Differences between wheat cultivars in acquisition and utilization of phosphorus

In an attempt to evaluate whether breeding and selection for high yielding capacity changed the P requirement of modem wheat cultivars. the response of two wheat cultivars to different levels of P supply was investigated. A traditional cultivar (‘Peragis’) and a modern spring-wheat cultivar (‘Cosir’) were cultivated in a C-loess low in available P and high in CaCO₃ in 120 cm high PVC tubes. In addition and for comparison, nutrient solution experiments were also conducted. Shoot growth, root growth. P uptake. P translocation and P distribution within the shoot at different developmental stages were compared. The grain yield of the modern cultivar ‘Cosir’ was higher at limiting and non-limiting P supply and. therefore, this cultivar can be considered as more P-efficient than the traditional cultivar. Grain yield reduction at low P supply was mainly due to an inhibition of tillering and thus lower number of ears per plant, whereas the number of grains per ear was hardly affected. Reduced tillering at low P supply could not be related to P concentrations in the shoot meristematic tissues which were generally much higher than in other plant tissues and kept at an elevated level even at limiting P supply. Root branching (1^st order laterals) was reduced at limiting P supply in ‘Cosir’ but not in ‘Peragis’ which, generally, had lower numbers of laterals at the beginning of tillering. From the results it can be concluded that the main factors contributing to the higher P efficiency of the modern cultivar ‘Cosir’ are (i) efficient use of assimilates for root-growth characteristics which enhance P acquisition: enhanced root branching and thus smaller mean root diameter and longer root hairs, (ii) an efficient P uptake system, (iii) efficient remobilization of P from vegetative plant organs to the grains, and most importantly (iv) lower P requirement for grain yield formation because of lower ear number per plant but higher grain number per ear.     

RFLPs of the rRNA genes in the genusPhaseolus

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the rRNA genes were investigated among 20 genotypes ofP. vulgaris, P. coccineus, P. polyanthus, P. microcarpus, P. glabellus, P. acutifolius, P. maculatus, P. oligospermus andP. lunatus. Detection of the polymorphisms was performed nonradioactively with a digoxigenin-labeled rDNA probe. RFLP-based phylogenetic trees for the rDNA of the species studied were computed with several distance matrix and parsimony methods. The estimated molecular relationships within the genusPhaseolus coincide, on principle, with the classical taxonomical investigations. Hence, RFLP analyses of the rRDA have been proven useful for systematic studies in the genusPhaseolus.     

Large-sample pairwise comparisons among multinomial proportions with an application to analysis of mutant spectra

In studies examining patterns of mutational damage, the primary variables of interest are expressed typically as discrete counts within defined categories of damage. The multinomial distribution is a common model for such data settings. Of interest is statistical comparison of the pattern, or spectrum, of mutation among the various mutant categories. A specific question in such instances is the identification of differences among the spectral categories, identified, e.g., via simultaneous confidence intervals for pairwise differences in or ratios of the multinomial response probabilities. Herein, a selection of possible methods for constructing such intervals is described and compared via computer simulations to determine which are most appropriate for practical use in the evaluation of mutant spectra.     

Die Interpretation von K/Ca-Austauschkurven mit Hilfe einer einfachen GAPON-Gleichung

The interpretation of K/Ca exchange isotherms by a simple GAPON equation K/Ca exchange isotherms of various soils can be described by a GAPON equation, where the coefficients being fitted to the measured values by iteration. The resulting values for the “labile potassium” are very similar to those of exchangeable K, whereas only 5–25% of the cec is involved in the short-term K/Ca exchange.     

Thermokarst lakes as a source of atmospheric CH4 during the last deglaciation

Polar ice-core records suggest that an arctic or boreal source was responsible for more than 30% of the large increase in global atmospheric methane (CH4) concentration during deglacial climate warming; however, specific sources of that CH4 are still debated. Here we present an estimate of past CH4 flux during deglaciation from bubbling from thermokarst (thaw) lakes. Based on high rates of CH4 bubbling from contemporary arctic thermokarst lakes, high CH4 production potentials of organic matter from Pleistocene-aged frozen sediments, and estimates of the changing extent of these deposits as thermokarst lakes developed during deglaciation, we find that CH4 bubbling from newly forming thermokarst lakes comprised 33 to 87% of the high-latitude increase in atmospheric methane concentration and, in turn, contributed to the climate warming at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.     

Magnesium interaction with the surface of calcite in seawater

Magnesian calcite overgrowth containing 4 (+/- 2) mole percent magnesium carbonate forms on calcite exposed to natural seawater near the ocean surface. This magnesian calcite is approximately 30 percent less soluble in seawater than pure calcite. The formation of the magnesian calcite of reduced solubility may have a major influence on calcite accumulation in deep sea sediments.     

Brain dopamine and serotonin receptor sites revealed by digital subtraction autoradiography

Autoradiography combined with image analysis permitted quantitative visualization of dopamine (D2) and serotonin (S2) binding sites in rat brain. Forebrain sections were incubated with tritiated spiroperidol alone or with tritiated spiroperidol plus unlabeled compounds that saturated the D2 or S2 sites. By subtracting the digitized image of an autoradiograph derived from the latter sections from that of the former, the D2 or S2 sites were specifically revealed. The resulting quantitative images demonstrate the differing anatomical distributions of these sites. The D2 site is largely restricted to the striatal complex (caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens septi, and olfactory tubercle), whereas the S2 site is enriched in layer 5 of motor cortex, the perirhinal and cingulate cortices, and the claustrum.     

8-Arginine]-vasopressinoic acid: an inhibitor of rabbit kidney adenyl cyclase

Neurohypophyseal hormnones and several synthetic analogs stimulate adenyl cyclase prepared from rabbit kidney medullary tissue. [8-Arginine]-vasopressinoic acid inhibits the stimulation of medullary adenyl cyclase by neurohypophyseal peptides but does not influence the action of parathyroid hormone on adenyl cyclase from kidiney cortex.