The genetics of adult-plant blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) resistance from Brassica juncea in B. napus

The genetic control of adult-plant blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) resistance in a Brassica napus line (579NO48-109-DG-1589), designated R13 possessing Brassica juncea-like resistance (JR), was elucidated by the analysis of segregation ratios in F₂ and F₃ populations from a cross between R13 and the highly blackleg-susceptible B. napus cultivar Tower. The F₂ segregration ratios were bimodal, demonstrating that blackleg resistance in R13 was controlled by major genes. Analysis of the segregation ratios for 13 F₃ families indicated that blackleg resistance in these families was controlled by three nuclear genes, which exhibited a complex interaction. Randomly sampled plants of F₃ progeny all had the normal diploid somatic chromosome number for B. napus. The similarities between the action of the three genes found in this study with those controlling blackleg resistance in B. juncea is discussed.     

Alternaria incidence in some alloplasmic lines of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Coss.)

Summary The cytoplasmic substitution lines of Brassica juncea (L.) Coss were evaluated for their field resistance to Alternaria blight (Alternaria brassicae). The euplasmic B. juncea cv. RLM 198 had a mesothetic reaction while alloplasmic B. juncea lines with cytoplasms of B. campestris, B. chinensis, and B. japonica were highly susceptible. B. nigra cytoplasm did not have any effect on the disease reaction of the B. juncea genome. However, the alloplasmic lines with the cytoplasm of B. napus and B. carinata revealed a comparatively higher degree of resistance. The study underlined the utility of cytoplasmic manipulations in modifying the phenotypic expression of nuclear genes.     

Regulation of adenosine 5′-phosphosulfate sulfotransferase activity by H2S and cyst(e)ine in primary leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

During chloroplast development in the primary leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris, the extractable activity of adenosine 5-phosphosulfate sulfotransferase increased ten-fold. When chloroplast development took place in air enriched with 3.5 l H₂S·l^-1 there was a decrease in adenosine 5-phosphosulfate sulfotransferase activity. Cyst(e)ine in concentrations up to 1 mM (in the external medium) did not affect the increase in adenosine 5-phosphosulfate sulfotransferase activity in intact plants. In plants with excised roots, 0.75 mM cyst(e)ine inhibited this increase. In green primary leaves, H₂S or cyst(e)ine treatment resulted in a decrease of extractable adenosine 5-phosphosulfate sulfotransferase activity. In intact plants, this effect of cyst(e)ine was observed at a concentration of 1 mM, and in plants with excised roots, 0.25 mM had a comparable effect.In developing plants, the extractable activities of O-acetyl-L-serine sulfhydrylase (EC 4.2.99.9) and ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39.) were not affected by H₂S or cyst(e)ine.Abbreviations APS adenosine 5-phosphosulfate - APSSTase adenosine 5phosphosulfate sulfotransferase - BSA bovine serum albumin - DTE dithioerythritol - EDTA ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid - OASSase O-acetyl-L-serine sulfhydrylase - PAPS adenosine 3-phosphate 5-phosphosulfate - POPOP 1,4 Di 2-(5-phenyloxazolyl)-benzene - PPO 2,5-diphenyloxazol - RubP ribulose-bisphosphate - RubPCase ribulosebiphosphate carboxylase This is no. 8 in the series Regulation of Sulfate Assimilation in Plants. The term cysteine is used when it is clear that cystine is not involved; cyst(e)ine is used for an undefined mixture of cysteine and cystine. The concentrations are expressed in all cases relative to cysteine     

Seedling responses of four Australian tree species to toxic concentrations of manganese in solution culture

Little is known about the responses of Australian plants to excess metal, including Mn. It is important to remedy this lack of information so that knowledgeable decisions can be made about managing Mn contaminated sites where inhabited by Australian vegetation. Acacia holosericea, Melaleuca leucadendra, Eucalyptus crebra and Eucalyptus camaldulensis were grown in dilute solution culture for 10 weeks. The seedlings (42 days old) were exposed to six Mn treatments viz., 1, 8, 32, 128, 512 and 2048 M. The order of tolerance to toxic concentrations of Mn was A. holosericea E. crebra < M. leucadendra < E. camaldulensis, the critical external concentrations being approximately 5.1, 5.0, 21 and 330 M, respectively. The critical tissue Mn concentrations for the youngest fully expanded leaf and total shoots were, respectively, 265 and 215 g g^–1 DM for A. holosericea, 445 and 495 g g^–1 DM for M. leucadendra, 495 and 710 g g^–1 DM for E. crebra and 7230 and 6510 g g^–1 DM for E. camaldulensis. The high tolerance of E. camaldulensis (as opposed to the sensitivity of E. crebra) to excess Mn raises concern about fauna feeding on the plant and is consistent with hypotheses suggesting the Eucalyptus subgenus Symphomyrtus is particularly tolerant of stress, including excess Mn. The results from this paper provide the first comprehensive combination of growth responses, critical external concentrations, critical tissue concentrations and plant toxicity symptoms for three important Australian genera, viz., Eucalyptus, Acacia and Melaleuca, for use in the management of Mn toxic sites.     

Simulation of local evolutionary dynamics of small populations

A simple stochastic model assuming continuous traits, normally distributed modifications, selection for fertility and multiplicative fitness was used to simulate phenotypic evolution by reproducing individuals in a given fitness landscape. Of particular interest was how small populations cross saddles separating distinct adaptive peaks. The simulated evolution exhibits a strong dualism: at the same level of reproductive errors, sexual reproduction provides significantly better local adaptation and asexual repreduction provides significantly better adaptive dynamics.     

Genetic diversity for RFLPs in European maize inbreds

Summary Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) have been proposed for the prediction of the yield potential of hybrids and the assignment of inbreds to heterotic groups. Such use was investigated in 66 diallel crosses among 6 flint and 6 dent inbreds from European maize (Zea mays L.) germ plasm. Inbreds and hybrids were evaluated for seven forage traits in four environments in the Federal Republic of Germany. Midparent heterosis (MPH) and specific combining ability (SCA) were calculated. Genetic distances (GD) between lines were calculated from RFLP data of 194 clone-enzyme combinations. GDs were greater for flint x dent than for flint x flint and dent x dent line combinations. Cluster analysis based on GDs showed separate groupings of flint and dent lines and agreed with pedigree information, except for 1 inbred. GDs of all line combinations in the diallel were partitioned into general (GGD) and specific (SGD) genetic distances; GGD explained approximately 20% of the variation among GD values. For the 62 diallel crosses (excluding 4 crosses of highly related lines), correlations of GD with F₁ performance, MPH, and SCA for dry matter yield (DMY) of stover, ear, and forage were positive but mostly of moderate size (0.09r0.60) compared with the higher correlations (0.39r0.77) of SGD with these traits. When separate calculations were performed for various subsets, correlations of GD and SGD with DMY traits were generally small (r<0.47) for the 36 flint x dent crosses, significantly positive (r<0.53) for the 14 flint x flint crosses, and inconclusive for the 12 dent x dent crosses because of the lack of significant genotypic variation. Results indicated that RFLPs can be used for assigning inbreds to heterotic groups. RFLP-based genetic distance measures seem to be useful for predicting forage yield of (1) crosses between lines from the same germ plasm group or (2) crosses including line combinations from the same as well as different heterotic groups. However, they are not indicative of the hybrid forage yield of crosses between unrelated lines from genetically divergent heterotic groups.     

Cloning and sequencing of a ligninase gene from a lignindegrading basidiomycete,Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Summary A ligninase gene has been cloned from a Phanerochaete chrysosporium genomic DNA library. Nucleotide sequencing of the gene has revealed that the ligninase structural gene contains 1116 bp of the protein-encoding sequence, of which 84 bp encode the signal peptide. The protein-encoding sequence is interrupted by eight introns which conform to the universal G-T/A-G splicing rule observed for the 3 and 5 intron boundaries. The putative eukaryotic regulatory sequences, i.e. CAAT and TATA box-like sequences, are present in the 5 flanking region.     

Pioneer and late stage tropical rainforest tree species (French Guiana) growing under common conditions differ in leaf gas exchange regulation,carbon isotope discrimination and leaf water potential

Leaf gas exchange rates, predawn _wp and daily minimum _wm leaf water potentials were measured during a wet-to-dry season transition in pioneer (Jacaranda copaia, Goupia glabra andCarapa guianensis) and late stage rainforest tree species (Dicorynia guianensis andEperua falcata) growing in common conditions in artificial stands in French Guiana. Carbon isotope discrimination () was assessed by measuring the stable carbon isotope composition of the cellulose fraction of wood cores. The values were 2.7 higher in the pioneer species than in the late stage species. The calculated time integratedC _i values derived from the values averaged 281 mol mol^–1 in the pioneers and 240 mol mol^–1 in the late stage species. The corresponding time-integrated values of intrinsinc water-use efficiency [ratio CO₂ assimilation rate (A)/leaf conductance (g)] ranged from 37 to 47 mmol mol^–1 in the pioneers and the values were 64 and 74 mmol mol^–1 for the two late stage species. The high values were associated—at least inJ. copaia—with high maximumg values and with high plant intrinsinc specific hydraulic conductance [Cg/(_wm–_wp], which could reflect a high competitive ability for water and nutrient uptake in the absence of soil drought in the pioneers. A further clear discriminating trait of the pioneer species was the very sensitive stomatal response to drought in the soil, which might be associated with a high vulnerability to cavitation in these species. From a methodological point of view, the results show the relevance of for distinguishing ecophysiological functional types among rainforest trees.     

Hypersensitivity reaction of Brassica nigra L. (Cruciferae) kills eggs of Pieris butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Summary Some individual plants of the mustard Brassica nigra in lowland California kill eggs of the Crucifer-specialist herbivores Pieris rapae and P. napi by producing a necrotic zone at the base of the egg, thereby apparently desicating it. This is a typical hypersensitivity reaction, but to an atypical stimulus. The eggs can be rescued by maintaining them in a saturated atmosphere. Attempts to demonstrate a bacterial or fungal agent associated with the reaction were unsuccessful.     

Intergeneric somatic hybrid production through protoplast fusion between Brassica juncea and Diplotaxis muralis

Summary The need to transfer genetic traits from Diplotaxis muralis (2n=42) to Brassica juncea (2n=36), a major oil seed crop of the tropical world, was realised. Since the two plant types are sexually incompatible, attempts were made to evolve parasexual hybrids as the result of protoplast fusion. Protoplasts of hypocotyl-derived calli of two cultivars of B. juncea were fused with normal and -irradiated mesophyll protoplasts of Diplotaxis muralis. Regeneration of 110 plants from the fused products was successfully achieved. Upon analysis of some of them, we realised that true somatic hybrids and partial somatic hybrids had been generated. Thus the primary goal of evolving intergeneric hybridisation products between these two plant types was fulfilled.     

Production of thermostable α-galactosidase from thermophilic fungusHumicola sp

The thermophilic fungus,Humicola sp isolated from soil, secreted extracellular -galactosidase in a medium cotaining wheat bran extract and yeast extract. Maximum enzyme production was found in a medium containing 5% wheat bran extract as a carbon source and 0.5% beef extract as a carbon and nitrogen source. Enzyme secretion was strongly inhibited by the presence of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Hg²⁺ (1mM) in the fermentation medium. Production of enzyme under stationary conditions resulted in 10-fold higher activity than under shaking conditions. The temperature range for production of the enzyme was 37° C to 55°C, with maximum activity (5.54 U ml^–1) at 45°C. Optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were 5.0 and 60° C respectively. One hundred per cent of the original activity was retained after heating the enzyme at 60°C for 1 h. At 5mM Hg²⁺ strongly inhibited enzyme activity. TheK _m andV _max forp-nitrophenyl--d-galactopyranoside were 60M and 33.6 mol min^–1 mg^–1, respectively, while for raffinose those values were 10.52 mM and 1.8 mol min^–1 mg^–1, respectively.     

Influence of paclobutrazol on growth and development of fruit in Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss

Foliar spraying of paclobutrazol(5, 10 and 20 g mL^–1) on Brassica juncea (cv. RLM 514) plants, at the green floral bud stage of the terminal inflorescence, exerted a profound effect on growth and metabolism of fruits (siliquae). Paclobutrazol caused a decrease in siliqua length but enhanced significantly siliqua width, seed size (diameter) and seed number per siliqua. Paclobutrazol increased dry matter production and also hastened the relative growth rate of the siliqua wall and seed. In paclobutrazol-treated plants the siliquae were darker green, and during active phases of growth both siliqua wall and seed exhibited higher total chlorophyll (Chl) content, decreased chl a/b ratios, greater hill reaction activity of chloroplasts and increased activities of -amylase, -amylase and invertase than controls. Paclobutrazol enhanced the levels of total soluble sugars, starch, protein and free amino acids in mature seeds. The seed oil content increased by 2 to 3 per cent with a treatment of 10 g mL^–1 pacolobutrazol.     

Genetic variation ofHordeum spontaneum in Israel: Eco-geographical races,detected by trait measurements

Samples from 11 populations of wild barley,Hordeum spontaneum, from Israel, were examined for morphological variation in a common garden plot design. Earliness traits had the highest between population variation of all traits studied. No relationship was found between dimensions of leaves and size of seeds.—Using numerical taxonomy methods, four races were found, which correspond to the geographical and environmental range of the species in Israel. It is concluded thatH. spontaneum shows a well developed tendency toward formation of highly adaptive races rather than exhibiting clinical variation.     

Phytoextraction of selenium from soils irrigated with selenium-laden effluent

This two-part study compared the efficacy of different plant species to extract Se from soils irrigated with Se-laden effluent. The species used were: Brassica napus L. (canola), Brassica juncea Czern L. and Coss (Indian mustard), and Hordeum vulgare L. (barley). In Study 1 we irrigated the plants with a saline effluent containing 0.150 mg Se L^–1, while in Study 2, the same species were planted in a saline soil selenized with 2 mg Se L^–1. Plants were simultaneously harvested 120 days after planting. In Study 1, there were only slight effects of treatment on dry matter (DM) yield. Plant Se concentrations averaged 21 g Se g^–1DM for the Brassica species, and 4.0 g Se g^–1 DM for barley. Total Se added to soils via effluent decreased by 40% for Brassica species and by 20% for barley. In Study 2, total DM decreased for all species grown in saline soils containing Se. Plant Se concentrations averaged 75 g g^–1 DM for Brassica species and 12 g Se g^–1 DM for barley. Total Se added to soils prior to planting decreased by 40% for Brassica species and up to 12% for barley. In both studies, plant accumulation of Se accounted for at least 50% of the Se removed in soils planted to Brassica and up to 20% in soils planted to barley. Results show that although the tested Brassica species led to a significant reduction in Se added to soil via use of Se-laden effluent, additional plantings are necessary to further decrease Se content in the soil.     

Effect of Naloxone on the Activity of Cl–-Activated Mg2+-ATPase from Plasma Membrane Fraction of Bream Brain (Abramis brama L.) in the Presence of GABAa-ergic Substances

We studied the effect of naloxone—an antagonist of the opioid receptors—on sensitivity of Cl^–-activated Mg²⁺-ATPase from the plasma membrane fraction of bream brain (Abramis brama L.) to GABA_a-ergic substances. Preincubation of the plasma membranes with 1–100 M naloxone increased the basal Mg²⁺-ATPase activity and suppressed its activation by chloride ions. The same effects were observed in the presence of the agonists of GABA_a/benzodiazepine receptors: 0.1–100 M GABA, 1–500 M pentobarbital, and 0.1–100 M phenazepam. Naloxone (10 M) inhibited activation of the basal Mg²⁺-ATPase by the studied ligands and restored the enzyme sensitivity to Cl^–. However, the effect of naloxone was not observed in the presence of high concentrations of pentobarbital (500 M) and phenazepam (100 M). The obtained data show that naloxone modulates the activity of Cl^–-activated Mg²⁺-ATPase from the plasma membranes of bream brain and antagonizes the GABA_a receptor ligands.     

Origin and destination of globules and irregular masses in the gonadotropin cells from the pituitary of the African catfish,Clarias gariepinus: a morphological study

The possible function of globules and irregular membrane-bound masses in the gonadotropin cells of the pituitary of Clarias gariepinus was studied. Strong secretory stimulation led to the disappearance of the secretory granules from gonadotropin cells but globules and irregular masses remained present. Acid phosphatase was detected enzyme-cytochemically in both globules and irregular masses. Radiolabelling with tritiated amino acids followed by autoradiography demonstrated that globules received radioactive material after secretory granules. The latter received radioactive material within 75 min of administration of radioactive amino acids but globules and irregular masses did not. Although some globules became radioactively labelled within 24 h of the administration of radioactive amino acids, irregular masses remained unlabelled during this period. Secretory granules reacted positively with antisera against and gonadotropin subunits, whereas globules and irregular masses only reacted with the antiserum against the subunit. A moderate anti-7B2 immunoreactivity was demonstrated in secretory granules and globules, whereas irregular masses labelled strongly. The combined cytological results indicate that globules and irregular masses are degradative, possibly crinophagic structures which develop by fusional events from secretory granules to globules and then to irregular masses.     

Variation of growth form parameters inCapsella (Cruciferae)

Growth form parameters ofCapsella bursa-pastoris populations, including a wide range of different environments, have been analyzed from random block field and growth chamber experiments. Changes in one character are often correlated with changes in another. Of special interest are correlations detected with the onset of first flowering. Variation in each of the characters is clearly influenced by both phenotypic and genotypic components. However, genotype — environment interactions are also subject to variation. Therefore, the adaptive significance of a given parameter is not found to be constant over the entire geographical range of the genus. Alpine populations tend to shift from annual to biannual life cycles.Part of a series Adaptation in life history traits of colonizing plant species. Part of a doctoral thesis by the first author. Dedicated to Prof. Dr.Karl Mägdefrau on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Predicting Efficiency of Selection on Reproductive Traits in the Medicinal Leech Hirudo medicinalis L.

A set of selection measures for increasing reproduction efficiency in Hirudo medicinalis has been developed. The optimal values of reproductive traits corresponding to the highest progeny number were determined and recommended. The probability of correlated selection response in traits number of juveniles in a cocoon and weight of juveniles was estimated. Based on earlier results on phenotypic variation and heritability of reproductive traits in medicinal leech, efficiency of different selection modes was predicted.     

Genetic analysis of morphological variation in Brassica oleracea using molecular markers

A cross between the open-pollinated Brassica oleracea cabbage cultivar Wisconsin Golden Acre and the hybrid broccoli cultivar Packman was used with molecular markers to investigate the genetic control of morphological variation. Twenty-two traits derived from leaf, stem, and flowering measurements were analyzed in 90 F₂ individuals that were also classified for genotype by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers. Seventy-two RFLP loci, which covered the mapped genome at an average of 10 map-unit intervals on all nine linkage groups, were tested individually for associations to phenotypic measurements by single factor ANOVA, and markers with significant associations (P<0.05) were used to develop multilocus models. These data were utilized to describe the location, parental contribution of alleles, magnitude of effect, and the gene action of trait loci. Single marker loci that were significantly associated (P<0.05) with trait measurements accounted for 6.7–42.7% of the phenotypic variation. Multilocus models described as much as 60.1% of the phenotypic variation for a given trait. In some cases, different related traits had common marker-locus associations with similar gene action and genotypic class ranking. The numbers, action, and linkages, of genes controlling traits estimated with marker loci in this population corresponded to estimates based on classical genetic methods from other studies using similar, or similarly-wide, crosses. There was no evidence that genome duplication accounted for a significant portion of multiple genes controlling trait loci over the entire genome, but possible duplications of trait loci were identified for two regions with linked, duplicated marker loci.     

Proline in relation to free radical production in seedlings of Brassica juncea raised under sodium chloride stress

The production of malondialdehyde (MDA) was higher in cotyledons from NaCl-raised Brassica juncea seedlings than in control seedlings. Light accelerated the MDA-producing capacity of thylakoids isolated from both control and treated seedlings. When exposed to strong white light (920 mol photons m^-2 s^-1) the thylakoids from NaCl seedlings produced nearly 5 times more MDA than control thylakoids. In the cotyledons of NaCl seedlings, the proline level was 24-fold higher than in controls. The presence of proline during exposure of thylakoids to white light decreased MDA levels. The reduction in MDA production was higher in the thylakoids of NaCl seedlings than of controls. It is proposed that proline accumulation has an adaptive significance as it lowers the generation of free radicals and thus reduces the lipid peroxidation linked membrane deterioration under stress.