苹果梨花芽孕育期生长锥细胞超微结构的观察

利用透射电镜对苹果梨花芽孕育期芽内生长锥细胞进行了观察，结果显示，在花芽孕育形成的过程中，生长锥细胞的超微结构发生了一系列变化：蛋白体和脂类小滴逐渐增加；核外膜向外延伸到胞质中与内质网相连，其上分布的核糖体增多；线粒体和内质网数目丰富且分布均匀；核糖体大量游散在胞质中；质体呈浅裂，中央缢缩；微管分布于靠近质膜处等。以上超微结构的变化表现出细胞旺盛分裂和分化的特点，反映了花芽孕育过程中的细胞学特征。     

Acquired Thermo‐Tolerance and Trans‐Generational Heat Stress Response at Flowering in Rice

In rice, pre‐exposure to sublethal treatment followed by harsh lethal treatment is known to improve tolerance of different abiotic stresses at the vegetative stage within and across generations. Our major aim was to test the phenomenon of thermo‐tolerance at flowering across (trans)‐generations and within generation using rice cultivars contrasting for heat stress tolerance at flowering. To test trans‐generational response, plants were exposed to higher temperature at flowering stage and seeds obtained from previous generations were exposed to heat stress during flowering, which recorded significantly lower fertility when exposed to the same degree of stress in their subsequent generations. A pre‐acclimation to moderately high acclimating temperatures imposed over three different durations during the vegetative and initial reproductive stage showed positive response in the tolerant N22, particularly under severe heat stress (40 °C). This finding indicates the possibility of acquiring ameliorative thermo‐tolerant mechanisms at anthesis, restricted to tolerant genetic backgrounds to combat subsequent harsh conditions within the same generation. However, trans‐generational memory was ineffective in mitigating spikelet sterility losses in both tolerant and susceptible backgrounds. Rice is extremely sensitive to heat stress during flowering; hence, similar exercise across other crops of interest needs to be carried out before generalizing conclusions.     

Season-specific varietal management as an option to increase rainfed lowland rice production in East African high altitude cropping systems

Due to land expansion and an increase in productivity, rice production in sub-Saharan Africa has been growing at a rate of 6% in the past decade. Rainfed rice production systems have accounted for a large share of this expansion. In these systems, the potential growing period not only depends on the length of the rainy season and thus water availability, but is often, especially in the highlands of East Africa, bordered by the onset of the cool period of the year, when low minimum temperatures compromise rice yields. The objective of this study was to investigate the yield potential of 30 rice varieties contrasting in crop duration and cold tolerance in the highlands of East Africa, with its limited length of growing period. A field trial was conducted in the cropping seasons in 2016 and 2017 at the Fogera rice research station, Ethiopia. As a function of the onset of rains, rice was sown mid-July in 2016 and early July in 2017. Early sowing in 2017 led to an extended crop duration and significantly lower yields of the short-duration varieties, and to a shortened duration and significantly higher yields of the medium- and long-duration varieties, when compared to late sowing in 2016. Late sowing compromised yield of the medium- and long-duration varieties because of low temperatures during booting stage, which led to high spikelet sterility. Early sowing resulted in low yields of the short-duration varieties, probably due to low solar radiation during the cloudy rainy season, which coincided with the vegetative stage. Therefore, choice of variety should be a function of the variable onset of the rainy season and related sowing date. However, crop models precisely calibrated for potential varieties and the respective environmental conditions could fully support the selection of a suitable variety, depending on the date of sowing, for example with the help of online tools or smartphone applications.     

Early flower initiation allows ample manipulation of flowering time in cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.)

Flower initiation date and readiness to flowering in buds of different age were studied in ‘Fino de Jete’ cherimoya (Annona cherimola) cultivar in order to establish the limits for the manipulation of its flowering date. Flower initiation was analyzed by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) collecting axillary buds from May to the following February, whereas the bud readiness to produce perfect flowers was determined by forcing buds of different age to sprout by means of leaf removal and tipping the new growth. SEM images confirm that cherimoya buds are differentiated into flowers almost a year before blooming. In this regard, axillary buds have already formed the sepals when the subtending leaf has just begun unfolding (week 0), while the petals are clearly visible in 1-week-old buds. Sectioning of paraffin-embedded buds illustrate that cherimoya buds are in fact a bud complex that 1 week after its inception comprises 4–5 buds of different size of which the two largest ones are reproductive, while the 2–3 smallest buds often remain undifferentiated at that time. The high capacity of flowering expressed by young buds that have been forced to grow proves that cherimoya meristems are early competent for flowering. No differences in fertility or in the time needed to reach anthesis after leaf removal were found among buds of different ages. Node position had no effect on bud break and flowering potential. The early flower initiation in cherimoya deduced from this work opens a wide temporal window for the experimental manipulation of flowering and harvest dates in this crop.     

三系粳稻不育系开花习性与异交结实率的关系

以583A、7740A7、7237A、春江12A、春江16A、春江26A、99-44A、宁67A、旱稻A等9个不同柱头外露率和花时的三系粳稻不育系为母本,以粳稻恢复系CH89为父本,进行大田小区制种,对不育系的午前花率、柱头外露率与异交结实率之间的关系进行了分析。结果表明,不育系柱头外露率与异交结实率之间的简单相关系数和偏相关系数以及午前花率与异交结实率之间的简单相关系数均达到显著水平,异交结实率与柱头外露率、午前花率之间的复相关系数也达到显著水平。粳稻不育系异交结实率(y)与柱头外露率(x1)、午前花率(x2)的回归方程为y=26.06 0.51x1 0.28x2。通径分析表明,柱头外露率对粳稻不育系异交结实率起更重要的作用。对三系粳稻不育系的遗传改良及制种策略进行了讨论。     

IAA与亚种间杂交稻籽粒发育的关系及烯效唑的调节

 以汕优413及其父本品种中413为材料,研究了内外源IAA在籽粒发育过程中的作用及植物生长延缓剂S-07对其强、弱势粒灌浆过程的影响。在灌浆前期,强势粒抑制弱势粒的发育,外源IAA可代替强势粒的这种抑制作用;灌浆过程中强、弱势粒内源IAA的变化动态存在差异,其中强势粒的内源IAA在开花后急剧上升,8 d左右达最高峰;而弱势粒的IAA水平开花后则有一段约12 d的“滞缓期”,在开花后20 d左右才有一高峰出现。强弱势粒对3H-IAA的合成和吸收能力差异可能是导致其内源IAA水平不平衡的原因之一。孕穗末期喷施S-07可部分抑制强势粒的发育而相对促进弱势粒的发育,提高弱势粒千粒重;孕穗末期喷施S-07溶液可降低强势粒但提高弱势粒灌浆前期的内源IAA水平。     

Effects of genes increasing the number of spikelets per panicle,TAW1 and APO1, on yield and yield-related traits in rice

The genes TAWAWA1 (TAW1) and ABERRANT PANICLE ORGANIZATION1 (APO1) increase the number of spikelets per panicle (SN). In the present study, we examined the effects of these genes on morphological traits, yield, and yield-related traits including yield components using the near-isogenic lines (NILs) in the genetic background of a japonica rice variety, Koshihikari – NIL-taw1, NIL-apo1-D3, and NIL-apo1-D4 – in a field experiment. The SN and total number of spikelets per area of the three NILs were larger than those of Koshihikari. However, the yield of the three NILs did not exceed that of Koshihikari due to their low filling ability. Interestingly, our field experiments indicated that TAW1 did not affect the diameter of internodes and the PN, whereas APO1 decreased the PN and increased the diameter of internodes. These results suggest that TAW1 and APO1 differently affect yield-related traits.