Chromatographische Untersuchungen über den Einfluß von Kalium- und Phosphat- Düngung auf den Gehalt von einigen Aminosäuren in Erbsen

Zusammenfassung Das eindimensionale chromatographische Verfahren mit Phenol als Lösungsmittel, mit dem Glutaminsäure, Asparaginsäure, Serin, Glycin und Threonin im Erbsenhydrolysat getrennt und quantitativ bestimmt werden können, wurde nachgeprüft.Die Bedingungen, die sowohl die quantitative als auch die qualitative Bestimmung der Aminosäuren ermöglichen, die Behandlung des Papiers, die Verwendung einer Pufferlösung (pH 12) statt Ammoniak, die Darstellung der Eichkurve für jedes Chromatogramm, die Dauer der Farbentwicklung und schließlich die Messung der Farbintensität wurden untersucht. Bei sorgfältiger Arbeit ist es möglich, mit einer Genauigkeit von ± 5% die obigen Aminosäuren quantitativ zu bestimmen.Die Ergebnisse der Düngungsversuche bei Erbsen zeigten, daß — obwohl die Kali- und Phosphordüngung Einfluß auf den Ertrag und den Gehalt an Rohprotein hat — keine Korrelation zwischen der Zusammensetzung des Rohproteins an Glutaminsäure, Asparaginsäure, Serin, Glycin und Threonin und der Düngung besteht.

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Summary Using phenole as a solvent, the one- dimensional chromatographic method by means of which glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine, glycine and threonine can be separated and quantitatively determined in pea hydrolysate has been examined again.The conditions affecting the quantitative as well as qualitative determination of the amino acids—the treatment of the chromatographic paper, the substitution of buffer solution (pH 12) for ammonia, the drawing of the standard curve for each chromatogram, the duration of the colour development and finally, the measurement of the colour intensity were investigated. With a thorough work, it is possible to determine these 5 amino acids with an accuracy of ± 5%.The results of the fertilizer experiments with peas show that although the potassium and phosphate fertilization affects the yield and the crude protein contents of the peas, there is no correlation between the amino acid composition of the crude protein and the fertilization.

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Résumé On a vérifié le procédé unidimensionnel chromatographique en se servant de phénol comme milieu de solution dans lequel on peut, au cours de l'hydrolysat des pois, dissocier et déterminer quantitativement: l'acide glutaminique, l'acide asparaginique, le sérine, le glycine et le thréonine.Les conditions permettant de déterminer quantitativement les amino-acides, le traitement du papier, l'utilisation d'une solution (pH 12) qui ralentisse l'opération de préférence à l'amoniaque, l'étude de la courbe type de chacun des chromatogrammes, la durée du changement de coloration en fin le mesurage de l'intensité des couleurs — tout ceci a fait l'objet de nos travaux. Un travail minutieux permet de déterminer quantitativement les amino-acides précipités avec une exactitude de ± 5%.Les résultats des expériences faites sur l'amendement des pois montrent qu'il n'existe aucune corrélation entre la synthèse des éléments de la protéine brute: acide glutaminique, acide asparaginique, sérine, glycine, thréonine et l'amendement, bienque cependant l'amendement par la potasse et le phosphore aient une influence sur le rendement et la teneur en protéine brute.

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Direktor: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. F.Scheffer, Göttingen, Nikolausberger Weg 7     

Germination requirements of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allanblackia parviflora</Emphasis> seeds and early growth of seedlings

Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev, is an indigenous fruit tree species that could be used in agroforestry systems with both environmental and economic benefits. The seed oil is of prime importance as a foreign exchange earner and is being developed as a rural based enterprise in many African countries notably Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Tanzania. Methods for propagation and conservation of the species are therefore of prime importance. The seeds of the species are however difficult to germinate hindering its domestication process. Allanblackia parviflora seeds were collected from seven different populations in Ghana and were subjected to four different seed germination trials at the nursery of CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana at Fumesua, Kumasi. This was followed by studying the effect of stage of seed germination on establishment after potting. Intact seeds began germination at 7 months after sowing and at 24 months, significant (P < 0.001) variations were observed in the seed germination ability of 74 accessions. Mean seed germination ranged from 0 to 35%. Significant differences in seed germination percentages among populations (P < 0.001) and provenances (P < 0.05) were also observed. Removal of seed coat significantly (P < 0.001) enhanced seed germination. Germination percentages of seeds with seed coat removed ranged from 6 to 43% while seed germination percentages for intact seeds were less or equal to 3%. Incubation of seeds with seed coat removed in polythene bags gave an added advantage. Seeds with seed coat removed and kept in polythene bags started germinating from 2 weeks and within 10 months, 75 and 68% germination were obtained for plane and black polythene bags, respectively. Removal of germinants and potting when shoot length was at least 1 cm gave significantly higher growth (P < 0.001 for shoot height, P < 0.05 for stem diameter, P < 0.001 for number of leaves produced) compared to when only radicle had emerged. It became evident in this study that seeds should be classified as fully germinated only when shoots begin to grow.     

Crop production through conservation-effective tillage in the tropics

Agriculture can be intensified and food production increased in the tropics through conservation-effective tillage, with other benefits being soil and water conservation, energy saving and improved timeliness of planting.

The agronomic and economic performance of conservation-effective tillage is extremely location-specific. Problems important in semi-arid regions may not be significant in humid tropical areas. This paper attempts to avoid broad generalizations and to indicate ways of developing the best combination of practices for each local situation. The widespread use of on-farm research and demonstration plots to obtain site-specific information would aid the rapid adaptation and adoption of conservation farming practices in developing countries within different regions. Acceptance of conservation tillage by small farmers in developing countries would be an evolutionary process, and their adoption of improved simple farm equipment and appropriate practices to control weeds should be intesively promoted.

A concerted effort to understand and respond to the needs of farmers, crops and soils will be essential in achieving the goal of increasing agricultural productivity while maintaining oil through conservation-effective tillage in the tropics.     

Genetic and non-genetic factors influencing the performance of the West African Dwarf (WAD) goat kept at the Kintampo Goat Breeding Station of Ghana

Tropical Animal Health and Production - A study was conducted to analyze the effect of genetic and non-genetic factors influencing the growth performance of the West African Dwarf goat. Breed...     

Inheritance of foliar resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora</Emphasis> species in cacao (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma cacao</Emphasis> L.): can it be influenced by CSSV infection?

Studies on quantitative genetics of foliar resistance to black pod disease in cacao could inadvertently use cocoa swollen shoot virus (CSSV) infected leaves which could bias the results especially in West Africa where the virus is prevalent. However, effects of CSSV on inheritance and heritability of foliar resistance to Phytophthora species is not known. Choice of an efficient breeding method requires an accurate estimation of genetic effects in selection schemes for foliar resistance to Phytophthora species in cacao. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of CSSV infection on quantitative genetic parameters of foliar resistance to cocoa black pod disease in a population of 36 F1 hybrids developed by mating six cacao genotypes using a diallel method. The generated F1s and their parents were evaluated for foliar resistance to P. palmivora and P. megakarya using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. 1A CSSV and Nsaba CSSV strains were used to infect the cacao genotypes using the patch graft method. The parents chosen showed significant variations for scores of leaf discs after inoculation with P. palmivora and P. megakarya. The leaf disc scores of CSSV infected crosses were lower than leaf disc scores of CSSV-free crosses. Genetic component analysis showed that the effects of GCA and SCA was significant for both CSSV-free and CSSV-infected crosses in resistance to P. palmivora and P. megakarya. The significant GCA and SCA for both CSSV-free and CSSV-infected crosses strongly suggest that both additive and non-additive genetic effects play an important role in the determination of inheritance of foliar resistance to Phytophthora species in cacao. There was significant variability in mean squares of GCA and SCA of CSSV-free and CSSV-infected crosses indicating that CSSV infection modifies GCA and SCA of affected plants. Narrow sense heritability was relatively low (0.31) for foliar resistance to P. palmivora and P. megakarya under CSSV-free and 1A CSSV strain infected conditions. However, heritability for foliar resistance to P. palmivora (0.43) and P. megakarya (0.36) was significantly higher under Nsaba CSSV infected condition. The modifications of mean squares of GCA and SCA and narrow sense heritability due to CSSV infection could mislead in choice of breeding methods indicating that attention must be paid to the infection status of plants when conducting quantitative genetics studies using diseased and healthy plants. CSSV status of leaf samples should be known before using them in leaf disc test. Genotypes Pa7/808 and Pound 7 had high negative GCA effects and are promising parents for enhancement of resistance to black pod disease in cacao.     

Reproductive biology and characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allanblackia parviflora</Emphasis> A. Chev. in Ghana

Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev. (Clusiaceae Lindley) is an indigenous tree species which is found in the rain forest regions of Ghana. It is a potential candidate fruit tree species being introduced in agroforestry systems. Information on genetic diversity, reproductive biology and fruit yield are not known. Field expeditions to seven populations of Allanblackia parviflora in Ghana were undertaken in 2003–2006 during which fruits were collected from 109 trees for characterization. The species was found to be dioecious. The colour of flowers varied from whitish to reddish. No ecological differences in number of fruits per tree, fruit shape and seed health were observed. However, large variations in fruit size and shape were observed among individual trees sampled. A high heritability (h ² = 0.822) in fruit size and genetic gain (G = 20.1%) in fruit size for selection of trees with above average fruit size were observed. A positive significant correlation was observed between fruit size and seed weight (R = 0.54, P < 0.05; Fig. 6). The results suggest that selection and cloning of trees with large fruits could lead to higher yield of seeds for oil production.     

Effects of pre-severance irradiance on the growth of Allanblackia floribunda Oliv. stockplants and on the subsequent rooting capacity of leafy stem cuttings

New Forests - The rooting of Allanblackia stem cuttings is typically slow and with the formation of very few roots. Irradiance has positive effects on the relative growth of plants and rooting...     

Trait variations in 28-year-old teak (Tectona grandis) provenance field trials in Ghana,West Africa

Stem straightness, axis persistence, presence/absence of protuberant buds and epicormics, diameter and height have profound influence on timber quality and volume of teak (Tectona grandis). Provenance trials of teak were established in the 1970s in Ghana, as part of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) International Series of Provenance Trials, with the view of selecting teak germplasm for sites with specific environmental conditions. Two field trials were located in dry semi-deciduous (dry) and moist semi-deciduous (moist) ecological zones of Ghana. They consisted of 13 provenances, including four landraces each from Ghana and Indonesia, and two and three provenances from India and Laos, respectively. Trees were assessed at 9, 17 and 28 years to (1) quantify the potential variation in quality and timber volume production, (2) examine possibilities for determining early selection of parameters of superior provenances and (3) select provenances for sites with particular environmental conditions. Production traits were higher on the moist site than the dry site. Mean height was 23.2 and 20.2 m tree^?1, stem cross-sectional area at breast height was 0.0896 and 0.0474 m² tree^?1, and stem volume was 0.75 and 0.34 m³ tree^?1 for the moist and dry sites, respectively. Nilambur provenance from moist India had the highest mean stem straightness score of 19% above average, whereas Savannakhet from Laos had the best protuberant bud score with 18% of the trees above average. Indonesian landraces performed better in the dry zone, whereas provenances from India and Laos performed better in the moist zone. Phenotypic correlations between age 9 and 28 years were moderate (r 0.54–0.90) to high (r > 0.90) for production and qualitative characteristics, indicating feasibility of early assessment for identification of superior provenances. Nilambur and Savannakhet II provenances proved to be favourable choices for the moist zone, whereas the Temandsang provenance from Indonesia was found to be the best choice for the dry site.     

Diversity and genetic structure of teak (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Tectona grandis</Emphasis> L.f) in its natural range using DNA microsatellite markers

Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) is considered to be an extraordinarily durable building timber with a worldwide reputation. Its widespread use has entailed the over-exploitation of natural forests and a large reduction in natural diversity. Fifteen microsatellite markers were used to study the genetic variability and structure of 166 teak trees distributed over the whole natural area of teak. Analysis showed that in the teak natural area there were four main centers of genetic variability. Two clusters were in India and could be considered as main centers of genetic diversity in teak. The third cluster mainly consisting of populations in Thailand and Laos was genetically very distinct from the Indian populations but presented only half as much allelic variability. A fourth cluster from Central Laos showed even less genetic variability. The use of SSR markers for conservation of teak forest diversity is discussed.