Al^3＋胁迫下的野生狼尾草种子萌发研究

通过种子萌发试验,研究狼尾草萌发期对铝胁迫的耐受性。结果显示,Al^3＋胁迫浓度与狼尾草发芽势、发芽指数、活力指数、芽长之间存在极显著负相关性;Al^3＋浓度超过4000μmol／L,根长显著下降,随着 Al^3＋浓度的升高,根长维持在2 mm 左右。研究表明狼尾草是一种强耐酸铝胁迫的种质资源,耐铝狼尾草筛选浓度确定为 Al^3＋浓度2000μmol／L。     

沼液不同氮素水平对狼尾草产量、质量氮素利用率和土壤剖面硝态氮分布的影响

采用田间试验,研究了不同氮素水平的沼液(设N0~N6共7个氮素水平,即每次浇灌折纯氮0、5、10、20、40、80、160kg·hm-2,每45d刈割周期浇灌3次)对"闽牧6号"狼尾草产量、质量、氮素利用效率和土壤剖面全氮及硝态氮含量的影响。结果表明,"闽牧6号"狼尾草3个刈割期和全年干草产量均随着沼液氮素浓度的增加而增加,其中N6处理全年干草总产量达27.51 t·hm-2,显著高于N0~N5处理(P0.05)。植株硝酸盐含量、全氮含量和牧草粗蛋白产量也随着沼液氮素水平的提高呈上升的趋势,牧草刈割期的硝酸盐含量为355.1~572.5 mg·kg-1,均低于牧草畜牧利用的有毒限量指标0.25%,牧草粗蛋白产量最高达2459 kg·hm-2(N6处理)。对全年牧草生产的氮素利用率、氮素生理利用率、粗蛋白生产效率、氮素农学生产效率、氮素偏生产力等5个氮素利用效率指标分析可知,随着沼液中氮素水平的提高,氮素利用效率逐渐降低。牧草地全氮含量和硝态氮含量随着沼液氮素水平的增加而增加,不同土层间(0~60cm)随着土层深度的增加而降低。土壤硝态氮含量的增加,表明高氮量的沼液可能增加土壤硝态氮淋失的风险。     

象草资源的综合开发利用

象草Pennisetum purpureum是热带和亚热带地区重要的多年生草本植物,因其优良的生物学和生态学特性,受到了工、农、畜牧业的重视。概述了象草在饲料、造纸、新能源、生态效用等方面的应用,指出了只要抓住象草的优势特征,因地制宜地在我国南方地区进行合理开发和综合利用,就会在加快我国农村产业结构调整,加强生态系统恢复工作中取得突破。     

60Co γ射线诱发谷稗和御谷的辐射生物学效应研究

研究利用60Co γ射线以10、20、30 Gy的剂量处理谷稗Echinochloa crusgalli和御谷Pennisetum glaucum 2种牧草种子,以未经处理的种子作为对照,进行了发芽、幼苗生长和根尖细胞染色体畸变的研究。结果表明,60Co γ射线辐照抑制了谷稗和御谷的种子萌发,不同程度刺激了幼苗的苗高增高。60Co γ射线辐照后,谷稗和御谷的根尖细胞中出现了单微核、双微核、单桥、双桥等各类的染色体畸变类型。随着60Co γ射线辐射剂量的增大,微核和染色体畸变率也逐渐增大,在30 Gy时达到最大。谷稗对于60Co γ射线辐射的敏感性要大于御谷。     

象草腋芽外植体消毒方法的筛选

为了解决象草组织培养中外植体污染问题,提高象草组织培养的成功率。本研究运用正交设计实验设置自来水冲洗、0.1%升汞浸泡和2%次氯酸钠浸泡3因子的不同消毒组合,通过直观分析和方差分析对象草腋芽外植体消毒灭菌结果进行分析。结果表明,象草腋芽外植体消毒的最佳组合为:自来水冲洗60min,0.1%升汞浸泡25min,2%次氯酸钠浸泡20min。该组合不仅能使污染率降低到13.33%,同时又在外植体的承受范围之内,没有对外植体造成伤害,本文结果将为象草的离体再生培养提供技术参考。     

密度对杂交狼尾草产量和品质的影响

2004年4-9月在内蒙古西辽河平原研究了密度对杂交狼尾草牧特利Pennisetum glaucumcv.Nu-trifeed产量、品质及农艺性状的影响。结果表明,草产量随种植密度增加而增加,但由于其分蘖调节作用显著而产量增幅较小;粗蛋白含量随种植密度增加而下降,粗纤维含量、茎叶比均随密度增加而增高;各种植密度下粗蛋白含量均随刈割茬次的增加而降低,粗纤维含量及茎叶比则随刈割茬次的增加而增大;随种植密度的增加,有效分蘖下降而叶面积指数增加。综合密度对产量、品质的影响,认为研究地区牧特利的适宜种植密度为13.3万株/hm2左右。     

Observed and Predicted Genetic Gains from Single and Multi-Trait Selections Using Three Mating Designs in Pearl Millet*

The objectives of the study were to estimate the genetic components of variance, predict the response to selection and to evaluate observed response to selection using two populations namely, PSB 7 and PSB 3, of pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum [L.] Leeks). The observed response was studied using four methods of selection based on single and multitrait criteria in three types of families, namely S1, half-sib (HS) and full-sib (FS) families. One hundred SI, HS and FS families each were developed in PSB 7 and PSB 3. Plants within a population were pollinated with bulk pollen of other population to develop HS families. Crosses were made between a pair of plants using one plant from each of the two populations to develop PS families. Data were recorded on days to flower, plant height, tiller number, spike length, spike girth, seed yield per plant and spike weight. Additive genetic variance estimates were significant for all traits. The estimates of dominance and additive × location and dominance × location interaction components were not significant, except additive × location component in PSB 7 for seed yield and spike weight. The genotypic component of variance among S1 families and S1 × location interactions were significant except S1 × location interactions in PSB 7 for days to flower, spike length and spike girth. Twenty-four strains were developed by intermating superior families identified on the basis of four selection methods in each of the six types of families. The selection methods were high seed yield (YS) per se; index selection (IS) for high tiller number and long and thick spike; truncation selection (TS) for high yield among the families having days to flower and plant height lower than the population mean: and visual selection (VS) after completion of flowering for good vigour, uniformity in plant height and good inflorescence attributes. YS and IS were found to be superior to TS and VS with respect to observed genetic gains for seed yield. That advance was higher in selection among SI families as compared with FS and HS families. In general, a good agreement was noted between observed and expected responses. Expected genetic gain from FS reciprocal (R) recurrent selection was higher than the average gain from HS-R selection.     

Smut reaction of pearl millet hybrids affected by fertility restoration and genetic resistance of parental lines

Summary Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) hybrids based on the A₁ cytoplasmic-nuclear male-sterile (CMS) lines are more susceptible to smut (Tolyposporium penicillariae Bref.) than open-pollinated varieties. Seventy eight pairs of hybrids, made onto male-sterile (A) lines and their counterpart maintainer (B) lines, were evaluated to examine the effects of male sterility and genetic resistance of parental lines on the smut severity of hybrids. The A-line hybrids had higher smut severity and lower selfed seedset than the counterpart B-line hybrids, indicating that it is the CMS-mediated male sterility rather than the A₁ cytoplasm per se that caused greater smut severity of A-line hybrids. However, with the use of resistant parental lines even male-sterile hybrids of A-lines, in several cases, were as resistant as some of the highly resistant male-fertile hybrids of B-lines. It would be possible to produce smut resistant hybrids (< 10% severity) on A-lines, albeit in low frequency, even if only one parent of a hybrid were resistant. However, the probability of producing such hybrids would be higher when both parents were resistant to smut. Thus, improvement in smut resistance of parental lines and fertility restoration ability of pollinators would provide the most effective genetic approach to smut disease management in hybrids.Submitted as JA No 1737 by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).     

Effect of water availability pattern on yield of pearl millet in semi-arid tropical environments

Summary Throughout much of the semi-arid tropics, fluctuations in grain yield can largely be attributed to differences in timing and intensity of drought stress. Since seasonal rainfall in these environments is often poorly related to grain yield, the aim of this paper was to establish a relationship between water availability and grain yield for pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.), grown across 24 semi-arid tropical environments in India. We used a simple soil water budget to calculate a water satisfaction index (WSI) throughout the season. The cumulative WSI at maturity explained 76% of the variance in grain yield. This was three times as much as explained by actual rainfall, because WSI accounted for differences in water losses and pan evaporation. A classification of environments into four groups of water availability patterns explained 75% of the environmental sum of squares for grain yield. For a subset of 13 environments, environmental differences in grain number could also be explained by water availability patterns, whereas differences in grain mass were related to both water availability and temperature. Our results indicate that cumulative WSI, which is an integrated measure of plant-available water, can provide an adequate estimation of the environmental potential for yield in environments where grain yield is mainly limited by variable availability of water.ICRISAT Journal Article 1637     

Cytological analysis of plant chromosomes using rapid in situ hybridization

Summary A rapid fluorescent in situ hybridization protocol, which can be completed in one working day, has been utilised to visualize chromosome preparations of barley, chickpea, white clover, millet, rye, sugarcane, wheat, Aegilops spp. and Leymus spp. Both total genomic DNA and cloned nuclear rDNA were used as a probe. This protocol has the advantage of brevity and flexibility over more conventional approaches, and has made fluorescent in situ hybridization a routine cytological procedure.