多效唑对水仙生长发育的影响

为提高水仙的观赏价值,探讨复合多效唑对水仙生长发育的影响,用不同的多效唑溶液对水仙鳞茎进行处理。结果表明:多效唑能抑制水仙的营养生长,使植株矮化粗壮,叶片碧绿、挺拔,不易倒伏,根白、短而壮;复合多效唑配方使平均叶长减少37.7%,花期延长2d,花朵直径增加18.3%,延缓黄化叶片的出现,减慢叶肉薄壁细胞及其中叶绿体的解体,在后期维管束的结构相对完整,有效提高观赏价值。     

陕北地区苹果树根内细菌多样性分析

以延安市4个不同县区苹果树根为研究对象，分析苹果树根内生细菌的群落组成和多样性，揭示内生细菌的群落结构及多样性差异。采用高通量测序技术分析4个不同县区苹果树根内生细菌16S rRNA基因V3~V4 变异区序列，使用生物信息学方法分析其内生细菌的群落结构及多样性。结果表明，测序共获得994 571条有效序列，在97%一致性下共产生1 559个有效的操作分类单元(operational taxonomic uunits，OTUs)。在门水平上，4个样地苹果树根内生细菌群落组成中共有的优势类群分别为放线菌门(Actinobacteria)和变形菌门(Proteobacteria)，其相对丰富度分别为33.1%~60.7%和30.9%~61.6%；属水平上的优势菌属为假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)、节杆菌属(Arthrobacter)、链霉菌属(Streptomyces)、诺卡氏菌属(Nocardioides)、叶杆菌属(Phyllobacterium)、黄杆菌属(Flavobacterium)、农杆菌属(Agrobacterium)和贪噬菌属(Variovorax)。Alpha多样性和Beta多样性分析表明，宜川县(YC)的Chao1指数(433.54)和Shannon指数(6.45)最大，基于韦恩图分析4个样地苹果树根内生细菌群落存在354个共有OTUs，延长县(YS)、宝塔区(BT)、宜川县(YC)、洛川县(LC)独有苹果树根内生细菌群落的OTUs分别为378、430、486和477。典范对应分析(Canonical Correlation Analysis, CCA)结果表明，土壤pH是影响4个样地苹果树根内生细菌的群落多样性变化的主要因素。4个样地苹果树根内生细菌种类丰富，但群落结构组成和丰富度的差异不明显，功能预测分析表明无论是Level 1还是Level 2，均未发现显著性差异的代谢通路，此结果表明苹果树根系招募了特异型有益的内生细菌菌群。本研究可为苹果树根内生细菌菌种资源的开发和应用提供参考。     

Simple equations to estimate light interception by isolated trees from canopy structure features: assessment with three-dimensional digitized apple trees

* Simple models of light interception are useful to identify the key structural parameters involved in light capture. We developed such models for isolated trees and tested them with virtual experiments. Light interception was decomposed into the projection of the crown envelope and the crown porosity. The latter was related to tree structure parameters. * Virtual experiments were conducted with three-dimensional (3-D) digitized apple trees grown in Lebanon and Switzerland, with different cultivars and training. The digitized trees allowed actual values of canopy structure (total leaf area, crown volume, foliage inclination angle, variance of leaf area density) and light interception properties (projected leaf area, silhouette to total area ratio, porosity, dispersion parameters) to be computed, and relationships between structure and interception variables to be derived. * The projected envelope area was related to crown volume with a power function of exponent 2/3. Crown porosity was a negative exponential function of mean optical density, that is, the ratio between total leaf area and the projected envelope area. The leaf dispersion parameter was a negative linear function of the relative variance of leaf area density in the crown volume. * The resulting models were expressed as two single equations. After calibration, model outputs were very close to values computed from the 3-D digitized databases.     

Constituents from the Formosan apple reduce tyrosinase activity in human epidermal melanocytes

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing monooxygenase that catalyzes melanin synthesis in skin melanocytes. Herein, 13 compounds from the Formosan apple (Malus doumeri var. formosana), an indigenous Taiwanese plant, were isolated and identified. The active constituents were identified as 3-hydroxyphloretin (7) and catechol (9); they exhibited potent hydroxyl radical-scavenging (IC₅₀ values, 0.6 and 1.1 μM) and cellular tyrosinase-reducing activities (IC₅₀ values, 32 and 22 μM) in human epidermal melanocytes. In addition, we evaluated the level of several tyrosinase-related proteins by Western blot analysis. In contrast to 3-hydroxyphloretin (7), which showed no effect on the level of these proteins, catechol (9) reduced their activity and the expression of the respective genes, as determined by quantitative real-time PCR. In a kinetic analysis of mushroom tyrosinase, 3-hydroxyphloretin (7) was a competitive inhibitor. These two constituents exhibited metal-coordinating interactions with copper ions in a virtual model of molecular docking with human tyrosinase. Thus, 3-hydroxyphloretin (7) and catechol (9) were the most active constituents from the Formosan apple; they exhibited anti-oxidant and tyrosinase reducing activities, suggesting their possible use as cosmetic agents.     

Architecture of the pruned tree: impact of contrasted pruning procedures over 2 years on shoot demography and spatial distribution of leaf area in apple (Malus domestica)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Demography and spatial distribution of shoots are rarely studied on pruned trees. The present 2-year study deals with the effect of pruning strategies on shoot demography and development, and consequences on the spatial distribution of leaf area in three architecturally contrasted - from type II to IV - apple cultivars: 'Scarletspur Delicious', 'Golden Delicious' and 'Granny Smith'. METHODS: All trees were initially subjected during 5 years to Central Leader training with winter heading on all long shoots. For 2 years, half of the trees were further trained with Centrifugal training, where removal of flowering shoots - called extinction pruning - was carried out along the trunk and at the bottom of branches at flowering time. During these 2 years, shoot type (vegetative, inflorescence) and length, and the three-dimensional spatial distribution of all shoots were assessed with an electromagnetic digitizer. KEY RESULTS: Shoot demography, frequency of transitions toward an inflorescence from either an inflorescence (bourse-over-bourse) or a vegetative shoot (trend toward flowering), and the number of bourse-shoots per bourse were strongly affected by cultivar, with little influence of tree manipulation. In contrast, the proportion of vegetative long shoots developing from previous year latent buds was significantly lower in Centrifugal-trained trees for the three cultivars. Canopy volume showed large variations between cultivars, but only that of 'Granny Smith' was affected by tree manipulation in the 2 years. Spatial distribution of shoots varied significantly according to cultivar and manipulation. In 'Scarletspur Delicious' and, to a lesser extent 'Golden Delicious', the distribution of vegetative and flowering shoots in the outer and the inner parts, respectively, was not affected by tree manipulation. In contrast, in 'Granny Smith', vegetative shoots were stimulated in the periphery of Central Leader trees, whereas flowering shoots were stimulated in the periphery of Centrifugal-trained trees. CONCLUSIONS: In apple, the variability of responses to contrasted pruning strategies partly depends on the genetically determined growth and flowering habit of the cultivar.     

Dithiothreitol decreases in vitro activity of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from leaves of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) and many other plant species

Inclusion of dithiothreitol (DTT) in the extraction buffer and pre-incubation of apple leaf ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) with DTT resulted in a decrease in AGPase activity whether the assay was performed in the presence or absence of 3-phosphoglycerate (PGA). When PGA was included in the pre-incubation mixture or when pre-incubation of AGPase with PGA was followed by DTT, the latter did not cause any decrease in AGPase activity. However, once AGPase was decreased by DTT, subsequent incubation of the enzyme with PGA did not reverse the decrease. Pre-incubation of AGPase from leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana, sorghum, soybean, tobacco, spinach, wheat, barley, tomato and potato, and tubers of potato with DTT, generally caused a decrease in AGPase activity when assayed in the presence of PGA. When assayed in the absence of PGA, however, a diverse response of AGPase was observed among species to pre-incubation with DTT. The activity of AGPase from potato tubers was increased by DTT; the activity of AGPase from both potato and tomato leaves was not affected by DTT; the activity of AGPase from leaves of other species was decreased by DTT. It is concluded that DTT decreases in vitro activity of AGPase from leaves of apple and many other plant species such that DTT should not be routinely included in the extraction or assay mixture of leaf AGPase.     

Fermentation of cashew apple juice to produce high added value products

The use of agriculture substrates in industrial biotechnological processes has been increasing because of its low cost. Cashew apples are considered an agriculture low cost product in the Brazilian Northeast because the cashew cultivation is done mainly to produce cashew nuts. About 90% of the cashew apples production is lost in the field after removing the nut. In this work, the use of clarified cashew apple juice as substrate for microbial cultivation was investigated. The results showed that cashew apple juice is a good source of reducing sugars and can be used to grow Leuconostoc mesenteroides to produce high added value products such as dextran, lactic acid, mannitol and oligosaccharides.     

粗毛栓菌诱变菌株SAH-12漆酶的分离纯化及酶学性质研究

粗毛栓菌Trametes gallica诱变菌株SAH-12是通过紫外诱变选育所得的漆酶高产菌株,Active-PAGE分析表明SAH-12在高氮低碳无机盐培养液（LM3）中至少分泌3种漆酶同工酶（Lac1、Lac2、Lac3）。采用硫酸铵盐析、透析和Sephadex-G75分子筛层析从其培养液中分离纯化得到电泳纯的Lac1,纯化倍数6.54,酶活性回收59.7%。Lac1经SDS-PAGE验证为一条带,其表观分子量为61.5kDa。Lac1为一种糖蛋白,含糖量11.6%,等电点pI4.40,催化氧化底物ABTS的最适反应温度为60℃,最适pH为2.6,Km值为25μmol/L。Lac1在40℃（pH4.0）以下和pH1.5～5.0（28℃）范围内稳定。金属离子Fe2＋、Ag＋、Hg2＋和Cr3＋与抑制剂DTT、SDS、EDTA和DMSO对Lac1有抑制作用,其中Fe2＋和DTT完全抑制酶活,而Cu2＋对酶有明显激活作用,Mn2＋、Zn2＋对酶活影响不大。Lac1不仅可使一些合成染料明显脱色,而且对苹果汁多酚祛除也有较好效果。40℃用该酶（1U/mL）处理苹果汁5h,其多酚含量可降低40%。     

Histological Evidence for Different Spread of Fusarium crown rot in Barley Genotypes with Different Heights

Based on visual assessment of disease severity, previous studies reported that tall genotypes tend to be more severely affected by Fusarium crown rot (FCR) in wheat and barley. To clarify whether tall and dwarf genotypes have different susceptibility to FCR or whether it takes longer for Fusarium pathogens to infect dwarf genotypes, histological analyses were conducted with two pairs of near isogenic lines (NILs) for a semi‐dwarfing gene in barley. This analysis showed that F. pseudograminearum hyphae were detected earlier and proliferated more rapidly during the time‐course of FCR development in the tall isolines. Histological analysis showed that cell densities of the dwarf isolines were significantly higher than those of the tall isolines due to reduced lengths and widths of cells, and FCR severity was strongly correlated with cell density. An analysis with real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction detected a higher amount of F. pseudograminearum in the tall isolines at each of the time points assessed during FCR development. These results support the hypothesis that the increased cell density associated with dwarf genes could act as a physical barrier to the spread of FCR in cereals.     

Isolation and pathogenicity of some South African entomopathogenic fungi (Ascomycota) against eggs and larvae of Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Virulent entomopathogenic fungal strains against Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) were isolated and identified in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Thirty-nine isolates belonging to six species were obtained using the insect bait method. Generally, Metarhizium robertsii (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) was the most frequently encountered species representing 51% of the total number of isolates collected from the soil samples. This is the first report of M. robertsii from southern Africa. Mortality data from an immersion bioassay indicated that the 39 fungal isolates were pathogenic against fifth instar larvae of C. pomonella inducing 47–85% insect mortalities. Two M. robertsii strains, MTL151 and GW461, induced 85% larval mortality and were selected for further evaluations. The exposure of freshly laid eggs to wax papers that were pre-treated with fungal spores ranging from 10³ to 10⁸ spores ml^?1 of MTL151 and GW461 resulted in a significant reduction of egg hatchabilities, from 95 to 66% and 93 to 71%, respectively as spore concentration increased. First instar larval neonates were exposed to apples that were pre-sprayed topically with varied conidia suspensions (10³?10⁸ spores ml^?1). The mean percentage of participating apples with larvae in their cores/flesh significantly reduced from 53 to 10% (MTL151) and 76 to 10% (GW461) of 10 apples, and a concurrent decrease in the incidence of apple fruit rot was observed as conidia concentration increased. Up to 90% of apples treated with 1 × 10⁸ spores ml^?1 had no larvae present in their cores and this result compared favourably with the commercial pesticide Fruitfly®, containing the active ingredient cypermethrin (20 g/l) used at a recommended dose of 0.25 ml/250 ml of water.