Acquired resistance triggered by elicitins in tobacco and other plants

Elicitins are a family of proteins excreted byPhytophthora spp. They exhibit high sequence homology but large net charge differences. They induce necrosis in tobacco plants which then become resistant to the tobacco pathogenPhytophthora parasitica var.nicotianae. In stem-treated plants, resistance was not restricted to the site of elicitin application, but could be demonstrated by petiole inoculation at all levels on the stem. Resistance was already maximum after two days and lasted for at least two weeks. It was effective not only towardsP. p. var.nicotianae infection, but also against the unrelated pathogenSclerotinia sclerotiorum. In contrast to dichloroisonicotinic acid, an artificial inducer of systemic acquired resistance, which was increasingly effective with doses ranging from 0.25 to 5mole per plant, the basic elicitin cryptogein exhibited a threshold effect, inducing near total resistance and extensive leaf necrosis above 0.1 nmole per plant. Between 1 and 5 nmole, acidic elicitins (capsicein and parasiticein) protected tobacco plants with hardly any necrotic symptom. Elicitins exhibited similar effects in various tobacco cultivars andNicotiana species, although with quantitative differences, but induced neither necrosis nor protection in other SolanaceÆ (tomato, petunia and pepper). Among 24 additional species tested belonging to 18 botanical families, only some BrassicaceÆ, noticeably rape, exhibited symptoms in response to elicitins, in a cultivar-specific manner. Elicitins appear to be natural specific triggers for systemic acquired resistance and provide a tool for unraveling the mechanisms leading to its establishment.Abbreviations AR acquired resistance - HR hypersensitive response - INA 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid - Ppn Phytophthora parasitica var.nicotianae - SAR systemic acquired resistance     

An investigation of uncertainty in field habitat mapping and the implications for detecting land cover change

Land cover data for landscape ecological studies are frequently obtained by field survey. In the United Kingdom, temporally separated field surveys have been used to identify the locations and magnitudes of recent changes in land cover. However, such map data contain errors which may seriously hinder the identification of land cover change and the extent and locations of rare landscape features. This paper investigates the extent of the differences between two sets of maps derived from field surveys within the Northumberland National Park in 1991 and 1992. The method used in each survey was the Phase 1 approach of the Nature Conservancy Council of Great Britain. Differences between maps were greatest for the land cover types with the smallest areas. Overall spatial correspondence between maps was found to be only 44.4%. A maximum of 14.4% of the total area surveyed was found to have undergone genuine land cover change. The remaining discrepancies, equivalent to 41.2% of the total survey area, were attributed primarily to differences of land cover interpretation between surveyors (classification error). Differences in boundary locations (positional error) were also noted, but were found to be a relatively minor source of error. The implications for the detection of land cover change and habitat mapping are discussed.     

新疆退牧还草工程建设与管理的探讨

草地是发展畜牧业的重要基础,退牧还草工程是恢复、更新天然草地和保护生态环境的重要手段。本文就新疆实施退牧还草工程中所出现的一些问题进行了探讨。     

不同覆盖方式对旱地棉田土壤环境及棉花产量的影响

分析普通地膜覆盖、小麦秸秆覆盖、地膜 秸秆覆盖3种覆盖物对旱地棉田土壤环境、棉花产量构成因素的影响,结果表明:覆盖栽培能改善土壤环境,降低土壤容重,提高土壤水分利用率,调节土壤温、湿度,协调水热资源利用的同步性;秸秆覆盖能增加土壤养分含量,特别是速效钾含量;在棉花生长后期,提高叶面积指数,延长叶片功能期,提高棉株的光合能力从而防止棉花早衰,增加铃重,提高棉花产量。     

充足底墒播后不灌水时肥料和播期组合对小麦生长和耗水的影响

在充足底墒播后不灌水条件下,进行了适当晚播(10月15日播)与超晚播条件下的小麦肥料试验。主要结果为:(1)播后不灌水条件下超晚播减产严重,主要是单位面积总粒数下降太多,通过适当提高穗密度难以补偿;(2)高施磷条件下(施磷二铵450kg/hm2),随施氮量的增加,开花前的耗水量没有增加,而灌浆期的耗水量则随氮肥用量增加而增加;(3)控制花前无效生长,降低花前耗水,优化开花后的群体结构,提高灌浆期的灌浆强度是降低总耗水、提高水分利用效率的基本途径。     

阜康绿洲土壤盐渍化特征及其与肥力的相关性分析

本文以电导、可溶性总盐含量和pH作为指标,将阜康绿洲的盐渍化类型划分为9种,其中以强盐渍土和盐土为主,在纬度梯度上从南至北,即从洪积扇下部到沙漠按照中盐渍土-强盐渍土-盐土-强盐渍土-盐土-非盐渍土的顺序依次分布。而土壤含水率却是从洪积下部至扇缘溢出带逐渐升高,在细土平原地区差异较大,在沙漠中又迅速降低。通过土壤剖面中有机质、全量N、P、K和速效N、P、K的分析,结果表明阜康荒漠自然状态下土壤肥力很低,各养分含量在空间上呈现规律性的变化,在纬度梯度上逐渐升高又在沙漠中降低。通过水盐与土壤肥力的相关性分析,结果表明:有机质、全N、P和速P与含水率、电导、总盐均具有显著和极显著正相关,而与pH成负相关,但相关性不显著。由于盐生植物的多样性,在盐渍土和盐土土壤肥力并无显著降低,只是土壤溶液的高盐浓度限制了植物对养分的吸收,因此防止和治理土壤盐渍化是发挥土地生产潜力的重要手段。     

吉林省荒地资源生态适宜性评价

本文从吉林省荒地资源的实际出发 ,在荒地资源生态适宜性评价基本理论的指导下 ,采用地理信息系统方法 ,对吉林省荒地资源进行了生态适宜性评价。通过空间数据和属性数据的融合、分析、处理 ,可以直观获得荒地资源的生态适宜度等级 ,从而提高评价效率 ,为荒地资源的合理开发利用提供科学依据。     

遥感信息在土地资源等级划分与质量评价中的应用——以内蒙古乌拉盖开发区为例

本文利用 RS、GIS的高新科技手段 ,对乌拉盖综合开发区土地资源质量等级划分与评价进行了认真研究 ,编制出乌拉盖综合开发区土地资源质量等级分布图 ,对各不同土地资源质量等级进行了评价 ,为该地区确定最佳土地利用方向、提高土地资源的生产效益、经济效益和生态效益提供科学依据     

Variation in the development of secondary dormancy in oilseed rape genotypes under conditions of stress

Summary A substantial amount of seed is left in the fields before and during harvest of oilseed rape. Although this crop exhibits little or no primary dormancy, the absence of certain environmental cues that promote germination of imbibed seeds induces secondary dormancy. The work reported investigated the extent to which environmental stress conditions, including osmotic stress, low oxygen stress and anaerobiosis, induce secondary dormancy in oilseed rape, and examined the variation in development of secondary dormancy between and within genotypes. Osmotic stress was most effective in inducing dormancy. Anaerobic treatment produced very few dormant seeds, as did an atmosphere low in oxygen and high in nitrogen. The development of secondary dormancy under osmotic stress varied considerably between and within genotypes. Dormancy ranged from almost zero to about 60% for winter genotypes and about 85% for spring types. Within genotypes, variations occurred between seed lots and years of harvest. Temperature variations affected the percentage of dormant seeds. More dormant seeds were likely to be produced with incubation under water stress at 20 °C than at 12 °C. In winter genotypes, fewer dormant seeds were produced when incubation temperature and germination test temperatures differed. Thus, incubating at 20 °C and 12 °C, followed by germination tests at 20 °C and 12 °C, respectively, produced most dormant seeds. Also, in the winter genotypes, the potential development of secondary dormancy was positively correlated with the pattern and speed of germination of untreated seeds.     

Sporulation of Pyrenopeziza brassicae (light leaf spot) on oilseed rape (Brassica napus) leaves inoculated with ascospores or conidia at different temperatures and wetness durations

In controlled environment experiments, sporulation of Pyrenopeziza brassicae was observed on leaves of oilseed rape inoculated with ascospores or conidia at temperatures from 8 to 20°C at all leaf wetness durations from 6 to 72 h, except after 6 h leaf wetness duration at 8°C. The shortest times from inoculation to first observed sporulation ( l ₀), for both ascospore and conidial inoculum, were 11–12 days at 16°C after 48 h wetness duration. For both ascospore and conidial inoculum (48 h wetness duration), the number of conidia produced per cm² leaf area with sporulation was seven to eight times less at 20°C than at 8, 12 or 16°C. Values of Gompertz parameters c (maximum percentage leaf area with sporulation), r (maximum rate of increase in percentage leaf area with sporulation) and l ₃₇ (days from inoculation to 37% of maximum sporulation), estimated by fitting the equation to the observed data, were linearly related to values predicted by inserting temperature and wetness duration treatment values into existing equations. The observed data were fitted better by logistic equations than by Gompertz equations (which overestimated at low temperatures). For both ascospore and conidial inoculum, the latent period derived from the logistic equation (days from inoculation to 50% of maximum sporulation, l ₅₀) of P. brassicae was generally shortest at 16°C, and increased as temperature increased to 20°C or decreased to 8°C. Minimum numbers of spores needed to produce sporulation on leaves were ≈25 ascospores per leaf and ≈700 conidia per leaf, at 16°C after 48 h leaf wetness duration.