Resistance to late blight and soft rot in six potato progenies and glycoalkaloid contents in the tubers

Glycoalkaloids are anti-nutritional compounds commonly found in wildSolanum species used as resistance sources to major potato pathogens. It is therefore important for breeding purposes to know whether selecting for resistance using such species necessarily selects also for high glycoalkaloid contents in the tubers. To test this hypothesis, we used six partial progenies from crosses betweenSolanum tuberosum and accessions ofS. andigena, S. berthaultii, S. phureja, andS. vernei to investigate the possible correlation between resistance toPhytophthora infestans and/or toErwinia carotovora subsp.atroseptica and the concentration of glycoalkaloids in tubers. Concentrations of α-solanine and α-chaconine in the tubers segregated in each progeny, as did resistance to each pathogen. Some, but not all, clones from each progeny showed hypersensitive reactions to the isolate ofP. infestans used. Furthermore, clones within each progeny also differed for components of partial resistance toP. infestans, suggesting that all four wild species could be used as sources of both race-specific and partial resistance to late blight. With the exception of low, but statistically significant, correlations between concentration of α-solanine and two late blight resistance components (incubation period and spore production per unit lesion area) in progenies derived fromS. vernei, and despite a trend towards higher glycoalkaloid concentrations in the tubers of the clones most resistant to soft rot within progenies derived fromS. berthaultii andS. vernei, no consistent relationship between resistance to either disease and concentrations of α-solanine and/or α-chaconine was observed. These results indicate that neither race-specific nor partial resistance to late blight and soft rot in the accessions used as progenitors of resistance depend on high solanine or chaconine concentrations. These resistance sources could thus prove useful in breeding programs for improved behaviour againstP. infestans and/orE. carotovora.     

Grain quality characteristics of rice in Madagascar retail markets

A survey of rice in retail markets of Madagascar with emphasis on the surplus regions of Marovoay and Lac Alaotra and the deficient area, Antananarivo City showed rices of Madagascar to be predominantly medium-long, medium-shaped, with high apparent amylose content, low gelatinization temperature, and soft, hard or medium gel consistency. Mean protein content was 7.5%. Percent white grains among red and white grains ranged from 0 to 100% (mean 56%), head rice 0–94%, translucency 6–66% and Kett whiteness 12–48%.     

多段燃油喷射对碳酸二甲酯-柴油混合燃料燃烧过程的影响

柴油机多段燃油喷射可用来优化缸内燃烧以实现排放净化的目标。该文采用两段预喷和一段主喷组合的多段燃油喷射进行混合燃料D10(90%柴油+10%碳酸二甲酯)燃烧过程的研究。通过预喷相位可调但3段喷油之间相位间隔恒定、主喷持续时间可调但第1、2段预喷持续时间固定的喷油策略,实现在目标工况下精确的放热中心COHR(center of heat release)。当调整多段燃油喷射策略实现目标COHR以等步长推移时,柴油机的燃烧过程呈现如下特点:各工况的着火时刻均处于第2段预喷和主喷之间;从喷油时刻至着火时刻所经历的曲轴转角越来越小;着火时刻至放热中心所占用的曲轴转角则越来越大;缸内燃烧压力峰值出现位置与放热中心位置较为接近,相对缸内峰值压力出现位置,COHR不断后移且相距更远。与柴油相比,D10的滞燃期更长,其最大压升率也更高。由于易汽化的碳酸二甲酯促进了燃料混合及后续燃烧,从着火时刻到10%放热率及90%放热率对应时刻所占用曲轴转角均变小,说明碳酸二甲酯的加入有助燃烧的迅速进行。基于COHR为表征的燃烧特性分析,为碳酸二甲酯/柴油混合燃料的应用、多段燃油喷射调控燃烧过程及排放控制理论提供指导。     

Genetic diversity of Swiss maize (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zea mays</Emphasis> L. ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">mays</Emphasis>) assessed with individuals and bulks on agarose gels

About 65 years ago, more than 150 Swiss maize landraces (Zea mays L. ssp. mays) of the flint type were collected and conserved ex situ. Due to the climatically and culturally diverse environment of the Alps, a considerable genetic diversity of this material was assumed. To prove this, an efficient method was required to carry out genetic profiling of all the accessions in the Swiss Gene Bank. Simple sequence repeat marker (SSR) profiling in combination with the visualization of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products on agarose gels was chosen. Here a set of 19 different landrace accessions was analyzed to: (i) investigate their genetic diversity, (ii) investigate and display the population structure and (iii) determine whether DNA bulks rather than single plants can be used for such analyses. Four repeated samples of one accession were found to be much closer to one another than to the rest of accessions. Furthermore, specific alleles were identified for several accessions. The PCR products of the bulked DNA samples represented only a small part of the variation revealed by the analysis of individuals. Loci with four base repeat motifs performed better in the analysis of bulks than loci with other repeat motifs. The correlation between genetic distance matrices, based on the analysis of individuals and bulks, respectively, was significant. Thus, the single plant approach allowed for sufficient differentiation of accessions, and DNA bulks visualized on agarose gels led to correlated genetic distances although a limited number of alleles were detected. Although the limited resolution of agarose gels likely causes some bias, profiling of larger sets with the individual plant approach appears feasible and more informative compared to the bulk analysis we conducted.     

Emergence of drug-resistant influenza virus: population dynamical considerations

Given the considerable challenges to the rapid development of an effective vaccine against influenza, antiviral agents will play an important role as a first-line defense if a new pandemic occurs. The large-scale use of drugs for chemoprophylaxis and treatment will impose strong selection for the evolution of drug-resistant strains. The ensuing transmission of those strains could substantially limit the effectiveness of the drugs as a first-line defense. Summarizing recent data on the rate at which the treatment of influenza infection generates resistance de novo and on the transmission fitness of resistant virus, we discuss possible implications for the epidemiological spread of drug resistance in the context of an established population dynamic model.