Relationship between relative water content during reproductive development and winter wheat grain yield

Summary Water is often the most limiting factor to winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in the southern Great Plains of the U.S.A., yet the lack of reliable screening criteria has precluded direct selection for drought resistance in breeding programs. Previous work showed that leaf relative water content (RWC) was highly heritable when measured under field-drought conditions, but its adoption as a screening tool for yield improvement requires further investigation of the genetic relationship between grain yield and RWC. Plants representing high and low yield potential under drought stress, and a random group of plants, were selected from an F₂ population having the pedigree, TAM W-101/Sturdy. Two sets of entries, each comprised of the two parents and 24 F₂-derived lines, were evaluated under a rainshelter in the F₃ (1986) and F₄ (1987) generations to determine differences in leaf RWC during reproductive development. One set of entries did not receive any water after the jointing stage, and the other set was grown under well-watered conditions. A positive relationship was observed between grain yield and RWC measured during anthesis and mid-grain fill, as the high-yield selections maintained a significantly higher RWC than the low-yield selections. Grain yield and RWC were also positively associated among random selections segregating for both traits. Subsequent adjustment of genotype means for differences in reproductive development at time of sampling underscored the need to consider differences in maturity when RWC is the selection criterion.     

QTL controlling partial resistance to Stagonospora nodorum leaf blotch in winter wheat cultivar Alba

Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) is an important foliar and glume disease in cereals. Inheritance of SNB resistance in wheat appears quantitative. The development of partially resistant cultivars seems to be the only effective way to combat the pathogen. Partial resistance components like length of incubation period (INC), disease severity (DIS) and length of latent period (LAT) were evaluated on a population of doubled-haploids derived from a cross between the partially resistant cultivar Alba and the susceptible cultivar Begra. Experiments were conducted in controlled environments and the fifth leaf was examined. Molecular analyses were based on bulked segregant analyses (BSA) and screening with 240 microsatellites DNA markers. The QTL analysis revealed QTL on chromosome 6AL (designated as QSnl.ihar-6A) and putative QTL on chromosome 6D. The QSnl.ihar-6A accounted for 36% of the phenotypic variance for DIS and 14% for INC. The putative QTL accounted for 10% of the variability in INC and 8% of DIS components of SNB resistance.     

Pesticide extraction efficiency of two solid phase disk types after shipping

An interlaboratory study was conducted to compare pesticide recovery from Empore C(18) and Speedisks C(18)XF solid phase extraction disks after shipping. Four pesticides were used for the comparison of the two disk extraction materials: atrazine, diazinon, metolachlor, and tebuconazole. These pesticides were chosen to provide a range of physiochemical properties. Water samples were extracted onto the disk types and shipped to a cooperating laboratory for elution and analysis. The mean recoveries from Empore disks were atrazine, 95%; diazinon, 91%; metolachlor, 92%; and tebuconazole, 83%. The recoveries from Speedisks C(18)XF were atrazine, 89%; diazinon, 87%; metolachlor, 86%; and tebuconazole, 79%. Means for each of the pesticides using the different disk types were not statistically different (alpha = 0.05), but results were more variable when using Speedisks C(18)XF as compared to Empore disks. Reasons for the increased variability are discussed, but overall results indicate that Speedisks C(18)XF could be used as an alternative to Empore disks. Speedisks C(18)XF are enclosed in a plastic housing, so they can be used more easily in remote sampling sites without the possibility of glassware breakage, no prefiltration of samples is needed, and there are realignment problems that can be associated with the Empore disks.     

Climate change and forest decline: A review of the red spruce case

Climate change as a contributor to the decline of red spruce is investigated. Previous climatic response model results are reviewed and more detailed time-dependent modeling of tree growth-climate interactions are performed using the Kalman filter. These new results show that there is a clear temporal and elevational dependence in the response of red spruce to climate. Influence of abnormally warm prior-August temperatures become increasingly time-dependent with decreasing elevation, which is contrary to the elevational gradient in the severity of decline. Thus, this variable, which had been implicated in red spruce declines from previous studies, is unlikely to be a primary cause of the current decline. However, it may be implicated in earlier declines at low elevations. Prior-December temperatures are influential at all elevations, but time-dependent only at the highest elevational zone. The emergence of a strongly time-dependent prior-November temperature response is clearly associated with a time-trend in the temperature record. Thus, it is likely that red spruce is responding, in a transient sense, to changing climate. An additional transient response to current-July temperatures is not associated with any unusual behavior in the data and is, as yet, unexplained. These results show that red spruce is not in equilibrium with its climatic environment, which may have made it more susceptible to damage caused by natural and anthropogenic factors.     

Florida manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris, respond to approaching vessels

Florida manatees inhabit shallow coastal and estuarine waters of the southeast US, a range that brings them into frequent contact with vessels. More than 30% of documented annual mortalities are attributed to vessel collisions, and most living animals bear the scars of multiple, non-lethal encounters. To document the behavior of manatees in the presence of vessels, we recorded their movements with an overhead video system. We scored six aspects of behavior during 170 vessel approaches, and compared their behavior with 187 control segments when no boats were present. Manatees in shallow waters and at the edge of the channel responded to approaches by orienting towards the nearest deep water, a boat channel, and increasing their swimming speed. Close boat approaches and shallow water depths exacerbated these responses. Our results indicate that manatees detect and respond to approaching vessels with an apparent flight response, a response which includes movement towards deeper water. If given sufficient time, i.e., approached or passed slowly, the manatees may then be able to reach deeper water and safe depths.     

Tree plantations on farms: Evaluating growth and potential for success

Interest in native species is growing across the tropics as reforestation of degraded lands becomes more widespread. In this study four tree species native to Panama - Cedrela odorata, Pachira quinata, Samanea saman, and Tabebuia rosea - were grown on rural farms at two dry tropical sites in Panama for up to five years. Survivorship and growth data at these “on-farm” trials are compared to data recorded from nearby experimental or “species selection” trial sites and evaluated in terms of soil fertility and management. Participant farmers were also asked about their interest in planting trees in general as well as their interest in 61 species grown in the species selection trial.Although, on-farm survivorship was variable and generally lower than that found on the species selection trial, one species (S. saman) experienced high and consistent survivorship. High survivorship combined with growth data from farms at both sites for this species suggests it would be a good candidate for extension projects working with rural farmers. Survivorship of other species appears more sensitive to farmer management and/or local site conditions. Generally lower growth on the Los Santos farms as compared to the species-selection trial is attributed to the lower soil fertility (plant available P) at the on-farm sites compared to the species selection trial. In contrast, only one species - P. quinata - had a growth variable found to be significantly lower between the on-farm and species selection trial sites in Rio Hato. C. odorata, P. quinata T. rosea can all be used in on-farm conditions with consideration to specific site and management conditions.By 2009, approximately 80% of the farmers planting trees still wished to participate in tree planting activities. All of the farmers no longer wishing to continue with the project expressed slow growth rates of trees as a principal reason. All but one of these farmers had growth rates for his/her trees markedly below those of the species selection trial nearby. Some farmers wishing to continue had very high mortality rates (>70% for all species), suggesting non-tangible benefits for participating in project activities. Other species that were not tested on-farm but grew well in the species-selection trials and were of interest to local farmers are discussed.As long as specific site and management conditions are carefully considered, data from species selection trials can be useful in informing tree planting projects with rural farmers; however, care should be taken to manage expectations.     

Evaluating the relationship between ecological and habitat conditions using hierarchical models

Understanding the relationship between an index of biological community state and habitat is important for policy makers and environmental managers. A common approach to modeling this relationship is to use regression. However, this simple method becomes complicated when the data are clustered and have both within-cluster and between-cluster spatial correlation. This article proposes a Bayesian hierarchical model that incorporates both types of spatial correlation. This model yields both an understanding of the within-cluster relationships as well as an overall relationship between these variables. We apply this method to evaluate the relationship between the index of biotic integrity (a common measure of fish condition) and the qualitative habitat evaluation index (a common measure of habitat quality). This method allows us to show that there is a relationship between the biological community state and habitat and that this relationship varies across river basins, while accounting for the within- and between-spatial correlations.     

A comparison of three atrazine-degrading bacteria for soil bioremediation

The ability of three atrazine-degrading bacteria, Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP, a Pseudaminobacter sp., and a Nocardioides sp., to degrade and mineralize this herbicide in a loam soil was evaluated in laboratory microcosms. These bacteria all hydrolytically dechlorinate atrazine, and degrade atrazine in pure culture with comparable specific activities. The Pseudaminobacter and Nocardioides can utilize atrazine as sole carbon and nitrogen source, whereas the Pseudomonas can utilize the compound only as a nitrogen source. The Pseudomonas and Pseudaminobacter mineralize the compound; the end product of atrazine metabolism by the Nocardioides is N-ethylammelide. At inoculum densities of 10⁵ cells/g soil, only the Pseudaminobacter and Nocardioides accelerated atrazine dissipation. The Pseudaminobacter mineralized atrazine rapidly and without a lag, whereas atrazine was mineralized in the Nocardioides-inoculated soil but only after a lag of several days. The Pseudaminobacter remained viable longer than did the Pseudomonas in soil. PCR analysis of recovered bacteria indicated that the genes atzA (atrazine chlorohydrolase) and atzB (hydroxyatrazine ethylaminohydrolase) were less stable in the Pseudaminobacter than the Pseudomonas. In summary, this study has revealed important differences in the ability of atrazine-hydrolyzing bacteria to degrade this compound in soil, and suggests that the ability to utilize atrazine as a carbon source is important to establish "enhanced degradation" by ecologically meaningful inoculum densities.     

Microbial Reduction of Iodate

The different oxidation species of iodine have markedly different sorption properties. Hence, changes in iodine redox states can greatly affect the mobility of iodine in the environment. Although a major microbial role has been suggested in the past to account for these redox changes, little has been done to elucidate the responsible microorganisms or the mechanisms involved. In the work presented here, direct microbial reduction of iodate was demonstrated with anaerobic cell suspensions of the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans which reduced 96% of an initial 100 µM iodate to iodide at pH 7 in 30 mM NaHCO₃ buffer, whereas anaerobic cell suspensions of the dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens were unable to reduce iodate in 30 mM NaHCO₃ buffer (pH 7). Both D. desulfuricans and S. putrefaciens were able to reduce iodate at pH 7 in 10 mM HEPES buffer. Both soluble ferrous iron and sulfide, as well as iron monosulfide (FeS) were shown to abiologically reduce iodate to iodide. These results indicate that ferric iron and/or sulfate reducing bacteria are capable of mediating both direct, enzymatic, as well as abiotic reduction of iodate in natural anaerobic environments. These microbially mediated reactions may be important factors in the fate and transport of¹²⁹ I in natural systems.