Breeding alfalfa cultivars resistant to the alfalfa weevil

A ten-year study consisting of nine field experiments was conducted to evaluate alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) for resistance to larval feeding by the alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica Gyllenhal). The results were consistent over years and experiments. Only one source of alfalfa germplasm, designated Starnes, showed resistance to larval feeding in the field under natural infestations of the weevil. The cultivars Team, Arc, and Liberty have been developed from this germplasm source. The only effective method of selection for field resistance to the weevil was field selection under natural weevil infestations. Selection was based on low larval feeding on spaced plants. After six generations of such selection the Starnes germplasm showed only one-third as much defoliation as did the check cultivars. The heritability of the weevil resistance was moderately high. Field resistance was transferred to other strains through hybridization; hybrids were intermediate to the resistant and susceptible parents. Resistance was stable.Laboratory and greenhouse efforts to breed alfalfa weevil resistant alfalfa-using such techniques as adult cotyledon-nonpreference tests, adult leaf-feeding tests, larval-growth and survival tests, oviposition-stimulus tests, and oviposition-nonpreference tests-have failed to produce field resistance.Paper No. 5308 of the Journal series of North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, N. C., in cooperation wich ARS, USDA. Received 15 June 1977.     

Estimating genetic relationships among historical sources of alfalfa germplasm and selected cultivars with sequence related amplified polymorphisms

Fifteen alfalfa populations consisting of six public cultivars and nine historically recognized sources of alfalfa germplasm in North American cultivars were examined using sequence related amplified polymorphisms (SRAPs). Three bulk DNA samples from each population were evaluated with fourteen different SRAP primer pairs. This resulted in 249 different amplicons, of which over 90% were polymorphic. A dendrogram from the analysis suggests that the public cultivars are quite diverse from all the historical sources of germplasm. The highest mean genetic similarity among the nine original sources of Medicago germplasm was 0.85 between PI 536535 (Peruvian) and 536536 (Indian), while the lowest (0.47) was between PI 560333 (M. falcata) and 536539 (African). The highest mean genetic similarity among the nine original sources of Medicago germplasm and the public alfalfa cultivars was 0.78 between PI 536532 (Ladak) and Vernal, while the lowest (0.59) was between PI 536539 (African) and Oneida. Relationships based on SRAP analysis appear to generally concur with expected relationships based on fall dormancy. This report demonstrates that SRAPs are a promising marker system for detecting polymorphisms in alfalfa.     

A forage grass and small grain legume plant collecting expedition in South East Poland, 1990

Summary The Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU) of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Welsh Plant Breeding Station (IGER, WPBS), UK, and the Plant Genetic Resources Section of the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (PBAI), Poland, carried out a joint collecting expedition in Poland between 25 August and 7 September 1990. The expedition was unique in that it was the first time that vegetative sampling had been applied to the perennial forage grass and legume populations of south east Poland. The expedition focused on seminatural vegetation in agriculturally managed situations and detailed collection site data on management systems was obtained from landowners.Samples were collected from 62 sites. Vegetative collections of Lolium spp. (37 populations) and Trifolium spp. (56 populations), and seed collections of Festuca spp. (32 populations) were made by the IGER team (Table 2). The PBAI team made 59 separate seed collections, mainly of Leguminosae.The expedition covered four geographical subregions of south east Poland. (See Fig. 1). These were the Nizina Mazowiecka south of Warszawa, the Wyzyna Malopolska with the town of Kielce at its centre and the Beskidy Zachodnie and Beskidy Wschodnie regions of the Carpathian mountains.A diverse range of habitats was sampled covering a broad range of altitude agricultural management systems and ecological conditions. Polish agriculture is faced with the problems of a rapid orientation to a market economy and it is likely that the diverse range of habitats encoutered will be reduced as agricultural practices change. This will lead to genetic erosion of the unique forage grass and legume populations to be found in Poland.Abbreviations ECP/GR European Co-operative Programme on Crop Genetic Resources - IGER Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research - PBAI Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute - PGRU Plant Genetic Resources Unit - WPBS Welsh Plant Breeding Station     

Effects of vermicompost and salinity stress on growth and physiological traits of Medicago rigidula L.

The use of vermicompost as a biological fertilizer under salinity stress conditions was tested in this research. Accordingly, the seeds of Medicago rigidula were grown in the greenhouse. The experiment was performed based on factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design using 5 replications. Application rates of vermicompost were 0, 10, 20 and 30%. Salinity stress was conducted in three levels (0, 50 and 100 mM sodium chloride (NaCl)). The highest and the lowest values of the plant survival capacity (%), shoot dry weight (g), leaf relative water content (LRWC) (%), total chlorophyll content (%), leaf area (cm²), total nitrogen content (TNC) (%) and potassium (K) content (%) of the plant tissues were found in VC4 × SL1 and VC1 × SL3 treatments, respectively. Whereas, the maximum and minimum values of root dry weight and root:shoot ratio were seen in VC1 × SL3 and VC4 × SL1 treatments, respectively.     

The effect of rhizobiophages on<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Sinorhizobium meliloti</Emphasis> -<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Medicago sativa</Emphasis> symbiosis

Using Tn5 mutagenesis of lysogenic Sinorhizobium meliloti strain L5–30 (L54), three neomycin-resistant transconjugants differing in phage-resistance profiles were isolated. Two of them increased the dry weight of plants and were capable of establishing root nodules, whereas the third one was ineffective. The bacterium-phage interaction did not have observable consequences in the Medicago sativa - S. meliloti symbiosis because it did not affect the number of nodules on M. sativa or plant dry weight.     

施肥对苜蓿开花期叶面积及比叶重的影响

【研究目的】研究了不同施肥处理对3年生紫花苜蓿开花期叶面积、叶干重及比叶重的影响。【方法】用叶面积扫描仪测定苜蓿叶面积,在105℃下杀青,65℃下烘干24h,称取苜蓿叶干重,计算比叶重(SLW)。【结果】①氮、磷、钾单施或不同方式的配施均能增加苜蓿开花期叶面积和叶干重。其中以K40P60配施最有利于扩大苜蓿光合叶面积。以K40P40N10配施最有利于提高苜蓿开花期叶干重。②施氮,尤其是氮与磷配施能明显提高苜蓿开花期的比叶重,以P20N10配施效果最好。而单施磷(P20、P40、P60)、单施钾(K20、K40)或K20P20配施均不利于增加苜蓿开花期比叶重。【结论】①苜蓿施K40P60最有利于扩大开花期光合叶面积,增强光合作用。②施K40P40N10最有利于提高苜蓿开花期叶干重,从而有利于晒制干草。③施P20N10能明显提高苜蓿开花期比叶重,有助于苜蓿提高其光合速率,积累更多的光合产物。     

施肥对紫花苜蓿分枝期光合特性的影响

目的研究不同施肥处理对3年生紫花苜蓿分枝期净光合速率、蒸腾速率、气孔导度等植物生理因子的影响。方法以加拿大进口紫花苜蓿品种——阿尔岗金为材料,采用美国LI-COR公司生产的LI-6400便携式光合作用测定系统进行测定。结果施氮10kg/hm2光合速率极显著地高于不施氮处理,施氮比不施氮光合速率高出8.07μmolCO2/m·2s(24.05%);施氮10kg/hm2对水分利用率的提高具有明显的作用,氮磷配施效果更好,以P40N10配施效果最好,P20N10次之;施磷20kg/hm2叶片蒸腾速率、气孔导度和胞间CO2浓度都最高,分别达到了14.88mmolH2O/m2·s、1.01cm/s和300μmol/mol结论苜蓿施氮10kg/hm2有助于提高分枝期叶片光合速率、水分利用效率。在施氮10kg/hm2水平下,施磷20￣40kg/hm2范围内,随施磷量的增加水分利用率提高。施磷20kg/hm2对提高叶片蒸腾速率效果显著,并且能明显提高气孔导度和胞间CO2浓度。     

苜蓿种子空间诱变生物学效应研究初报

[目的]了解苜蓿种子空间诱变的生物学效应。[方法]3个品系的苜蓿种子搭载"实践八号"育种卫星飞行,返地后,对其种子出苗率、株高及生长速度等指标进行测试。[结果]卫星搭载对苜蓿种子有显著的诱变效应,主要表现在子叶畸变、株高变异范围和生长速度等方面。通过初步筛选,在搭载当代获得了高株变异,但该变异是否可遗传还需进一步研究确认。搭载的3个品系在子叶畸变率(10%~18%)、株高变异范围(比对照增加30%~150%)、入选变异高株数(5~7株)等方面不同,说明3个品系的搭载效率存在差异。[结论]通过空间诱变可获得有价值的变异材料,服务于现代农业。     

豫西地区紫花苜蓿的引种试验

对引进的12个紫花苜蓿品种的生育期、产草量、叶茎比连续3年进行了比较研究。生育期测定结果表明:返青期最早的有牧歌、全能 Z,WL324。产量性状分析表明:总干物质产量最高和较高的品种为:WL324和三得利、德宝;叶茎比最高的品种为WL323 mL,较高为全能 Z和三得利。综合评价既高产又优质的品种是三得利和WL323 mL。     

新疆野生“黄花”苜蓿的初步研究(1986～1988)

调查试验研究表明:新疆野生“黄花”苜蓿普遍出现紫花、黄花、半紫半黄花及其它变异个体,以及这些变异株后代的分离现象。研究结果证明了黄花苜蓿群体中混生有多变苜蓿种。建议在新疆野生苜蓿分类的资源名录中、应把多变苜蓿种单独列出来。