Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on yield and quality of Capsicum annum L.

In the present study, intensive investigation was made on the effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF) of Codium decorticatum on the seed germination yield biochemical and pigment characteristic of Capsium annum under laboratory conditions and in pots. Different concentrations such as 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of SLF were prepared using distilled water. The seeds were soaked in 10 h for each SLF concentration then placed in separate Petri plates. Similarly, water soaked seeds were used as controls. Application of a lower concentration (20%) of SLF Showed maximum seed germination, fresh weight, dry weight, root and shoot length, number of branches, leaf area, number of pods and content of total chlorophyll, chl a, and chl b, protein, carbohydrate and lipids were observed. Therefore, the results of the present study suggested that the SLF of C. decortianum could serve as an alternative bio-fertilizer as is eco-friendly, cost-effective, deliver substantial economic and environmental benefits to farmer.     

Preparation and properties of L-asparaginase from green chillies (Capsicum annum L.)

Green chillies(Capsicum annum L.) and tamarind (Tamarindus indica) contain appreciable amount of L-asparaginase. The enzyme was purified 400-fold from green chillies, by successive precipitations with ammonium sulphate and sodium sulphate, Sephadex-gel filtration and affinity chromatography and the purified enzyme was homogenous on gel electrophoresis. The enzyme exists in two forms, only one having antitumour activity. The purified enzyme has a molecular weight of 120,000 ±500. The N-terminal and the C-terminal amino acids are alanine and phenylalanine, respectively. The enzyme has a sharp optimum pH of 8.5 and a temperature optimum of 37‡C. It is stable upto 40‡C. The energy of activation is 3 kilo calories. The K_m value for the enzyme is 3.3. mm. The enzyme has little action on D-asparagine, which is a strong inhibitor. The enzyme has inseparable glutaminase ctivity and is thus an asparaginase—glutaminase. In addition, it possesses urease activity.     

A new method for hybrid seed production based on cytoplasmic male sterility combined with a lethal gene and a female sterile pollenizer in Capsicum annuum L.

Summary A new improved method for hybrid seed production was successfully tested. This method is based on using a cytoplasmic male sterile line possessing a lethal gene with action that can be easily inhibited and a female sterile pollenizer. The lethal gene ensures 100% purity of the F₁ crop. The female sterile pollenizer provides a permanent abundant flowering with excess of pollen grains that leads to increased hybrid seed production without additional labour expenses. The described scheme is applicable for other crops as well.     

Ion Imbalance in Capsicum annum scarbrous diminutive a Wilty Mutant of pepper: II.RUBIDIUM FLUX

Root tips of the wilty pepper mutant scarbrous diminutive accumulateless rubidium than those of the normal genotype. This phenomenonwas evident in root tips excised from plants maintained for2 d in CaSO₄ solution (low salt plants), especially in the lowerexternal concentration range (0.1– 1.0 mM) of RbCl. Theefflux rate of Rb⁺ from mutant root tips was twice as high asin normal root tips. These results indicate that the ability of the mutant rootsto absorb and accumulate Rb⁺ and K⁺ is impaired. This defectcould be a consequence of either an impaired Na⁺/K⁺ carriersystem, or increased leakiness of mutant membranes, or both. The fact that the normal roots can accumulate Rb⁺ much fasterthan mutant roots supports the first alternative, i.e. thatthe high affinity carrier system was impaired in the mutantroots. However, the higher efflux rate of Rb⁺ from the mutantroots suggests that membrane leakiness was also affected.     

Differential Reprogramming of Defense Network in Capsicum annum L. Plants Against Colletotrichum truncatum Infection by Phyllospheric and Rhizospheric Trichoderma Strains

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Induction of defense response in host plants by the Trichoderma spp. has been attributed as one of the major mechanisms leading to inhibition of the pathogenic...     

Pathogenic Variability Among Isolates of Meloidogyne javanica on Capsicum annum

Meloidogyne javanica isolates were collected from nine districts of Uttar Pradesh. These isolates showed pathogenic variability when inoculated on the pepper cultivars California Wonder and Suryamukhi Green. Meloidogyne javanica that infected Suryamukhi Green but not California Wonder were designated as pepper race 1 and the populations that infected both the cultivars were designated pepper race 2. Race 1 was more frequent than race 2 in Almora, Pauri Garhwal, Basti, Gorakhpur, and Deoria, whereas race 2 was more frequent than race 1 in the Dehradun, Farrukhabad, Hardoi, and Sitapur districts. The overall frequencies were 70% and 30% for race 1 and race 2, respectively, in the study area.     

Characterization of gamma-tocopherol methyltransferases from Capsicum annuum L and Arabidopsis thaliana.

Tocopherols are essential micronutrients in human and animal nutrition due to their function as lipophilic antioxidants. They are exclusively synthesized by photosynthetic organisms including higher plants. Despite the attributed beneficial health effects and many industrial applications, research on the tocopherol biosynthetic pathway and its regulation in plants is still limited. In the work presented here we performed a detailed biochemical characterization of a gamma-tocopherol methyltransferase (gamma-TMT) from Arabidopsis thaliana and of a gamma-TMT purified from Capsicum annuum fruits, a tissue with high accumulation of tocopherols. The biochemical characteristics of both enzyme preparations were remarkably similar including substrate specificities. Both enzymes converted delta- and gamma- into beta- and alpha-tocopherol, respectively, but beta-tocopherol was not accepted as a substrate, pointing to a specific methylation at the C(5)-position of the tocopherol aromatic head group. A kinetic analysis performed with the Arabidopsis enzyme was consistent with an iso-ordered bi-bi type reaction mechanism. Our results emphasize the role of gamma-TMT in regulating the spectrum of accumulated tocopherols in plants.     

Development of the male and female gametophyte in Capsicum annuum L. var. California Wonder

The study of reproductive organs and their developmental stages during sporogenesis and gametogenesis is an important step for basic and applied sciences. In this order and to develop knowledge about Capsicum annuum L. (Solanaceae), flower buds in different developmental stages were investigated by light and scanning electron microscopy. The bell pepper bisexual flowers have homoantherous stamens with tetrasporangiate anthers. The pattern of anther wall formation is basic type, while previously described as dicotyledonous type. Microspore mother cells meiosis has simultaneous cytokinesis and tetrads are tetrahedral. Two-celled mature pollen grains are tricolporate with scabrate ornamentation. The gynoecium is bicarpellate and epigynous, with hemianatropous, unitegmic and tenuinucellate ovules. After megaspore mother cell meiosis, cytokinesis is simultaneous. The chalazal megaspore of the linear tetrad functions as the functional megaspore. Embryo sac development is of monosporic Polygonum type and consists of seven cells. We give the first reproductive calendar for the species that allows prognostication of gametogenesis on the basis of sporophytic parameters related to reproductive organ development and floral bud form and size. Some of these developmental characteristics should be useful for comparative studies and investigation of phylogenetic relationships within Solanaceae family.     

Identification of a male sterile gene Ms in Brassica rapa L.

Molecular Breeding - Flowering time is an important agronomic trait, which is of great significance to the plant growth process. Salicylic acid (SA) is a key hormone that regulates plant growth and...     

Characterization and gene mapping of a chlorophyll-deficient mutant clm1 of Triticum monococcum L.

Diploid wheat Triticum monococcum L. is a model plant for wheat functional genomics. Chlorophyll-deficient mutant (clm1) was identified during manual screening of the ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS)-treated M₂ progenies of T. monococcum accession pau14087 in the field. The clm1 mutant, due to significantly decreased chlorophyll content compared with the wild-type (WT), exhibited pale yellow leaves which slowly recovered to green before flowering. The clm1 mutant showed early flowering, reduced number of tillers, trichome length and density, and different shape as compared with the WT. At the same time, clm1 mutant culm had more chlorophyll-containing parenchymatous tissues compared to WT, presumably to absorb more sunlight for photosynthesis. Genetic analysis indicated that the clm1 mutation was monogenic recessive. The clm1 mutant was mapped between Xgwm473 and Xwmc96 SSR markers, with genetic distances of 2.1 and 2.6 cM, respectively, on the 7A^mL chromosome.     

Characterization of a candidate bcl-1 gene.

The t(11;14)(q13;q32) translocation has been associated with human B-lymphocytic malignancy. Several examples of this translocation have been cloned, documenting that this abnormality joins the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene to the bcl-1 locus on chromosome 11. However, the identification of the bcl-1 gene, a putative dominant oncogene, has been elusive. In this work, we have isolated genomic clones covering 120 kb of the bcl-1 locus. Probes from the region of an HpaII-tiny-fragment island identified a candidate bcl-1 gene. cDNAs representing the bcl-1 mRNA were cloned from three cell lines, two with the translocation. The deduced amino acid sequence from these clones showed bcl-1 to be a member of the cyclin gene family. In addition, our analysis of expression of bcl-1 in an extensive panel of human cell lines showed it to be widely expressed except in lymphoid or myeloid lineages. This observation may provide a molecular basis for distinct modes of cell cycle control in different mammalian tissues. Activation of the bcl-1 gene may be oncogenic by directly altering progression through the cell cycle.     

Evaluation of neem (Azadirachta indica L.) products for the control of root-knot nematode of chilli pepper (Capsicum annum L.)

Chilli pepper is an important vegetable in the diet of Ghanaians but there are some constraints militating against increased production notable among which is nematode infestation. A study was therefore carried out at the plant house of the Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, Nyankpala to investigate the efficacy of neem products against root-knot nematode of chilli pepper (Capsicum annum L.). The treatments which included 20 g neem leaf powder, 20 g neem cake, 20 g neem seed powder and control were arranged in a completely randomised design with four replications. Neem products significantly reduced (p < 0.05) nematode population, with 20 g of neem leaf powder recording the highest reduction. Similarly, plants treated with neem leaf powder produced a significantly lower (p < 0.05) number of root galls compared to the other treatments. Neem leaf powder could be used as a nematicide for nematodes control as a replacement for synthetic nematicides.     

Osmotic relations during elongation growth in hypocotyls of Helianthus annum L.

The relationship between growth, change in cell osmotic pressure and accumulation of osmotic solutes was investigated in hypocotyls of sunflower (Helianthus annum L.) seedlings. During growth in darkness the osmotic pressure decreased by 50% between days 2 and 6 after sowing. After irradiation of dark-grown seedlings with continuous white light (WL) an inhibition of hypocotyl growth was measured, but the osmotic pressure of the growing cells was not lower than in the dark-grown control. Growth in darkness and after WL irradiation was accompanied by an increase in the amount of osmotic substances (soluble sugars) which was proportional to the increase in length of the organ. During growth in continuous WL the cell osmotic pressure decreased by 45 % between days 2 and 6 after sowing. The transfer of WL-grown seedlings to darkness (“re-etiolation”) resulted in a rapid acceleration of hypocotyl growth, but the cell osmotic pressure was the same as that of the WL grown control. Growth in continuous WL was accompanied by a corresponding accumulation of osmotic substances (soluble sugars). The transition from WL to darkness resulted in an enhanced accumulation of osmotica and an increase in cell-wall extensibility. The results indicate that the relative maintenance of cell osmotic pressure during rapid hypocotyl growth in darkness is caused by an enhanced accumulation of soluble sugars into the growing cells of the organ.     

表达羊传染性脓疱病毒F1L基因的重组山羊痘病毒的构建与特性鉴定

【目的】本文旨在构建可表达羊传染性脓疱病毒F1L基因的重组山羊痘病毒,并对其生物学特性进行初步研究。【方法】将羊传染性脓疱病毒F1L基因与转移载体pUC-TK12连接,同时插入LacZ报告基因和一双向启动子;将重组转移载体转染已接种山羊痘病毒的BHK-21细胞,通过蓝白斑筛选、纯化,对重组病毒进行连续传代培养,应用PCR、间接免疫荧光和Western免疫印迹等方法进行鉴定,并对重组病毒进行不同温度、酸碱度、有机溶剂和紫外照射等处理,进行TCID50评价。rGpv-F1L免疫小鼠后,经酶联免疫吸附实验检测其特异性抗体水平。【结果】成功构建重组病毒转移载体pTL-F1L,将转移载体转染BHK-21细胞后,通过蚀斑纯化获得了可稳定遗传的rGpv-F1L。间接免疫荧光和Western免疫印迹检测发现其可稳定表达F1L蛋白。55℃30min或紫外照射1h即可灭活重组病毒,且其对强酸、强碱、有机溶剂等较敏感。接种重组山羊痘病毒的小鼠40d内机体可持续产生高水平的特异性抗体,与接种Gpv病毒组相比差异极显著(P0.01)。【结论】本文获得了可稳定表达羊传染性脓疱病毒F1L的重组山羊痘病毒疫苗候选株,其具有良好的抗原性和生物学活性,为同时预防羊传染性脓疱病和羊痘提供新途径。     

辣椒细胞质雄性不育花药败育及淀粉粒分布的细胞学观察

用PAS反应对辣椒细胞质雄性不育系8214A和保持系8214B花药中的淀粉粒分布进行研究.在减数分裂前,保持系花药与不育系花药的结构和淀粉粒分布相似.保持系花药减数分裂后,药壁绒毡层细胞开始液泡化并体积增大,在药隔薄壁细胞中积累了许多较小的淀粉粒;在小孢子晚期,绒毡层细胞退化,在药隔薄壁细胞中淀粉粒体积增大;在二胞花粉时期,随着花粉大液泡的消失花粉中出现淀粉粒;花粉成熟时,其细胞质中积累了丰富的淀粉粒.不育系花药减数分裂后,由于药室腔的空间不能扩大,四分体被挤压在一起,最终四分体小孢子败育.不育花药的维管组织发育正常,但较多的淀粉粒积累在药隔薄壁细胞中.该种辣椒雄性不育系中.花粉的败育发生在四分体时期.绒毡层细胞结构异常可能影响糖类物质向药室的正常转运.该种辣椒雄性不育系的绒毡层异常与花粉败育有关.     

Characterization of a new TSPY gene family member in Yq (TSPYq1)

We investigated subinterval 6E on the human Y chromosome, a region frequently deleted in infertile males. YAC yOX17, mapped within subinterval 6E by STS-PCR, was analyzed for the presence of new genes. TSPYq1, a member of the TSPY multi-copy gene family, was isolated and characterized from a yOX17 cosmid subclone. PCR and FISH analysis performed on normal subjects and on patients with microdeletions of Yq suggested the presence of multiple copies of TSPY in Yq.