Transferring a cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) genetic engineering capability to the African environment: Progress and prospects

The procedures required to produce genetically transformed cassava were developed and are now in place in three laboratories in the USA and Europe. Future implementation and sustainability of transgenic technologies for the agronomic improvement of cassava will depend, however, on transferring these capabilities to locations where cassava has an important socioeconomic niche. If successful, such countries can apply the technology towards their particular needs. Training scientists from the developing countries in the transgenic biotechnologies is of primary importance in this effort. There are, however, many other factors including the availability of laboratory supplies, equipment, suitably experienced support staff, sufficient funding levels and biosafety considerations, which must be addressed and put in place before a transgenic program can be fully implemented in a given country. A transgenic capability is being transferred from the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology (ILTAB),USA, to the University of Zimbabwe. Three southern African cassava varieties were induced to form embryogenic suspension cultures at ILTA Band have been transferred to Zimbabwe. These tissues are presently being used as the basis of genetic transformation programs in both laboratories. Problems encountered in the transfer process as well as possible solutions aimed at adapting the available protocols will be presented. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Applications of pedigree-based genome mapping in wheat and barley breeding programs

The aim of the pedigree-based genome mapping project is to investigate and develop systems for implementing marker assisted selection to improve the efficiency of selection and increase the rate of genetic gain in breeding programs. Pedigree-based whole genome marker application provides a vehicle for incorporating marker technologies into applied breeding programs by bridging the gap between marker–trait association and marker implementation. We report on the development of protocols for implementation of pedigree-based whole genome marker analysis in breeding programs within the Australian northern winter cereals region. Examples of applications from the Queensland DPI&F wheat and barley breeding programs are provided, commenting on the use of microsatellites and other types of molecular markers for routine genomic analysis, the integration of genotypic, phenotypic and pedigree information for targeted wheat and barley lines, the genomic impacts of strong selection pressure in case study pedigrees, and directions for future pedigree-based marker development and analysis.     

Temporal and spatial variation in cyanogenic glycosides in Eucalyptus cladocalyx

The release of hydrogen cyanide from endogenous cyanide-containing compounds in plants is an effective herbivore deterrent. We investigated temporal and spatial variations in cyanogenic glycoside concentration in greenhouse-grown seedlings and 6-year-old plantation trees of Eucalyptus cladocalyx F. Muell., which allocates up to 20% of leaf nitrogen to the cyanogenic glycoside, prunasin. The highest cyanogenic glycoside concentrations were in the young, developing vegetative and reproductive tissues. Both the overall cyanogenic glycoside concentration and the proportion of nitrogen allocated to cyanogenic glycoside decreased as tissues matured. Cyanogenic glycoside and nitrogen concentrations were similar at all positions on the leaf blade. There was no change in concentration of cyanogenic glycosides either diurnally or following wounding of the tissue, suggesting that these compounds are constitutive. Cyanogenic glycoside concentration varied seasonally in young leaf tips of field-grown E. cladocalyx, but not in mature, fully expanded leaves. Although some of the changes in cyanogenic glycoside concentration in young leaf tips may have been driven by changes in leaf nitrogen, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of nitrogen allocated to cyanogenic glycosides in young leaves during the summer, coinciding with the peak flowering period. Mobilization of cyanogenic glycosides may have occurred to provide nitrogen for reproduction. Most of the observed temporal and spatial variations in cyanogenic glycosides are consistent with the optimal use of resources, particularly nitrogen.     

Contents of Volume 57

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 57     

Cyanogenesis in Eucalyptus polyanthemos seedlings: heritability, ontogeny and effect of soil nitrogen

Cyanogenic plants release cyanide from endogenous cyanide-containing compounds (generally cyanogenic glycosides) and thus have an effective means of chemical defense. The capacity for cyanogenesis can be highly variable, even among individuals within a population. The genetic, environmental and developmental factors determining this variability are poorly understood, particularly in tree species. We used Eucalyptus polyanthemos Schauer subsp. vestita L. Johnson & K. Hill to quantify aspects of the regulation of cyanogenic capacity, which in this species is determined by foliar cyanogenic glycoside concentration. A half-sibling progeny trial, based on seed collected from open-pollinated trees covering a range of cyanogenic capacities, was used to assess the heritability of cyanogenesis in E. polyanthemos. Narrow sense heritability (h(2) +/- 1 SE) was estimated to be 0.82 +/- 0.20 from an intra-class correlation and 0.78 +/- 0.11 from a standardized progeny-parent regression. Foliar cyanogenic glycoside concentrations were on average about 70% lower in seedlings than in maternal trees, suggesting that there is a developmental delay in the accumulation of cyanogenic capacity in this species. The high h(2) values indicate that cyanogenic capacity is largely genetically determined and that environmental factors have little effect. To test this supposition, we grew seedlings at two soil nitrogen (N) concentrations (N influences cyanogenic capacity in some species) and found no appreciable effect on cyanogenic glycoside concentration, biomass partitioning or relative growth rate. Highly cyanogenic seedlings grew more slowly than seedlings with lower cyanogenic capacities, and relative growth rate was positively associated with net assimilation rate in seedlings in both N treatments.     

Psychological Factors Influencing Farmers’ Intention to Adopt Agroforestry: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

ABSTRACT

The biophysical characteristics of the farm and farmers’ socioeconomic factors have been used to explain adoption of technologies in Africa. However, agricultural technology adoption requires that we also understand the psychological factors that can encourage or discourage farmer adoption of technologies. The aim of this article is to assess the psychological drivers of farmers’ intentions to adopt agroforestry technologies on their farms. We obtained data from 400 smallholder farmers in the Mt. Elgon region of Uganda. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used as the main framework. Quantitative data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to assess the impact of a set of psychological factors on farmers’ intention to integrate trees in coffee. The intention of farmers to integrate trees in coffee plantations was mainly driven by their evaluation of the benefits of shaded coffee (attitude) followed by beliefs about their own capability (perceived behavioral control). However, social pressure (subjective norm) was insignificant, implying that smallholder farmers tend to deny the influence of other people’s behavior on their actions. Therefore, farmers’ positive evaluation of shading coffee and the perceived capability to overcome tree planting barriers reinforced their intention to integrate trees in coffee. This renders attitude and perceived behavioral control as reliable predictors of farmer tree planting behavior, especially in the context of developing countries.     

Hatchery cultivation of Pacific oyster juveniles using algae produced in outdoor bloom-tanks

Algae were bloomed as batch cultures by adding fertilizers to natural seawater in 500 l outdoor tanks, from mid-June to mid-August, over a period of 2 y. In the first year of experiments the bloomed algae were fed to Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas Thunberg) juveniles at a range of rations from 0.06 to 1.63 g (organic weight of algae) g–1 (live weight of spat) week–1. At rations of 0.5 g g–1 week–1 or higher, growth rates of juveniles were similar (mean, 97%) to those fed a control diet of intensively cultured algae (Tetraselmis suecica Kylin) Butch and Chaetoceros calcitrans (Paulsen) Takano at a ration of 0.3 g g–1 week–1). In the second year, the bloomed algae were fed at a ration of 0.5 g g–1 week–1 throughout all the experiments, and gave growth rates of 70–98% (mean, 85.6%), compared with the control diet. The proportion (by weight) of the diet consumed by the juveniles was about 70% for the control diet and 78% for the bloomed algae. Total lipid and essential fatty acid content of the bloomed algae were similar and total carbohydrate content was lower, when compared with typical published values for intensively cultured algae food species. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998