Disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of pollen proteins in the oil palm (Elaeis)

Summary A preliminary screening of proteins and isozymes in the oil palm was investigated with a view to using the data in discriminating oil palm fruit forms. Protein and enzyme staining was carried out using pollen tissue. Repeatable bands of proteins which showed reproducable variation in banding patterns were obtained. Low percentage similarities between the groups compared for protein banding patterns were obtained. A single enzyme esterase extracted from pollen tissue exhibited repeatable variation between species only. It was intended to obtain information that would supplement morphological markers through electrophoretic data in the identification of different fruit forms of the oil palm.     

Interaction of virus-infected celery and Septoria apiicola

Inoculation of celery plants with viruses CV036 (celery mosaic) and CV506 (parsnip yellow fleck) decreased blight on leaves inoculated later with Septoria apiicola by 17–39% and 54–91%, respectively. There was a significant negative correlation between the amount of blight and the furanocoumarin content of the celery petioles. The antifungal activity of these furanocoumarins was demonstrated by their in vitro inhibition of the germination of spores of S. apiicola and Botrytis cinerea . Scanning electron microscopy of virus-infected leaves sprayed with spores of S. apiicola also showed slight but significant reductions in percentage germination and in germ-tube length, and considerable reductions in the proportion of germ-tubes which produced an appressorium, compared with spores on virus-free leaves.