利用SSR快速鉴别花生杂交F1真伪

本研究,我们以6个花生品种为亲本配置杂交组合,田间调查发现亲本间形态表型差异大的杂交F1容易鉴别真伪,而形态表型差异小的则难于鉴别,甚至无法鉴别。为此,我们通过改良Thomson一步法制备DNA模板,建立了一套花生SSR-PCR快速检测体系,并在此基础上利用SSR鉴别花生杂交F1真伪。结果表明,采用Thomson一步法和改良后的一步法提取的DNA模版均能扩展出清晰条带,但改良后制备的DNA模板在4℃下可保存约1个月,未改良的仅能保存一天。利用SSR检测上述群体表明,F1真杂种率为38%～56%,不同亲本间杂交成功率存在差异,同一亲本正反交成功率也存在一定差异。可见,SSR标记用于杂种真伪鉴定具有一定的应用潜力。     

番茄采摘机器人机械臂避障路径规划

以关节型机械臂避开垂直茎秆或撑杆采摘番茄为研究对象,提出了一种基于构形空间的关节型机械臂避障路径规划方法.利用空间映射原理,将关节型机械臂工作空间的三维避障问题转换为平面R-R机械臂避开障碍圆的问题,用临界碰撞关节角建立C-障碍空间的映射计算模型,将工作空间的位置避障转换为构形空间连杆关节角的计算.以能量最优函数优选避障规划的关节终点角度,利用A*算法计算平面R-R机械臂的避障关节角路径,获得一系列表示空间连杆位置的相交竖直面,并在竖直面内进行其余关节角的规划.避障采摘番茄的试验表明,机械臂带动夹持器能成功绕过直线状障碍物,引导夹持器到达果实目标位置,证明对平面R-R机械臂的空间映射建模是正确的,验证了提出的避障路径规划方法是可行的,可以应用于番茄的自动收获.     

The ectomycorrhizal status of European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) seedlings from bare-root forest nurseries

In this paper, we report molecular investigation of an ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) community of European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) seedlings grown in a bare-root nursery. In total, we surveyed 32 nurseries that were each active in supplying planting stocks to restock forests and for afforestation of post-agricultural land. Sequence-based approach was used to identify EMF taxa, quantify EMF richness, and document differences in the relative abundance of individual taxa. We identified seven fungal species that might contribute to the mycorrhizal community structure of 1 to 3-year-old L. decidua seedlings. The species richness in the examined larches varied between one and four fungal taxa, depending on both the nursery stock samples (NSS) and age class of the seedlings. The average was 1.4 for 1-year-old seedlings and 2.3 for 2- and 3-year-old plants. The dominance of Ascomycota over Basidiomycota and the prevalence of two species, Wilcoxina mikolae and Suillus grevillei, as EMF partners were characteristic features of nursery-grown L. decidua seedlings. S. grevillei was the only one basidiomycetes colonized roots of tested seedlings. The rest of the mycorrhizal pool from forest nurseries was typically dominated by pioneer fungal ascomycetes. W. mikolae was the most common mycorrhizal ascomycete present at a high frequency on NSS from both age classes and with very high abundance (average 90%) on 1-year-old seedlings. Some other ascomycetes (Pezizales 1, Pezizales 2 and Pezizales 3) appeared on tested larches at a low frequency, but sometimes in high abundance. Tuber spp. appeared at a low frequency and low abundance. The relative abundance of S. grevillei was positively correlated with the age of seedlings, while W. mikolae was negatively correlated with age. Tuber sp. 1 and 2, Pezizales 2, and W. mikolae were positively associated with the basic soil pH values. However, forward selection of the environmental variables showed that only the age of the larch seedlings contributed significantly (F = 11.45, P = 0.02) to the variance in the ECF community.     

Whitened kernel surface: A fast and reliable method for assessing Fusarium severity on cereal grains by digital picture analysis

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a cereal disease of major importance responsible for yield losses and mycotoxin contaminations in grains. Here, we introduce a new measurement approach to quantify FHB severity on grains based on the evaluation of the whitened kernel surface (WKS) using digital image analysis. The applicability of WKS was assessed on two bread wheat and one triticale grain sample sets (265 samples). Pearson correlation coefficients between Fusarium‐damaged kernels (FDK) and WKS range from r = 0.77 to r = 0.81 and from r = 0.61 to r = 0.86 for the correlation between deoxynivalenol (DON) content and WKS. This new scoring method facilitates fast and reliable assessment of the resistance to kernel infection and shows significant correlation with mycotoxin content. WKS can be automated and does not suffer from the “human factor” inherent to visual scorings. As a low‐cost and fast approach, this method appears particularly attractive for breeding and genetic analysis of FHB resistance where typically large numbers of experimental lines need to be evaluated, and for which WKS is suggested as an alternative to visual FDK scorings.     

A new framework of spatial targeting for single-species conservation planning

Context

Organisations acting to conserve and protect species across large spatial scales prioritise to optimise use of resources. Spatial conservation prioritization tools typically focus on identifying areas containing species groups of interest, with few tools used to identify the best areas for single-species conservation, in particular, to conserve currently widespread but declining species.

Objective

A single-species prioritization framework, based on temporal and spatial patterns of occupancy and abundance, was developed to spatially prioritize conservation action for widespread species by identifying smaller areas to work within to achieve predefined conservation objectives.

Methods

We demonstrate our approach for 29 widespread bird species in the UK, using breeding bird atlas data from two periods to define distribution, relative abundance and change in relative abundance. We selected occupied 10-km squares with abundance trends that matched species conservation objectives relating to maintaining or increasing population size or range, and then identified spatial clusters of squares for each objective using a Getis-Ord-Gi* or near neighbour analysis.

Results

For each species, the framework identified clusters of 20-km squares that enabled us to identify small areas in which species recovery action could be prioritized.

Conclusions

Our approach identified a proportion of species’ ranges to prioritize for species recovery. This approach is a relatively quick process that can be used to inform single-species conservation for any taxa if sufficiently fine-scale occupancy and abundance information is available for two or more time periods. This is a relatively simple first step for planning single-species focussed conservation to help optimise resource use.

     

Variance in leaf spot susceptibility in chestnut trees of different species and hybrids

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Prior to the first occurrence of chestnut blight in 1976, leaf spot caused by Cylindrosporium castaneae was one of the most important diseases of European...     

Analysis of genetic diversity among Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. isolates from Euro-Asian countries

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The study assessed the genetic variability among Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. isolates originating from six different countries (Turkey,...     

BMC ecology image competition 2017: the winning images

For the fifth year, BMC Ecology is proud to present the winning images from our annual image competition. The 2017 edition received entries by talented shutterbug-ecologists from across the world, showcasing research that is increasing our understanding of ecosystems worldwide and the beauty and diversity of life on our planet. In this editorial we showcase the winning images, as chosen by our Editorial Board and guest judge Chris Darimont, as well as our selection of highly commended images. Enjoy!     

Regional differences in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) seedling response to an established nursery protocol

New Forests - In seedling-based reforestation operations, seed source is known to be an influential variable affecting outplanting success. Adaptive variation among seed sources may also be an...