The effects of daminozide and under-soil heating on the growth of radish under winter conditions

The growth of radish cultivars ‘Saxa’, ‘Saxerre’, ‘Serra’, ‘Istar’, ‘Cherrybelle’ and ‘Robino’ was compared at 7 and 12°C under winter glasshouse conditions. ‘Serra’ alone produced marketable storage roots by 63 days at 7°C, but root weight was no greater at 12 than at 7°C; only ‘Robino’ produced significantly larger roots at the higher temperature. Under-soil heating applied to ‘Cherrybelle’ and ‘Robino’ grown at an air temperature of 7°C increased root growth, particularly in ‘Cherrybelle’. Daminozide treatment at 7°C increased total and storage root weight and root:shoot ratio of both cultivars. At 12°C, the only significant effect of daminozide treatment was reduced shoot weight in ‘Robino’.     

Response of the chrysanthemum to soil heating

Chrysanthemum plants were exposed to 16°C day-temperature, 11°C night-temperature, 13°C soil-temperature, to be indicated as 16/11/13°C, or to 16/11/25°C, 20/16/18°C, or 20/16/25°C, first long day, then short day, (long day = 12-h light period with 3-h night break; short day = 12-h light period) from planting to harvest in controlled environments to study the effects of soil heating on growth and flowering. There were significant, but not substantial, effects of soil heating on leaf area, percent soluble carbohydrate, flower bud diameter, days to visible bud and some other parameters. Two winter cultivars responded similarly, while 2 summer cultivars differed in flowering-response to soil heating. An experiment was also conducted using 16/11/25°C day/night/soil temperatures during long days, short days or throughout the complete growth cycle, with 16/11/13°C day/night/soil temperatures at other times. Soil heating during long days resulted in the highest quality flowers. Soil heating during short days or throughout the growth period resulted in most rapid flowering but decreased flower quality.     

Effect of temperature on growth and flowering of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) cultivars

Summary

Moderate day/night temperatures (20/15° v. 15/10°C) increased vegetative growth and reduced flowering in the seven litchi cvs Tai So, Bengal, Souey Tung, Kwai May Pink, Kwai May Red, Salathiel and Wai Chee. At higher temperatures (25/20° and 30/25°C), vegetative growth was promoted further and flowering eliminated. Temperature also influenced the type of inflorescence formed. More leaves were formed on the panicles of trees growing at 20/15° than at 15/10°C. All terminal shoots on all cultivars produced panicles at 15/10°C. The relative order for the amount of flowering at 20/15°C was: ‘Wai Chee’>‘Salathiel’>‘Kwai May Pink’>‘Tai So’>‘Bengal’>‘Souey Tung’>‘Kwai May Red’. Cultivars which were vigorous at high temperatures produced fewer panicles at 20/15°C and fewer leafless panicles at 15/10°C. Only small differences were observed in the leaf water potential and the nutrient status of the shoots at different temperatures. Vigour and flowering of the cultivars in the glasshouse generally reflected field performance in subtropical Australia (Lat. 27°S). Low vigour could be useful for selecting litchi cultivars for good fruiting in environments with warm autumns and winters.     

Growth of Vitis vinifera L. and Vitis aestivalis Michx. as Affected by Temperature

Abstract

Four European (Vitis vinifera L.) winegrape cvs., ‘Semillon’, ‘Pinot Noir,’ ‘Chardonnay’, and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, and one American (Vitis aestivalis Michx.) winegrape cv. ‘Cynthiana’, were subjected to three temperature regimes in growth chambers set at 20/15°C, 30/ 25°C, or 40/35°C, for 16/8 hr day/night to determine the influence of temperatures on vine growth and development. In general, the best temperature for shoot and root growth 28 days after temperature treatments was 20/15°C for ‘Semillon’, ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, and ‘Cynthiana’, and 30/25°C for ‘Pinot Noir’ and ‘Chardonnay’. Although 40/35°C reduced number of leaves, shoots, tendrils, and internodes, total leaf area (LA), and total shoot biomass of all the cultivars, the reduction was more pronounced in ‘Cynthiana’ than in the European cultivars. The average reduction in number of leaves at 40/35°C for the European cultivars was 47%, compared with 92% for ‘Cynthiana’. The two types of grapes adapted differently to high temperature. Shoot growth in the European cultivars continued under high temperature, whereas growth ceased in ‘Cynthiana’. Roots of ‘Cynthiana’, however, were less susceptible to the adverse effect of high temperatures than were the shoots. This study shows that the European cultivars were relatively more tolerant to high temperature than the American cultivar and they have a potential for production of wine in the climate of south central Kansas.     

Root shoot interactions in passionfruit (Passiflora sp.) under the influence of changing root volumes and soil temperatures

Summary

Passionfruit are grown in the tropics and subtropics where mean monthly soil temperatures at 15 cm range from about 10° to 30°C. The choice of rootstock can also influence production with most industries exploiting either the purple (Passiflora edulis f. edulis) or golden passionfruit (P. edulis tflavicarpa). We examined the relationship between shoot and root growth in purple x golden hybrid E-23 grafted onto golden passionfruit seedlings. Growth was manipulated by varying the volume of the soil available to the roots or temperature of the root zone. Shoot and root growth increased as root zone volume increased from 0.3, 1.4, 4, 12 to 24 1. Shoot weight (W_s) was correlated with root weight (W_R):W_S = 12.697 + 5.272 W_R + 0.195 W_R² (r² = 91%, P<0.001), with the plants allocating a smaller proportion of dry matter to the roots as root weight increased. Differences in shoot growth with pot volume were not due to changes in water or nutrient status. In the temperature experiment, the two critical root zone temperatures at 90% of maximum growth were about 20° and 35° C for vine extension, leaf area, node and leaf production, and 20° and 30°C for flower production. Leaf and stem dry weight were optimal between about 18° and 34°C, while maximum root growth occurred at 38°C. There was a weak relationship between shoot (W_s) and root dry weight (W_R): W_s = ?19.346 + 24.500 W_R ?1.046 W_R² (r² = 53%, .P<0.001). Apparently, variations in shoot growth at different soil temperatures cannot be explained solely by differences in root growth. Reduced growth at 10°C was associated with lower chlorophyll concentration, stomatal conductance and net CO₂ assimilation, but not lower leaf water potential. The concentration of most nutrients were lower at 10°C than at higher temperatures, but none was outside the range which would be expected to restrict growth. There appears to be a co-ordination of shoot and root growth as the soil volume available for root growth increases, whereas root temperature affects the roots and tops differently. The results of the pot volume experiment demonstrate the importance of rootstock vigour in passionfruit breeding. Productivity would be affected in cool subtropical areas with soil <20°C and in tropical areas with soil >30°C.     

Effect of day and night temperatures during short photoperiods on growth and flowering of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat

The effect of day and night temperatures of 10, 14 and 18°C on growth and flowering under short days was studied with six cultivais of chrysanthemum. A high day temperature resulted in earlier flowering and taller stems, but did not influence flower number and final total fresh weight, and only slightly influenced the distribution of fresh matter over stem, leaves and flowers. A high night temperature resulted in earlier flowering, more flowers and reduced stem and leaf weight. It did not affect leaf number and it influenced height and total fresh weight only slightly. Except for height, the day temperature acted independently from the night temperature. The cultivars responded similarly, except for two cultivars which generally did not flower at 10/10,10/14 and 14/10°C D/N. One cul-tivar produced more flowers at 14 than at 18°C.     

Analysis of the Growth and Yield of Overwintered Onions

The growth of a number of onion cultivars sown on different dates during late summer in several years was assessed by regular sampling. The growth during the winter of five different winter-hardy cultivars was very similar, whereas that of Rijnsburger Bola, a cultivar normally sown in spring, was clearly slower. Sowing date was shown to affect final yield through its effect on overwintering size, which in turn influenced bulb size at harvest, the proportion of plants which bolted and the extent of winter losses. During the winter months the rate of leaf initiation appeared to be decreased to a lesser extent than the growth in dry weight, which itself was decreased less than growth in leaf area. The growth of the winter-hardy cultivars from all sowing dates and seasons was well summarized by a single linear relationship between the logarithm of plant dry weight and the accumulated day-degrees between 6° and 20°C from the day of seedling emergence. Using this relationship together with temperature records from past years it was possible to estimate the best average sowing date and the year-to-year variation in optimum sowing date. This approach may prove useful in predicting optimum sowing dates for other localities from past weather records.     

Effect of temperature on pollen germination and pollen tube growth of four cultivars of mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Summary

The effect of a constant (10, 15, 20 or 25°C) or a diurnal maximum/minimum (15/5, 20/10, 25/15 or 30/20°C) incubation temperature on in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth in the pistils of two poly-embryonic (‘Kensington’ and ‘Nam Dok Mai’), and two mono-embryonic (‘Irwin’ and ‘Sensation’) mango cultivars was studied. In in vitro experiments where pollen was incubated in a liquid germination medium for 24 h in darkness, little difference was found between pollen germination of mono- and poly-embryonic cultivars. Averaged over the four cultivars, 53.9% of pollen germinated at 10°C, this increased to 76.2% when the incubation temperature was increased to 15°C, thereafter up to 25°C the percentage germination remained stable but germination decreased slightly to 68.2% at 30°C. Similarly, there was no difference in percent germination between cultivars when pollen was incubated under diurnal temperature regimes. Mean pollen germination of all four cultivars was 52.3% at 15/5°C and pollen germination increased by 10% when the temperature was raised to 30/20°C. When self-pollinated flowers were incubated for 24 h on a semi-solid agar medium at 10°C, pollen tube growth of the four cultivars was retarded and no pollen tubes reached the ovaries. As the temperature was increased from 15 to 25°C, the mean number of pollen tubes in ovaries increased from 0.04 to 0.25. At 30°C, the mean number of pollen tubes that entered ovaries decreased to 0.04. After incubation under diurnal temperature regimes, the mean number of pollen tubes in ovaries of all four cultivars at 15/5°C was 0.23 and increased to 0.42 when the temperature increased to 30/20°C. At each incubation temperature, there were significant differences in pollen tube growth between cultivars, but there were no differences between the temperature response of pollen from mono- and poly-embryonic cultivars.     

Effect of temperature on growth,dry matter production and starch accumulation in ten mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars

Summary

Ten mango cultivars of tropical and subtropical origin (Carabao, Kensington, Nam Dok Mai, Alphonso, Dashehari, Florigon, Glenn, Irwin, Haden and Sensation) were grafted onto cv. Kensington seedling rootstock and held at four day/night temperatures for 20 weeks (15/10°C, 20/15°C, 25/20°C and 30/25°C). Vegetative growth increased with increasing temperatures. All grew vegetatively at 25/20°C and 30/25°C. Cultivars which did not grow at 20/15°C were Carabao, Kensington and Dashehari. Cultivars Kensington, Nam Dok Mai, Alphonso, Florigon, Glenn, Irwin, Haden and Sensation produced flower panicles at 15/10°C. The rise in temperature increased the average number of growth flushes (in responsive cultivars) from 0.48 at 15/10°C to 3.21 at 30/25°C, and the number of leaves per growth flush (1.22 at 15/10°C to 13.63 at 30/25°C). Distribution of dry matter from new growth was mostly to the roots at the lowest temperature (95% at 15/10°C) and to the leaves (58%) at 30/25°C. The mean daily temperature for zero vegetative growth was calculated to be 15°C. Temperature and related growth activity also affected the concentration of starch in the woody tissue of rootstock trunks at the end of 20 weeks (15.9% starch at 15/10°C v. 4.8% starch at 30/25°C). ‘Irwin’ had the highest starch concentration at the two higher temperatures (twice that of any other cultivar at 30/25°C) while ‘Kensington’ the lowest starch level at 25/20°C, ca. 50% of most other cultivars.     

Rapid separation of developing Arabidopsis seeds from siliques for RNA or metabolite analysis

Background

Root growth is highly responsive to temporal changes in the environment. On the contrary, diel (24 h) leaf expansion in dicot plants is governed by endogenous control and therefore its temporal pattern does not strictly follow diel changes in the environment. Nevertheless, root and shoot are connected with each other through resource partitioning and changing environments for one organ could affect growth of the other organ, and hence overall plant growth.

Results

We developed a new technique, GROWMAP-plant, to monitor growth processes synchronously in leaf and root of the same plant with a high resolution over the diel period. This allowed us to quantify treatment effects on the growth rates of the treated and non-treated organ and the possible interaction between them. We subjected the root system of Nicotiana tabacum seedlings to three different conditions: constant darkness at 22°C (control), constant darkness at 10°C (root cooling), and 12 h/12 h light–dark cycles at 22°C (root illumination). In all treatments the shoot was kept under the same 12 h/12 h light–dark cycles at 22°C. Root growth rates were found to be constant when the root-zone environment was kept constant, although the root cooling treatment significantly reduced root growth. Root velocity was decreased after light-on and light-off events of the root illumination treatment, resulting in diel root growth rhythmicity. Despite these changes in root growth, leaf growth was not affected substantially by the root-zone treatments, persistently showing up to three times higher nocturnal growth than diurnal growth.

Conclusion

GROWMAP-plant allows detailed synchronous growth phenotyping of leaf and root in the same plant. Root growth was very responsive to the root cooling and root illumination, while these treatments altered neither relative growth rate nor diel growth pattern in the seedling leaf. Our results that were obtained simultaneously in growing leaves and roots of the same plants corroborate the high sensitivity of root growth to the environment and the contrasting robustness of diel growth patterns in dicot leaves. Further, they also underpin the importance to carefully control the experimental conditions for root growth analysis to avoid or/and minimize artificial complications.     

Effects of Temperature on the Growth of Corchorus Olitorius

Controlled environment experiments were conducted using base-line growth study conditions to evaluate the responses of cvs Angbadu and Yaya of Corchorus olitorius, a tropical leafy vegetable, to day/night temperatures of 25°/20°, 30°/25° and 35°/30°C. Some of the parameters studied were greatest at 35°/30°C and least at 25°/20°C for both cultivars. Dry weights of both cultivars increased with rising temperatures during the first 21 days after emergence, and the greatest leaf area was at 30°/25°C for both. The nearest to the optimum temperature regime for this species was 30°/25°C. Based on leaf area at any temperature, cv Yaya would be preferred, but its superiority over cv Angbadu as indicated by dry weight is due to some extent to its greater stem length which is not composed of nutritionally important tissue.     

The morphological development of cauliflower and broccoli cultivars depending on temperature

In growth chambers the effect of temperature (12–27°C) on the growth and development of cauliflower cultivars of temperate and tropical climates, as well as of broccoli cultivars, was tested. No difference was found between the cultivars as regards dry matter production and curd growth, but a difference was found in the time of curd initiation. The early cauliflower ‘Aristokrat’ does not form lateral shoots or floral buds before elongation of the inflorescence at any temperature level. This always occurs in broccoli cultivars. The tropical cauliflowers have an intermediate position. At low temperatures (12–17°C) only 12–14 leaves are formed. Many lateral shoots are initiated and a broccoli-like curd with fertile flowers is developed. At high temperatures (22–27°C) the same cultivars produce a considerably higher leaf weight, less lateral shoots are initiated, and a cauliflower-like curd without floral buds is formed.     

武汉市韩国春萝卜冬栽品比试验

为了探讨春萝卜在武汉地区秋冬季保护地栽培,满足春节期间需求的可能性,选择了20个来自韩国的春萝卜进行品比试验。通过对不同萝卜品种地上部性状、产品器官性状、产品产量以及品质、叶片数与产量的关系进行分析。结果表明,这些萝卜品种在秋冬季保护地栽培基本上生长良好。特别是东洋雪王春、YR新春白玉、特新白玉春、新白玉春A、白玉美5个品种的品质好,产量高,属于优良品种,值得大力推广。     

春秋季栽培萝卜糠心生理的研究

以适于春季和秋季栽培的萝卜组合南农四季红Ⅰ号、Ⅱ号为材料,进行春、秋季栽培,比较其糠心发生的规律。结果表明,春季萝卜与秋季萝卜糠心在淀粉、还原糖含量的变化上明显不同,春萝卜糠心过程中淀粉、还原糖含量呈先升高后下降的趋势,而秋萝卜呈一直下降趋势。根中淀粉、还原糖含量主要与叶片的同化能力和植株生长状况有关,而与糠心无必然联系。春季萝卜糠心速度快于秋季萝卜,可能是春季前期土温低影响了次生分生组织的形成和后期的生殖生长及营养物质的分配。糠心与根粗呈显著正相关。糠心主要是由于根的横向膨大速度过快所致。糠心遗传传递力的研究结果表明,Ｆ１代的薄壁细胞直径介于双亲之间,根重／叶重偏向于高亲,糠心性状偏向于耐糠心亲本     

Rooting of peach hardwood cuttings for the meadow orchard

In order to make peach meadow orchard systems feasible, the possibility of propagating peaches by hardwood cuttings and thus reducing the establishment cost of this extremely high-density planting system was examined.A medium temperature of 25°C was harmful to auxin-treated peach cuttings, but excellent rooting could be obtained at a temperature as low as 12°C. Further trials conducted under outdoor conditions in winter in the coastal plain of Israel, with a soil temperature of 12–14°C, did not show any effect of timing on rooting, providing the cutting was taken mature enough (after mid-November) and not later than about 6 weeks prior to bud break. In 30 days root initiation started. Although variations were found between cultivars, 1500 mg/l of indole butyric acid in a 5-second base-dip was found to act well with most cultivars. Good aeration was shown to be critical for good root formation. Leaving the cutting for 1 month in damp sand prior to planting in orchard soil was satisfactory. An area of a few hectares of commercial meadow orchards has already been established with this method.     

Effect of stratification-temperature,chemical treatments and seed coat on the growth of peach seedlings cultivar ‘Sharbati’

In order to obtain normal seedlings of peach cultivar ‘Sharbati’ before the commencement of winter, treatments with GA₃, thiourea and kinetin were given to seeds before stratification at 7°C, 10°C or 24°C. The seedlings raised from the treated seeds and after-ripened at 24°C were dwarf. The seedling growth was increased when the treated seeds were stratified at 10°C or 7°C and the stratification period was prolonged from 15 days to 75 days. 10°C stratification-temperature was better than 7°C. The seedling growth was improved when the seed coat was removed before the treatments. With respect to both seed types, 1000 mg/l GA₃ produced the tallest seedlings at all the after-ripening temperatures and during each stratification period. The next best treatment was 100 mg/l kinetin.     

Effect of the plant raising environment,transplant weight and date of transplanting on the subsequent growth and development of leeks (Allium porrum L.) grown for early production

Leek transplant weight at planting was greater for a given period of growth at 23°C than at 9°C but was unaffected by nutrition. A single line fitted to all the data, using a time-scale based on ‘effective day-degrees’ (with a base of 4°C and an upper limit of 23°C) accounted for over 76% of the variance in transplant weight at planting. Plant weight at harvest was positively related to transplant weight and fitting straight lines to each of the early and late harvest data sets from all the experiments accounted for 75% of the variance in plant weight at harvest. There were no ‘carry-over’ effects of temperature or nutrition from the plant-raising phase other than those on transplant weight. It was calculated, using data from two of the experiments where transplanting date was a factor, that yields fell by between 0.4 to 1.61 ha“1 for each week’s delay in planting over the period early April to mid-June. This loss in yield could be compensated by planting larger plants; 300 g plants could be produced in early August by planting 0.6 g, 0.9 g and 1.7 g plants in mid-April, mid-May and early/mid-June, respectively. The number of plants with flower initials at harvest increased with an increase in transplant weight and exceeded 10% with transplants of 0.5 g fresh weight or more and, for comparable transplant weights, was substantially greater from plants raised at 9° than 12°C. Flower initials were present even in crops from plants raised at 23°C. Transplants raised at 9°C produced up to 30% bolters at harvest but bolters were almost completely absent in crops established from plants raised at 12°C, 18°C or 23°C. Small plants (<0.4 g fresh weight) with 2-3 visible true leaves responded to cold.     

The effects of root-zone warming on the yield and quality of roses grown in a hydroponic system

Rose cvs Ilona, Mercedes and Sonia, budded onto R. multiflora rootstock, were grown using the nutrient film technique. A root-zone temperature of 25°C was compared with ambient root temperatures at three night-time air temperatures of 18°, 12° and ambient (9°C), and in two other experiments at 18°, 14° and 10°C. Bloom yield and stem length and diameter were recorded for a 22-week winter/spring period and for shorter periods in the following summer. In Experiment 1 Sonia responded to root zone warming (RZW) by giving 44% more blooms and a 26% increase in stem length compared with ambient root temperature. Ilona gave a yield response only at a night temperature of 12°C, but RZW resulted in 22% longer stems. Mercedes gave 22% more blooms from RZW. Plants from Experiment 1 were used for a second year in Experiment 2. Mercedes produced 113% more blooms from RZW, Sonia 61% and Ilona 42%. Stem lengths were all increased by 6-7%. Experiment 3 used first-year plants. The pattern of yield response to RZW was similar to the other experiments. Mercedes gave 61%, Sonia 24% and Ilona 18% more blooms. Ilona showed the largest increase in stem length (24%). RZW increased the amplitude of the growth flushes, but their frequency was unaffected. Yields during the subsequent summer, when temperature differences between RZW and ambient temperatures were small, indicated residual effects of the winter treatments. Sonia (Experiment 1), and Mercedes and Sonia (Experiment 2) gave significantly higher yields from the RZW treatments. There was no evidence for a decrease in yield caused by RZW, only Ilona in Experiment 3 giving a lower yield in the summer.     

Temperature effects on flower formation in saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

The temperature conditions for shoot growth and flower formation were characterised for saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Leaf withering occurred during late winter or spring depending on location, and coincided with a rise in temperature. No growth was detectable in the buds during the first 30 days after leaf withering, neither in underground corms nor in lifted corms incubated in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Flower initiation occurred during the first growth stages of the buds. The optimal temperature for flower formation was in the range from 23 to 27 °C, 23 °C temperature being marginally better. To ensure the formation of a maximum number of flowers, the incubation at these temperatures should exceed 50 days, although incubation longer than 150 days resulted in flower abortion. Flower emergence required the transfer of the corms from the conditions of flower formation to a markedly lower temperature (17 °C). Incubation of the corms after lifting at a higher temperature (30 °C), reduced flower initiation and caused the abortion of some of the initiated flowers. No flowers formed in corms incubated at 9 °C. A variable proportion (20–100%) of the corms forced directly at 17 °C without a previous incubation at 23–27 °C formed a single flower. The wide differences in the timing of the phenological stages in different locations we found in this study seemed related to the ambient temperature. Leaf withering was followed shortly by flower initiation, which occurred during late spring or early summer as the rising temperature reached 20 °C. A long hot summer delayed flower emergence which occurred in late autumn as the temperature fell to the range of 15–17 °C.     

Characterisation of the germination responses to temperature of vegetable seeds. I. Tomatoes

Tests in incubators and on thermo-gradient bars were done with 13 cultivars of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) to establish the main features of their germination responses to temperature. Differences found between cultivars including F₁ hybrids, out-door strains, and plants with golden and red skinned fruits were small. Optimum temperatures occurred between 26 and 32°C; maxima for fifty percent rates of germination were between 35 and 38°C, and minima between 8 and 10°C. Seed of Lycopersicum pimpinellifolium and small fruited subspecies of L. esculentum germinated at lower temperatures, down to 6°C, and more rapidly at median temperatures. Results of experiments on thermo-gradient bars showed that statistically significant differences occurring between responses at particular temperatures in incubators may be of minor biological or economic significance when used to assess temperature tolerance of different cultivars, and demonstrated that tests over a range of temperatures are essential for such determinations. A method is proposed for using results obtained in the early part of an experiment to provide regressions which can be projected to indicate the course of germination over a long period.