Response to long-term selection in early maturing maize synthetic varieties

Long-term continuous selection is essential for germplasm improvement. However, choice of germplasm for long-term genetic improvement might limit the success of germplasm enhancement programs. The objective of this research was to report the response to long-term selection in early maturing North Dakota (ND) synthetic varieties. We wanted to determine whether the performance of three ND maize synthetic varieties was improved by long-term mass selection (M) and if the performance of one of them was improved by long-term modified ear-to-row (MER) selection. The evaluation of long-term selection response was performed at two plant densities. An experiment in a randomized complete block design with split-plot arrangement was used to evaluate NDSM(M), NDSAB(M), NDSCD(M), and NDSAB(MER) under 75,000 and 42,500 plants per hectare across seven environments. Long-term mass selection for grain yield and stalk lodging resistance in NDSM(M), NDSAB(M), and NDSCD(M) was not successful, since there were no significant changes in grain yield or stalk lodging in these populations at either low or high densities. On the other hand, long-term modified ear-to-row selection was effective for grain yield improvement in NDSAB(MER). Grain yield increased non-linearly from 3.9 Mg ha⁻¹ in cycle 0 to 5.0 Mg ha⁻¹ in cycle 12 at a rate of 2.5% per cycle. Interaction between plant density and genotype was not detected even though selection was performed at relatively low densities (20,000 plants ha⁻¹ for mass selection and 50,000 plants ha⁻¹ for ear-to-row selection). The confirmation of a lack of interaction between plant density and genotype suggests that selection at low plant densities might still be able to provide high-density stress resistance through density-independent genotypes, allowing progeny testing across multiple locations with better accuracy and fewer resources. Selection methods that emphasize both additive and dominance effects such as full-sib recurrent selection are recommended to maximize genetic improvement of advanced population cycles of early maturing synthetics.     

The effect of deficit irrigation on crop yield and vegetative development of Olea europaea L. (cvs. Frantoio and Leccino)

Water is the most important environmental constrain determining plant growth and fruit yield of olive tree plantations. Although olive trees are resilient to water-limited conditions of Mediterranean-type agroecosystems, crop yields may respond positively to any additional water up to a limit. A field experiment on olive trees was carried out with the aim to present guidelines for efficient management of irrigation scheduling, based on the relationship between plant water status and optimum fruit yield. These relationships were monitored during 2 years by analysing the influence of deficit irrigation strategies on vegetative development and yield parameters on mature modern-trained olive trees of cvs. Frantoio and Leccino. Treatments were: a non-irrigated control (rainfed) and three treatments that received seasonal water amount equivalent to 33, 66 and 100% of ET_C in the period August–September, from the beginning of pit hardening to early fruit veraison. Atmospheric evaporative demand and soil moisture conditions were regularly monitored. Seasonal dynamics of plant water relations varied among treatments, and responded to variations in tree water status, soil moisture conditions and atmospheric evaporative demand. All measurements of tree water status were highly correlated with one another. Differences in yield between treatments indicated that water availability might have affected fruit weight before flowering or during the early stages of fruit growth rather than later in summer season. Results concerning crop yield revealed that irrigation of olive trees from the beginning of pit hardening could be recommended, at least in the experimental conditions of this study and in view of differences between genotypes.     

Mutant induction through adventitious buds of Kohleria

Summary Freshly cut leaves of Kohleria eriantha and K. x Longwood were exposed to a wide range of gamma irradiation doses and allowed to root and form adventitious buds. K. Eriantha could not be successfully propagated from leaf half cuttings. Longwood produced a small number of adventitious plantlets as compared to other Gesneriads. Colchicine treatments reduced leaf half survival in Longwood by more than 50%. Leaf halves exposed to low and moderate doses of gamma irradiation showed increased overall plantlet production compared to nonirradiated leaf halves.Of the mutation parameters calculated, the number of mutants per 100 surviving leaf halves appears to be the most useful since it relates the number of mutants within a dose to the number of surviving leaf halves, the number of mutants to the number of plants produced, and the number of mutants within doses to control values.Using the criteria, number of mutants per 100 surviving leaf halves, optimum production of all mutants, of useful and of dwarf mutants was obtained at 2.5 kR for noncolchicine treated leaf halves and 1.5 to 3.0 kR for colchicine treated leaf halves.Of the adventitious plantlets produced, 13.8% were classified as mutant types. Mutant plants were found in radiation dose levels up to 5.5 kR. The array of mutants produced was skewed toward plant habit and flower characteristic mutants with several leaf characteristic, lethal, and polyploid mutants observed. A high frequency of mutants, 10 of 93 plants, occurred in the nonirradiated controls. Four sectorial chimeras were identified from both control and irradiation exposed groups. Several potentially useful flower color and dwarf mutants have been selected for further study. Adventitious buds may have developed from callus at petiole and leaf-vein bases. Colchicine treatments severely inhibited adventitious plantlet production and because of this could not be used as a criterion to identify the origin of adventitious buds. Conclusive determination of the organogenesis of adventitious buds from Longwood leaf halves could not be made. Mutant plantlets formed from adventitious buds on detached leaf halves of Longwood appear to arise from single cells as has been found with other Gesneriads.Scientific Journal Series Article No. 10 330 of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.     

The nature of Solanum × chaucha Juz. et Buk., a triploid cultivated potato of the South American Andes

Summary The variation in Solanum × chaucha Juz. et Buk. (2n=3x=36) was studied using 114 accessions from the Potato Collection maintained by the International Potato Center. These accession represented less than 5% of the collection originally screened for ploidy. Twenty morphological characters of the tubers, inflorescences and leaves were scored. The accessions were grouped into 20 morphotypes on the basis of the tuber characters. Two-qualitative characters, red-anther tip and sky-blue flowers were diagnostic of 4 morphotypes, but the variation of the quantitative characters overlapped among morphotypes, and were of limited value. Electrophoretic separation of tuber proteins in 7.5% polyacrylamide gels generally confirmed the morphotype groupings. It is concluded that each of the morphotypes represents a single genotype, and these are named according to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. The variation within S. × chaucha apparently has been restricted by its hybrid origin.     

Durum wheat landraces from Syria

Syrian durum wheat landraces from diverse collection sites were evaluated for agronomic performance under arid conditions over two seasons at four locations, at two levels of nutrient availability.Grain yield differed considerably among locations. Within locations, significant population and fertilizer effects were demonstrated. In most cases, maximum yield was achieved by landraces, which demonstrates the breeding value of local germplasm. In a particular environment, the population effect was nonsignificant for total dry matter production, but significant for straw and grain yield. Nitrogen application was ineffective if moisture availability was the dominant growth limiting factor.Correlations between plant characteristics at evaluation and collection site characteristics were limited, and therefore, their utilization in germplasm evaluation appear limited. The negative relation between grain yield and soil nitrogen content at the collection site may be caused by the comparative disadvantage that germplasm from regions with favourable growing conditions has under low-yielding conditions.Particular environmental conditions at the collection site were no indicator for the response to changed growing conditions. Relatively high grain yields under good and adverse growing conditions excluded each other in all but two cases. Also, it was difficult to relate grain yield to regions of collection, as the response of individual landraces from a certain region to changing growing conditions differed strongly. Differentiation on the basis of landrace groups appears more promising. The Hauran landrace group provided the largest number of populations with relatively high grain yields over diverse environments.     

Genetical studies of embryo survival and embryo breakdown in Pelargonium × hortorum Bailey

Summary The 6×6×4 analysis of variance of the mean percentage embryo survival for six variegated cultivars of Pelargonium × hortorum Bailey, with mutant plastids in their germ layers, and for their isogenic green (G) clones, shows highly significant differences between females (81 to 91 per cent) and between plastid crosses (83 to 91 per cent). Between cultivar differences are attributed largely to additive effects corresponding to additive gene action, and between plastid differences to a lower survival after crosses with white (W) males than with green males. The relationship between overall fertility (% fertilization × survival) and plastid crosses is a stepwise decline in the order G×G>G×W>W×G>W×W (28 to 19 per cent) in which the white embryos growing in a white mother are approximately 30 per cent less fertile than the green embryos in a green mother. The non-surviving embryos are classified into empty, undeveloped and dwarf embryos and submitted to a 6×4 analysis of variance after summing through males. The significant heterogeneity between females is attributed largely to a difference between one cultivar-with a high frequency of dwarf and a low frequency of undeveloped embryos-and the other five cultivars. The absence of a significant plastid effect upon any stage of embryo breakdown indicates that the depressive effect of white plastids is spread evenly throughout development.     

Genotype × environment interaction in carbon isotope discrimination and seed yield in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)

Summary Twenty locally-adapted but genetically diverse cowpea genotypes were grown in 17 replicated trials in a range of sites and seasons in the drylands of eastern Kenya, and the discrimination against the heavy isotope of carbon (with a mass of 13) () was determined in grain and straw samples. Most genotypes gave similar, low grain yields in the environments which subjected the plants to drought stress, but high yielding and low yielding genotypes were clearly distinct in the less stressful environments. The converse pattern was found for : the genotypes were all very similar in the non-stressful (high-) environments, but in the stressful environments, low- (drought susceptible) and high- (drought avoiding) genotypes were clearly distinct. This pattern was clearest for straw , but was also apparent for grain . The early-maturing genotypes, which escaped terminal drought, were generally those with the most stable and highest , but in the case of straw there were statistically significant deviations from this relationship. It is concluded that provides a reliable measure of the specific response of cowpea genotypes to drought, which may be of value in breeding programs provided that carbon isotope discrimination can be measured reasonably economically.     

凤凰山牡丹药用器官的愈伤组织培养

本文采用植物组织培养的方法,在MS培养基中加入不同的植物生长调节剂,以牡丹根韧皮部为材料诱导愈伤组织,并在不同温、光条件下继代培养30d,测定愈伤组织的生长情况和丹皮酚含量。研究结果表明,在MS培养基中加入1.0mgL2,4-D或1.5mgLNAA,愈伤组织的诱导率大于70%;培养基中加入1.0mgL2,4-D和5.0×10-6mgLTDZ、或1.5mgLNAA和5.0×10-3mgLTDZ,并在29℃、黑暗条件下继代培养,可以显著提高牡丹根皮愈伤组织的增长倍数和丹皮酚含量。     

二化螟发育历期和积温效应研究

在15,17,21,25,29,33,35℃七种恒温下测定了二化螟各虫期的发育历期,并据此推算其发育起点和有效积温。结果为:卵11.8℃和83.5日·度;1龄幼虫11.6℃和71.7日·度;2龄幼虫10.9℃和92.4日·度,3龄幼虫11.6℃和74.1日·度;4龄幼虫11.3℃和77.2日·度;5龄幼虫10.7℃和86.6日·度,6龄幼虫10.5℃和79.5日·度;全幼虫期9.8℃和567.6日·度;预蛹12.8℃和50.7日·度;蛹10.9℃和118.9日·度;成虫产卵前期14.6℃和30.1日·度;全世代(雌)10.7℃和811.5日·度;利用Weibull函数拟合二化螟种群内幼虫个体间发育历期分布,当常态历期为x时,完成发育个体占总个体的比例F(x)可以下式表达: F(x)=1-Exp{-[(x-0.6546)/0.3795]~(3.8526)}     

近现代湖南人才群体形成原因浅析

在中国的近现代史上 ,湖南的人才群体发挥了举足轻重的作用。其人才群体形成的原因包括湖南特定的社会条件和阶级斗争情况 ,特有的湖湘文化和近现代湖南教育事业的发展 ,湖南的地理环境等因素对人才群体的影响。对这一问题的系统梳理与研究 ,既具有一定的学术意义 ,对于当今人才队伍的培养与建设 ,也具有相当的史鉴价值。