Promotive effect of the hot water-soluble fraction from corn fiber on vegetative mycelial growth in edible mushrooms

Corn fiber (CNF) is an abundant by-product of the wet corn milling process used to produce corn starch. In light of the need to recycle organic wastes, the effects of adding a hot water-soluble fraction (HWSF) from CNF to a medium on the vegetative mycelial growth of nine edible mushrooms such as Lentinula edodes and Pholiota nameko were investigated. The results showed that the mycelial growth of these fungi was markedly increased (1.4–9.5 times that of the control) by adding 5%–20% CNF-HWSF to the medium. These promotive effects were also apparent on mycorrhizal mushrooms, such as Tricholoma matsutake (3.3-fold) and Lyophyllium shimeji (3.7-fold). The promotive effects on mycelial growth were shown in the low-molecular-weight fractions (molecular weight <500 daltons) prepared from CNF-HWSF. The promotive actions were more effective on slow-growing mushrooms (L. edodes and P. nameko) than on rapidly growing mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus and Flammulina velutipes). The results obtained in this experiment suggest that CNF-HWSF can be used as a promotive substance for cultivating edible mushrooms.Part of this work was presented at the 4th meeting of the Japanese Society of Mushroom Science and Biotechnology, Hiroshima, 2000; and at the 2nd meeting of the Far East Asia for Collaboration on Edible Fungi Research, Tottori, 2002     

Relationship between the incidence of pine wilt disease and the drainage area

We examined the relationship between the incidence of pine wilt disease and moisture conditions in the stand level ofPinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. forests in the warm-temperate zone of the western part of Japan. For this analysis, pine trees killed by pine wilt disease were distinguished from the suppressed trees by their position in the layer of the pine forest stand. The drainage area, which is small in the upper part and large in the lower part of the slope, was adopted for representing the moisture conditions in the soil of the slope. The percentage of the pine trees killed by pine wilt disease increased as the size of the drainage area increased. This result suggested that the incidence of pine wilt disease tended to be high in areas with moist conditions. Pine trees attacked by the pinewood nematode die from extensive water deficit due to tracheid cavitations. Pine wilt disease mainly emerges in the summer when the soil water conditions become especially severe, and the radical water stress is thought to accelerate the disease. It was assumed that pine trees in the plots with the small drainage area resisted the influence of the attack of the pinewood nematode because pine trees in the plots with the small drainage area encountered long-term water stress and acquired drought tolerance. Pine trees in the plots with the large drainage area were presumed to be well established in the moist conditions and not to have acquired drought tolerance. The drought tolerance of pine trees was thought to be an important factor in resistance to pine wilt disease.     

Isolation of lignin–carbohydrate bonds in wood. Model experiments and preliminary application to pine wood

A novel method for analysis of benzylic ether type lignin–carbohydrate bonds has been developed by using model compounds. Four diastereomers of model compound 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-3-(methyl -d-glucopyranoside-6-O-yl)-1-propanol (GGMGP), were ozonized in acetic acid/water/methanol 16:3:1 for 1h at 0°C. The product from ozonation of each diastereomer was saponified and the corresponding -etherified tetronic acid (TAMGP) was isolated using ion exchange chromatography. Minor amounts of methyl -d-glucopyranoside (MGP) and small amounts of a gluconic acid etherified with tetronic acid (TAGLCA), tetronic acid, gluconic acid, and glyceric acid were detected in the product mixture of ozonated benzylic ether type model compounds. The results suggest that a benzyl ether bond between lignin and carbohydrate is rather stable during the ozone treatment. Acid treatments with sulfuric acid or trifluoroacetic acid of the derived TAMGP led to cleavage of the glucosidic bond but only a small amount of products (tetronic acid and glucose) resulting from cleavage of the -ether bond were formed. The successful chemical treatments were used for studies of benzylic ether bonds in Japanese red pine. The results suggest the presence of benzylic ether bonds to polysaccharides in the wood.Part of this paper was presented at the 10th International Symposium of Wood and Pulping Chemistry (ISWPC), Yokohama, 1999; the 11th ISWPC, Nice, 2001; and as a rapid comunication in J Wood Sci (2000) 46:263–265     

A forest biomass yield table based on an empirical model

We report an empirical model for estimating unutilized wood biomass, and its application to Cryptomeria japonica D. Don and Larix kaempferi in Tohno City, Iwate Prefecture, northeast Japan. Outputs from the model are the quantity of unutilized wood biomass and merchantable volume produced by timber harvest. The unutilized wood biomass is divided into stumps, tops, branches, foliages, small trees, and unutilized stems due to their defects. Inputs to the model are mean diameter at breast height (DBH), mean tree height, trees per unit area, and timber utilization standards. DBH distribution, DBH–height curve, stem form, bark thickness, and relationship of stem biomass to foliage and branch biomass could be described by the proposed model, indicating its validity. The proposed model enables us to develop the forest biomass yield tables modified from the existing stem volume yield tables. The developed forest biomass yield tables indicated that the unutilized wood biomass due to defects accounted for the largest part of the whole unutilized wood biomass, and that the ratio of unutilized parts in stem volume to total stem volume could vary with stand age and site productivity class. Based on a comparison of the developed forest biomass yield tables with those reported previously, we concluded that the proposed model-based forest biomass yield table would be useful for estimating the quantity of unutilized wood biomass.     

水分胁迫条件下臭柏匍匐茎的蒸腾和吸水特性

在臭柏长期室内石砾土栽培条件下,通过培养液中加入PEG以调节溶液渗透势,设置对照区(pF值3.0)、水分胁迫区(pF值2.3)2种处理,并分别从匍匐茎中部人工培养不定根,测定有不定根和无不定根匍匐茎小枝的蒸腾速率、气孔导度及其水势的日变化和叶片水分特性.结果表明:1)在水分胁迫条件下,匍匐茎先端小枝通过降低正午水势提高吸水能力;基部小枝通过控制蒸腾,维持枝条水势防止失水.2)有不定根的匍匐茎通过降低质壁分离时的水势(ψwtlp)和充分吸水时的渗透势(ψ,ssat)提高吸水能力,而且增加细胞弹性率,迅速降低膨压保证失水时能尽快关闭气孔;而无不定根匍匐茎虽然吸水能力较差,但细胞壁柔软,即使蒸腾失水,也能在较长时间内维持膨压,保证生命活动进行.     

Cryopreservation for preservation of potato genetic resources

Cryopreservation is becoming a very important tool for the long-term storage of plant genetic resources and efficient cryopreservation protocols have been developed for a large number of plant species. Practical procedures, developed using in vitro tissue culture, can be a simple and reliable preservation option of potato genetic resources rather than maintaining by vegetative propagation in genebanks due their allogamous nature. Cryopreserved materials insure a long-term backup of field collections against loss of plant germplasm. Occurrence of genetic variation, in tissue culture cells during prolonged subcultures, can be avoided with suitable cryopreservation protocols that provide high regrowth, leading and facilitating a systematic and strategic cryo-banking of plant genetic resources. Cryopreservation protocols for potato reviewed here, can efficiently complement field and in vitro conservation, providing for preservation of genotypes difficult to preserve by other methods, wild types and other species decided as priority collections.     

Influence of sea salts on the soil metabolism

Abstract

Microbial metabolism in reduction process of waterlogged paddy soils has been studied by Takai, Koyama, and Kamura (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), Koyama (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12), and others. The results indicated that microbial metabolism in waterlogged soils takes place according to the following steps: (1) In the early stage of the incubation period, dissolved O₂, is consumed and the redox potential drops rapidly. (2) NO₂? and NO₂? are reduced to N₂. (3) Mn⁴⁺ is reduced to Mn²⁺. (4) Fe³⁺ is reduced to Fe²⁺. (5) SO₄ ²? is reduced to S^2?. (6) H₂ and CH₄ are produced. Takai and Chiang (13) reported that NH₄₊ and PO₄ ³⁺ in waterlogged paddy soils increase with the incubation period. Chiang and Takai (14) indicated that carbohydrates in the soil solutions almost remain constant throughout the incubation period, however, organic acids change similarly to those reported previously (5, 6).