Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) markers for genetic analysis in micropropagated plants of Robinia pseudoacacia L.

Four years' old micropropagated plants regenerated by enhanced axillary branching from shoot buds of a single genotype of Robinia pseudoacacia were characterized by RAPDs. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis was carried outusing 19 random 10-mer DNA primers and 286 RAPD bands were examined which showed 30% polymorphism. Similarity indices ranged from 0.86 to 0.96 among different plants based on RAPD data. The UPGMA dendrogram was constructed based on similarity indices which showed clustering of different plants into subgroups based on similarity values. Our results suggest that somaclonal DNA sequence variations are present even when organized cultures such as shoot buds were used as explant for micro-propagation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stability Ishikawa Iteration Procdeure for Strongly Pseudocontractive Operator and Strongly Accretive Operator Equations

By virtue of some analysis techniques,it is proved that certain ishikawa iteration procdeure with errors are stable with respect to strongly pseudocontractive operators in real Banach space. A related result deals with stable iteration procedures for solution of the nonlinear equation of strongly accretive operators. The results presented extend and improve the corresponding by Osilike,Zeng, Chidume, Deng, Liu,et al.     

用高稳系数法分析大豆新品种高产稳产性

应用高稳系数法分析了１９９１－１９９２年河南省区试１０个大豆参试品种的高产稳产性,并与常用的统计分析法的几种稳定性参数进行了比较和分析。结果表明,高稳系数法是分析大豆新品种高产稳产性的准确、简便的方法。     

粳稻区域试验非平衡数据产量性状及稳定性分析

根据混合线性模型的原理,以1994～1995年浙江省晚稻区域试验的产量性状为资料,运用朱军等提出的作物品种区域试验非平衡资料的统计分析方法,分析了产量性状的各项方差分量及参试品种的稳定性参数.结果表明地点效应是影响产量的主要因素年份×地点互作效应对产量、有效穗、每穗实粒、千粒重都有较大影响.以丙1067产量最高,嘉55对环境指数的反应不敏感,表现一致性较好.此外,对不同地区选育的品种产量性状进行了线性对比.     

Stability of flower colors due to anthocyanin-flavone copigmentation in Japanese garden iris, Iris ensata Thunb.

The fading of flower color in bluish purple and reddish purple cultivars of Iris ensata and the in vitro stability of malvidin 3RGac5Gand petunidin 3RGac5G due to copigmentation with isovetixin under different pH conditions were examined. The bluish purple cultivars exhibited higher flower color stability than the reddish purple cultivars 2 days after anthesis. In the absence of isovitexin, malvidin 3RGac5G and petunidin 3RGac5G were not able to maintain color stability except at low pH. However, the color stability of malvidin 3RGac5G and petunidin 3RGac5G was increased by copigmentation with isovitexin under all pH conditions tested. Most remarkable was the stabilization of both anthocyanins due to the copigmentation at pH 4.2–6.2. Therefore, it can be concluded that the stability of flower color in the bluish purple cultivars of malvidin 3RGac5Gand petunidin 3RGac5G type of I. ensata is caused at least in part by the copigmentation between these anthocyanins and isovitexin. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Breeding for yield and quality in durum wheat

Three populations of an intervarietal durum wheat cross IWP5308/PDW208, F₅, F₅BIP₁ (population derived after intermating in F₂) and F₅BIP₂ (population derived after intermating in BIPF₁), were evaluated under three different agronomic environments for mean performance and stability of genotypes for grain yield, yield components and protein content. Though the biparental progenies indicated a higher mean performance, they did not differ significantly from progenies of the pedigree method for almost all characters. The biparental progenies, however, produced a higher number of stable genotypes for grain yield per plant, grains per ear and protein content. The F₅ population had a higher number of stable genotypes for 1000 grain weight and number of tillers per plant. The BIP progenies also had a higher number of genotypes with above average mean performance, and many were significantly higher than the checks WH896 and WH542, compared with F₅ progenies. Hence, in spite of high G x E interactions, the use of cycles of biparental mating and selection of top yielding lines on the basis of yield components can enable selection of stable genotypes with high protein content. Number of tillers per plant and 1000 grain weight were the yield component characters which made maximum contribution to phenotypic stability of the genotypes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Wheat Genotypes: Possible Mechanism of Water Stress Tolerance

The role of plant antioxidant systems in water stress tolerance was studied in three contrasting wheat genotypes. Water stress imposed at different stages after anthesis resulted in an increase in lipid peroxidation and a decrease in membrane stability and chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. The antioxidant enzymes ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and non-specific peroxidase also increased significantly under water stress. Genotype PBW 175, which had highest ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and peroxidase activity, had the lowest lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde content) and highest membrane stability and contents of chlorophyll and carotenoids under water stress, while the susceptible genotype WH 542 exhibited the lowest antioxidant enzyme activity, membrane stability and contents of chlorophyll and carotenoids and the highest lipid peroxidation. Genotype HD 2402 showed intermediate behaviour. It seems that drought tolerance of PBW 175, as represented by higher membrane stability and chlorophyll and carotenoid contents and lower lipid peroxidation, is related to its higher antioxidant enzyme activity.     

Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Hexaploid and Tetraploid Wheat to Drought Stress

An experiment was conducted to investigate the physiological and biochemical responses of two hexaploids viz., C 306 (water stress tolerant) and Hira (water stress susceptible), and two tetraploids, HW 24 (Triticum dicoccum) and A 9‐30‐1 (Triticum durum) wheat genotypes to water stress under pot culture condition. Water stress was imposed for a uniform period of 10 days at 50, 60 and 70 days after sowing (DAS) and observations were recorded at 60, 70 and 80 DAS. Total dry matter and plant height were recorded at harvest. Water stress caused a decline in relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll and carotenoid content, membrane stability and nitrate reductase activity and increased accumulation of proline at all stages and abscisic acid (ABA) at 80 DAS in all the genotypes. Both the tetraploids showed a lower reduction in RWC and highest ABA accumulation under water stress. Among the hexaploids Hira showed the most decline in RWC and the lowest ABA accumulation. The tetraploids also showed comparatively higher carotenoid content and membrane stability, closely followed by C 306, while Hira showed the minimum response under water stress. Nitrate reductase activity and chlorophyll content under irrigated conditions were highest in Hira but under water stress the lowest per cent decline was observed in C 306, followed by HW 24, A 9‐30‐1, and Hira. Proline accumulation under water stress conditions was highest in hexaploids C 306 and Hira and lowest in tetraploids HW 24 and A 9‐30‐1. Tetraploids HW 24, followed by A 9‐30‐1 maintained higher plant height and total dry matter (TDM) under water stress and also showed a lower per cent decline under stress than hexaploids C 306 and Hira. From the results it is clear that proline accumulation did not contribute to better drought tolerance of tetraploids than hexaploids. It is also apparent that water stress tolerance is the result of the cumulative action of various physiological processes, and all the parameters/processes may not be positively associated with the drought tolerance of a particular tolerant genotype.