhibition gene PSAG12 - IPT in rice has been investigated in the study. 422 transgenic plants from 134 independent resistant calli were ohmined from 4 rice varieties through Agrobacterium -mediated transformation. Among them, 233 were positive PSAG12 - IPT transgenic plants identified by GUS histochemical assay and PCR analysis.Southern analysis shorted the transgene was randomly integrated into rice genome, of which 42.29% was single copy. Investigations on photmynthesis function and agronomic characters R1 generation shorted that chlorophy Ⅱ content and photmynthesis rate of flag leaves in transgenic plants, were 41.23% and 50.24% higher than the control wild-type rice, respectively. The growth duration and plant height of the transgenic plants were similar to the control. Variations of other characters were dependent on the varieties. For the variety Millin with significant aging phenomenon in China, its total grains per hill, its seed setting rate and 1000-grain wdght were increased by 40.44%, 8.05% and 8.32% respectively. The results indicated that after leaf senesomce of varieties liable to age was delayed, the seed setting rate and the filling degree of seeds were improved, which finally resulted in significantly increased seed yield and biomass per hill. The new variety Wuyujing 2 without serious aging problem, was also increased in the panicles per hill, the totslgrains per hill, the seed yidd per hill and biomass in different degrees.     

Selection Effects of Soil Fertility on the Progenies of Soybean Crosses

The F2,F3,families and F4lines of six soybean crosses,were selected successively under high-and low-fertility sites with the relection objective of high yield and the method of pedigree was used.Two best F4-derived lines were chosen from each of the six crosses under both high-and low-fertility for use in this study.In 1995,the total 24 lines were tested in high,medium and low fertility sites with the same experimental design(CRB)to study the selectoin effects of high and low-fertility,the results suggested that high-and low-fertility had different selection effects.High fertility was more effective for selecting lines,which had higher yield under high-fertility and lower yield under low-fertility;low-fertility was better for selecting lines,which had higher yield under low-fertility and lower yield under low-fertility,and high fertility was somewhat bteer than low fertility for selecting lines,which had higher yield under both high and low-fertility.It revealed that the lines selected from high-fertility had superuior yield potential.The lines selected from high-fertility had shorter plant hieight,more nodes on main stem,fewer branches,higher seed-stem ratio.The reverse was true for the lines selected form low-fertility.The lodging-resistance of the lines selected from highfertility was greater than that of the lines from low-fertility.The soil fertility level of breeding nursery should be chosen according to the breeding objective.     

Tissue distribution of deoxynivalenol in piglets following intravenous administration

Contamination of deoxynivalenol(DON) in grains is common worldwide and pigs are particularly susceptible to this mycotoxin. The distribution of DON in porcine tissues following intravenous administration was investigated in this study. Fifteen pigs were randomly divided into three groups. Animals in groups A and B were administrated with DON at the dose of 250 and 750 μg kg–1 body weight, respectively, while group C served as blank control. Plasma, bile and 27 tissues were collected at 30 min post-administration. DON concentrations in all samples were tested using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS). To observe the distribution of DON in tissues, these samples were further subjected to the immunohistochemical analyses. Totally, the bile and 13 tissues were sampled for DON-based detection, including kidney, mesenteric lymph nodes, muscle, stomach, jejunum, colon, plasma, spleen, rectum, cecum, liver, ileum, and duodenum. No significant difference was observed for the concentrations of DON in duodenum, ileum and liver samples between groups A and B; while the DON concentrations in cecum and rectum of group B were significantly higher(P-value 0.05) than those in group A. In addition, the DON concentrations in stomach, jejunum, colon, mesenteric lymph nodes, muscle, kidney, spleen, bile, and plasma of group B were remarkably higher than those of group A(P-value0.01). Levels of DON in other 14 tissues including medulla oblongata, midbrain, diencephalon, pons, tip and tongue body, tongue, soft palate, tonsils, pharyngeal mucosa, oral buccal mucosa, thymus, thyroid, esophagus and adrenal gland were all below the limit of detection. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that 11 tissue samples(medullaoblongata, tonsil, adrenal medulla, thyroid gland, thyroid, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, kidney, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes) were positive and DON was mainly distributed around blood vessels in these tissues. Therefore, we believed that concentrations of DON in tissues differ when pigs are in exposure to various dosages and DON causes lesions in many pig tissues.     

Effects of Controlled-Release Fertilizers and Their Application Methods on Germination and Seedling Growth of Dent and Sweet Corns

Effects of controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) (C-AS, polyolefin coated ammonium sulfate, 50-day-type; Dd-LP, polyolefin coated urea with dicyandiamide, 40-day-type; C-ANP, polyolefin coated ammonium nitrate phosphate, 40-day-type; and C-DAP, polyolefin coated diammonium acid phosphate, 40-day-type), ammonium sulphate and no fertilizer control, and their application methods (spot, band, surface and mixed) on germination and seedling development of sweet corn (Zeamays L.var. saccharata Sturt.) and dent corn (Zea mays L.var. indentata Sturt.) were investigated in a greenhouse. Under co-situs application (band and spot) of CRFs, there were no obvious differences in the germination speed and rate for both dent corn and sweet corn relative to control. Mortality rates of sweet corn seedlings under co-situs application were high in experiment 1, but were very low in experiment 2, because the environmental conditions were different in the two experiments. That is, under lower temperature and weaker sunlight, young seedlings easily die due to high soil nutrient concentration and slow growth speed of corn. Shoot weight of both dent and sweet corn did not greatly decrease in experiment 1. In experiment 2, there were no significant differences in shoot and root weight of both corns between cositus and surface or mixed application methods. However, with spot and band application of ammonium sulfate, shoot and root weight were significantly reduced. Soil EC and pH were considerably affected by co-situs application, especially at the fertilizer application site. For both dent and sweet corn, EC in the 0-3 cm soil was significantly higher under co-situs application and surface application than that under mixed application, whereas in the 3-6 cm soil depth the situation was reversed. Compared with control, mixed application of CRFs decreased soil pH slightly (0-3 cm depth) or greatly (3-6 cm depth).     

Comparing Immature Development and Life History Traits in Two Coexisting Host-Feeding Parasitoids,Diglyphus isaea and Neochrysocharis formosa （Hymenoptera：Eulophidae）

Coexisting natural enemies that share a common host resource in the same guild usually exhibit variation in their life history traits, due to their need to share a similar ecological niche. In this study, we compared the immature development times and adult life history traits of two coexisting, host-feeding parasitoids, Diglyphus isaea Walker and Neochrysocharis formosa Westwood （Hymenoptera：Eulophidae）, of which both attack larvae of the same agromyzid leafminers. These two species are both synovigenic, idiobiont parasitoids, whose adults consume host lfuids （“host feeding”） and lay anhydropic eggs. Of the two, D. isaea has a larger body but little or no initial egg load, and engages in similar lifetime host-feeding events. However, it achieves higher fecundity, longer adult longevity, and higher host suppression ability than N. formosa, which has a smaller body and higher initial egg load. Although D. isaea engages in similar lifetime host-feeding events with N. formosa, all of its gains in life history traits per host-feeding event of D. isaea were larger than those of N. formosa. The age-speciifc fecundity and host mortality curves of N. formosa were more skewed in early life than those of D. isaea. In addition, the ovigeny index of N. formosa was negatively correlated to body size. Our results conifrmed that two coexisting parasitoids, which share the same host resource, show different immature development patterns and life history traits, suggesting that different resource allocation mode could be a general rule of coexisting species sharing the same habitat or host.     

Heterosis of Double Low Self-incompatibility in Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.)

66 F1 hybrids, produced by 3 double low self-incompatible lines and 22 varieties with a North Carolina Ⅱ (NCⅡ) crossing design, were tested for their heterosis in Wuhan, China during two growing seasons from 1999- 2001. The results showed that significant differences were found between F1s and their parents for yield per plant and seed oil content. Mid-parent heterosis of these two characters ranged from 5.50%-64.11% and from 1.55% -7.44% respectively. Heterosis for seed yield per plant was greater than that of seed oil content. For yield components, heterosis of total number of siliques per plant was the highest, followed by seed number per silique and 1 000 seeds weight. Significant genotype-by-year interaction was found for seed yield per plant. Results from correlation and combining ability analysis indicated that parental effects on its F1 hybrid depended on characters, seed yield per plant was affected by both additive and non-additive effects, and seed oil content was affected mainly by additive effect. When designing hybrid programme, parents might be selected by GCAs and variances of SCAs of parents for the characters affected by both additive and non-additive effects, and by the sum of GCAs of female and male parents for the characters mainly affected by additive effects.     

Current status and trends of wheat genetic transformation studies in China

More than 20 years have passed since the first report on successful genetic transformation of wheat. With the establishment and improvement of transformation platform, great progresses have been made on wheat genetic transformation both on its fundamental and applied studies in China, especially driven by the National Major Project for Transgenic Organism Breeding, China, initiated in 2008. In this review, wheat genetic transformation platform improvement and transgenic research progresses including new techniques applied and functional studies of wheat quality, yield and stress tolerant related genes and biosafety assessment are summarized. The existing problems and the trends in wheat transformation with traditional methods combined with genomic studies and genome editing technology are also discussed.     

Genetic Differentiation of Different Geographical Populations of Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius） Complex

Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius） is a species complex, which includes different geographical populations with genetic differentiation. The recent progress on the genetic differentiation of various geographical populations of B. tabaci complex was introduced. The genetic differentiation was further analyzed on the basis of the sequences of mtDNA COI and rDNA ITS1 recorded in the world＇s GenBank. Five groups are defined on the basis of mtDNA COI and rDNA ITS1, including the Asia group, America group, Africa group, Australia group, and Biotype B/Mediterranean/Middle East/ Northern Africa/Biotype Ms group. There are several ungrouped geographical classifications, such as the Uganda population, Ivory Coast population, and Taiwan population. Geographical isolation may be the most important factor that contributed to the genetic differentiation of various geographical populations of B. tabaci. Many populations with biological advantages invaded new regions and caused severe economic losses within human activity. It is necessary to strengthen the research of B. tabaci biotype to prevent the spread of invaded populations and the invasion of potentially dangerous populations.     

Paternity Testing of Selected Abaca （Musa textilis L. Nee） Hybrids Using Morphometric Markers

Investigation into the paternity of four abaca （Musa textilis L, Nee） hybrids was done to ascertain the mode of transmission of selected morpho-agronomic traits and to detect possible heterosis. In situ morphological characterization was undertaken using twenty five qualitative and six quantitative characters. Results revealed that a great majority of the qualitative traits were shared by both parents and their hybrids. For the rest, the qualitative traits were inherited from one or the other parent though some variant phenotypes （i.e. chimerism） were also noted in the hybrids. Cases ofheterosis were also observed and this could be exploited to increase fiber yield in the hybrids. Though inconclusive due to factors such as the heterogenous nature of abaca plants in the field and the susceptibility of morphological traits to environmental fluctuations, this study has provided baseline information on abaca hybridity that can be verified using more robust technologies as molecular markers.     

High genetic variation and recombination events in the vicinity of non-autonomous transposable elements from ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'

Two miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements(MITEs), MCLas-A and MCLas-B, were recently identified from ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' known to be associated with citrus Huanglongbing(HLB, yellow shoot disease). MCLas-A was suggested as an active MITE because of its mobility. The immediate upstream gene of the two MITEs was predicted to be a putative transposase. The goal of this study is to analyze the sequence variation in the upstream putative transposase of MITEs and explore the possible correlation between sequence variation of transposase gene and MITE activity. PCR and sequence analysis showed that 12 sequence types were found in six major amplicon types from 43 representative ‘Ca. L. asiaticus' isolates from China, the United States and Brazil. Out of the 12 sequence types, three(T4, T5-2, T6) were reported for the first time. Recombination events were found in the two unique sequence types(T5-2 and T6) which were detected in all Brazilian isolates. Notably, no sequence variation or recombination events were detected in the upstream putative transposase gene of MCLas-A, suggesting the conservation of the transposase gene might be closely related with the MITE activity. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated two well supported clades including five subclades were identified, clearly reflecting the geographical origins of isolates, especially that of Ruili isolates, S?o Paulo isolates and a few Florida isolates.