Comparison of S-RNase,RNase T1, T2, and A effects on growth inhibition and RNA degradation of in vitro-cultured pear pollen

To obtain the basic information on fruit set regulation, effects of several RNases including S-RNase on pollen tube growth and RNA degradation in the tube were studied in the pear. Purified S-RNase from the Japanese pear ‘Kosui’ (S₄S₅) predominantly inhibited the growth of ‘Kosui’ pollen tubes (self) in vitro at 0.28 unit μL⁻¹, but it inhibited ‘Chojuro’ (S₂S₃) pollen (cross) only slightly. The same unit of RNase T₁ (EC 3.1.27.3) clearly inhibited the pollen tube growth, but the action was significantly weaker than that of the S-RNase against the self-pollen. Inhibitory effect of RNase T₂ (EC 3.1.27.1) and RNase A (EC 3.1.27.5) was only slight. The proteins other than the S-RNase extracted from pear style did not have any inhibitory action, though they possessed RNase activity 3.8 times higher than S-RNase. Thus, RNases tested here could not substitute for the S-RNase in specific inhibition against the self-pollen tube growth. Total RNA degradation by each RNase occurred in the pollen tubes as following order; S-RNase (self) ≥T₁ > T₂ ≥ A > S-RNase (cross). Degradation degree of 28S and 18S rRNA was as follows; S-RNase (self) > A > T₁ > T₂ > S-RNase (cross). The degradation of 5.8S and 5S rRNA was; S-RNase (self) > S-RNase (cross) > A > T₂ > T_1. The degree of rRNA degradation was, thus, not always in parallel with the degree of pollen growth inhibition. The S-RNase may degrade not only rRNA but also mRNA essential for pollen tube growth, and may be specifically adapted to inhibit the growth of self-pollen tubes. Therefore, controlling S-RNase amount in the style will produce self-thinning cultivars efficiently, which are unnecessary not only for hand-pollination but fruit-thinning practices in the pear. Practically, cultivar with weak self-incompatibility and small amount of S-RNase, such as ‘Okusankichi’, may be an expecting candidate for breeding self-thinning cultivars.     

Occurrence of chrysanthemum virescence caused by “<Emphasis Type="Italic">Candidatus</Emphasis> Phytoplasma aurantifolia” in Okinawa

In 1999, a disease of chrysanthemum [Dendranthema grandiflorum (Ramat.) Kitamura], characterized by virescence of flowers, occurred in Okinawa Prefecture. The causal agent was identified as “Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia” based on 16S rDNA sequencing. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession number AB247462.     

Lesion-based analysis of leaf blast suppression in mixture of rice cultivar and a resistant near-isogenic line

Leaf blast suppression in multilines was evaluated based on the number of susceptible lesions observed in a pure stand of susceptible rice cultivar Sasanishiki, and in 1 : 1 and 1 : 3 mixtures of Sasanishiki and a resistant near-isogenic line, Sasanishiki BL4 or BL7, from 1998 to 2001. The number of lesions first observed in fields in the 1 : 1 and 1 : 3 mixtures were close to theoretical numbers calculated using the number of lesions observed in the pure stands and the ratios of the susceptible Sasanishiki in the mixtures. The ratio of the number of lesions in the 1 : 1 and 1 : 3 mixtures to the number in the pure stand was 0.29 and 0.09, respectively. The relationship between these ratios and the ratios of susceptible Sasanishiki in mixtures was defined in an equation to estimate the degree of leaf blast suppression. Validation studies for the ratios of the number of lesions in the 1 : 1 and 1 : 3 mixtures to the number in the pure stand were conducted in two different locations and showed that the ratios are almost acceptable. The calculated autoinfection to alloinfection ratio was 1.3 and 1.4 in the 1 : 1 and 1 : 3 mixtures, respectively, suggesting that the calculated ratio will affect the degree of leaf blast suppression. Thus, predictors were obtained to estimate leaf blast suppression for effective blast control in multilines.     

Interactive effects of leaf age and self-shading on leaf structure,photosynthetic capacity and chlorophyll fluorescence in the rain forest tree,Dryobalanops aromatica

In the tropical canopy tree, Dryobalanops aromatica Gaertn. f., upper-canopy leaves (UL) develop under sunlit conditions but are subjected to self-shading within the crown as they age. In contrast, lower-canopy leaves (LL) are exposed to uniform dim light conditions throughout their life span. By comparing leaf morphology and physiology of UL and LL, variations in leaf characteristics were related to leaf age and self-shading. Mass-based chlorophyll (chl) concentration and the chlorophyll/nitrogen (chl/N) ratio were lower and the chl a/b ratio was higher in UL than in LL. In UL, the chl/N ratio gradually increased and the chl a/b ratio gradually decreased with leaf aging, whereas these ratios remained unchanged with leaf age in LL. The effective quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) (DeltaF/F(m)') at a given irradiance remained unchanged with leaf age in LL, whereas DeltaF/F(m)' changed with leaf age in UL. These data indicate N reallocation within the leaves from carbon fixation components to light harvesting components and a dynamic regulation of photochemical processes of PSII in response to increased self-shading of UL. Despite the difference in light environment with leaf age between UL and LL, maximum photosynthetic rates and nitrogen-use efficiency decreased with leaf aging in both UL and LL. Constancy in the chl/N ratio with leaf age in LL indicated that the decrease in photosynthetic capacity was caused by effects other than shading, such as leaf aging. We conclude that N reallocation and acclimation of PSII to self-shading occurred even in mature leaves, whereas the change in photosynthetic capacity with leaf age was more conservative.     

Potential use of a spatially constrained harvest scheduling model for biodiversity concerns: Exclusion periods to create heterogeneity in forest structure

The objective of this paper is to investigate potential use of a spatially constrained harvest scheduling model for biodiversity concerns. Change in the degree of biodiversity is represented only by spatial characteristics of harvesting patterns of forest stands with different exclusion periods applied to adjacent forest stands. A spatially constrained harvest scheduling model called SSMART (Scheduling System of Management Alternatives foR Timber-harvest) is used for the analysis. It is one of the heuristics to solve a spatially constrained harvest scheduling problem by using the partitioning heuristic. The algorithm incorporated into SSMART is designed to seek a solution for a multicriteria problem with present net value maximum, meeting spatial feasibility and minimizing period-to-period harvest flow fluctuation, approximating even-flow constraints within the 0–1 integer programming framework. Our experimental analysis shows that the longer exclusion period, the less the harvest flow level and the total present net value are derived and the more heterogeneous the forest structure becomes in terms of the forest stand age distribution. It is also shown that the three exclusion period results in a stable forest stand age distribution over the time horizon for our experimental forest. This research supported by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 09041071) from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan.     

Generation and alteration of norlignans in a transition zone during the drying of a Cryptomeria japonica log

Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) produces secondary metabolite norlignans in xylem. Several norlignans are involved in the coloration of heartwood and defense of sapwood against microbial invasion. Their biosynthetic process should be well understood so that their properties can be exploited to improve the quality and utility of C. japonica wood. Unfortunately, information on the norlignan biosynthesis is limited because norlignans are mainly synthesized in a particular season in the transition zone (TZ) along with the heartwood formation, and is difficult to study. Although the generation of two norlignans of C. japonica, agatharesinol and (E)-hinokiresinol, has been reported, systems for producing other norlignans are not yet known. To establish a novel norlignan generating system, we examined the changes occurring in norlignans in a TZ during the process of drying a C. japonica log. On the day of felling, the TZ contained agatharesinol and (E)-hinokiresinol, which increased until they reached a maximum on day 40 after felling. Sequirin-C appeared on day 40 and increased to day 70. The generation of sequirin-C in the TZ can be used to investigate the biosynthetic process of heartwood norlignans. This study describes for the first time the changes that occur in the composition of norlignan during the drying of the TZ.     

Preparation and Characterization of Phenolated Wood Using Sulfuric Acid as a Catalyst I: Liquefaction Behavior of Plantation Wood

Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) and poplar (Populus spp.) wood meal were phenolated in the presence of sulfuric acid used as a catalyst. The effects of reaction time and reaction temperature on the wood liquefaction were investigated. The results showed that the reaction temperature had the greater influence on the residue content than reaction time. Additionally, the liquefaction curve for the Chinese fir and Poplar were similar in general.     

Stem water transport of Lithocarpus edulis, an evergreen oak with radial-porous wood

The stem water conducting system of an evergreen broad-leaved oak, Lithocarpus edulis (Mak.) Nakai, was investigated. Evergreen broad-leaved oaks (Lithocarpus, Castanopsis, Cyclobalanopsis, Quercus) belonging to the Quercoideae are a major component of Asian monsoon forests, and are characterized by the possession of radial-porous wood. A characteristic of radial-porous wood is the development of aggregate rays between radially oriented files of vessels. We measured the distribution of vessel lumen diameters in a stem cross section and calculated the theoretical water conductivity of the wood. The radial profile of the heat pulse velocity (HPV) was measured for an intact whole tree under field conditions and compared with the theoretical distribution of water conductivity. Soft X-ray photographs of frozen stem sections indicated that most of the vessel lumina were filled with water, including those of vessels more than 20 years old. Even when vessels were relatively wide (lumen diameters > 100 microm), cavitation was negligible. The rate of water uptake from the cut stem base correlated closely with HPV (r = 0.96), and HPV closely reflected the mean volume flow per stem sectional area (SFVS) around the sensor probes. However, the ray tissue sharply inhibited heat transfer, and the positioning of the probes strongly affected the absolute value of HPV. It was also found that HPV more closely reflected the mean sap flow velocity in the vessels than did SFVS.     

Hydration behavior and compressive strength of cement mixed with exploded wood fiber strand obtained by the water-vapor explosion process

Poor compatibility was found between exploded wood fiber strand (WFS) and cement due to the excessive presence of water-soluble degraded polysaccharides in extractives of exploded WFS obtained from weathered wood waste treated by the water-vapor explosion process (WVEP). This study presents some comparative results from a continuing investigation on the compressive strengths of exploded WFS–cement mixtures. Based on results previously obtained with the hydration test, the relation between hydration behavior and compressive strength of the mixture was explored. In addition, the effect of the curing age on compressive strength development of the mixture with selected additive chemicals was examined. The results supported the results of early studies with hydration tests indicating that adding MgCl₂ to the mixtures of exploded WFS mixed with quick-curing cement or ordinary Portland cement and a composite of MgCl₂ + CaO added to the mixture of exploded WFS and furnace-slag cement effectively improved the hydration behaviors; it greatly enhanced the compressive strengths of mixtures as well. Compressive strengths were strongly correlated to maximum hydration temperatures (T_max) of wood–cement mixtures influenced by the cement type, wood wastes (treated or not with WVEP), additive chemicals, and their content levels. The results also indicated that adding selected chemicals had no significant effect on compressive strength among the mixtures of exploded WFS mixed, respectively, with three types of cement at a curing age of 180 days. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to identify the hydration products and to probe the element distribution of the mixture in the wood–cement interface zone from a fractured surface.Part of this report was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Gifu, April 2002     

Structure of xylan from culms of bamboo grass (Sasa senanensis Rehd.)

Xylan prepared from culms of kumaizasa (Sasa senanensis Rehd.), a representative species of bamboo grass, was hydrolyzed with-xylanase ofStreptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86. Four arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides and two glucuronoxylo-oligosaccharides were isolated from the enzymatic hydrolysate of the xylan by chromatography on a charcoal column, a Dowex 1-x8 column, a Toyo-pearl HW-40S column, and a LiChrospher 100 NH₂ column and on preparative paper chromatography. The results of the structural analyses of the saccharides showed that the isolated oligosaccharides had the structures of 3²--l-arabinofuranosyl-xylobiose, 3²--l-arabinofuranosyl-xylotriose, 3²--[-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 2)-l-arabinofuranosyl]-xylobiose, 3³--[-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 2)-l-arabinofuranosyl]-xylotriose, 2³--4-O-methyl-d-glucuronosyl-xylotriose, and 2³--d-glucuronosyl-xylotriose. From the structural analysis of the oligosaccharides derived from the xylan, kumaizasa xylan was concluded to be a kind of arabinoglucuronoxylan having not only stubs of singlel-arabinose and singled-glucuronic acid but also stubs of disaccharide units such as-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 2)-l-arabinofuranose.