Carbon fluxes and their response to environmental variables in a Dahurian larch forest ecosystem in northeast China

The Dahurian larch forest in northeast China is important due to its vastness and location within a transitional zone from boreal to temperate and at the southern distribution edge of the vast Siberian larch forest. The continuous carbon fluxes were measured from May 2004 to April 2005 in the Dahurian larch forest in Northeast China using an eddy covariance method. The results showed that the ecosystem released carbon in the dormant season from mid-October 2004 to April 2005, while it assimilated CO₂ from the atmosphere in the growing season from May to September 2004. The net carbon sequestration reached its peak of 112 g·m⁻²·month⁻¹ in June 2004 (simplified expression of g (carbon)·m⁻²·month⁻¹) and then gradually decreased. Annually, the larch forest was a carbon sink that sequestered carbon of 146 g·m⁻²·a⁻¹ (simplified expression of g (carbon)·m⁻²·a⁻¹) during the measurements. The photosynthetic process of the larch forest ecosystem was largely affected by the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and temperature. Under humid conditions (VPD < 1.0 kPa), the gross ecosystem production (GEP) increased with increasing temperature. But the net ecosystem production (NEP) showed almost no change with increasing temperature because the increment of GEP was counterbalanced by that of the ecosystem respiration. Under a dry environment (VPD > 1.0 kPa), the GEP decreased with the increasing VPD at a rate of 3.0 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹·kPa^-1 and the ecosystem respiration was also enhanced simultaneously due to the increase of air temperature, which was linearly correlated with the VPD. As a result, the net ecosystem carbon sequestration rapidly decreased with the increasing VPD at a rate of 5.2 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹·kPa⁻¹. Under humid conditions (VPD < 1.0 kPa), both the GEP and NEP were obviously restricted by the low air temperature but were insensitive to the high temperature because the observed high temperature value comes within the category of the optimum range.     

Characterization of a new Apple dimple fruit viroid variant that causes yellow dimple fruit formation in ‘Fuji’ apple trees

A 303-nucleotide viroid was isolated from an apple tree (Malus × domestica, ‘Fuji’) cultivated in Japan. The viroid had 84.9% overall nucleotide sequence homology to Apple dimple fruit viroid (ADFVd), a member of Pospiviroidae, reported from Italy. This viroid differed from the Italian variant by 47 mutations (38 substitutions, six deletions and three insertions), and most of these mutations occurred on either side of the central conserved region. The leaves and branches of the infected trees did not have any disease symptoms, but the fruits were dimpled and yellow. The infected scions were top-grafted onto a healthy ‘Fuji’ apple tree, which tested positive for this viroid in a northern hybridization analysis, and yellow dimple fruits were produced in the second growing season. We propose that this viroid is a new variant of ADFVd and causes yellow dimple fruit formation in ‘Fuji’ apple trees.     

Bioconversion of dieldrin by wood‐rotting fungi and metabolite detection

BACKGROUND: Dieldrin is one of the most persistent organochlorine pesticides, listed as one of the 12 persistent organic pollutants in the Stockholm Convention. Although microbial degradation is an effective way to remediate environmental pollutants, reports on aerobic microbial degradation of dieldrin are limited. Wood‐rotting fungi can degrade a wide spectrum of recalcitrant organopollutants, and an attempt has been made to select wood‐rotting fungi that can degrade dieldrin, and to identify the metabolite. RESULTS: Thirty‐four isolates of wood‐rotting fungi were investigated for their ability to degrade dieldrin. Strain YK543 degraded 39.1 ± 8.8% of dieldrin during 30 days of incubation. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that strain YK543 was closely related to the fungus Phlebia brevispora Nakasone TMIC33929, which has been reported as a fungus that can degrade chlorinated dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls. 9‐Hydroxydieldrin was detected as a metabolite in the cultures of strain YK543. CONCLUSION: It is important to select the microorganisms that degrade organic pollutants, and to identify the metabolic pathway for the development of bioremediation methods. Strain YK543 was selected as a fungus capable of degrading dieldrin. The metabolic pathway includes 9‐hydroxylation reported in rat's metabolism catalysed by liver microsomal monooxygenase. This is the first report of transformation of dieldrin to 9‐hydroxydieldrin by a microorganism. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antioxidant activities of black and yellow soybeans against low density lipoprotein oxidation

Several studies have demonstrated that the daily intakes of soy foods were associated with a reduced cardiovascular risk. The aim of our study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of black soybeans on low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation in comparison to yellow soybeans. The extract from black soybean had a longer LDL oxidation lag time than that from yellow soybean (205 +/- 16 and 65 +/- 3 min, respectively). When both soybeans were divided into the seed coat and the mixture of the germ and cotyledon, the diluted extract solution from the black soybean seed coat prolonged the lag time significantly more than the original extract of the yellow soybean seed coat. On the other hand, antioxidant effects of the extract from the mixture of germs and cotyledons were similar in both soybeans. Regarding total polyphenol contents, the seed coat of black soybean had a higher polyphenol content than that of yellow soybean (29.0 +/- 0.56 and 0.45 +/- 0.02 mg/g, respectively). Interestingly, the mixture of the germ and cotyledon hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase in both soybeans showed a stronger inhibitory effect on LDL oxidation than that before being hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase. These results suggest that black soybeans may be more effective in inhibiting LDL oxidation than yellow soybeans because of total polyphenols contents in its seed coat. In addition, aglycones, which are rich in soybeans fermented or hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase, may play a crucial role in the prevention of oxidation-related diseases.     

DNA markers linked to Pga1, an adzuki bean gene that confers resistance to Cadophora gregata race 1

Brown stem rot (BSR) caused by Cadophora gregata f. sp. adzukicola (syn. Phialophora gregata) is a serious soilborne disease of adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) in Japan. Cultivation of resistant cultivars is the most effective disease control method, therefore the selection of resistant lines is a priority for breeders. BSR-resistant adzuki bean lines have been screened in pathogen-infected fields. However, field selection using the pathogen and artificial inoculation methods is time-consuming and labor-intensive. In the present study, we used 105 F₃ lines derived from a cross between a BSR-resistant cultivar ‘Syumari’ and a susceptible cultivar ‘Buchishoryukei-1’ for BSR inoculation tests. Amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses with 1024 primer sets revealed that six fragments were polymorphic between resistance and susceptible bulked groups. Five DNA markers (Pg77, Pg118, Pg138, Pg139 and Pg126) were developed from the nucleotide sequences of polymorphic AFLP markers and their flanking regions. Pg118, which was derived from E-ACT/M-ACT-118, was tightly linked to the resistance gene Pga1 and was converted into a codominant marker for its easier use in marker-assisted selection for adzuki bean BSR resistance. Finally, the applicability of the developed markers for BSR resistance was tested on 32 adzuki bean accessions or cultivars.     

Identification of a novel QTL for the number of spikelets per panicle using a cross between indica‐ and japonica‐type high‐yielding rice cultivars in Japan

Yield is a complex trait. To improve it, the accumulation of the favourable alleles of valuable genes is required for each yield‐related trait. In this study, we used two high‐yielding rice cultivars developed in Japan, indica‐type ‘Takanari’ and japonica‐type ‘Momiroman’, for a genetic analysis of the sink capacity‐related traits. An F₂ population showed transgressive segregation for the number of spikelets per panicle. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis detected four QTLs for the trait. Two of the QTLs were most likely identical to previously cloned GN1a and APO1, and their Takanari alleles had positive effects. The Momiroman alleles of the other two QTLs had positive effects, and one of these QTLs was most likely identical to SPIKE/GPS. The QTL on the long arm of chromosome 3 appeared to be novel; it clustered with QTLs for grain length and days‐to‐heading. Substitution mapping revealed that the close linkage of QTLs caused the clustering. These results suggest that the combination of the favourable alleles of detected QTLs could lead to greater sink capacity than that of the parental cultivars.     

Intensive Field Survey of Aerosol and Gas Concentrations with 6-h Interval Sampling in Winter in Japan

We intensively surveyed the concentrations of chemical species in aerosols and gases using a four-stage filter-pack method at a site in Japan facing the Sea of Japan in winter with 6-h sample intervals. A few chloride species emitted anthropogenically were detected, and the HCl (g) concentration was quite low. The number of chloride species artifacts was also low. The HNO₃ (g) concentration was significantly higher when the monitored air mass passed over the Korean Peninsula compared to when it did not pass over the Korean Peninsula. In addition, the HNO₃ (g) concentration was significantly higher when the air mass arrived at the monitoring site by passing the route at lower latitude than the latitude of the monitoring site. On the other hand, the SO₂ (g) concentration showed no change between various trajectories of the air mass. The $ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} $ (p)/non-seasalt- (nss-) $ {\text{SO}}^{{2 - }}_{4} $ (p) ratio was intermediate between the compositions of (NH₄)₂SO₄ and NH₄HSO₄ when the air mass passed over the Korean Peninsula, whereas it was intermediate between NH₄HSO₄ and H₂SO₄ when the air mass did not pass over the Korean Peninsula. We detected the transboundary transport of sulfur dioxide with high time-resolution monitoring at two separate monitoring points: the current monitoring site and Oki Island.