Silicon application positively alters pollen grain area,osmoregulation and antioxidant enzyme activities in wheat plants under water deficit conditions

Role of exogenously-applied silicon (Si) on antioxidant enzyme activities was investigated in wheat under drought stress using a completely randomized factorial design with four replications. Drought stress significantly enhanced activities of ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase, and elevated accumulation of osmotically active molecules, soluble sugars and proline. Si application further enhanced activities of enzymes involved in oxidative defense system and accumulation of osmotically active molecules in drought-stressed plants. Under drought stress conditions, water shortage decreased protein content in all cultivars; however, application of Si increased it. Pollen area ratio was lower than 1 for cvs. Shiraz and Marvdasht under drought, but greater than 1 for cvs. Chamran and Sirvan. Water-limited regimes resulted in decreased leaf Ψ_w in all cultivars, but Si supply was effective in improving Ψ_w under water-limited regimes. Water shortage increased leaf K, Mg, and Ca concentrations. Under drought stress, Si-treated plants had higher K concentration than the none-treated plants.     

Microbial residues were increased by film mulching with manure amendment in a semiarid agroecosystem

Amino sugars, as a kind of microbial residue, are strongly associated with cycling of microbial-derived soil organic matter. However, responses of amino sugars to agricultural practices on the Loess Plateau in North-western China are poorly known. The objective was to evaluate effects of film mulching (no film mulching + NPK fertilizers, CK; film mulching + NPK fertilizers, PF; film mulching + NPK fertilizers + cow manure, FM) on accumulations of amino sugars in this region. FM significantly increased total amino sugar by 190.46 mg kg^?1 in 0–10 cm layer and 214.66 mg kg^?1 in 10–20 cm layer relative to CK, but PF significantly decreased it by 139.28 mg kg^?1 in 0–10 cm layer. Ratios of glucosamine to muramic acid were markedly decreased by 2.50 in 0–10 cm layer and 2.28 in 10–20 cm layer in FM than CK, suggesting a tendency of microbial residues pool shift towards bacterial residues in this agroecosystem. These results indicated film mulching alone was not benefitial to accumulation of amino sugar while organic manure contributed to the build-up of amino sugar partly due to manure contained microbial residues. The different patterns of amino sugars suggested significant changes in the quality of microbial-derived organic matter.     

Effects of late planting on fiber quality and within-boll yield components as mediated by sucrose metabolism in cotton bolls

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of late planting on sucrose metabolism in cotton bolls and the relationship to fiber properties and within-boll yield components. Two cotton lines A201 and A705 were employed in a sowing date experiment where two temperature regimes during boll maturation period were created at mean daily temperature of 26.8°C, 28.3°C for early planting and 25.2°C, 23.1°C for late planting in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Boll size, seed mass per boll, seed index and fiber length were increased, and lint percentage was decreased by late planting. Greater cell wall invertase activity and the resultant hexose concentration in fibers were observed in late planting, and thus led to decreased osmotic potential accounting for the enhanced fiber length. Similarly, late planting increased the maximum of vacuolar invertase activity in ovules occurring at 5 days post anthesis (DPA) and hexose concentrations in embryos from 10 DPA afterwards which may favor embryo cell division, and thus increase final seed size. Our data indicate that acid invertase and hexose are implicated in the formation of within-boll yield components and fiber properties as affected by the lower temperature regime due to late planting.     

Subcellular compartmentation of sugars in wheat leaves under the influence of salinity and boron toxicity

In this study, long-term effects of salinity and high boron (B) on subcellular distribution of sugars in wheat leaves were investigated. Four treatments with three replications of each; control, high B, sodium chloride (NaCl) and NaCl + high B, respectively were established according to completely randomized design. Plants were grown hydroponically and harvested after 6 weeks onset of experiment. NaCl treatment markedly decreased the shoot fresh and dry weight compared to high B or NaCl + high Boron. It increased the sugar concentrations in subcellular compartments, whereas decreased in NaCl + high B. Contrary, NaCl either alone or in combination with high B decreased the sugar contents in whole leaf compared to control or high B. Overall, higher concentrations of sugars were observed in symplast compared to apoplast indicating the symplast as major compartment for sugar transport. Furthermore, wheat plants accumulate sugars in subcellular compartments to maintain their growth under stress conditions.     

Natural abundance of 18O of sugar biomarkers in topsoils along a climate transect over the Central Scandinavian Mountains,Norway

Precipitation and topsoil samples from a climate transect over the Scandinavian Mountains, Norway, were analyzed for bulk and compound‐specific δ¹⁸O values. The natural abundance of ¹⁸O in the plant‐derived hemicellulose biomarkers arabinose and xylose correlates positively with δ¹⁸O of bulk soil, but not with δ¹⁸O of precipitation. This suggests that other factors than δ¹⁸O_prec, such as evaporative ¹⁸O enrichment of leaf water, exert a strong influence on the natural abundance of ¹⁸O in soils.     

Effects of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on potato tuber quality in the European multiple-site experiment ‘CHIP-project’

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L cv. Bintje) was exposed to ambient and elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂), to ambient and elevated ozone (O₃) and to elevated levels of both gases during two growing seasons, 1998 and 1999. Experiments in open-top chambers (OTC) were carried out in Finland, Sweden, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium and a FACE (Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment) experiment was carried out in Italy. In OTCs the plants were grown under ambient CO₂ concentrations or with 550 and 680 μl l⁻¹ CO₂ alone or in combination with ambient or elevated O₃ concentrations (target seasonal mean of 60 nl l⁻¹ 8 h per day). In the FACE systems the plants were exposed to ambient or 550 μl l⁻¹ CO₂. In the OTC experiments the reducing sugar content of potato tubers decreased significantly with increased concentration of O₃. The starch content of potato tubers decreased, with negative impact on tuber quality, but the ascorbic acid concentration increased as a function of the AOT40 (The sum of the differences between hourly ozone concentration and 40 nl l⁻¹ for each hour when the concentration exceeds 40 nl l⁻¹ during a relevant growing season). However, simultaneous exposure to elevated CO₂ counteracted the ozone effect. With increase in the CO₂ exposure, glycoalkaloid and nitrate concentrations decreased yielding improved quality, while the citric acid concentration decreased causing a higher risk for discoloration after cooking. The amount of dry matter and starch increased significantly in the FACE experiment.     

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting sugars, organic acids and other biochemical properties possibly contributing to flavor, identified in four advanced backcross populations of tomato

Although the Advanced Backcross strategy has proven very useful for QTL detection in tomato, it has been used mainly in identifying QTL for agronomic traits such as yield, color, etc. Tomato flavor is an important quality characteristic, yet it has been difficult to assess flavor or traits that affect it. In this study the AB-QTL strategy was applied to four advanced backcross populations to identify QTL for biochemical properties that may contribute to the flavor of processed tomatoes, such as sugars and organic acids. A total of 222 QTL were identified for 15 traits, including flavor as assessed by a taste panel. Correlations of certain biochemicals with flavor and possible methods of assessing and improving flavor are discussed. In particular, QTL with very significant effects associated with the ratio of sugars/glutamic acid, a trait highly correlated with improved flavor, have been identified as good targets for future work in improving the flavor of tomatoes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effectiveness of selection for quality traits during the early stage in the potato breeding population

Potato cultivars resistant to cold‐temperature sweetening are of major importance to the processing industry producing both chips (crisps) and French fries. When most modern potato cultivars are maintained in cold storage to retard sprouting, the tubers accumulate reducing sugars, and the products become an unacceptable brown colour when fried. Selection for better processing quality during the early generations of a breeding programme could be of considerable advantage. Using a portable ‘sugarmeter’, which requires only a drop of sap from the tuber on a test strip, many samples can be efficiently surveyed for low sugar as early as the F₁ generation. Using seedlings of three test crosses, glucose and specific gravity of field‐grown tubers, minitubers from greenhouses and microtubers from in vitro culture were compared after cold treatment. Although the mean glucose levels of minitubers and microtubers were higher than field‐grown tubers, the correlation between the glucose contents of the three types of tubers was fairly high. A considerable genetic improvement was noted when progenies were grown as minitubers or microtubers, even though the response to selection for low glucose levels in minitubers and microtubers was lower than from direct selection from field‐grown tubers. The specific gravity of field‐grown tubers showed a significant association with freshly harvested minitubers and microtubers. Selection for low glucose content in minitubers can therefore save considerable resources in a breeding programme.     

Cold acclimation of winter and spring peas: carbon partitioning as affected by light intensity

Like most plants, pea (Pisum sativum L.) becomes tolerant to frost if it is first exposed to low non-freezing temperatures, a process known as cold acclimation. Cold acclimation is a complex process involving many physiological and metabolic changes. Two spring dry peas, two winter dry peas and one winter forage line were exposed to cold temperature in a controlled environment in two experiments, one using low light intensity and the other regular light intensity. Plants were harvested throughout the experiment and dry matter accumulation, water content, soluble and insoluble sugar concentrations were determined from shoot and root samples. Cold acclimation did not occur when temperatures were low if light intensity was low, even in winter peas. In contrast, with regular light intensity, the winter peas acquired more freezing tolerance than spring peas and a close relationship was found between the soluble sugar concentration of leaves just before the frost and the degree of freezing tolerance obtained by the different genotypes. Relationships between freezing tolerance and carbon partitioning between shoot and roots are discussed.