Identification and quantification of anthocyanins in different coloured cultivars of ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC)

Anthocyanins are responsible for the colour of many fruits, vegetables, flowers, and coloured-leaved trees. Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC) is widely cultivated for its colourful inner leaves. To investigate the relationship between the degree of colouration and anthocyanin distribution, content, and composition in ornamental kale, the authors studied the pigment characteristics of five cultivars with different coloured leaves (white, pink, red, purple, and purple-black). Microscopy observation, spectrophotometer, and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis of fresh inner leaves revealed that pink, red, and purple colourations were associated with high levels of anthocyanin, while purple-black was the result of the combination of anthocyanins and chlorophyll. In the coloured cultivars, anthocyanins were abundant mainly in the first and second cell layers below the epidermis in both the hypocotyls and inner leaves. No anthocyanin was found in the white-leaved phenotype cultivar. Anthocyanin content increased as leaf colour deepened from pink, red, to purple cultivars, which had little chlorophyll and carotenoid. The authors identified eight anthocyanins in the four coloured cultivars, including one non-acylated, four monoacylated, and three diacylated cyanidin glycosides. Cyanidin-3-(sinapoyl)(feruloyl)-diglucoside-5-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin in the four coloured cultivars followed by cyanidin-3-(sinapoyl)-diglucoside-5-glucoside. The analysis of anthocyanin accumulation characterisation provides important information on evaluating colouration patterns in coloured plants, and will be helpful for breeding desired leaf colours in ornamental kale.     

The Effect of Detopping the Field Bean Plants (Vicia faba L. minor) and Lack of the Pod Setting on the Symbiosis with Root Nodule Bacteria

The plants of field bean var. Nadwiślaνski were detopped after about 1 month since the beginning of flowering and after that all flower buds were removed from some plants. The effect of a change in the trophic balance on the setting and subsequent growth of root nodules was studied.
The removal of pods had the greater effect on the increase in the weight of the remaining organs than the detopping of plants. Detopping retarded the ageing of the plants and delayed the phase of the greatest reduction of the number of pods. The detopping of plants revealed their considerable compensative possibilities in terms of production of the pod weight and the potential of leaves for biomass production. The data obtained indicate that plant detopping may disturb the root–bacteria exchange of signals, necessary to initiate the nodule development, while the further growth of nodules depends, above all, on the amount of available photosynthates.
A very high correlation between the dry weight of the whole plant to the dry weight of leaves ratio and the weight of nodules was observed. It proves the importance of the trophic balance of the plant for the root nodule weight production.     

芝麻的核型与系统演化

对１０份粒色不同的栽培和野生芝麻的染色体组型研究表明，栽培芝麻染色体数目一致，核型基本相同：２ｎ＝２６＝１２ｍ＋１２Ｓｍ＋２Ｓｔ随着粒色的变浅，核型的不对称性加强，有两对随体染色体。野生芝麻核型与栽培芝麻相似：２ｎ＝２６＝１２ｍ＋１２Ｓｍ（４ＳＡＴ）染色体数目有２ｎ＝２６，２ｎ＝３２，２ｎ＝５８或２ｎ＝６４．芝麻可能是由对称核型向不对称核型演化，其趋势为：野生（２ｎ＝２６）－黑粒－褐袜－黄粒－白粒     

Trichoderma harzianum produces nonanoic acid, an inhibitor of spore germination and mycelial growth of two cacao pathogens

An isolate of Trichoderma harzianum Rifai from an infected cacao pod produces and secretes nonanoic (pelargonic) acid into a liquid culture medium. Nonanoic acid (NA) was very inhibitory to spore germination and mycelial growth of two cacao pathogens, Crinipellis perniciosa Stahel and Moniliophthora roreri Cif. H.C. Evans. It was highly active causing 75% inhibition of spore germination in an in vitro assay at a rate as low as 0.09 μM for M. roreri and 0.92 μM for C. perniciosa. Mycelial growth was comparatively less sensitive to inhibition, but still there was a 75% reduction in growth with 0.62 μM in M. roreri and 151 μM NA in C. perniciosa. In contrast, NA did not affect Trichoderma mycelial growth or spore germination at concentrations that were inhibitory to the pathogens. 6-pentyl-α-pyrone was also produced and secreted into the medium by T. harzianum, however; it was not antagonistic to the cacao pathogens. Although a number of metabolites produced by Trichoderma spp. have been identified in the past, this is the first report of NA production and secretion by any Trichoderma. The results suggest that NA may play a role in the successful use of some Trichoderma spp. isolates in the biocontrol of fungal diseases of plants.     

Phylogeny of the frosty pod rot pathogen of cocoa

Morphological, cytological and molecular evidence is presented which confirms that the frosty pod rot pathogen of cocoa, formerly classified as the mitosporic fungus Moniliophthora roreri (Deuteromycota), belongs to the hymenomycetous genus Crinipellis (Basidiomycota) and that two varieties should now be recognized: Crinipellis roreri var. roreri and the new variety C. roreri var. gileri . The latter was collected on Theobroma gileri , an endemic tree of submontane forests in north-west Ecuador, and can be distinguished from Ecuadorian and Peruvian isolates from cocoa ( T. cacao ) on the basis of spore morphology, incompatibility and nucleotide sequence data. As with var. roreri , meiosis is shown to occur within the dispersive and infective spore stage of var. gileri and these meiospores are interpreted to represent a much modified probasidium. In addition, in a field inoculation experiment, an isolate from T. gileri proved to be noninfective to cocoa pods when compared with positive control strains isolated from T. cacao in western Ecuador and T. bicolor in eastern Ecuador. It is concluded that var. gileri is the vestigial progenitor of the frosty pod rot pathogen of cocoa, with a host range and distribution restricted to T. gileri in the mesic forests of north-west South America.     

Sex‐dependent responses of perch to changes in water clarity and temperature

Rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency of lakes have strong wide ranging effects on fish. Fish responses to various changes in the environment are usually species‐dependent, but responses may also vary within species. In general, large individuals are considered to be more sensitive to environmental variation due to higher energy demand, than smaller individuals. Similarly, large individuals require more food to maintain bodily functions and are thus more sensitive to resource and food scarcity. These size‐specific responses to environmental gradients are also sex‐dependent in species that exhibit sexual size dimorphism (SSD). We studied in enclosures with short‐term experiments how rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency regulate the feeding rates of female and male European perch (Perca fluviatilis L.). To explore experimental results, we calculated perch SSD in nine lakes with varying environmental conditions using previously collected field data. The results of the experiments revealed that the combined effect of water transparency and temperature on the feeding rate of fish is gender‐dependent: feeding rate of females decreased more than that of males. The experimental results were also supported by field data that revealed a negative relation between water transparency and the magnitude of SSD in perch. Our results suggest that rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency may potentially decrease fish size in a sex‐dependent manner. As female size is one of the main demographic traits determining the reproductive success of a fish population, changing environments may have unexpected and far‐reaching consequences on fish population dynamics.     

不同裂荚特性箭筈豌豆裂荚力数字化评价

以美国种质资源库(NPGS)提供的541份箭筈豌豆(Vicia sativa)种质为基础,经过连续3年裂荚率评价,共筛选出高、中、低裂荚种质33份。以这33份箭筈豌豆种质作为本研究的试验材料,利用艾德堡HP-50数显推拉力计结合裂荚率对箭筈豌豆荚果水平放置时的裂荚机械力和垂直放置时的裂荚机械力进行分析,为选育箭筈豌豆抗裂荚种质提供精确、快速的评价方法。结果显示,1)箭筈豌豆高裂荚种质荚果裂荚机械力极显著低于低裂荚种质荚果裂荚机械力(P0.01)。2)箭筈豌豆荚果水平放置时的裂荚机械力极显著低于垂直放置时的裂荚机械力(P0.01)。3)箭筈豌豆荚果在水平放置下裂荚机械力大于9.286N的为低裂荚种质,裂荚机械力小于2.163N的为高裂荚种质。研究表明,利用推拉力计测试水平放置的箭筈豌豆荚果裂荚机械力可准确反映箭筈豌豆不同种质的裂荚特性,并为箭筈豌豆裂荚特性的标准化测定提供了重要的参考依据。     

氮肥与密度互作对单粒精播花生根系形态、植株性状及产量的影响

为明确花生单粒精播适宜的氮肥水平和种植密度,本研究于2018年和2019年以‘花育22’为供试花生品种,设置3个氮肥水平(0 kg hm~(–2), N0; 60 kg hm~(–2), N1; 120 kg hm~(–2), N2), 3个种植密度(7.93万株hm~(–2), D1; 15.86万株hm~(–2),D2; 23.79万株hm~(–2), D3),采用二因素裂区试验设计,研究氮肥、密度及其互作对单粒精播花生根系形态、植株性状及产量的影响。氮肥对花生根长、根表面积、根体积、根干重的影响不显著,而密度的影响显著。单株根长、根表面积、根体积及根系干重随密度的增加而降低, D1显著高于D2和D3, D2、D3处理间差异不显著;单位面积根长、根表面积、根体积及根系干重随密度的增加而增加, D1显著低于D2和D3, D2、D3处理间差异不显著。氮肥和密度互作对2019年收获期单位面积根长、根表面积的影响显著,与D1相比, N1处理下D3的增幅显著高于N0和N2处理。氮肥及氮肥与密度互作对植株性状的影响存在年度和时期间的差异,主茎叶片数、侧枝数和主茎第一节间粗随密度增加有降低趋势。氮肥对荚果产量的影响不显著,荚果产量随密度的增加呈增加的趋势。产量与根体积、根干重、主茎叶片数、主茎高及侧枝长呈显著正相关。综上所述,在本试验条件下,花生单粒精播适宜的氮肥(N)水平为60 kg hm~(-2),种植密度为18.8万株hm~(-2)。     

High night-time temperature during flowering and pod filling affects flower opening,yield and seed fatty acid composition in canola

Winter canola (Brassica napus L.) is highly sensitive to increasing temperatures during the reproductive and pod-filling stages. Although the impact of high day-time temperature stress on yield and quality has been documented in canola, similar information under high night-time temperature (HNT) stress is not available. Using six hybrids and four open-pollinated cultivars, we observed a marked shift in peak flowering towards earlier, cooler hours of the morning under HNT. Averaged across two independent experiments, the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II was significantly decreased (3%), with a significant increase in thylakoid membrane damage (13%) in the leaves of susceptible cultivars under HNT stress. Similarly, the susceptible cultivars also recorded significant reduction in biomass (34%), pod number (22%), pod weight (37%) and total seed weight (40%) per plant while the same set of agronomic traits were not affected among the tolerant cultivars. Quantitative impact of heat stress was confirmed with increased sensitivity to HNT exposure from gametogenesis until maturity resulting in a significantly higher yield loss compared to stress exposure from post-flowering till maturity. HNT significantly decreased oil concentration, but increased protein concentration and saturated fatty acid levels in seeds of the susceptible cultivars. However, HNT had no impact on the unsaturated fatty acids in both hybrids and the open-pollinated cultivars. Breeding targets based on fatty acid composition for enhancing canola seed quality may not be easily amenable due to the inconsistency documented with the compositional changes under heat stress. In summary, our findings conclude that canola hybrids are better suited to regions experiencing heat stress, compared to open-pollinated cultivars, indicating the possibility of a complete shift to hybrid canola cultivation under predicted hotter climates in the future.