Narbon Vetch (Vicia narbonensis L.): A Potential Feed Legume Crop for Dry Areas in West Asia

Provision of feed supplies for the rapidly growing livestock population is essential in West Asia. Shortages can be alleviated by growing forage crops in the existing fallow lands.
Narbon vetch (Vicia narbonensis L.) is a leguminous species with high yield potential, drought tolerance and cold resistance. It could be used for grain and straw production as source for animal feed in dry areas. It is good source of protein with seeds contain 28 % protein yielding 364 kg per hectare protein, whilst straw contains 9 % protein and yields a similar amounts of digestible protein per hectare.
Nine promising lines of Narbon vetch developed at ICARDA were tested at two sites over four years under rainfed conditions. Since climatic conditions were considered to be of considerable importance, each site in each year was treated as a separate environment to give eight environments with annual rainfall varied from 195 to 504 mm.
Narbon vetch possessed high seedling vigour with rapid winter growth and negligible cold damage. Grain yield varied form 0.47 to 1.90 t/ha, with a harvest index varying from 30 to 40 %. The data indicated that below 300 mm rainfall the grain yield varied from 0.47 t/ha when rain fall was 195 mm to 1.4 t/ha when rainfall was 245 mm. Most of the lines had wide adaptation to dry areas in terms of both grain yield and stability. Climate, except early spring rains had little effect on biological and grain yields.     

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.     

Studies on mutlispecific resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to benzimidazoles on dairy-goat farms

Multispecific resistance to benzimidazoles was studied in three selected farms. These farms had bred dairy goats for more than 15 years. The helminths were introduced with the goats at the establishment of the farms which afterwards remained isolated. Nematode resistance could then be related to their own management practices. Faecal egg count tests and egg hatch assays were performed to assess intensity of resistance. The generic (infective larvae in faecal cultures) and specific richness (adult worms) were assessed. The resistant species were Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Haemonchus contortus and Oesophagostomum venulosum. Faecal egg count reduction tests and egg-hatch assays did not match exactly. Faecal larval counts after treatments gave a distorted picture of multispecific resistance: Haemonchus and Oesophagostomum were very largely over represented. The number of species found in the three farms was relatively low compared with other reports in goat farms of the area. This reduction of diversity might also be due in part to characteristics of breeding management and history (use of permanent pasture and introduction of goats at the establishment of farm).     

沙区五种珍稀濒危植物水分生理指标测定及分析

本文在测定沙区５种珍稀濒危植物的水分生理指标的基础上，分析了其抗旱性，意在探讨适应干旱环境的特性。研究结果表明：矮沙冬青保水能力与吸水能力强，对干燥炎热的环境有很强的适应性；银沙槐蒸腾强度大，失水快，但吸水力强，补偿水分快；裸果木通过强的保水力适应干旱；绵刺以强的吸水力和抗脱水力适应环境；准噶尔无叶豆以体内水分自我调节作用适应大气干旱。     

甘肃地方苜蓿农家品种脯氨酸积累能力与抗旱性的研究

本文依据“脯氨酸维持积累时间”和“脯氨酸维持积累量”指标评介了四个甘肃地方苜蓿农家品种的抗旱能力。结果表明:敦煌苜蓿的抗旱能力高于会宁、秦安、灵台苜蓿,其中会宁苜蓿居二,灵台苜蓿抗旱性最差。这一抗旱排序与叶片相对含水量及气孔指标所得到的结果相一致。证明了“脯氨酸维持积累时间”和“脯氨酸维持积累量”可以作为首蓿抗旱性的鉴定指标。     

披碱草和野大麦及其杂种苗期抗旱性研究

在室内人工模拟干旱条件,测定了干旱胁迫下披碱草和野大麦及其杂种幼苗的相对含水量、细胞膜透性、游离脯氨酸含量的变化。结果表明,干旱胁迫下亲本披碱草幼苗的组织相对含水量下降的幅度最低,细胞膜受害最轻,游离脯氨酸积累的最多,相对生长率最高,表现出很强的抗旱性。亲本野大麦幼苗的组织相对含水量下降的幅度最大,细胞膜受害最重,游离脯氨酸积累的最少,相对生长率最低,抗旱性弱。杂种F1幼苗的保水能力、细胞膜受害程度和游离脯氨酸积累能力、相对生长率均介于双亲之间,亦即其抗旱能力大于野大麦而小于披碱草,表现为双亲的中间型。正、反交对杂种F1的抗旱能力没有明显影响。     

Genetic analyses of resistance of the wheat differential cultivars Carstens V and Spaldings Prolific to two races of Puccinia striiformis

Genetic analysis of resistance of wheat seedlings to two races of Puccinia striiformis was conducted on F₁, F₂ and F₃ generations from crosses Carstens V (CV) × Lee, Spaldings Prolific (SPA) × Lee and CV × SPA. F₂ generations from crosses of CV and SPA with Strubes Dickkopf (SD) were also studied. The plants were classified into six resistance classes and analysed by factorial correspondence analysis and nonhierarchical classification. The two P. striiformis isolates tested were a French isolate of race 43E138 and a Lebanese isolate of race 2E16, selected for the differences in their virulence spectra for the common differential cultivars Strubes Dickkopf and Nord Desprez. Resistance of CV and SPA was recessive and dominant to races 43E138 and 2E16, respectively. CV possessed three or four resistance genes, one of them being expressed with both races. Two genes of CV had a cumulative effect for resistance to 43E138 and two or three gave dominant resistance to 2E16. SPA had three resistance genes, all of which gave resistance to 2E16 and two of which also gave resistance to 43E138. SPA had one gene in common with CV for resistance to both races. Furthermore, the gene for resistance to race 2E16 in CV and SPA was allelic with a gene in SD, and was probably Yr25 .     

Identification of a major gene (Mex-1) from Coffea canephora conferring resistance to Meloidogyne exigua in Coffea arabica

Among the most damaging root-knot nematode species, Meloidogyne exigua is especially common in Latin America and constitutes a major agronomic constraint in all major coffee-growing ( Coffea arabica ) areas. Growing nematode-resistant coffee represents the most promising option for control of the pest. The present study aimed to determine the mode of inheritance of the M. exigua resistance transferred into C. arabica from a related species, Coffea canephora , and to identify associated molecular markers. Segregation data analysis of F ₂ progeny derived from a cross between the resistant introgression line T5296 and the susceptible accession Et6 showed that the resistance to M. exigua is controlled by a simply inherited major gene (designated the Mex -1 locus). The gall index distribution exhibited by the F ₂ individuals suggested incomplete dominant expression. Fourteen AFLP markers were found associated with the resistance to M. exigua and a localized genetic map of the chromosome segment carrying Mex -1 was constructed. Furthermore, the association of the identified AFLP markers with Mex -1 was confirmed by analysis of a set of genotypes involving 28 introgression Arabica lines either resistant or susceptible to M. exigua in field conditions. These results represent an important starting point to enhance backcross breeding programmes and to perform an early selection of resistant seedlings.