Direct and Residual Contributions of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation by Legumes to the Yield and Nitrogen Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.) in the Nigerian Savannah

Field experiments were conducted to determine the direct and residual contributions of legumes to the yield and nitrogen (N) uptake of maize during the wet seasons of 1994 and 1995 at the University Farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria, located in the Northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria. Nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram contributed to the yield and N uptake of maize either intercropped with the legumes or grown after legumes as a sole crop. Direct transfer of N from the nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram to the intercropped maize was 24.9–28.1, 23.8–29.2, 19.7–22.1 and 18.4–18.6 kg N ha^–1, respectively. However, the transfer of residual N from these legumes to the succeeding maize crop was 18.4–20.0, 19.5–29.9, 12.0–13.7 and 9.3–10.3 kg N ha^–1, respectively. Four years of continuous lablab cropping resulted in yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop grown without fertilizer N that were comparable to the yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop supplied with 40–45 kg N ha^–1 and grown after 4 years of continuous sorghum cropping. It may therefore be concluded that nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram may be either intercropped or grown in rotation with cereals in order to economize the use of fertilizer N for maize production in the Nigerian savannah.     

Effect of Low Night Temperatures on Photosynthetic Activity of the Maize Seedlings (Zea mays L.)

Night chilling (5 °C) subsequently lowered photosynthetic intensity in the leaves of maize seedlings at 20 °C through an increase in leaf diffusive resistance brought on by lower tissue water content in morning hours. A more significant increase in leaf diffusion resistance was observed when soil temperature was lowered than in the case of lower air temperature.
The unfavorable effect of soil and air cooling temperature on photosynthesis was limited by air saturated with water vapour. However, as a result of lowering the night temperature from 5 °C to 1 °C, the efficiency of the protective influence of higher atmospheric humidity was decreased. This demonstrates that the participation of factors unrelated to plant water status in inhibiting photosynthesis increases with lower night temperatures.
An additional reason for inhibited photosynthesis following cool nights was a decrease in chlorophyll accumulation, below 50 μg per 1 cm² of leaf area.     

Radiation Balance Components of Maize Hybrids Grown at Various Plant Densities

Components of the energy and heat balances were examined in two maize hybrids grown at three different plant densities (40, 70 and 100 thousand plants per hectare). One of the hybrids was drought tolerant, while the other was bred for cultivation under irrigated conditions. An increase in plant density influenced not only the size of the leaf area, but also the distribution of the leaves at various plant heights. The extinction coefficient, which provides a quantification of radiation penetration, was higher in the irrigated treatments. By contrast to the other two treatments, the plant canopy in the thinly sown stands remained open throughout the vegetation period, and thus behaved quite differently to the closed stands, making it impossible to compare them. Smaller albedo values were recorded for the hybrid bred for irrigation and in thinly sown stands. The low plant density allowed more energy to reach the soil, from which it was reflected, making a considerable contribution to the final temperature in the stand. The latent heat, in keeping with the quantity of water transpired, was the greatest in the densely sown stands. There was little difference between the latent heat values of the normal and dense stands in either hybrid, indicating that they both had a similar sensitivity to increased stand density. If sufficient water is available it would appear that the stand density could be increased even for the drought-tolerant hybrid.     

串珠镰刀菌引起玉米穗粒腐病防御酶变化及其电镜观察

 对串珠镰刀菌(Fusarium moniliforme)侵染引起玉米穗粒腐病的防御酶活性变化和病原菌侵染过程进行研究。采用人工接菌的方法,分别对抗(Bt鄄1)、感(掖478)玉米材料进行接种,取抗、感材料间隔24 h 的6 个时间段接菌部位的苞叶组织,分析玉米植株感病后部分防御酶、同工酶谱的动态变化,并用扫描电镜对病原菌入侵植株过程进行组织病理学观察。扫描电镜观察发现,菌丝首先要经过1 ~ 3 d 生长后,大约在72 h 左右开始侵入气孔,并且随着时间的推移,侵入气孔的菌丝量逐渐增多。这说明病原菌是直接通过气孔侵入寄主苞叶组织。同时,玉米受串珠镰刀菌侵染后,苯丙氨酸解氨酶 (PAL)和过氧化物酶(POD)的活性都是先上升后下降,在感病材料Ye478 中PAL 的活性要比抗病材料Bt鄄1 中增加的更快、更高;同样对于POD 来说,在感病材料Ye478 中的活性要比抗病材料Bt鄄1 中的高,但变化趋势在2 个材料中相似;而丙二醛(MDA)的含量则相反,在感病材料Ye478 中的活性要比抗病材料Bt鄄1 中的低;对POD 同工酶酶谱分析,2 个材料都增加了3 ~ 4 个条带,没有明显的区别,这说明玉米感病后会通过增加POD 的活性来抵御外源病菌的侵入。总体而言PAL和POD 活性水平与材料抗性呈负相关;MDA 与材料抗性呈正相关关系。对玉米植株感病后防御酶活性变化的分析和病原菌入侵寄主的电镜观察结果,可为深入研究玉米穗粒腐病抗病机制和抗病育种提供参考。     

水分胁迫下玉米叶片中一氧化氮与钙和钙调素的相互作用

以玉米(Zea mays L.)为材料,研究水分胁迫下玉米叶片中NO与Ca2+和钙调素(CaM)含量之间的关系。结果显示:Ca2+鳌合剂、Ca2+通道阻塞剂和CaM拮抗剂预处理均抑制了水分胁迫诱导的NO产生和一氧化氮合酶(nitric ox-idesynthase,NOS)活性的提高,同时也能抑制水分胁迫诱导的叶片线粒体NO产生,而对叶绿体NO产生并没有影响;NO清除剂羟基2苯基4,4,5,5四咪唑1羟基3氧化物(2-4-carboxypheny l-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide,c-PTIO)能抑制水分胁迫条件下Ca2+和CaM的产生以及CaM1基因表达,但对水分胁迫最初诱导的玉米叶片叶肉细胞原生质体Ca2+和玉米叶片中CaM1基因表达以及CaM含量增加没有影响。上述结果表明:水分胁迫下NO和Ca2+/CaM之间存在相互作用。     

玉米花粉与花丝早期互作的蛋白质组学分析

 【目的】分离授粉早期玉米花丝的总蛋白质,为从蛋白质组角度揭示玉米花粉与花丝早期的相互作用奠定基础。【方法】以玉米(Zea mays L.)自交系Ga25为试材,采用三氯乙酸-丙酮法提取总蛋白质,运用双向电泳、质谱分析与检索技术,比较自交授粉后1 h和2 h的花丝蛋白质组的差异。【结果】与授粉1 h的蛋白质组相比,在授粉2 h后的蛋白质组中出现28个差异蛋白点,其中,6个蛋白质点特异表达,19个蛋白质点上调表达,3个蛋白质点下调表达;通过MALDI-TOF-MS质谱测序和MASCOT序列分析,注释了23个蛋白质点,其余5个为未知蛋白;功能分类表明,差异蛋白质分别参与细胞壁合成(21.4%)、防御/抗胁迫(17.9%)、细胞组织、蛋白命运、蛋白合成、转录等细胞过程。【结论】在玉米花粉与花丝早期的相互作用过程中蛋白质组有显著的变化,与授粉后1 h相比,授粉后2 h的蛋白质组中大部分差异蛋白呈上调趋势,并有特异蛋白质出现;分泌型过氧化物酶、膨胀素、果胶甲基化酶抑制蛋白、谷胱甘肽转移酶与未知蛋白4可能与玉米花粉和花丝的早期互作密切相关。     

夏玉米根茎主要性状与倒伏性的关系研究

选取20个代表性的夏玉米品种,研究了根茎主要性状与倒伏性的关系。结果表明,夏玉米倒伏性与种植密度、茎秆拉力、茎秆穿刺力、茎粗和气生根层数具有显著或极显著相关性;密度、茎粗和穿刺力是影响茎秆倒伏的直接因素,可以作为衡量玉米倒伏的指标。     

Using arbuscular mycorrhiza to reduce the stressful effects of soil compaction on corn (Zea mays L.) growth

Soil compaction is of great importance in agriculture, because its high levels may adversely affect plant growth and the environment. Since mechanical methods are not very efficient and economical, using biological methods to alleviate the stress of soil compaction on plant growth may be beneficial. The objectives of this study were to: (1) evaluate the effects of soil compaction on corn (Zea mays L.) growth, and (2) test the hypothesis that applying arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) with different origins can partially or completely overcome the stressful effects of soil compaction on corn growth under unsterilized and sterilized conditions. Corn was planted in unsterilized and sterilized compacted soils, while treated with three species of AM including, Iranian Glomus mosseae, Iranian Glomus etunicatum, and Canadian Glomus mosseae, received from GINCO (Glomales in vitro Collection), Canada. Plant growth variables and soil resistance parameters were determined. AM significantly increased root fresh (maximum of 94% increase) and dry (maximum of 100% increase) weights in the compacted soil. AM with different origins may improve corn growth in compacted soils, though its effectiveness is related to the level of compaction and also to the interaction with other soil microorganisms.     

Growth and phosphorus uptake of maize cultivated alone,in mixed culture with other crops or after incorporation of their residues

Intercropping or rotating of P‐efficient crop species which mobilize sparingly soluble P by their root exudates can have beneficial effects on growth and P uptake of P‐inefficient species. We aimed at studying the effect of intercropping or incorporating of crop residues of P‐efficient crops on the components of maize P‐uptake, i.e. the root‐system size and P influx (P‐uptake rate per unit root length). This was studied in 3 pot experiments in a low‐P sandy soil. In the first experiment, maize was intercropped with white lupine, sugar beet or oilseed rape, and with groundnut in the second experiment. In the third experiment, maize was grown after incorporating the crop residues of white lupine, sugar beet or oilseed rape. Maize growth and yield was strongly inhibited when intercropped with white lupine, sugar beet or oilseed rape, probably because of competition for nutrients. But with groundnut as the accompanying species, maize yield was increased by a factor of 3, mainly because of an enhanced P influx. Crop residues of oilseed rape and sugar beet increased the yield of maize by factors 2 and 1.6, respectively, because of a 3 and 2 times higher P uptake as compared to maize grown after maize without incorporation of crop residue. The reason for the higher maize P‐uptake after oilseed rape was an 11 times higher P influx as compared to maize without crop residues, and after sugar beet residues because of an enhanced root growth and a 4 times higher P influx. Lupine residues did not improve maize growth, mainly because of a low P influx, which was even less than that of maize grown without crop residues. The soil solution P concentration and calcium acetate lactate‐extractable P (CAL P) measured in this study did not reflect the P availability as indicated by the plants (P uptake, P influx). This indicates that other mechanisms such as P mobilization in the rhizosphere by root exudates or cell‐wall components were responsible for the increased P availability. These mechanisms need further investigation.