Effects of preharvest sprouting on the genetic structure of durum wheat 'landraces'

Preharvest sprouting that occurs in wheat might affect seed viability and cause genetic erosion during periodical rejuvenation of durum wheat accessions in a gene bank. Two durum wheat landraces (MG 7713 and MG 7805) that had been rejuvenated for several years and did show a high percentage of presprouted seeds in the lot from the fourth rejuvenation cycle were identified. The frequency of durum and bread wheat genotypes and the distribution of the two species in three seed classes (ungerminated seeds, seeds with swollen embryo and germinated seeds) were studied. The modified phenol test was used to identify durum and bread wheat seeds and the genotypic frequencies within each species were assessed on the basis of acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns of gliadin storage proteins. In these two landraces, durum wheat was more susceptible to preharvest sprouting than bread wheat and the frequency of bread wheat seeds significantly increased over the three rejuvenation cycles examined. Despite this, preharvest sprouting did not cause significant changes in the genotypic frequencies observed within species or loss of some genotypes that could not be attributed to susceptibility to sprouting.     

Changes in the genetic structure of wheat germplasm accessions during seed rejuvenation

Changes in the genetic structure of wheat accessions caused by interspecific competition during periodic seed rejuvenation at a gene-bank were studied. Electrophoretic patterns (Acid-PAGE) of gliadin storage proteins were used to discriminate bread from durum wheat and to identify bread-wheat genotypes. Bread wheat shows high selective advantage over durum wheat and its frequency increased up to 100% after seven rejuvenation cycles. The number of bread-wheat genotypes identified in each entry varied from five to 13, but only a few prevailed and these were different in each accession. In most cases, bread wheat was already present in the field sample collected, but at low frequency. In one case, ‘seed flow’ was thought to have occurred at a very low rate among neighbouring plots. The implication of these findings for genetic resources conservation are: 1. Mixtures of wheat species within the same germplasm accession must be avoided; 2. Only in some cases are low planting densities effective in reducing competition; and 3. The genetic structure of accessions in the gene banks must be monitored.     

Potential impacts of climate change on Welwitschia mirabilis populations in the Namib Desert,southern Africa

Climate change is threatening natural ecosystems in the Earth, and arid regions of southern Africa are particularly exposed to further drying. Welwitschia mirabilis Hook.(Welwitschiaceae) is an unusual gymnosperm tree that is recognized as an icon of the Namib Desert, southern Africa. Many aspects of its biology were investigated in the past, with a special emphasis for its physiology and adaptations, but nothing is known about its potential sensitivity to current climate changes. In this study, we adopted an approach based on distribution data for W. mirabilis and ecological niche models for clarifying the species-climate interactions and for predicting the potential impacts of climate change on W. mirabilis populations in three well-separated sub-ranges(northern, southern and central) in northwestern Namibia, southern Africa. We evidenced that the populations occurring in the northern sub-range have peculiar climatic exigencies compared with those in the central and southern sub-ranges and are particularly exposed to the impact of climate change, which will consist of a substantial increase in temperature across the region. These impacts could be represented by demographic changes that should be detected and monitored detailedly to plan efficient measures for managing populations of this important species on the long-term scale.     

Nematicidal activity of some essential plant oils from tropical West Africa

Abstract

Plant parasitic nematodes are among the most destructive plant pathogens worldwide and their control is very challenging. Plant essential oils (EOs) have showed a great potential in nematode control. In this work, EOs from 10 aromatic plants acclimatized in Togo were assessed in vitro for their nematicidal activity on the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. EOs were subsequently analyzed by GC-MS and compounds were tested individually on nematodes. The most potent EOs were: Ocimum sanctum L., Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) Spreng and Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume with EC_50/72h values of 282?±?53, 288?±?30 and 355?±?126?mg/L, respectively. The EC_50/48h values of tested compounds were 81?±?14, 117?±?33, 128?±?42, 141?±?47, 168?±?40, 216?±?86 and 235?±?43?mg/L for cinnamyl acetate, methyl eugenol, cinnamyl alcohol, acetyl eugenol, isoeugenol, eugenol and benzyl benzoate, respectively. Furthermore, we found a synergistic nematicidal activity when we combined phenylpropanoids compounds with carvone. EOs and their constituents described herein merit further studies, especially in pot experiments before serving as nematicides.     

Phenylpyrazole insecticide photochemistry, metabolism, and GABAergic action: ethiprole compared with fipronil

Ethiprole differs from fipronil, the major phenylpyrazole insecticide, only in an ethylsulfinyl substituent replacing the trifluoromethylsulfinyl moiety. This study compares their photochemistry, metabolism, action at the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, and insecticidal potency. On exposure to sunlight as a thin film, ethiprole undergoes oxidation (major), reduction, and desethylsulfinylation but not desulfinylation whereas the major photoreaction for fipronil is desulfinylation. Metabolic sulfone formation is more rapid with ethiprole than fipronil in human expressed CYP3A4 in vitro and mouse brain and liver in vivo. High biological activity is observed for the sulfide, sulfoxide, sulfone, and desulfinyl derivatives in both the ethiprole and the fipronil series in GABA receptor assays (human recombinant beta3 homomer and house fly head membranes) with [(3)H]EBOB and in topical toxicity to house flies with and without the P450-inhibiting synergist piperonyl butoxide. On an overall basis, the ethiprole series is very similar in potency to the fipronil series.     

Assessment of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) fruit texture by a combined acoustic-mechanical profiling strategy

Texture of apple fruit originates from anatomic traits related to cell wall architecture and is one of its most important quality characteristics, thus there is the desire to better understand the different factors which contribute to apple texture. Here we present a novel approach based on the simultaneous profiling of the mechanical and acoustic response of the flesh tissue to compression, using a texture analyzer coupled with an acoustic device. The methodology was applied to a 86 different apple cultivars, measured after two months postharvest cold storage and characterised by 16 acoustic and mechanical parameters. Statistical treatment of the data with principal component analysis (PCA) allowed for the identification of three groups of variables, the mechanical ones being clearly distinguished from the acoustic ones. Moreover, the distribution of the apple cultivars in the multivariate PCA plot allowed characterisation of the cultivars according to their textural performance. Each cultivar was analyzed also with non-destructive vis/NIR spectroscopy in order to determine impartially the ripening stage. Sensory evaluation by panellists was performed on a selected group of cultivars and sensory data correlated with the acoustic-mechanical data. The results demonstrate the good performance of our combined acoustic-mechanical strategy in measuring apple crispness as it is perceived by human senses.     

Photodegradation of rotenone in soils under environmental conditions

An environmental fate study was performed to analyze the effects of soil components on the photochemical behavior of rotenone. Photodegradation experiments were carried out on three types of soil collected in southern Italy, Valenzano (VAL), Turi (TUR), and Conversano (CON), from April to June 2006. Soil thin-layer plates (1 mm thick) were spiked with 1.5 mg/kg of rotenone and exposed under natural conditions of sunlight and temperature. The plates were removed from the sunlight at predetermined intervals of continuous irradiation. Other soil samples, control and sterilized, were kept in the dark to evaluate possible effects of chemical and microbiological degradation during the irradiation experiment. The time for 50% loss of the initially applied rotenone varied from 5 to 7 h, following the order TUR < CON < VAL. In environmental studies, changes in temperature and/or moisture affected the degradation rate and caused deviations from first-order kinetics. The photolysis reaction fit the two compartment or the multiple compartment model pathways better. A fast initial decrease during the first 5 h of rotenone irradiation was followed by a much slower decline, which clearly indicates the rather complex chemical process of rotenone photodegradation on soil surfaces. Also, the degradation was shown to be directly related to the soil concentration of clay and organic matter. Rotenolone (12abeta-hydroxyrotenone) was detected by HPLC/DAD/MS analysis as the only photodegradation byproduct of rotenone in soil thin layers. Results provide additional insights on the rates and the mechanisms of rotenone degradation, aiming to describe more clearly the degradation performance of chemical residues in the environment.     

The effect of commercial humic acid on tomato plant growth and mineral nutrition

The effects of humic acids extracted from two commercially‐available products (CP‐A prepared from peat and CP‐B prepared from leonardite) on the growth and mineral nutrition of tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) in hydroponics culture were tested at concentrations of 20 and 50 mg L^‐1. Both the humic acids tested stimulated plants growth. The CP‐A stimulated only root growth, especially at 20 mg L^‐1 [23% and 22% increase over the control, on fresh weight basis (f.w.b.), and dry weight basis (d.w.b.), respectively]. In contrast, CP‐B showed a positive effect on both shoots and roots, especially at 50 mg L^‐1 (shoots: 8% and 9% increase over the control; roots: 18% and 16% increase over the control, on f.w.b. and d.w.b., respectively). Total ion uptake by the plants was affected by the two products. In particular, CP‐A showed an increase in the uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu), whereas, CP‐B showed positive effects for N, P, and Fe uptake. The change in the Fe content was the most appreciable effect on mineral nutrition (CP‐A: 41% and 33% increase over the control for 20 mg L^‐1 and 50 mg L^‐1 respectively; CP‐B: 31% and 46% increase over the control for 20 mg L^‐1 and 50 mg L^‐1, respectively). Increases in Fe concentration in the plant roots were especially pronounced (CP‐A: 113% and 123% increases with respect to controls for the 20 mg L^‐1 and 50 mg L^‐1 treatments; CP‐B: 135% and 161% increases with respect to the control for 20 mg L^‐1 and 50 mg L^‐1 treatments). On the basis of the current experiments and from evidence in the literature, reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ by humic acid is considered as a possibility to explain a higher Fe availability for the plants.