Effects of vegetation and fertilizer on metal and Sb plant uptake in a calcareous shooting range soil

Shooting range soils frequently contain anomalous concentrations of metals (e.g. Pb, Zn, Mn) and Sb coming from bullets which may be released into the environment. In a pot experiment, we investigated metal and Sb uptake by three plant species (Plantago lanceolata, Lolium perenne and Triticum aestivum) growing on a calcareous shooting range soil (pH 7.8; 500 mg kg⁻¹ Pb, 21 mg kg⁻¹ Sb) and the uptake changes when an acidic fertilizer solution was applied to the soil. Metal and Sb solubility in the soil was determined by extraction with 0.1 M NaNO₃. In addition, we measured pH, electrical conductivity and dissolved organic carbon in drainage samples. The results showed significant increase over time of pH (from 7.8 to 8.3) and decrease of electrical conductivity and dissolved organic carbon (from 230 to ∼130 mg L⁻¹). Fertilizer application increased NaNO₃-extractable Pb and Sb and root:shoot biomass ratio but not plant metal uptake. In T. aestivum spikes accumulated more Zn, Ni and Cu than shoots and grains. Mn and Zb uptake was correlated in L. perenne shoots. P. lanceolata, a Sb-bioindicator, did not accumulate high amounts of Sb (<1 mg kg⁻¹).     

Biodelignification of wheat straw and its effect on in vitro digestibility and antioxidant properties

A variety of methods for feed development have been introduced during last few years. Bioprocessed agricultural residues may prove a better alternative to provide animal feed. For the purpose, some white rot fungi were allowed to degrade wheat straw up to 30 days under solid state conditions. Several parameters including loss in total organic matter, ligninolysis, in vitro digestibility of wheat straw and estimation of different antioxidant activities were studied. All the fungi were able to degrade lignin and enhance the in vitro digestibility. Among all the tested fungi, Phlebia brevispora degraded maximum lignin (30.6%) and enhanced the digestibility from 172 to 287 g/kg. Different antioxidant properties of fungal degraded wheat straw were higher as compared to the uninoculated control straw. Phlebia floridensis found to be more efficient organism in terms of higher antioxidant activity (70.8%) and total phenolic content (9.8 mg/ml). Thus, bioprocessing of the wheat straw with the help of these organisms seems to be a better approach for providing the animal feed in terms of enhanced digestibility, higher protein content, higher antioxidant activity and availability of biomass.     

同名小麦地方品种小红芒和小红芒麦形态学和HMW-GS组成的演变分析

为了研究来自不同麦区的61份同名小麦地方品种小红芒和6份小红芒麦的遗传演变趋势,对与6个产量相关的农艺性状和高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基(high molecular weight glutenin subunits,HMW-GS)组成的变异进行了分析.结果表明,无论是在形态学水平还是蛋白质水平,小红芒和小红芒麦均存在丰富的遗传变异.在形态学水平上,供试材料的变异系数在株高、稳长、有效分蘖数、小穗数、穗粒数和千粒重等农艺性状上的变化范围分别为0.03～0.11、0.06～0.22、0.20～0.65、0.04～0.18、0.14～0.44和0.05～0.29.通过形态学数据计算小红芒和小红芒麦品种内多样性指数和品种间多样性指数,发现前者(0.804)占总多样性指数(0.842)的95.5%,而后者仅占4.5%,可见形态学变异主要来源于品种内而非品种闻,说明这些同名材料是由一个品种演变而来.在HMW-GS组成上,共发现了20种亚基组合类型,其中null,7+8,2+12和null,7+8,2+102种亚基组合出现的频率最高,分别为64.48%和20.00%.比较不同麦区种植的小红芒和小红芒麦的遗传多样性水平,发现无论是在形态学水平还是在蛋白质水平,春麦区材料的遗传多样性均普遍高于冬麦区,并且来自西北春麦区和北部春麦区的材料不仅遗传多样性较高,而且变异来源丰富,其中来自西北春麦区的甘肃天祝一带材料多样性最高,且其所处地理位置便于农作物的传播,故甘肃天祝地区有可能是小红芒的最初种植地点,然后再引种到其他种植区.     

茉莉酸对小麦幼苗UV-B抗性的生理学效应研究

以小麦品种‘西农88’(Triticum aestivum L.,cv.Xinong 88)为材料,研究了外源施加不同浓度茉莉酸(1、2.5、5、10 mmol/L)对UV-B辐射(1.5 kJ·m-2·d-1)下小麦幼苗光合色素、抗氧化酶、丙二醛、游离脯氨酸、紫外吸收物、花青素、根系活力等生理指标以及对其生长的影响,探讨了茉莉酸在UV-B辐射胁迫中的可能作用及其作用机制.研究结果表明,外源茉莉酸对小麦幼苗生理指标产生显著影响,并且表现出浓度效应,其中较低浓度的茉莉酸(1 mmol/L和2.5 mmol/L)能明显提高小麦幼苗的UV-B抗性.表现为低浓度茉莉酸显著提高UV-B辐射下小麦幼苗叶片中的总叶绿素含量、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性.并且外源施加的茉莉酸还能够增加小麦幼苗的游离脯氨酸含量,降低脂质过氧化水平,提高花青素含量,增强根系活力.可见,茉莉酸通过提高小麦幼苗的抗氧化酶活性,增加渗透调节物含量以及保护性色素含量,从而缓解膜脂过氧化程度和提高防御物质含量,进而增强植物抵抗UV-B辐射胁迫的能力,保证小麦幼苗正常生长.     

Conferring drought-tolerant wheat genotypes through morpho-physiological and chlorophyll indices at seedling stage

The decrease in water resources due to the excessive use of water for irrigation purpose and climatic changes represents a serious world-wide threat to food security. In this regards, 50 wheat accessions were analyzed, using completely random factorial design at the seedlings stage under normal and drought stress conditions. Significant variation was detected among all accessions under both conditions. All characters studied showed variations in the mean values in water deficit environments in studied gemplasm at seedling stage. As seedling fresh weight, dry weight, relative water content, cell membrane thermo-stability, chlorophyll a & b were positively associated among themselves under drought conditions which showed the significance of these attribute for water deficit areas in future wheat breeding programs. Based on their performance, five accessions namely Aas-11, Chakwal-86, Pasban-90, Chakwal-97 and Kohistan-97 were selected as drought tolerant and three accessions namely Mairaj-08, Lasani-2008 and Gomal-2008 were selected as drought susceptible genotypes. The choice of wheat accessions based on the characteristics of the seedlings is informal, low-priced and less hassle. Likewise, the seedlings attributes exhibit moderate to high variation with an additive genetics effects on the environments. Best performance accessions under water deficit environment will be beneficial in future wheat breeding schemes and early screening for the attributes suggested in current experiment will be useful for producing best-yielded and drought-tolerance wheat genotypes to sustainable food security.     

Cereal weeds variation in middle Egypt: Role of crop family in weed composition

Cereals occupies a major part in the diet of humans globally, participating more to our daily protein and calorie intake than any other crop. The present study highlight the weed flora of cereal crops compared to other crops in middle Egypt and their distribution. Ninety-two weed species were recorded in the all studied crops, cereal and other crops; in the studied area belong to 67 genera and 20 families. Egyptian clover; showed the highest numbers of both weed species and genera followed by wheat, on contrast the lowest weed species and genera numbers were recorded associated with Solanaceous crops tomato and pepper. Wheat crops exhibited the highest number of weed species, among cereals, followed by maize crop, while the lowest weed species number was detected in barley crop. Chenopodium murale, Cynodon dactylon, Convolvulus arvensis and Malva parviflora were the most frequent species in winter cereals, while Echinochloa colona, P. oleraceae were the most frequent weeds in summer cereals. Chorological analysis of the recorded weed species showed that cosmopolitan elements showed the highest numbers in total weed flora Differences in weed species compositions were fundamentally influenced by seasonal priority. Based on TWINSPAN and Ward classifications, crop family showed slightly effect as a factor affecting weed composition.     

武夷山不同海拔植被土壤微生物量的季节动态及主要影响因子

土壤微生物量的季节变化在陆地生态系统碳循环方面具有重要作用。为阐明中亚热带武夷山不同海拔梯度带土壤微生物量的季节变化规律及其主要影响因子,选择4种不同海拔梯度的植物群落：常绿阔叶林（EBF,500 m）、针叶林（CF,1200 m）、亚高山矮林（DF,1800 m）和高山草甸（AM,2100 m）于2005年6月—2006年6月期间进行了实验研究。结果表明：不同海拔梯度带土壤微生物量均具有明显的季节变化且变化趋势一致,均表现为早春最大,夏季最小;不同海拔梯度带土壤微生物量的季节变化与对应月份的土壤湿度、土壤有效碳均呈显著正相关,而与土壤温度、土壤有机碳、土壤全氮、凋落物输入量等因子相关不显著。土壤有效碳含量、土壤湿度是调控武夷山森林土壤微生物量季节变异的重要生态因子。     

Analysis of the activity of a γ-gliadin promoter in transgenic wheat and characterization of gliadin synthesis in wheat by MALDI-TOF during grain development

The wheat grain is the most important organ for human food and therefore is the target for much research focused on modifying its composition to improve nutritional and functional components. Genetic transformation provides a precise tool to alter the composition of wheat grain by expressing new genes or by down-regulating groups of proteins encoded by multigene families such as gliadins, which contain clusters of epitopes that are active groups in triggering celiac disease. For such work, specific promoters are required to express such constructs in the wheat endosperm. In the present study we report the isolation and characterization of a γ-gliadin promoter from transgenic wheat, and the analysis of gliadin synthesis during grain development in bread wheat by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI/TOF MS). The γ-gliadin promoter fragment was isolated from bread wheat by genome walking and was re-introduced, driving the expression of the gusA gene, by particle bombardment, giving fifteen independent transgenic lines. Detailed analysis of the sequence of the 885 bp promoter fragment showed that it contains three prolamin boxes but only one is conserved according to the consensus sequence reported. The AACA/TA motif is present twice in published γ-gliadin promoter sequences. The RY element i.e., CATGCAT or CATGCAC, is also present twice in the published promoter. Transgenic lines were classified as high, medium, and low expressers. The expression of the gusA gene was found only in the seeds of the transgenic lines. GUS staining was first detected in the outer endosperm of the lobes, and then it extended to the whole outer endosperm. GUS staining was not found in the aleurone layer nor in the embryo. The qRT-PCR data confirmed the data obtained by GUS staining. The expression of the gusA gene determined by qRT-PCR for the high expresser line (B281) was 4 and 8 times higher than that of medium (B282) and low (B286) expresser lines, respectively. MALDI/TOF-MS showed that gliadins exhibited different patterns of synthesis during the course of seed maturation. Thus, gliadins with masses higher than 36,000 Da were synthesised within the first 12 days post anthesis while those with masses lower than 36,000 Da were synthesised later. Results of GUS staining, qRT-PCR and MALDI/TOF-MS showed that the γ-gliadin promoter reported in this work could be a good candidate to downregulate wheat gliadins.     

Phenotypic and Molecular Assessment of Wheat Genotypes Tolerant to Leaf Blight,Rust and Blast Diseases

Globally among biotic stresses, diseases like blight, rust and blast constitute prime constraints for reducing wheat productivity especially in Bangladesh. For sustainable productivity, the development of disease-resistant lines and high yielding varieties is vital and necessary. This study was conducted using 122 advanced breeding lines of wheat including 21 varieties developed by Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BAMRI) with aims to identify genotypes having high yield potential and resistance to leaf blight, leaf rust and blast diseases. These genotypes were evaluated for resistance against leaf blight and leaf rust at Dinajpur and wheat blast at Jashore under field condition. Out of 122 genotypes tested, 20 lines were selected as resistant to leaf blight based on the area under the diseases progress curve (AUDPC) under both irrigated timely sown (ITS) and irrigated late sown (ILS) conditions. Forty-two genotypes were found completely free from leaf rust infection, 59 genotypes were identified as resistant, and 13 genotypes were identified as moderately resistant to leaf rust. Eighteen genotypes were immune against wheat blast, 42 genotypes were categorized as resistant, and 26 genotypes were identified as moderately resistant to wheat blast. Molecular data revealed that the 16 genotypes showed a positive 2NS segment among the 18 immune genotypes selected against wheat blast under field conditions. The genotypes BAW 1322, BAW 1295, and BAW 1203 can be used as earlier maturing genotypes and the genotypes BAW 1372, BAW 1373, BAW 1297 and BAW 1364 can be used for lodging tolerant due to short plant height. The genotypes WMRI Gom 1, BAW 1349 and BAW 1350 can be selected for bold grain and the genotypes WMRI Gom 1, BAW 1297, BAW 1377 can be used as high yielder for optimum seeding condition but genotypes BAW 1377 and BAW 1366 can be used for late sown condition. The selected resistant genotypes against specific diseases can be used in the further breeding program to develop wheat varieties having higher disease resistance and yield potential.     

Wheat sprout extract-induced apoptosis in human cancer cells by proteasomes modulation

Natural occurring modulators of proteasome functionality are extensively investigated for their implication in cancer therapy. On the basis of our previous evidences both on proteasomal inhibition by monomeric polyphenols, and on the characterization of wheat sprout hydroalcoholic extract, herein we thoroughly report on a comparative study of the effect of wheat sprout extract on both normal and tumour cells. Treatment of isolated 20S proteasomes with wheat sprout extracts induced a gradual inhibition of all proteasome activities. Next, two wheat sprout extract components were separated: a polyphenol and a protein fraction. Both components exerted an in vitro inhibitory effect on proteasome activity. HeLa tumour cells and FHs 74 Int normal cells were exposed to both fractions, resulting in different rates of proteasome inhibition, with tumour cells showing a significantly higher degree of proteasome impairment and apoptosis induction. Furthermore, a decrease in proteasome activities and in cell survival of the human plasmacytoma RPMI 8226 cell line, upon the same treatments, was observed. Collectively, our results provide additional evidences supporting the possible use of natural extracts as coadjuvants in cancer treatments.