Source : sink ratio and leaf senescence in maize:: II. Nitrogen metabolism during grain filling

Leaf senescence in a recent maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid is delayed relative to that in an older maize hybrid and the trait is associated with an improvement of the ratio of assimilate supply (i.e., source) and demand (i.e., sink) during grain filling. This study examined whether effects of source : sink ratio of leaf longevity in an old and more recent hybrid are associated with changes in leaf nitrogen (N) concentration and N uptake during grain filling. A 3-year field study was conducted with maize hybrids Pride 5 (old) and Pioneer 3902 (recent) grown at two soil-N levels: 150 kg⁻¹ N ha⁻¹ was broadcast in the high N treatment while none was added to the low N treatment. Four imposed source : sink treatments ranged from partial defoliation to no grain. Leaf N of the control treatments did not differ between the two hybrids, but the decline in leaf N from the control to the no-sink treatment was larger for Pioneer 3902 than for Pride 5. Total N uptake in above-ground portions was 10 and 18% greater in the new than in the old hybrid under low and high soil-N conditions, respectively. The difference in the total N uptake between the two hybrids could be attributed to post-silking N uptake. The proportion of N in the grain derived from post-silking N uptake was 60% for Pioneer 3902 and 40% for Pride 5 and this proportion was positively associated with the source : sink ratio. Higher rates of N uptake in Pioneer 3902 vs. Pride 5 appear to be, in part, the result of higher rates of dry matter accumulation of the newer hybrid during grain filling.     

蒙古冰草非结构性碳水化合物及碳氮磷化学计量特征对氮添加的响应

为揭示蒙古冰草对氮添加的响应机制,设置5个氮添加水平（0,0.8,1.6,2.4,4.0 g N·m^-2·a^-1）对蒙古冰草进行为期2个月处理后,测定根系、叶片中可溶性糖、淀粉、碳（C）、氮（N）、磷（P）的含量,分析氮添加对蒙古冰草叶片、根系非结构性碳水化合物（NSCs）与C、N、P含量及其化学计量特征关系的影响。结果表明：2.4 g N·m^-2·a^-1的氮素添加显著提高了蒙古冰草叶片、根系NSCs含量与C、N、P含量,且不同器官的响应有显著差异性（P<0.05）。叶片NSCs含量与叶片N、可溶性糖、淀粉含量、C/P及N/P呈显著正相关关系,与叶片P含量、C/N呈显著负相关关系（P<0.05）;根系NSCs含量与根系C、N、C/P、N/P、可溶性糖和淀粉含量呈显著正相关（P<0.05）。叶片与根系N/P是影响蒙古冰草体内可溶性糖积累的主要因子;根系N含量与叶片P含量共同影响淀粉含量;叶片P含量、根系N含量及根系N/P综合影响NSCs含量。综上,适量的氮添加会缓解研究区蒙古冰草的N限制,促进NSCs合成,而大量氮添加会导致N、P比例失衡,加剧P限制。因此,未来气候变化背景下蒙古冰草人工草地种植或退化草地恢复管理过程中需要考虑优化氮肥施用量与适当的磷添加。     

小麦籽粒WSC含量QTL的整合与元分析

在干旱胁迫条件下,小麦营养器官暂贮性可溶性碳水化合物(Water-soluble carbohydrates,WSC)是小麦籽粒灌浆所需的重要碳源。为发掘控制小麦籽粒WSC含量的真实主效数量性状位点(Quantitative trait loci,QTL),利用生物信息学方法,借助小麦高密度分子标记遗传图谱,对来自不同遗传作图群体的控制小麦籽粒WSC含量的168个QTL位点进行图谱映射和元分析。结果发现,142个QTL定位区间与参考图谱有共有标记,其中92个QTL对籽粒WSC含量的表型变异具有增效效应,50个QTL具有减效效应。建立控制小麦籽粒WSC含量的QTL一致性图谱,获得16个"一致性"QTL(Meta quantitative trait loci,MQTL)位点及其连锁标记,MQTL置信区间最小达到0.77cM。     

提高绿光占比对黄瓜幼苗形态、光合性状及碳水化合物的影响

为探究不同绿光占比对黄瓜幼苗形态、光合性状及碳水化合物的影响,遴选适宜黄瓜幼苗生长的最优绿光占比,以‘新津优1号’黄瓜为材料,在固定红蓝光比为4∶1及总光强200μmol/(m²·s)的基础上,设定绿光占比为10%(G10%)、20%(G20%)和30%(G30%),使其强度分别为60、40、20μmol/(m²·s),研究不同绿光占比下黄瓜幼苗生长和生理指标的变化。结果表明：适宜范围内提高光质中绿光占比的比例可提高黄瓜幼苗鲜重及干重,G30%处理较G20%和G10%处理的鲜重分别增加了29.65%和29.26%。提高绿光占比降低了气孔孔隙面积,但增加了叶片气孔密度,G30%与G20%处理较G10%处理的孔隙面积显著降低了13.17%和23.05%,但G30%与G20%处理的气孔密度较G10%增加了20.22%和14.66%。提高绿光占比增加了叶片组织栅海比(P/S),G30%处理P/S值显著高于G20%与G10%处理。提高绿光占比可促进植物光合潜力,在光强为1 000μmol/(m²·s)的测定光源下,G30%处理的净...     

草鱼SREBP-1基因的克隆及糖对其在肝脏中表达的影响

固醇调节元件结合蛋白(SREBPs)是调控糖脂代谢相关基因表达的关键核转录因子。为获知草鱼SREBP-1基因的序列及其在肝脏中的表达规律,本实验采用同源克隆和RACE方法获得了草鱼SREBP-1基因的部分cDNA序列,并通过生物信息学方法对该基因及所编码蛋白的结构特征进行了分析;采用实时荧光定量PCR技术,对SREBP-1基因在8种不同组织的表达规律及低糖(糖含量24%)和高糖(糖含量42%)投喂条件下肝脏中的表达水平进行了研究。结果显示,所克隆到的草鱼SREBP-1基因cDNA长4 760 bp,其中包括开放读码框3 426bp,编码1 141个氨基酸;草鱼SREBP-1具有一个典型的碱性螺旋-环-螺旋亮氨酸拉链结构(bHLH-zip);氨基酸序列比对结果显示,草鱼SREBP-1与其他鱼类的同源性在76%~88%之间,与斑马鱼的进化关系最近;草鱼SREBP-1基因在脑中的表达量最高,肝脏和肠次之,在肾脏、脾脏、肌肉、脂肪和性腺中均有少量表达;与对照组相比,SREBP-1基因在高糖诱导下表达量显著提高(P0.05),低糖诱导下没有显著性差异。研究表明,在高糖负荷条件下,草鱼肝脏中SREBP-1可能会促进糖的利用和转化,从而参与糖代谢调节过程,为丰富鱼类糖代谢调控机理提供研究资料,并有望为提高鱼类对饲料糖的利用效率提供理论依据。     

Dietary protein/carbohydrate ratio in low‐lipid diets for Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis,Kaup 1858) juveniles. Influence on growth performance,nutrient utilization and flesh quality

Four isoenergetic (21 kJ/g dry matter, DM) and isolipidic (65 g/kg DM) diets containing different crude protein/total carbohydrate (CHO) ratios: 60/26, 56/30, 52/34 and 48/38, were tested in 22 g Senegalese sole for 104 days. Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) were not affected by the treatments, and all groups presented extremely low starch ADC values (22.8%–36.5%). Replacement of dietary protein by CHO did not affect daily growth index (0.9–1.0), but significantly increased voluntary feed intake of fish. Regression analyses demonstrated that digestible protein content, rather than digestible energy, was the main dietary factor influencing such feeding activity (R² = .952). A significantly increased feed conversion ratio was observed in sole fed increasing CHO contents. The dietary protein/CHO ratio did not influence whole‐body composition. Sole fed the 48/38 diet showed the lowest efficiency in terms of N and energy utilization. PUFA were the most represented fatty acid fraction in fillet, regardless of the dietary protein/CHO ratio, mainly due to the high content of DHA. Senegalese sole increase feed intake under low dietary protein/CHO ratios to ensure an adequate N intake. Such compensatory mechanism seems to be triggered to satisfy a specific protein metabolic requirement for energy purposes as tissue accretion remained unchanged.     

Carbohydrate Metabolism in the Siliqua Relating to Oil-filling in Mustard Seeds

Developing siliquas on the mustard inflorescence were sampled at basal, middle and apical positions and the changes in free sugars and starch in pod wall and seed vis-á-vis oil-filling in the seeds were studied. The dry matter and oil content per seed and pod wall was highest at initial stages in apical followed by mid-development stages in middle and late development stages in basal positions. The oil percentage m the pod wall decreased with the period of siliqua development. The phase of rapid oil filling in the seeds varied from 20 to 40 DAF (days after flowering) in basal to 10 to 30 DAF in middle and 10 to 20 DAF in apical positions. The content of starch and total soluble sugars (% dry weight basis) decreased in the seeds as well as pod walls but showed accumulation on per seed basis with a maximum at 20, 30 and 40 DAF while on pod wall basis, the maxima of total soluble sugars was at 20, 20 and 40 DAF in apical, middle and basal position respectively. In the pool of total soluble sugars, the proportion of non-reducing sugars was predominant. The activity of invertase (EC 3.2.1.26) declined while those of a-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) and β-amylase (EC 3.2.1.2) showed maximum values in the seeds as well as pod wall during the phase of rapid oil-filling in the seeds. The results suggested that ontogeny and duration of seed development vis-á-vis the environmental conditions played an important role in lipid biosynthesis in mustard seeds.     

The Control of Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands in a South African Forest Nursery

Tests of several fumigants which control Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands under field and glasshouse conditions are reported. The soil fumigant basamid is the cheapest effective treatment available, at present. The implications of failure to control Phytophthora cinnamomi for forestry, agriculture and the indigenous flora are briefly discussed.     

Perennial hybrids of Oryza sativa × Oryza rufipogon: Part II. Carbon exchange and assimilate partitioning

Oryza species differ in their degree of perenniality, which has implications for patterns of carbon distribution in the plant. Interspecific F₁ hybrids of Oryza sativa × Oryza rufipogon were compared with their parental lines to assess whether they differed in assimilate storage and distribution at flowering and after maturity of the first cohort of panicles. The F₁ hybrids varied widely in plant type, but on average they had small plant size and low main tiller weights at anthesis, similar to O. rufipogon, and had intermediate tiller numbers and final single plant weights similar to cultivated rice. O. rufipogon had higher concentrations of starch in stems at anthesis, while interspecific hybrids exhibited comparatively low leaf, stem + sheath, and root sugar concentrations. Near anthesis, substantial ¹⁴C label remained in the source (flag) leaf in O. sativa and F₁ hybrids, while in O. rufipogon more label was exported to sink tissues. The hybrids partitioned more ¹⁴C label to panicles than did cultivated rice and less to leaf sheaths than either parent. Hybrids that had previously been identified as having above-average carbon exchange rates (CER) did not differ consistently from the low-CER hybrids in carbohydrate dynamics. The cultivated species itself maintains some perennial features, and changes in these traits might increase productivity.     

Yield and nutritive value of timothy as affected by temperature,photoperiod and time of harvest

Scenarios of global climate change forecast an increase in air temperature of 3°C over the next 100 years in eastern Canada. Growth and nutritive value of cool‐season grasses are known to be affected by air temperature. It is also believed that grasses grown at high latitude have a greater nutritive value. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of four combinations of day/night temperature and photoperiod (15 h–17/5°C; 15 h–22/10°C; 15 h–28/15°C; and 17 h‐17/5°C) on dry‐matter (DM) yield, in vitro true DM digestibility (IVTD), in vitro digestibility of neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF), and concentrations of NDF, acid‐detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, minerals and non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) in timothy grown under controlled conditions. Furthermore, herbage was harvested in the morning and in the afternoon to assess the impact of the time of harvest. The dietary cation–anion difference [DCAD = (K⁺ + Na⁺) ? (Cl^? + 0·6 S^2?)] and the grass tetany index [GT index = K⁺/(Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)] were also calculated. Higher temperature regimes significantly decreased IVTD and digestibility of NDF but had a limited effect on concentrations of NDF, ADF and lignin. DM yield of herbage was less and the concentration of NSC was greater in timothy grown under a temperature regime of 28/15°C than the 17/5°C and 22/10°C regimes; this effect is mainly explained by a response to temperature stress. Values of DCAD and the GT index of herbage were also lower under the 28/15°C than the 17/5°C and 22/10°C regimes as a result of a decreased plant K concentration. Under the 17/5°C regime, an increase in 2 h of photoperiod resulted in increased DM yield, decreased concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Cl and N, and an increased starch concentration; IVTD or digestibility of NDF were not affected, although lignin concentration was reduced. Harvesting timothy in the afternoon rather than in the morning resulted in higher NSC, mainly sucrose, concentrations, and decreased ADF and NDF concentrations. The forecasted increase in air temperature in eastern Canada over the next 100 years will result in lower yields and nutritive value of timothy.