Morphological Response of Witchweed (Striga asiatica) to In Vitro Culture

Excised sorghum root segments (5–10 mm in length) werecultured for 50 d in four different liquid media containingmineral salts, vitamins, amino acids, glucose, and IAA. Theroots were removed and the remaining medium was solidified withan equal volume of warm 1–6% water agar. Dry unconditionedor conditioned Striga asiatica seeds were transferred to themedium. Some of the seeds germinated and developed into parasitic-typeseedlings. These seedlings had haustoria, tubercles, dense roothairs, branched shoots, and multiple shoot-borne adventitiousroots. The plumule pole developed into a shoot, but the radiclepole displayed only rudimentary development. On the same media,but which had not previously been used to grow sorghum roots,the seedlings displayed a well-developed radicle-derived rootsystem, but the plumule did not grow. Shoots began to appearon the roots only after 35–50 d of culture. These seedlingshad no haustoria, no tubercles, few or scattered root hairs,no shoot-borne adventitious roots and few shoot branches, andappeared to be non-parasitic-type seedlings. Shoots grew ina medium supplemented with IAA and kinetin, but did not in amedium containing NAA plus IBA. On replacement of glucose andIAA with sucrose and 2,4-D, respectively, Striga seeds germinated,and the heart-shaped embryos dedifferentiated into calli. Thecalli have been maintained by subculturing for over 9 months.The results demonstrated that a host signal, in addition tothose for germination and haustorium formation, is requiredfor further development. Moreover, morphogenesis of culturedS. asiatica is influenced by exogenous growth regulators. Key words: Striga asiatica, parasitic weeds, haustoria, Sorghum bicolor, in vitro culture     

Genotype and phenotype associations with drought tolerance in barley tested in North Africa

A review is presented of genetic strategies deployed in a 3-yr project on drought tolerance in barley. Data were collected on genetic, physiological and agronomic traits in non-irrigated and irrigated field trials in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. A wide range of barley germplasm (developed from African and European cultivars, adapted landraces and wild barleys) was tested, and positive traits were found in each gene pool. The contrasting environments of the three North African countries had major effects on plant/genotype performance. Genetic effects were also detected, as were genotype × environment interactions. A range of strategies were deployed to investigate the physiology and genetics of quantitative traits associated with field performance. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis was performed using backcross lines, recombinant inbred lines and doubled haploid mapping populations. A detailed genetic map was generated in the Tadmor × (ER/Apm) recombinant inbred lines, an important mapping population specifically developed by ICARDA (Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas) and CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) to study drought. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for grain yield and other important morphological and physiological traits were also identified in a population of doubled haploids derived from F2BCj plants from a cross between a cultivar and a wild barley accession. Significantly, the wild parental line was found to contribute a number of positive alleles for yield. Effects of major developmental genes could explain many of the responses observed. QTLs were found to cluster around major genes controlling flowering time (sghI), plant stature (sdwI and arie.GP) and ear type (vrsl), and it is highly likely that the associations represent pleiotropic effects. Some QTLs were associated with candidate genes such as dehydrins and rubisco activase. One of the most significant results was the identification and generation of material that out performed the best local standards in the three participating North African countries; the selected lines have now entered local breeding programmes. The strategies adopted provided information on physiological traits, genotypes and genetic markers that could be used for marker-assisted selection. Target QTLs and their associated genetic markers may be deployed in marker assisted selection programmes to match crop phenology to the field environment.     

CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR RESEARCH ETHICS WORKSHOPS FOR COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

To help ensure the ethical conduct of research, many have recommended educational efforts in research ethics to investigators and members of research ethics committees (RECs). One type of education activity involves multi‐day workshops in research ethics. To be effective, such workshops should contain the appropriate content and teaching techniques geared towards the learning styles of the targeted audiences. To ensure consistency in content and quality, we describe the development of a curriculum guide, core competencies and associated learning objectives and activities to help educators organize research ethics workshops in their respective institutions. The curriculum guide is divided into modular units to enable planners to develop workshops of different lengths and choose content materials that match the needs, abilities, and prior experiences of the target audiences. The content material in the curriculum guide is relevant for audiences in the Middle East, because individuals from the Middle East who participated in a Certificate Program in research ethics selected and developed the training materials (e.g., articles, powerpoint slides, case studies, protocols). Also, many of the activities incorporate active‐learning methods, consisting of group work activities analyzing case studies and reviewing protocols. The development of such a workshop training curriculum guide represents a sustainable educational resource to enhance research ethics capacity in the Middle East.     

Population genomics of wild and laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Understanding a wider range of genotype–phenotype associations can be achieved through ecological and evolutionary studies of traditional laboratory models. Here, we conducted the first large‐scale geographic analysis of genetic variation within and among wild zebrafish (Danio rerio) populations occurring in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, and we genetically compared wild populations to several commonly used lab strains. We examined genetic variation at 1832 polymorphic EST‐based single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the cytb mitochondrial gene in 13 wild populations and three lab strains. Natural populations were subdivided into three major mitochondrial DNA clades with an average among‐clade sequence divergence of 5.8%. SNPs revealed five major evolutionarily and genetically distinct groups with an overall F_ST of 0.170 (95% CI 0.105–0.254). These genetic groups corresponded to discrete geographic regions and appear to reflect isolation in refugia during past climate cycles. We detected 71 significantly divergent outlier loci (3.4%) and nine loci (0.5%) with significantly low F_ST values. Valleys of reduced heterozygosity, consistent with selective sweeps, surrounded six of the 71 outliers (8.5%). The lab strains formed two additional groups that were genetically distinct from all wild populations. An additional subset of outlier loci was consistent with domestication selection within lab strains. Substantial genetic variation that exists in zebrafish as a whole is missing from lab strains that we analysed. A combination of laboratory and field studies that incorporates genetic variation from divergent wild populations along with the wealth of molecular information available for this model organism provides an opportunity to advance our understanding of genetic influences on phenotypic variation for a vertebrate species.     

Naturally occurring Trichogramma species in olive farms in Egypt

A survey of two-year studies (2001-2003) was carried out in two olive groves sited at two representative olive growing areas, namely Paradise Park (arid area) and Burg E1-Arab farm (semi-arid area) to monitor the frequency of endemic Trichogramma species on olive moth (Prays oleae) and jasmine moth (Palpita unionalis). The suspended host bait traps were found to be a more practical and effective tool for collecting Trichogramma wasps than the attached ones. Four naturally occurring Trichogramma species were collected for the first time in Egypt from the olive groves, where releases have never been conducted. T.bourarachae was collected exclusively from Burg El-Arab farm. It seems that this wasp species adapts well to the semi-arid area. Three species, namely T. cordubensis, T. nr.pretiosum and T. cacociae were isolated from Paradise Park farm. All of these wasps were also bred from naturally parasitized host eggs during favorable and even at unfavorable temperature conditions of June-August. However, these endemic species did not occur naturally in sufficient numbers to keep the pest populations from reaching damaging levels.The excessive usage of insecticides and the oophagous predators (e.g., ants and lacewing larvae) are some factors that affect the performance of Trichogramma wasps in olive farms.The presence of warm weather wasp strains suggests the existence of well-adapted wasp species or swains which may be appropriate candidates for the control of target pests in olive groves. Additional study is required to determine the best “habitat-specific” species/strains of Trichogramma for augmentative release of naturally occurring wasps and to incorporate them into integrated pest management programs. Efforts should be made to conserve these endemic species from oophagous predators, hot weather and insecticides.The olive and jasmine moth-larvae and pupae found under tree canopies were bred and emerged parasitoids were listed.     

The role of nitric oxide in cancer

Nitric oxide (NO) is a pleiotropic regulator, critical to numerous biological processes, including va-sodilatation, neurotransmission and macrophage-mediated immunity. The family of nitric oxide synthases (NOS) comprises inducible NOS (iNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS), and neuronal NOS (nNOS). Interestingly, various studies have shown that all three isoforms can be involved in promoting or inhibiting the etiology of cancer. NOS activity has been detected in tumour cells of various histogenetic origins and has been associated with tumour grade, proliferation rate and expression of important signaling components associated with cancer development such as the oestrogen receptor. It appears that high levels of NOS expression (for example, generated by activated macrophages) may be cytostatic or cytotoxic for tumor cells, whereas low level activity can have the opposite effect and promote tumour growth. Paradoxically therefore, NO (and related reactive nitrogen species) may have both genotoxic and angiogenic pro     

Determination of genetic relationships among elite thermosensitive genic male sterile lines (TGMS) of rice (Oryza sativa L.) employing morphological and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

A set of morphological traits and SSR markers were used to determine the genetic relationship among 12 elite thermosensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) lines developed at three different research institutions of India. Agro-morphological data recorded on 20 morphological traits revealed a wide base of genetic variation and a set of four morphological traits could distinguish most of the TGMS lines. Analysis with 30 SSR markers (20 EST-SSRs and 10 genomic SSRs) revealed 27 markers to be polymorphic, amplifying a total of 83 alleles. Each SSR marker amplified 2-6 alleles with an average of 2.76 alleles per marker and a PIC value varying from 0.54 to 0.96. Cluster analysis based on SSR and morphological data clearly differentiated the lines according to their source of origin. Correlation analysis between morphological and molecular data revealed a very poor association (r = 0.06), which could be attributed to selection pressure, genetic drift, sampling error and unknown relationship among related lines. The SSR markers discriminated the genotypes distinctly and quantified the genetic diversity precisely among the TGMS lines. Data on the yield per plant indicated that the genotypes grouping under a similar cluster showed same heterotic behaviour as compared to the genotypes from different clusters when crossed to similar pollinators.     

养殖污水直灌对稻田土壤氮、磷积累与垂直迁移的影响

尽管国内外对养殖污水处理已提出了一系列的工艺技术,但因经济原因养殖污水直接灌溉农田在我国农村地区仍较为常见.为了解长期畜禽养殖污水直灌对稻田土壤质量的影响,在浙江省绍兴市柯桥区选择了养殖污水直灌不同年限(0、4、7、13年)的稻田,比较研究了养殖污水直接灌溉对稻田土壤不同深度土层中各形态氮和磷含量的影响,探讨了长期养殖污水灌溉对氮、磷在土壤剖面中垂直迁移的影响.结果表明: 长期养殖污水直接灌溉可显著提高稻田土壤中氮和磷的积累,积累量随灌溉年限的增长而增加,其中磷素的增幅高于氮素.养殖污水灌溉4、7和13年后,土壤表层中全P和全N分别比对照增加了43.6%、95.2%、1484%和7.7%、17.0%、28.4%.土壤氮素的变化为NH₄⁺-N、NO₃^--N>酸解有机氮>非酸解有机氮;土壤有效磷的变化明显大于全磷.长期养殖污水灌溉可促进氮、磷在土壤剖面中的垂直迁移,增加对地下水的污染风险.
     

Eimeria saudiensis N. Sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx) in Saudi Arabia

Oocysts of Eimeria saudiensis n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) are described from the feces of the Arabian oryx, Oryx leucoryx , from the Riyadh Zoo, Saudi Arabia. The oocysts were ellipsoidal or slightly ovoid, 31.2 times 24.5 (24.3–36.5 times 20.0–27.6) μm with a bilayered wall about 1.7 μm thick. The micropyle was covered by a dome-shaped cap. The oocyst residuum was absent, but tiny polar granules were present. The sporocysts were elongate ovoid, 14.3 times 7.2 (11.5–18.5 times 6.0–9.0) μm, had a Stieda body, but lacked a substiedal body. The sporocyst residuum was present, composed of numerous small granules. The sporozoites were elongate club-shaped, and contained two prominent refractile bodies.