Mapping a new source of resistance to powdery mildew in mungbean

Both restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses were employed to map a new source of resistance to powdery mildew in mungbean. Disease scores of an F₂ population derived from the cross between a moderately resistant breeding line VC1210A and a susceptible wild relative (Vigna radiata var. sublobata, accession TC1966) showed a continuous distribution and was treated as a quantitative trait. Although no significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) that can explain the variation was detected by QTL analysis based on the reconstructed RFLP linkage map, new marker loci associated with resistance were discovered by AFLP analysis. The RFLP loci detected by two of the cloned AFLP bands are associated with resistance and constitute a new linkage group. A major resistance quantitative trait locus was found on this linkage group that accounted for 64.9% of the variation in resistance to powdery mildew. One of the probes developed in this study has the potential to assist in breeding for powdery mildew resistance in mungbean.     

Changes in microbial biomass and activity in soils amended with phenolic acids

The phenolic acids p-hydroxybenzoic, ferulic, caffeic and vanillic acid, were added to soil of the Countesswells series that had been fallow or carried crops of potatoes, peas or barley for two consecutive years. Changes in phenolic acid concentration, the soil biomass, the respiration rate, and soil amylase activity were measured over 28 days. All the phenolic acids were sorbed by the soils which was generally in the order caffeic > ferulic = vanillic > hydroxybenzoic acid. The phenolic acids stimulated soil respiration and increased the biomass as determined by the substrate-induced respiration method. but the fumigation method of biomass assessment gave anomalous results. The soil amylase activity was initially increased by phenolic acid amendments but soon decreased, and after 7 days was less than in non-amended soil although activity had increased again after 28 days. The rates of respiration and the total phenolic acid concentrations were similar to unamended controls after 28 days. The immediate respiration response, measured 1–6 h after amendment, indicated that caffeic acid gave the largest initial response of the phenolic tested, this being 55–72% of that given by glucose. Soil from the potato plot showed the highest immediate response to the phenolic acid amendments measured as a proportion of the respiration response to glucose. The findings suggest that some crops stimulate the growth of phenolic-acid degrading organisms.     

Effect of soil organic matter on peroxidase activity of wheat roots

Some soil organic matter fractions inhibited the peroxidase activity of wheat-root filtrates, but the effect was related to the enzyme hydrogen donor used. In the presence of o-dianisidine as the hydrogen donor, humic acid and the fractions obtained from it by water or acid refluxing inhibited the enzyme activity. The greatest effects were produced by those fractions which were insoluble after such treatments. The inhibitory effects were reversible and non-competitive, the Michaelis constant of the enzyme being only slightly affected, and independent of pH of the assay media. When guaiacol was used as the enzyme substrate the inhibitory effects of the humic acid and its fractions were variable and less marked.p-Coumaric and p-hydroxybenzoic acids inhibited peroxidase activity when o-dianisidine was used as substrate, but stimulated the enzyme in the presence of guaiacol. Polymaleic acid which is thought to have a similar structure to fulvic acid, inhibited peroxidase in the presence of both hydrogen donors. whereas fulvic acid was considerably less effective.     

Effects of humic acid fractions on invertase activities in plant tissues

The effect of some soil organic matter fractions and synthetic humic acids were tested on the invertase activities in tissues of several higher-plant species. The effects varied according to the plant and soil organic matter fraction used. Thus no fraction tested had any effect on the invertase activity of beetroot storage tissue, but several fractions, mainly humic acid and its residues obtained by water or acid boiling, inhibited invertase in carrot storage tissues and wheat roots and coleoptiles. and to a lesser extent mungbean hypocotyls. Soil phenolic acids were without effect in any of the plant tissues tested. Some stimulations of invertase activity occurred with pea root tissue, using the water- and acid-soluble humic-acid fractions. The effects were independent of ash contents, total N or the C:H:N ratio, and could not be ascribed to any particular chemical component.The inhibitory effects on wheat invertase activity produced by soil organic matter were independent of pH in the range 4.5–7.0, and were constant over a 4 h incubation. The inhibitors only slightly affected the K_m but markedly affected the V_max of the reaction, hence they were non-competitive.The effect of a naturally-occurring invertase inhibitor from beetroot storage tissues could be reduced in the presence of humic acid. Although the inhibitor had little effect on wheat root invertase it did reduce the inhibitory effect of the humic acid in this tissue.     

A preliminary study of fungal melanin by infrared spectroscopy

Infrared spectra of melanin and methylated melanin have been interpreted to show the existence of carboxyl groups in two different environments in the melanin structure. In one, there are a small number of carboxyl groups with an absorption band at about 1700 cm^?1; these are relatively free and are capable of interaction with alkali to produce carboxylate in the normal way. In the other environment, the carboxyl groups, absorbing at 1615 cm^?1, are conjugated and strongly hydrogen bonded to presumably phenolic hydroxyl groups, and cannot be neutralized with alkali. They do, however, react with diazomethane, as do the free carboxyls, to produce methyl ester absorbing at 1728 cm^?1.The significance of these conclusions for the survival of melanin in soil and its reactions therein, is briefly discussed.     

Physical variability in Prince William Sound during the SEA Study (1994–98)

From 1994 to 1998, a multidisciplinary ecosystem study (the Sound Ecosystem Assessment) examined the primary physical and biological factors that influence the production of pink salmon and Pacific herring in Prince William Sound (PWS), species that experienced population declines after the 1989 Exxon‐Valdez oil spill. Three physical processes are described that influence ecosystem processes: surface layer stratification; upper layer (<100 m) circulation; and exchange between PWS and the northern Gulf of Alaska (NGOA). Stratification formed first in the PWS nearshore regions in March, and subsequently in the northern central basin in April, primarily due to freshening. The northern stratified layer and the associated zonal density front persisted at least through June, but year‐to‐year differences occurred. In spring and summer, circulation in central PWS could be either cyclonic or anticyclonic. Drifter trajectories often linked central PWS to a nearshore bay or fjord, or one bay or fjord to another. September was characterized by a cyclonic circulation and isopycnal doming in central PWS, with little year‐to‐year variability. At Hinchinbrook Entrance, a main connection with the Gulf of Alaska, alternating inflows and outflows occurred in spring over all depths. In summer through early autumn (1995), in the absence of predominantly westward winds, the dominant exchange pattern was outflow above about 150 m and inflow below. In summer through early autumn (1996–98), there was also surface (<20 m) inflow at Montague Strait (the other main entrance). Northward transport at Hinchinbrook Entrance was maximum in late autumn through winter, with inflow above ~150 m and outflow below. Westward wind events over the shelf associated with the weather cycle drove inflow events at both Hinchinbrook Entrance and Montague Strait that may result in transport of zooplankton important to the PWS ecosystem.     

Potential for exploiting plant genes to genetically engineer insect resistance,exemplified by the cowpea trypsin inhibitor gene

Over the 400 million or so years of their co-evolution, plants have evolved some highly effective strategies to combat herbivorous insects. Amongst these natural defence mechanisms are some which depend on a primary gene product for effect. These are currently suitable for producing insect-resistant, transgenic crop plants by genetic engineering. One such mechanism involves the protease inhibitors from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), which are anti-metabolic to a wide range of insects. Cowpea trypsin inhibitor (CpTI) genes have been cloned and transferred to tobacco plants. Those transgenic tobacco plants which express physiological levels of CpTI have enhanced resistance to a wide range of insect pests. The insecticidal characteristics of these plants compare favourably with those of transgenic plants expressing the B. thuringiensis endotoxin gene. Some possible advantages of, and prospects for, using plant-derived ‘insect-resistance’ genes in this way are discussed.     

Efficacy of a starch-iodide swab technique to detect the illegal use of bleach in a Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery

The destructive and illegal practice of using chemicals (bleach, dishwashing liquid, gasoline) to catch spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is thought to be common throughout much of the Bahamian Archipelago. Injection of a chemical irritant into a lobster den will result in either a rapid escape response or a subduing effect, both of which make it easier to capture spiny lobster. We used both laboratory and field trials to determine the efficacy of a starch-iodide swab technique to identify lobsters that had been exposed to bleach solution (NaOCl). All lobsters exposed to bleach tested positive immediately following exposure and for varying periods thereafter. No false positives were detected on control lobsters. The average length of time that bleach remained detectable on the exoskeleton was 6.2 and 9.6 h in the laboratory and field, respectively, with some individuals testing positive 12 h after exposure. The swab technique will provide fishery officers with a powerful tool to reduce or eliminate the illegal use of bleach for harvesting spiny lobster.