春丰50苦瓜的选育

以曼谷青皮、碧绿1号和钦州大肉苦瓜为育种材料,采用双父本混合花粉杂交和后代系谱选择育成优良自交系,再经配合力测定选出优良一代杂种春丰50。该品种生长势强,果实粗棒形,纵径26.3cm,横径6.45cm,皮色翠绿油亮,一般单果质量420g左右。平均每667m~2产量3 500kg。     

枣新品种‘延川狗头枣’

 ‘延川狗头枣’为鲜食、制干兼用中晚熟枣新品种。果实大、卵圆形或锥形，似狗头状。单果平均质量18.7 g，最大25.4 g；果肉细脆，汁液中多，味酸甜；鲜食、干制品质优良。适宜平均气温10—11l℃ 、降雨量500 mm左右的北方地区栽培。     

梨新品种‘花盖王’

 ‘花盖王’是从‘花盖梨’中选出的梨四倍体芽变新品种。该品种除保持‘花盖梨’的优质、丰产、抗寒等优良性状外，最突出特点是果实大，单果质量是‘花盖梨’的2倍多，最大为250 g。     

早熟大果鲜食枣品种‘七月鲜''

‘七月鲜’是从合阳县农家品种中选出的早熟优良品种，比中熟品种‘梨枣’早熟20d以上；果大，整齐，平均单果质量29．8g，可溶性固形物含量28．9％，可食率97．8％，味甜，肉质细，极宜鲜食，不易裂果，早果性强，抗缩果病，节间短，树体矮小，适宜矮化密植和设施栽培。     

Development of Stem-base Pathogens on Different Cultivars of Winter Wheat Determined by Quantitative PCR

The progress of development of stem-base pathogens in crops of second winter wheat was plotted in nine experiments in three years. The amount of each pathogen present was determined by quantitative PCR. Where Tapesia yallundae was present in quantifiable amounts, it usually developed earlier than the other eyespot pathogen, T. acuformis. Both species were usually present in greater amounts on cultivars which are more susceptible to eyespot. The sharp eyespot pathogen, Rhizoctonia cerealis, developed more erratically than either of the Tapesia spp. and there were no consistent effects on different cultivars. Fusarium spp., the cause of brown foot rot, were rarely present in quantifiable amounts, but Microdochium nivale was usually present as one or both of the varieties nivale and majus. Late-season (after anthesis) decreases in M. nivale suggest that any brown foot rot symptoms attributable to this fungus would have fully developed earlier. Cultivar differences in amounts of M. nivale were most clear in stems during internode extension and when relatively large amounts of DNA were present. Such differences approximately reflected eyespot susceptibility, cv. Soissons containing most and cv. Lynx containing least DNA. The results emphasise the difficulty in relating diagnoses, by quantitative PCR or other means, at early growth stages when decisions to apply fungicides against stem-base disease are made, to later disease severity.     

Engineering of a Single Chain Variable Fragment Antibody Specific for the Citrus tristeza virus and its Expression in Escherichia coli and Nicotiana tabacum

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is one of the most destructive citrus virus diseases in the world. The construction of an engineered antibody, EMBL accession number AJ278109, able to specifically recognize its antigen, i.e. the coat protein of CTV, directly on infected plant material without any purification or manipulation of the entire woody plant. The potential uses of this engineered antibody are discussed.     

Suppression of Verticillium Wilt in Eggplant by Some Fungal Root Endophytes

One hundred and twenty-three fungal isolates were obtained from 225 root segments of eggplants, melon, tomato, strawberry and Chinese cabbage, grown as bait plants in a mixed soil made up of samples from different fields in Shizuoka, Japan. Isolates belonging to Mycelium radicis atrovirens (MRA), including Phialocephala fortinii, were the most prevalent in all the five bait plants. Eleven of the 123 isolates, after being inoculated onto axenically reared eggplant seedlings, almost completely suppressed the pathogenic effects of a post-inoculated, virulent strain of Verticillium dahliae. Seven of these 11 isolates had come from the roots of eggplant and included Heteroconium chaetospira, P. fortinii, and unidentified species of Fusarium, Penicillium, Trichoderma and MRA. P. fortinii, H. chaetospira, a non-sporulating isolate with white mycelium (SWM) and MRA were easily reisolated from root segments. Hyphae of H. chaetospira, P. fortinii and SWM colonized the root tissues of eggplant without causing apparent pathogenic symptoms. The mechanisms by which these endophytes confer resistance to infection by V. dahliae are unknown but the effectiveness of these fungi in a laboratory setting indicates that they have potential as biocontrol agents and merit further investigation.     

Effects of relative humidity, light intensity and photoperiod on the colony development of Erysiphe sp. on Rhododendron

Growth and reproduction by powdery mildew pathogens is generally inhibited by decreasing relative humidity. With Erysiphe sp. on Rhododendron cv. Elizabeth, the initial stages of colony development were adversely affected by reducing the relative humidity from 100% to 70 and 85%. No significant effects on secondary or tertiary hyphal development were detected. Light intensity and photoperiod both had considerable effect on the induced resistance response of the host. Over the initial 5 days of colonization there were no significant differences between any of the treatments. After 13 days, however, expansion of fungal colonies at 180 photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) was limited solely to the area initially infested by primary hyphae. By comparison, in colonies grown at 80 PAR regardless of day length, secondary and tertiary hyphae had extended beyond the area first colonized. These effects resulted in differing morphologies, small colonies of densely packed hyphae formed at 180 PAR compared with open spreading colonies at 80 PAR.     

Biological and sequence comparisons of Potato virus Y isolates associated with potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease

The biological and molecular relationships between a large number of Potato virus Y (PVY) isolates were examined, concentrating mainly on isolates associated with potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD). Following detailed analysis of the coat-protein gene, four main groups were identified which broadly corresponded to the phenotype of the different isolates. The groups comprised the ordinary strain (PVY^O), the necrotic strain (PVY^N), the C strain (PVY^C) and a group of recombinant (between ordinary and necrotic) isolates. In the latter group, all members were associated with PTNRD. However, four nonrecombinant isolates were also identified which were associated with PTNRD or tuber necrosis. Three were from tubers showing PTNRD symptoms in the field, while the fourth originated from symptomless tubers, but could cause necrotic rings on tubers under glasshouse conditions. The results show that although coat-protein recombination is always found associated with the PTNRD phenotype, some nonrecombinant isolates have very similar biological properties.