A Potential Screening System for Identifying Sorghum Ecotypes with Increased Lysine in the Seeds

Classical “high-lysine” sorghum lines are characterized by smaller seeds than average, due to a decrease in prolamin synthesis and a subsequent decrease in yield. To exploit the natural variation in lysine content and to identify ecotypes with a seed lysine content higher than average, characterized by plump seeds, a method was developed based on root-growth inhibition of seeds growing on a medium containing aminoethylcysteine (AEC), a lysine analogue. By using a collection of sorghum mutants and ecotypes a correlation coefficient of 0.926 between root length and lysine content was established. This method, which uses the root length of plants growing on aec to indicate which lines have a potential elevated lysine content, can be applied for the screening of sorghum germplasm. Since this is a non-destructive method it can also be used at the individual seed level, for example for screening progenies of regenerated plants from in vitro culture to exploit the somaclonal variation.     

Re-defining tillage erosion: quantifying intensity–direction relationships for complex terrain

Abstract. Current tillage erosion models account for the influence of tillage direction in the magnitude of the soil (tillage) transport coefficient. It is argued here that this is counter-intuitive and causes significant problems in modelling tillage erosion in areas of complex terrain. This article examines whether a re-modelling of tillage erosion is possible that separates tillage direction (an interaction with the landform) from the soil transport coefficient (a measure of tillage intensity representing the combination of implement erosivity and soil erodibility). Experimental data for mouldboard ploughing upslope, downslope and cross-slope at Coombe Barton Farm, Devon are examined. Integration of data for all directions into a single relationship, which relates translocation in the direction of tillage to slope in the direction of tillage and translocation perpendicular to tillage to slope perpendicular to tillage, is not possible using previously published methods of analysis. However, when total translocation distance is regressed against the tangent of the slope at 45° to the tillage direction (bisecting the tillage direction and the direction of overturning) it is found that a single relationship can be used to describe tillage in all three directions. Therefore, this relationship is used to determine a single value of the soil transport coefficient ( k _fTa) for constant soil and implement conditions but different tillage directions. This redefinition of tillage is important both for true estimation of tillage erosion severity, the adirectional coefficient being 40% larger than the directional coefficient, and for modelling of tillage erosion in complex terrain. These improvements are vital when tillage erosion simulation is used to direct soil conservation strategies.     

Historical range of variability in eastern Cascades forests,Washington, USA

The historical range of variability (HRV) has been suggested as a coarse filter approach to maintain ecosystem sustainability and resiliency. The historical range of variability in forest age structure for the central eastern Cascade Range in Washington State, USA was developed from historical fire return intervals and the manner in which fire acted as both cyclic and stochastic processes. The proportions of seven forest structural stages calculated through these processes were applied to the area of each forest series within the central eastern Cascades landscape. Early successional forest stages were more common in high elevation forest than low elevation forest. The historical proportion of old growth and late successional forest varied from 38 to 63 percent of the forested landscape. These process-based estimates are consistent with those developed from forest structural information. HRV is a valuable planning tool for ecosystem conservation purposes, but must be applied to real landscapes with consideration of both temporal and spatial scale. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pathogenicity and Virulence of the Two Dutch VCGs of Verticillium dahliae to Woody Ornamentals

Two experiments were performed in two consecutive years to test whether isolates of different vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) differ in their ability to cause disease in woody ornamentals, to study the host specificity of the isolates and to get an insight into disease development in woody hosts. A range of woody ornamental plant species, including Acer campestre, Acer platanoides, Acer pseudoplatanus, Catalpa bignonioides, Cotinus coggygria, Robinia pseudoacacia, Rosa canina, Syringa vulgaris and Tilia cordata, were root-dip inoculated with six isolates of Verticillium dahliae, belonging to the two VCGs that occur in the Netherlands (VCG NL-1 and VCG NL-2). Isolates belonging to each VCG caused severe symptoms of verticillium wilt in most plant species tested. Disease progress differed between plant species, but was generally the same for the two VCGs. No overall differences in virulence were observed between the two VCGs for external wilt symptoms, number of dead plants, or shoot length. No significant VCG × plant species interactions were present for these characteristics. However, isolates of VCG NL-1 caused more vascular discolouration than did isolates of VCG NL-2. Isolates within VCGs often differed considerably in their virulence to certain hosts, as shown by highly significant isolate × plant species interactions. Isolates were more virulent on their original host. These findings imply that VCG identification does not contribute to disease prediction for a range of woody hosts.     

Spatial dependence and the relationship of soil organic carbon and soil moisture in the Luquillo Experimental Forest,Puerto Rico

We used geo-spatial statistical techniques to examine the spatial variation and relationship of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil moisture (SM) in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF), Puerto Rico, in order to test the hypothesis that mountainous terrain introduces spatial autocorrelation and crosscorrelation in ecosystem and soil properties. Soil samples (n = 100) were collected from the LEF in the summer of 1998 and analyzed for SOC, SM, and bulk density (BD). A global positioning system was used to georeference the location of each sampling site. At each site, elevation, slope and aspect were recorded. We calculated the isotropic and anisotropic semivariograms of soil and topographic properties, as well as the cross-variograms between SOC and SM, and between SOC and elevation. Then we used four models (random, linear, spherical and wave/hole) to test the semi-variances of SOC, SM, BD, elevation, slope and aspect for spatial dependence. Our results indicate that all the studied properties except slope angle exhibit spatial dependence within the scale of sampling (200 – 1000 m sampling interval). The spatially structured variance (the variance due to the location of sampling sites) accounted for a large proportion of the sample variance for elevation (99%), BD (90%), SOC (68%), aspect (56%) and SM (44%). The ranges of spatial dependence (the distances within which parameters are spatially dependent) for aspect, SOC, elevation, SM, and BD were 9810 m, 3070 m, 1120 m, 930 m and 430 m, respectively. Cross correlograms indicate that SOC varies closely with elevation and SM depending on the distances between samples. The correlation can shift from positive to negative as the separation distance increases. Larger ranges of spatial dependence of SOC, aspect and elevation indicate that the distribution of SOC in the LEF is determined by a combination of biotic (e.g., litterfall) and abiotic factors (e.g., microclimate and topographic features) related to elevation and aspect. This demonstrates the importance of both elevation and topographic gradients in controlling climate, vegetation distribution and soil properties as well as the associated biogeochemical processes in the LEF.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparison of Crinipellis perniciosa isolates from Brazil by ERIC repetitive element sequence-based PCR genomic fingerprinting

Fifty isolates of Crinipellis perniciosa originating from Theobroma cacao , Heteropterys acutifolia and Solanum lycocarpum , from six states within Brazil, were characterized through ERIC-PCR, representing the first application of this method for molecular characterization within C. perniciosa . Phenetic analysis of banding patterns revealed a separation of isolates on the basis of host of origin, with T. cacao -derived isolates showing only a 0·2 similarity level to a cluster comprising the isolates from H. acutifolia and S. lycocarpum . Considerable intraspecific variability was observed within C. perniciosa isolates from T. cacao , with distinct groups observed correlating with geographical origin. Given that a number of isolates from T. cacao from the Amazon region grouped with isolates from Bahia state, this work discusses the possibility that current C. perniciosa populations pathogenic on T. cacao in Bahia originated from the Amazon region, rather than from alternative host plants.     

沈阳市土壤重金属的空间变异规律分析

运用地统计学采样和分析方法,研究了沈阳市土壤重金属污染的空间变异特征及其规律。结果表明,土壤4种重金属平均值含量最大的为铅,最小的为铬,变异系数大小顺序为铜〉锌〉铅〉铬。经理论模型的最优拟合,发现锌、铜的最佳拟合,模型为指数模型,铅的最佳拟合模型为球状模型,铬的最佳拟合模型为线形模型。4种重金属中锌、铜的空间相关性较强,其空间变异主要是由结构性因素引起的;铅的空间相关性适中,其空间变异是由结构性因素和随机性因素共同作用的;铬的空间结构性最弱,其变异主要是由随机性因素引起的。     

近35年红壤稻区土壤肥力时空演变特征——以进贤县为例

【目的】明确红壤稻区典型县域农业生产中土壤养分的变化特征以及当前土壤肥力水平,为红壤稻田土壤培肥改良提供依据。【方法】通过数据收集和野外采样分析得到江西省进贤县1982年、2008年和2017年3个时期稻田耕层土壤属性的数据,统一选取土壤pH、有机质、碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾作为土壤综合肥力评价指标,首先对3个时期各项肥力指标进行常规统计和差异性分析,采用主成分分析找出不同时期肥力差异的关键因子并确定权重,通过隶属度函数得到各项肥力指标的隶属度值,将各项肥力指标的权重和隶属度值加乘得到土壤综合肥力指数,最后结合土壤各项肥力指标和综合肥力指数的GIS空间分布图探究该区域稻田土壤肥力时空演变特征。【结果】1982—2017年进贤县稻田土壤有机质、碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾均呈不同程度的上升趋势,土壤pH呈下降趋势。1982、2008和2017年3个时期进贤县土壤pH的平均值分别为5.9、5.1、4.8,年均下降0.03个单位;35年来土壤pH整体由西部向东南和西北下降速率逐渐减低,2017年99%的稻田土壤处于酸性水平(4.5—5.5)。35年间稻田土壤有机质含量的平均值由28.1 g·kg     

渭干河—库车河三角洲绿洲植物气候生产力变化特征分析

收集位于渭干河-库车河三角洲绿洲区的库车气象站和沙雅气象站1961～2000年的气温和降水实测资料,应用Thamthwaite Memorial模型计算渭于河一库车河三角洲绿洲区近40 a来自然植被净第一性气候生产力,并以回归分析和趋势线分析方法分析了其年际变化特征.结果表明:①近40 a来渭干河-库车河三角洲绿洲区自然植被净第一性气候生产力呈现出明显的增长趋势,其变化倾向率为28.21 g/(m2·10a),在40 a中增加约为112.84 g/m2,近40 a来研究区自然植被净第一性气候生产力的变化趋势为自北向南显著增加.②由于研究区水热条件的不同,自然植被净第一性气候生产力有明显的区域差异,整个研究区近40 a的自然植被净第一性气候生产力平均值为123.35 g/(m2·a),北部库车县137.10 g/(m2·a),南部沙雅县110.16 g/(m2·a),即自然植被净第一性气候生产力的空间分布是北高南低.③研究区自然植被净第一性气候生产力与年降水量的相关性优于自然植被净第一性气候生产力与年均气温之闻的相关性,因为渭干河-库车河三角洲绿洲是个干旱区绿洲,气候干燥,水资源短缺,降水是自然植被净第一性气候生产力的主要限制因子.