Genetic improvement of legumes using somatic cell and molecular techniques

Summary The merits and limitations of somatic cell techniques involving Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, direct gene transfer and protoplast fusion, are discussed in relation to the genetic improvement of forage and grain legumes. Whilst progress with legumes is limited compared to that with plants of other families such as the Solanaceae, the fact that many legumes are readily amenable to tissue culture now permits somatic cell techniques to be targetted to these species. Future development of the subject will necessitate close collaboration between molecular biologists and plant breeders to enable novel plants generated by in vitro technologies to be incorporated into conventional breeding programmes.     

Cryopreservation of pollen from two rose cultivars

Summary An investigation was undertaken on the storage characteristics of pollen collected from two English rose cultivars. A rapid decline in viability was observed in pollen stored at +4° C and –20° C, whereas the viability of pollen, stored at ultra-low temperature (–196° C), remained constant. Cryopreserved pollen was shown to retain its ability for fertilisation. The effects of the stage of flower development and anther dehiscence were assessed on both pre-and post-cryopreservation viabilities. Successful long-term storage of pollen will facilitate hybridisation of rose species and cultivars that do not flower synchronously.     

Determining the potential to breed for enhanced antioxidant status in Malus: mean inter- and intravarietal fruit vitamin C and glutathione contents at harvest and their evolution during storage

Vitamin C (L-ascorbate, L-ascorbic acid; L-AA) and glutathione (GSH) are major hydrophilic antioxidants in plants with important roles in stress resistance and nutrition. To evaluate the potential for breeding for enhanced levels of these compounds, a comprehensive screen of the fruit from some 31 apple (Malus) cultivars has been carried out to determine the biodiversity present in the mean inter- and intracultivar concentrations of both the oxidized and reduced forms of these compounds, as well as the impact of storage on their concentrations. It is noted that despite limited variation at harvest, cultivars differed substantially in their ability to maintain L-AA levels during storage, primarily due to the loss of L-AA by "low-vitamin C" cultivars. Generally, cultivars that could maintain their L-AA and GSH pools also had better storage properties. Interestingly, there was also a correlation between fruit vitamin C contents and the harvest date, such that cultivars with the highest vitamin C contents were harvested latest in the season and the lowest contents were found among the early varieties. Correlations with other physiological parameters, however, were too weak to serve as useful predictive tools.     

Controlling microbial contamination on beef and lamb meat during processing

SUMMARY The microbiological quality of carcases, meat and environmental surfaces was evaluated in commercial boning rooms processing beef and lamb. There was considerable variation in the level of microbial contamination on both carcases and meat, with counts ranging from less than 20 to 10⁸/cm² on carcases and to 2 times 10⁷/cm² on meat. The level of microbial contamination on meat was influenced by the level of carcase contamination at boning and by the boning process itself. Carcase contamination was the major determinant of microbiological quality, as more than 70% of carcases had microbial counts greater than 10³/cm². Cutting boards were a major source for microbial dissemination during boning, particularly when carcase counts were less than 10³/cm². If carcases were heavily contaminated, the contamination of processing surfaces was irrelevant in determining microbial loads on meat. Where carcase contamination was at low to moderate levels, the contribution of the boning process to the contamination on meat assumed increased significance. Under these conditions, improved sanitation of cutting surfaces in the boning room resulted in a significant reduction in microbial contamination on the surface of meat. These results can form the basis for ensuring that improvements made in carcase management before boning, to improve microbiological quality, will be preserved through attention to cutting board hygiene during boning.