A growth stage key for winter linseed (Linum usitatissimum)

A growth key for use in winter linseed Linum usitatissimum is described. The decimal key is based upon the principles outlined by the BBCH scale. This scale covers the following main development stages in winter linseed: germination and emergence, leaf development, basal branching, stem extension, inflorescence development and emergence, flowering and capsule formation, development of the seed and capsule, capsule and seed ripening and stem senescence. These are subdivided into secondary stages. The key aims to provide farmers and advisers with clear guidance on appropriate growth stages for treatment of winter linseed crops and its' use is discussed with particular reference to agro-chemicals. Botanical illustrations are presented, based on samples taken from winter linseed crops covering the main growth stages.     

Changes of the Protein Synthesis System during the Maturation of Potato Tubers

Respiratory activity, RNA contents and protein synthesis capacity of isolated ribosomes of tubers of Solanum tuberosum, cv. Tonda di Berlino, at progressive stages of development have been determined. In the immature, still growing tubers, respiration steadily decreases with the increase of fresh weight. The entering into dormancy of the tubers collected when immature corresponds to a rapid drop of respiration to the values characteristic of mature tubers. The RNA contents per tuber increase progressively during maturation. A decrease of the RNA contents per tuber (ca. 50 %) is observed in the period between the moment of harvesting and the end of dormancy. The endogenous capacity of isolated ribosomes to carry on amino acid polymerization strongly decreases during tuber development, while the activity supported by polyuridilic acid remains almost unchanged when measured at optimum Mg²⁺ concentrations, and becomes larger for the more mature tubers at superoptimum Mg²⁺ concentrations. These changes of the protein synthesis system during tuber development are compared with those occurring during seed maturation.     

Proteomic analysis of the potato tuber life cycle

The tuber of potato (Solanum tuberosum) is commonly used as a model for underground storage organs. In this study, changes in the proteome were followed from tuberization, through tuber development and storage into the sprouting phase. Data interrogation using principal component analysis was able to clearly discriminate between the various stages of the tuber life cycle. Moreover, five well-defined protein expression patterns were found by hierarchical clustering. Altogether 150 proteins showing highly significant differences in abundance between specific stages in the life cycle were highlighted; 59 of these were identified. In addition, 50 proteins with smaller changes in abundance were identified, including several novel proteins. Most noticeably, the development process was characterized by the accumulation of the major storage protein patatin isoforms and enzymes involved in disease and defense reactions. Furthermore, enzymes involved in carbohydrate and energy metabolism and protein processing were associated with development but decreased during tuber maturation. These results represent the first comprehensive picture of many proteins involved in the tuber development and physiology.     

Detection of immunologically related Kunitz and Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitors expressed during potato tuber development

Antiserum against a potato Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor (PKPI) expressed in Escherichia coli was produced. In immunoblotting assays of proteins from potato tubers cultured in vitro, three proteins reacted to the antiserum, two of 20 kDa and one of 10 kDa. Their N-termini were sequenced. While the 20 kDa proteins showed 59 and 90% identity to PKPI, the 10 kDa one had 65% identity to soybean C-II proteinase inhibitor. Characterization of the temporal expression of these proteins showed that both could be detected from 10 days after induction of tuberization (DAI) in vitro, but the times when maximum amounts of PKPI and 10 kDa protein could be detected were different, corresponding to 22 and 32 DAI, respectively. The amounts of these proteins decreased in the following stages, and no positive reaction of the antiserum with mature tuber proteins could be found. The 20 kDa proteins were also detected in early stages of development of potato tubers grown in the field, indicating that these proteins are expressed during normal tuber development, and differ from the PKPIs reported previously.     

What determines emergence and net recruitment in an early succession plant community? Disentangling biotic and abiotic effects

Question: How do different regeneration scenarios shape species composition at two stages of plant community establishment (emergence and net recruitment) in an early succession? Location: Northern Spain. Methods: In a recently ploughed field, we created eight regeneration scenarios with light, water and nitrogen availability (five replicates each). Seedlings of all species were monitored from emergence to death during one year. Abiotic and biotic variables were measured per quadrat, i.e. soil texture, nutrient contents, seed bank densities and composition, neighbour plant species densitiy and cover. We used partial ordination methods in order to separate the effect of each environmental variable on species composition during emergence and adult net recruitment. Results: Light treatment determined annual plant density at time of emergence and recruitment, while water addition controlled the recruitment of perennials. Resource levels explained the emerged species composition; this effect was not translated into the recruited species composition. N‐addition and N + water addition were strongly associated to species abundances at the time of emergence. Seedling composition in summer was correlated with seed abundance of Cerastium spp. Neighbour species density and cover (mainly Arrhenatherum bulbosum, Agropyron repens and Picris echioides) explained significant fractions of species composition in the emergence and recruitment of the different cohorts. Interactions between species seem to vary in intensity among cohorts and in the key plant species that determined species abundance along succession. Conclusions: Our scenarios exerted contrasting and multilevel effects on the development of our early succession community. Resource availability differently affected plant density and species composition at different life stages. It is relevant to consider different life stages in plant community studies. However, regeneration conditions and other abiotic factors are not enough to explain how community composition varies.     

Phytohormone Profiling During Tuber Development of Chinese Yam by Ultra-high performance Liquid Chromatography–Triple Quadrupole Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Changes in agronomic characters and the profile of various endogenous phytohormones during tuber development were studied in Dioscorea opposite (Chinese yam) cv. Guihuai 16. Tuber development exhibited a sigmoidal growth pattern according to the changes in tuber agronomic characters. The growth cycle of yam tuber could be divided into three stages: initiation stage, enlargement stage, and maturation stage. Moreover, the enlargement stage could be separated into three phases—slow growth phase, rapid growth phase, and late growth phase. Endogenous changes in phytohormones were associated with developmental changes in the tubers. The pulses of bioactive gibberellins (such as GA₃ and GA₄) were measured in tubers. The highest contents of GA₃ and GA₄ were reached 90 days after field planting, corresponding to the beginning of the rapid growth phase of tuber enlargement. Changes in trans-zeatin (tZ), jasmonic acid (JA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and abscisic acid (ABA) levels were also observed, and seemed to be related to tuber enlargement at different phases. Continuous increases in JA and tZ contents accompanied tuber enlargement. Transient pulses of both IAA and ABA contents were also observed at the start of tuber rapid growth. Additionally, a second peak level of IAA was detected at the tuber maturation stage. These results suggest GAs play a key role at the beginning of the tuber rapid growth stage, and there is a close relationship between whole tuber enlargement and the contents of JA and tZ. Moreover, it is suggested that IAA and ABA also may be linked to the beginning of tuber rapid growth, and IAA also seems to be correlated to late tuber maturation.     

Phospholipid and phospholipase changes by jasmonic acid during stolon to tuber transition of potato

Potato tuber formation starts with the stolon swelling and is regulated by jasmonates. The cascade of events leading to tuber formation is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate phospholipid composition and phospholipase activities during four stages of stolon-to-tuber transition of Solanum tuberosum L., cv. Spunta, and involvement of phosphatidic acid (PA) in stolon cell expansion during early stages. Effects of jasmonic acid (JA) treatment on phospholipid content and activation of phospholipase D (PLD) (EC 3.1.4.4) and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate-specific phospholipase C (PIP₂-PLC) (EC 3.1.4.3) were studied in the early stages (first stage, hooked apex stolon; second stage, initial swelling stolon) of tuberization. All the phospholipid species identified, phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), PA, and cardiolipin (CL), decreased as tuber formation progressed. PLD and PLC were activated in control tissues at an early stage. JA treatment caused a decrease of PC and PS in first stage stolons, accumulation of PA in second stage stolons, and modification of PLD and PLC activities. PA increased stolon cell area in the first and second stages. These findings indicate that phospholipid catabolism is activated from the early stages of tuber formation, and that JA treatment modifies the pattern of phospholipid (PC, PS, and PA) composition and phospholipase (PLD and PLC) activity. These phospholipids therefore may play a role in activation of an intracellular mechanism that switches the developmental fate of stolon meristem cells, causing differentiation into a tuber.     

Characterization of gene expression during potato tuber development in individuals and populations using the luciferase reporter system

Analysis of gene expression and enzyme activity in pooled tuber samples has previously indicated different developmental events occurring in a fixed sequential order during tuber development, starting with the up-regulation of starch synthesis then induction of protein storage followed by cell division and cell enlargement. In this report we analysed in vivo promoter activity of genes related to cell division and storage of reserves during tuber development in individual in vitro tubers, using the non invasive firefly luciferase reporter system. The average activity of the storage related promoters (AGPaseS and Pat21) was up-regulated prior to visible swelling, while the average activity of both cell cycle genes (cycB1;1 and CDC2a) showed an up-regulation after the onset of swelling. However, this novel system allowed expression analysis in individual tubers, which showed a variable up-regulation of both storage genes in relation to the moment of swelling, from 4 days before to 10 days after the onset of swelling. We conclude that during the first stages of tuber development, the moment of storage gene induction is independent from swelling. These results indicate that the developmental program of potato tubers does not consist of a fixed sequential order of events, but consists of independent developmental programs (storage and swelling), together resulting in the formation of a potato tuber. It is concluded that analysis of developmental programs by studying individuals may result in new insights, possibly obscured when using pooled samples.     

Protein kinase activity in different stages of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) microtuberization

In vitro culture was used to study morphogenetic aspects of the tuberization process under controlled conditions in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants. This paper accurately defines four stages of tuber development and their correlation to external morphological characteristics and histological structures. Protein kinase activity, assayed in each stage using Historic HAS as substrate, was differentially expressed during the tuberization process. Phosphorylation was maximum in the first stages of tuber formation. The incorporation of [³²PO₄ ^–1] to endogenous peptides containing serine/threonine amino acidic residues followed the same pattern that the protein kinase activity did.Abbreviations EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - EGTA ethylenebis (oxyethylenenitrilo) tetraacetic acid - MOPS 4-morpholine-propanesulfonic acid     

麦冬与山麦冬块根形态发育的比较研究

采用石蜡切片法,对不同发育阶段的麦冬和山麦冬块根进行了显微观察,结果表明麦冬和山麦冬块根均是在不定根的根尖部位形成,其生长发育主要依靠皮层细胞层数的增加和皮层细胞体积的增大来实现,但在麦冬与山麦冬中,两者在块根膨大中所起的作用有所不同:皮层细胞层数的增加和皮层细胞体积的增大在麦冬块根膨大的过程中均起着重要作用,而在山麦冬块根膨大的过程中则以皮层细胞层数的增加为主,皮层细胞体积的增大为辅。     

山药异淀粉酶基因克隆及其在淀粉代谢中的作用北大核心CSCD

为了明确异淀粉酶基因(ISA 3)在山药淀粉代谢中的作用,该研究以‘毕克齐’和‘大和长芋’山药为试验材料,测定了块茎中淀粉及组分含量和异淀粉酶活性等;采用RT-PCR技术克隆了ISA 3,并进行生物学分析及山药块茎不同膨大期和不同组织间ISA 3基因的表达等。结果表明:(1)山药‘大和长芋’的直链淀粉、支链淀粉和总淀粉含量均显著高于‘毕克齐’,且两品种的淀粉含量随生长发育的变化均呈先升高后降低的趋势,并均于种植后120 d时达到最高,但‘毕克齐’的异淀粉酶(ISA)活性在整个膨大期均高于‘大和长芋’。(2)成功克隆获得山药ISA 3开放阅读框长1584 bp,编码527个氨基酸;ISA3为亲水性蛋白。(3)不同品种块茎在膨大时期的ISA 3基因表达趋势不同,‘毕克齐’中呈先显著上调随后下调,而在‘大和长芋’中表达总体下调,且在山药的叶、茎和块茎中均有表达,存在明显的组织特异性。(4)ISA活性与山药淀粉及支链淀粉含量呈显著和极显著正相关关系,但ISA活性与ISA 3的表达量呈负相关关系。研究表明,异淀粉酶参与了山药块茎中淀粉的合成,且主要对支链淀粉的合成起关键作用,ISA 3基因的表达可能对异淀粉酶活性和淀粉的合成起负调控作用。     

Differential maturation of rhythmic clock gene expression during early development in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

One key challenge for the field of chronobiology is to identify how circadian clock function emerges during early embryonic development. Teleosts such as the zebrafish are ideal models for studying circadian clock ontogeny since the entire process of development occurs ex utero in an optically transparent chorion. Medaka (Oryzias latipes) represents another powerful fish model for exploring early clock function with, like the zebrafish, many tools available for detailed genetic analysis. However, to date there have been no reports documenting circadian clock gene expression during medaka development. Here we have characterized the expression of key clock genes in various developmental stages and in adult tissues of medaka. As previously reported for other fish, light dark cycles are required for the emergence of clock gene expression rhythms in this species. While rhythmic expression of per and cry genes is detected very early during development and seems to be light driven, rhythmic clock and bmal expression appears much later around hatching time. Furthermore, the maturation of clock function seems to correlate with the appearance of rhythmic expression of these positive elements of the clock feedback loop. By accelerating development through elevated temperatures or by artificially removing the chorion, we show an earlier onset of rhythmicity in clock and bmal expression. Thus, differential maturation of key elements of the medaka clock mechanism depends on the developmental stage and the presence of the chorion.     

A crosstalk of auxin and GA during tuber development

Several hormones have been studied for their effect on tuber initiation and development. Until recently, the hormone with the most prominent role in tuber initiation was attributed to GA. Genes involved in GA degradation do exhibit an upregulated profile during early stages of tuber development, leading to a rapid decrease of active GA content, thereby facilitating stolon-tip swelling. While GA is known to be involved in shoot and stolon elongation, the development of the new tuberorgan requires changes in meristem identity and the reorientation ofthe plane of cell division. In other developmental processes, such as embryo patterning, flower development and lateral root initiation auxin plays a key role. Recent evidence on the involvement of auxin in tuber formation was providedby the measurement of auxin content in swelling stolons. Auxin content in the stolon tips increased several fold prior to tuber swelling. In vitro tuberisation experiments with auxin applications support the role of auxin during tuber initiation. Taken together, it is becoming clear that the initiation and induction of tubers in potato is a developmental process that appears to be regulated by a crosstalk between GA and auxin.     

Life history and population dynamics of the Japanese Yam,Dioscorea japonica thunb.

Shoot morphology at the emergence ofDioscorea japonica Thumb. could be classed into the following three types: (1) a seedling emergence with only one leaf (Se type), (2) a plant consisting of one stem and one leaf, which has emerged from a small tuber (rhizophore) or bulbil less than 50 mg in dry weight (S type) and (3) a twiner with many leaves, which has emerged from a tuber or a bulbil of more than 50 mg in dry weight (L type). The Se type failed to develop beyond the second leaf stage in 1.5% sunlight exposure. The effects of initial plant (seeds, bulbils and tubers) size and light intensity on plant growth were analyzed. The larger the initial plant size was, the greater the growth in height and leaf area was. The distribution ratio of assimilated substances in leaves was high in smaller plants at the early growth stage. The distribution ratio in the tubers of larger plants became high at the early stage of growth. In all three types at over 3% sunlight exposure, the switch-over from the vegetative to reproductive growth phase occurred simultaneously at a later growth stage, but the Se type at 1.5% sunlight exposure showed a very early switch-over in its development; this switch-over may be related to shade tolerance capacity. The L type showed shade avoidance by forming a large productive structure as a twiner