Environmental effects on the elemental leaf composition of crassulacean acid metabolism plants

Environmental effects on several CAM plants which bring them in CAM (when plants show diurnal fluctuations in the concn of titratable acid) and out of CAM (when acid concn remain low with no diurnal fluctuation) were studied. Change in photoperiod alone caused the greatest amplitude of the acid fluctuation from 2.6 to 2.7 meq acid/100 g FW in Sedum telephoides. Light intensity affected the K/Ca ratio from a high when in CAM to a low when out of CAM in the 2 species. The plasma emission spectrograph analysis of the leaf tissue grown in the specific environment showed the presence of high levels of Mn, B, Cu, Zn, Na, Al and Si in Sedum telephoides. The elemental analyses of CAM plants showed 1.8 to 9.4% K.     

Methods for measuring N2O flux from water surface and N2O dissolved in water from agricultural land

A new chamber method and a stripping method were developed for field measurements of the rate of N₂O emission from the water surface and for determinations of dissolved N₂O in water from agricultural land.

These methods were used for the measurement of drainage canal water and flooded water of rice fields during the period of June 1982 to January 1983. The results demonstrate that aquatic systems of agricultural land may provide both source and sink for atmospheric N₂O.     

Aluminum tolerance associated with enhancement of plasma membrane H+-ATPase in the root apex of soybean

Abstract

Seventeen soybean cultivars were screened to discern differences in aluminum (Al) sensitivity. The Sowon (Al-tolerant) and Poongsan (Al-sensitive) cultivars were selected for further study by simple growth measurement. Aluminum-induced root growth inhibition was significantly higher in the Poongsan cultivar than in the Sowon cultivar, although the differences depended on the Al concentration (0, 25, 50, 75 or 100?μmol?L^–1) and the amount of exposure (0, 3, 6, 12 or 24?h). Damage occurred preferentially in the root apex. High-sensitivity growth measurements using India ink implicated the central elongation zone located 2–3?mm from the root apex. The Al content was lower 0–5?mm from the root apices in the Sowon cultivar than in the apices of the Poongsan cultivar when exposed to 50?μmol?L^–1 Al for 12?h. Furthermore, the citric acid exudation rate was more than twofold higher in the Sowon cultivar. Protein production of plasma membrane (PM) H⁺-ATPase from the root apices (0–5?mm) was upregulated in the presence of Al for 24?h in both cultivars. This activity, however, decreased in both cultivars treated with Al and the Poongsan cultivar was more severely affected. We propose that Al-induced growth inhibition is correlated with changes in PM H⁺-ATPase activity, which is linked to the exudation of citric acid in the root apex.     

Comparative toxicity of Al3+, Yb3+, and La3+ to root-tip cells differing in tolerance to high Al3+ in terms of ionic potentials of dehydrated trivalent cations

Abstract

Green manure legumes are often used to compare biomass production as well as nitrogen-fixing capacity. Mineral deficiency often limits the symbiotic nitrogen fixation of many legumes, thus limiting their productivity despite their high yielding potential (O’Hara et al. 1988; Flis et al. 1993). Leguminous species require large amounts of P for growth, nodulation, and nitrogen fixation. Consequently, they are often unable to grow in acid soils with low available P. The low P availability in tropical acid soils often arises from fixation of P by Al and Fe in soil. Generally, Al and Fe-phosphates are relatively unavailable to plants (McLachlan 1976; Ae et al. 1990).     

Effects of Cd on the fluxes of K+ and H+ in excised roots

As a result of Cd treatment, K concentrations decreased in Cd sensItive maize and kidney bean calli (Obata et al. 1994) and in intact roots of kidney bean plants (Obata et al. unpublished). Potassium may be extruded from the roots or the absorption of K may be depressed by the Cd treatment in these Cd sensitive plants. Obata et al. (1996) observed that Cd inhibited both the efflux of H⁺ and influx of K⁺ following K⁺ addition in intact roots of bean. Thus Cd may affect the activity of proteins essential to ion movement., i.e. ioncarriers, channels and ATPase embedded in the membranes and/or may affect the permeability of the lipids of the membrane.     

The plasma membrane intactness of root-tip cells is a primary factor for Al-tolerance in cultivars of five species

We investigated the role of the cell wall and plasma membrane (PM) of root-tip cells in Al tolerance in Al-tolerant and Al-sensitive cultivars of five plant species (rice, maize, pea, wheat, and sorghum). No correlation was found between the differences in Al tolerance and the cation exchange capacity of cell walls isolated from root-tips (0–1 em). Preliminary exposure to Al for 1 h was sufficient to inhibit subsequent root re-elongation in an Al-free solution, and the inhibitory effect was more pronounced in the Al-sensitive cultivars than in the Al-tolerant ones. Together with the inhibition of root re-elongation, the PM of the root-tip cells of all the Al-sensitive cultivars was more permeabilized than that of the Al-tolerant cultivars, based on the FDA-PI fluorescence staining technique. Exposure for 30 min to Al treatment at 100 µM significantly increased the PM permeability of protoplasts isolated from the root-tips for the Al-sensitive pea cultivar placed in a moderately hypotonic medium. Protoplasts from root-tip portions of all the Al-sensitive cultivars took up more Al than those of the Al-tolerant ones when treated with 100 pM Al under isotonic conditions for 30 min. The co-existence of DNP or hypotonic conditions led to a larger increase of Al uptake by the protoplasts from Al-sensitive maize cultivars. These results suggest that Al ions rapidly alter the PM of the root-tip portion in the Al-sensitive cultivars, irrespective of plant species, resulting in an increase of the PM permeability.     

Plasma-activated water inhibits in vitro conidial germination of Colletotrichum alienum,a postharvest pathogen of avocado

Cold plasma, an ionized gas produced by applying an electrical current to air, can be used to produce plasma-activated water (PAW), which has excellent antimicrobial properties. In this study PAW was applied to conidia of Colletotrichum alienum to investigate its impact on conidial germination in vitro. PAW was produced by treating tap, deionized, or distilled water with cold plasma for 30 or 60 min to produce PAW30 or PAW60, each of which was then incubated for up to 24 hr with a conidial suspension of C. alienum in a ratio of 1:1, 1:2, or 1:3 (conidial suspension:PAW), and the percentage germination measured. The greatest reduction in germination occurred when conidia were incubated with PAW60 produced from deionized water or distilled water, for all ratios. For PAW30, deionized water was the most effective for all three ratios, and on this basis, deionized water was selected for all further experiments. PAW produced from smaller volumes of water and at shorter distances from the cold plasma source was more effective at reducing germination. Treatment of conidia with acidified water was not as effective as PAW at inhibiting germination. Nitrates and nitrites were present in the PAW in varying concentrations and may have contributed to the inhibition of germination. PAW retained activity and reduced germination even after storage for 15 days. These findings demonstrate the potential of PAW as a novel treatment for postharvest fungal pathogens.     

马铃薯Y病毒中国分离物的分子株系组成

 马铃薯Y病毒(potato virus Y,PVY)主要侵染马铃薯和烟草等茄科作物,给世界农业造成巨大经济损失。本文对测定的23个及GenBank中注册的52个中国PVY分离物ORF序列进行了系统发育、重组和选择压等分析。系统发育分析表明,根据ORF序列可把我国75个PVY分离物和国外30个参比分离物分成O、C、E、NTN-NW(SYR-I型)、NTN-NW(SYR-II型)、NTN(NTN-a型)、NTN(NTN-b型)、NA-N/NTN、Eu-N、N-Wi(N:O型)和N-Wi(N-Wi型)等11个分子株系,其中中国PVY分离物属于除E和C株系外的9个分子株系。除ME162、guiyang、PVYzu、SD-G、WA-13和CN:JL-1:17等 6个分离物基因组中未检测到重组,其余69个分离物均存在明显重组。根据重组位点的不同,中国PVY可分为11种重组类型,其中5种为新的重组类型。选择压分析表明,中国PVY分离物的11个基因均处于负选择,其中核内含体b基因受到的选择压最大,PIPO受到的选择压最小。基因流分析表明,黑龙江、河南和山东PVY分离物间基因交流频繁,马铃薯与烟草PVY分离物之间基因交流频繁。本研究的结果明确了中国PVY分离物的分子株系组成,对指导PVY的检测和防控具有积极作用。     

Effect of hydrostatic pressure and temperature on the chemical and functional properties of wheat gluten: Studies on gluten, gliadin and glutenin

The effect of hydrostatic pressure (0.1–800 MPa) in combination with various temperatures (30–80 °C) on the chemical and physical properties of wheat gluten, gliadin and glutenin was studied. Chemical changes of proteins were determined by extraction, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, thiol measurement and studies on disulphide bonds. Rheological changes were measured by extension tests and dynamic stress rheometry. Treatment of gluten with low pressure (200 MPa) and temperature (30 °C) increased the proportion of the ethanol-soluble fraction (ESF) and decreased gluten strength. The enhancement of both pressure and temperature provoked a strong reduction of the ESF and the thiol content of gluten. Within gliadin types, cysteine containing α- and γ-gliadins, but not cysteine-free ω-gliadins were sensitive to pressure and were transferred to the ethanol-insoluble fraction. Disulphide peptides isolated from treated gluten confirmed that cleavage and rearrangement of disulphide bonds were involved in pressure-induced reactions. Increased pressure and temperature induced a significant strengthening of gluten, and under extreme conditions (e.g. 800 MPa, 60 °C), gluten cohesivity was lost. Isolated gliadin and glutenin reacted differently: solubility, HPLC and SDS-PAGE patterns of gliadin having a very low thiol content were not influenced by pressure and heat treatment; only conformational changes were detected by CD spectroscopy. In contrast, the properties of isolated glutenin having a relatively high thiol content were strongly affected by high pressure and temperature, similar to the effects on total gluten.     

联合收获机喂入量模糊控制系统研究

【目的】设计喂入量模糊控制系统,为提高联合收获机收获效益提供支撑。【方法】采用油压力传感器检测喂入量,根据滚筒扭矩与行走速度之间的关系,建立喂入量模型。设计模糊控制器并在MATLAB下进行仿真,利用PLC建立模糊控制系统,通过电控静液压系统控制行走速度来调整喂入量,并以新疆-3稻麦联合收获机为试验机型,进行喂入量自动控制田间试验。【结果】基于模糊控制系统调整后的联合收获机损失率小于1.2%,破碎率小于1.0%,损失率和破碎率均与经验丰富的驾驶员手动控制结果基本持平,符合国标要求。在作物密度不均匀的区域进行试验,指令喂入量取2kg/s时计算平均喂入量为2.04kg/s;指令喂入量取3kg/s时计算平均喂入量为3.08kg/s,喂入量能稳定控制在±10%的范围以内。【结论】联合收获机喂入量模糊控制系统稳定可靠,能提高收获效益。