Is Discrimination of 13C in Potato Leaflets and Tubers an Appropriate Trait to Describe Genotype Responses to Restrictive and Well‐Watered Conditions?

Selection for drought tolerance entails prioritizing plant traits that integrate critical physiological processes occurring during crop growth. Discrimination against ¹³C (?) in leaflets (?_leaflet) and tubers (?_tuber) was compared under two water regimes in two potato‐improved varieties selected to maintain yield under drought conditions (Unica and Sarnav) and one drought susceptible European cultivar (Désirée). In the control treatment, soil water content was kept at field capacity over the whole growth cycle, while in the drought treatment water supply was restricted after tuber initiation (50 % of field capacity). Gas exchange and N content per unit leaf area (N_area) as well as ? were assessed at different stages. Sarnav showed the highest tuber yield in both water conditions, suggesting that yield in the water restriction treatment was largely driven by yield potential in this genotype. Higher stomatal conductance (g_s) and N_area and lower ?_leaflet in well‐watered Sarnav suggested higher photosynthetic capacity. Under water restriction, Sarnav maintained higher g_s indicating that carbon diffusion was a key factor for biomass accumulation under water restriction. Our results suggest the use of ? determined after tuber initiation as an indirect selection indicator for tuber yield under both well‐watered and restricted soil water availability conditions.     

Genetic Variation for Maize Epicuticular Wax Response to Drought Stress at Flowering

Drought stress is thought to promote epicuticular wax accumulation on maize leaves, which reduces plant water loss. We evaluated 62 maize inbred lines and their hybrid testcross progeny for epicuticular wax accumulation on flag leaves at flowering under full and limited irrigation regimes. Extracted wax was measured as a percentage of wax weight to leaf weight (WLW) and leaf area (WLA). Eleven genotypes had above average WLW as both inbred lines and hybrid testcrosses. Thirteen genotypes had above average WLA as either inbred lines or hybrid testcrosses. The drought treatment did not significantly alter WLW or WLA. Heritability of WLW was 0.17 (inbred lines) and 0.58 (hybrid testcrosses). Heritability of WLA was 0.41 (inbred lines) and 0.59 (hybrid testcrosses), suggesting it is a better trait than WLW for epicuticular wax screening. Correlations (r) between inbred lines and their testcross progeny were 0.44 and 0.18, for WLW and WLA, respectively. Heritability of grain weight per ear and plot yield was highest in hybrid testcrosses, with no correlation between inbred and hybrid germplasm. It is not warranted to evaluate epicuticular wax accumulation as the sole drought tolerance mechanism. However, it may be a good secondary trait to observe in relation to grain yield production in hybrids tested under water‐limiting conditions.     

Significance of salt transport patterns in rice varieties differing in salt tolerance

Abstract

The absorption mechanisms for Na, K, SO₄ and Cl were tested in a salt tolerant (PVR 1) and a salt sensitive (GEB 24) rice varieties. The salt tolerant variety accumulated significantly larger amounts of Na than the salt sensitive variety. Further, PVR 1 absorbed SO₄ from Na₂SO₄ in preference to that from K₂SO₄. The absorption patterns for K and Cl were similar in both the varieties. It is concluded that the capacity of plant species to accumulate greater amounts of Na is a reflection of their halophytic feature.     

生物炭表面水溶活性分子可以有效提高水稻的耐旱性

生物炭是一种可以改良土壤、增强作物产量和提升作物品质的新型农林废弃物再利用材料。本研究通过振荡方式制备生物炭浸提液,利用水培系统培养水稻幼苗,以20%PEG6000、300 mmol/L和500 mmol/L甘露醇模拟干旱胁迫,研究生物炭表面水溶活性分子对水稻幼苗抗旱性的影响。研究结果发现:生物炭浸提液可有效缓解干旱胁迫造成的水稻种子萌发和幼苗生长抑制,缓解叶绿素含量、鲜重及存活率的降低,同时可以降低体内的活性氧积累等。实时定量RT-PCR检测表明生物炭浸提液促进干旱胁迫响应标志基因的表达量。研究结果说明生物炭浸提液可以提高干旱胁迫下水稻幼苗的抗氧化能力,进一步提高水稻幼苗对干旱胁迫的耐受性。     

DROUGHT STRESS: Soil Water Availability Alters the Inter‐ and Intra‐Cultivar Competition of Three Spring Wheat Cultivars Bred in Different Eras

Competition for water generates a classic aspect of the tragedy of the commons, the ‘race for fish’, where crops must allocate more resource to acquisition of the limiting resource than is optimal for crop yield allocation. A pot experiment using a simple additive (target–neighbour) design was conducted to examine the above‐ground and below‐ground growth of three spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars when grown alone and in mixtures at three levels of water availability. The effects of competition and water availability were compared by observing patterns of growth, biomass allocation and below‐ground outcomes. Competitive interactions were investigated among cultivars ‘HST’, ‘GY602’ and ‘LC8275’, target plant of each cultivar grown without neighbouring plants are referred to herein as control plant and one target plant of each cultivar sown surrounded either by same or another cultivar as intra‐ or inter‐cultivar competition. Competitive ability was assessed as the response ratio (lnRR) between the target plant surrounded by six other plants and the target plant in isolation. Our results showed that the cultivar ‘HST’, released over a century ago, produced a higher biomass and grain yield than the more recently released cultivars ‘LC8275’ and ‘GY602’ when grown as isolated plants with sufficient water supply. However, competition for resources from neighbours led to target plant biomass and grain yield being significantly reduced relative to controls in all three cultivars, particularly in ‘HST’. When subjected to intra‐cultivar competition, the two recently released cultivars ‘LC8275’ and ‘GY602’ had higher grain yields and water use efficiency for grain than ‘HST’ in all three water regimes. The landrace ‘HST’ had better and significantly linear relationships between biomass and biomass allocation, root length and specific root length, whereas the recent and modern cultivars had much more water‐related species‐specific changes in root morphology and allocation patterns. These results suggest that crop traits that influence competitive ability, such as biomass allocation to roots and root plasticity in response to drought have changed in modern wheat cultivars because of breeding and selection.     

新牧一号苜蓿MvP5CS基因的克隆和功能分析

为研究苜蓿（Medicago sativa）耐盐分子机制，为抗逆分子育种提供依据，通过同源克隆和RT PCR技术克隆了新牧一号杂花苜蓿（M.varia Xinmu 1）的MvP5CS基因， MvP5CS全长2 148 bp，Genbank登录号为：EU371644。荧光定量PCR分析发现，在盐胁迫下MvP5CS基因表达明显上调，说明 MvP5CS与苜蓿的耐盐性相关。利用农杆菌介导的叶盘转化法，将MvP5CS基因成功转入烟草（Nicotiana tabacum），盐胁迫下转MvP5CS基因T1代烟草萌发率和根长均高于非转基因烟草。表明新牧一号苜蓿P5CS基因能够提高转基因烟草的耐盐性。     

大豆高赖氨酸基因PM8在烟草中的超量表达及其抗非生物胁迫功能研究

应用生物信息学方法在GenBank数据库查找到1条编码大豆LEA3蛋白的高赖氨酸蛋白基因PM8(登录号:Z22872),并利用RT-PCR方法从大豆干种子中克隆得到该基因,序列分析表明,PM8基因与GenBank上的序列存在5个碱基的差异,使编码蛋白的赖氨酸重量比由原来的19.65%增加为19.93%。构建了PM8基因的植物表达载体pEMT-PM8,用农杆菌介导法转化烟草。从转PM8基因的PCR阳性植株中选取5个既抗盐又抗旱的株系进行Real-timePCR检测。结果表明,PM8基因全部超量表达。研究为培育高营养品质且抗逆的转基因作物研究提供了一条新的途径,具有重要的研究价值。     

盐藻DNA对水稻幼苗在低盐中生长的影响

[目的]分析盐藻DNA对水稻幼苗在低盐中生长的影响。[方法]将刚萌发的水稻幼苗根系浸入5 mg/L盐藻DNA溶液中培养2d,以蒸馏水培养为对照,处理后的水稻幼苗栽于含有氯化钠3 g/L的MS培养液中培养,分析盐藻DNA对水稻幼苗在低盐中生长的影响。[结果]水稻幼苗用5 mg/L盐藻DNA处理后,在含氯化钠3 g/L的MS培养液中培养15 d,其平均株重为150.7 mg,比对照增加了10.3%;平均株高为15.28 cm,比对照增加了6.1%;平均存活率为45.0%,比对照增加了125.0%;平均根数为7.15条,比对照减少了2.8%;平均根长为3.83 cm,比对照缩短了8.4%。说明盐藻DNA提高了水稻幼苗的耐盐适应性。[结论]盐藻DNA可提高水稻的耐盐适应性。