In vitro culture of common mullein (Verbascum thapsus L.)

Summary Verbascum thapsus L. is a medicinal herb and has been used to treat inflammatory disease, asthma, spasmodic coughs and migraine headaches. Studies were initiated to establish an in vitro culture protocol for V. thapsus. Explants (leaf dises, petioles and roots) were cultured on Murashing and Skoog minimal organics (MSMO) medium with benzyladenine (BA) or kinetin. Best shoot proliferation was obtained from leaf dise and petiole explants at 13.32 μM BA. Leaf dises were cultured on MSMO medium with 13.32 μM BA in combination with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) or 2,4-dichlorphenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). More shoot development was obtained with 13.32 μM BA and 5.37 μM NAA. Shoots were transferred to rooting media containing different levels of NAA and 2,4-D. Most of the shoots formed roots on media with 5.37 μM NAA. Plants were transferred to vermiculite and subsequently to potting media and maintained in the greenhouse.     

The insect transmission of an isolate of okra mosaic virus occurring in Nigeria

Three species of chrysomelid beetles (Podagrica sjostedti, P. uniforma and Syagrus calcaratus) transmitted a Nigerian isolate of okra mosaic virus (OMV) to okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and green gram (Vigna aureus), two (P. uniforma and S. calcaratus) also to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and one (P. uniforma) also to cowpea. Using one viruliferous beetle per test plant, P. sjostedti, P. uniforma and S. calcaratus infected 63, 68 and 34% of test plants respectively. Virus was retained by these vectors for up to 6 days. Whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) also transmitted OMV, although much less efficiently than the beetle vectors.     

Some properties of the virus causing the mosaic of sweet peas in Czechoslovakia

Identification trials were carried out to determine what virus causes a mosaic disease of sweet peas in Czechoslovakia. The found properties of the identified sweet pea mosaic virus, the character of its transmission and its host range prove that sweet peas in Czechoslovakia are attacked by common pea mosaic virus (CPMV). Some insignificant differences in properties between our virus isolate and CPMV were observed in the course of the determination of properties of our virus isolate on various host plants. The possible existence of more strains of CPMV is discussed. The transmission of sweet pea mosaic to the plants ofPhaseolus vulgaris L. was negative. For this reason bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) was eliminated as a possible pathogen of our virus isolate. At the same time the indicator plantsChenopodium giganteum Don. andChenopodium guinoa Willd. with eight developed leaves were established to be most suitable for the determination of the properties of the isolate by the half-leaf test. The transmission of the virus isolate by seeds was not proved.     

A virus of tobacco rattle group naturally occurring inPlantago sp. in Czechoslovakia

The Czechoslovak isolate produced symptoms characteristic for viruses belonging to the rattle group. A virus variant comparable to Köhler's “Wintertyp” appeared to be present. Two predominant particle lengths of 90 and 191 nm were found in purified preparations. The virus reacted with Dutch TRV antiserum.     

Etiology of two virus diseases of lilac (Syringa vulgaris L.) occurring in Czechoslovakia

Virus origin of lilac ringspot and chlorotic ringspot of lilac was identified serologically by means of double gel diffusion method. The former of these diseases is due to Arabis mosaic virus, the latter to a mixture of Arabis mosaic virus and cherry leaf roll virus. The occurrence of these viruses has been detected for the first time in Czechoslovakia.     

The bilayer nature of deposits occurring in Gaucher's disease

Evidence is presented for the structure of the Gaucher cell deposit existing as a series of bilayers that are each 60 Å thick and are gradually twisted along their length. This evidence was obtained by freeze-etching studies and by X-ray diffraction studies that were used to calculate possible electron density profiles for each bilayer. A model is presented which shows the probable arrangement of the aggregated glucocerebroside molecules.     

The distribution ofVicia cassubica in Czechoslovakia

Vicia cassubica L. in Czechoslovakia belongs to the characteristic species of light decidous forests, especially oak forests, and of their edges, predominantly in the range of the Pannonian flora and in the adjacent regions.V. cassubica appears little variable both in Czechoslovakia and in its total distribution area.     

Evolution of growth but not structural or chemical defense in <Emphasis Type=Italic>Verbascum thapsus</Emphasis> (common mullein) following introduction to North America

Post-introduction evolution of increased growth or reproduction has been observed in many species of invasive plants; however, it is not consistently associated with a loss of defense, as predicted by the influential evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis. Inconsistent support for the EICA hypothesis likely reflects the fact that, although invasive plants are released from attack by some enemies, typically specialists, they often do not escape attack from generalists. Thus, different types of defense (e.g., structural versus chemical) may evolve in different directions following introduction. We used a common garden experiment to test whether a shift in allocation among defenses (as opposed to a simple increase or decrease in a single defense) is associated with increased growth in introduced Verbascum thapsus populations. Introduced populations had significantly greater shoot biomass than natives. However, root biomass was similar between ranges, and highly variable, resulting in only marginal differences in total biomass. Mean investment in all three defenses was remarkably similar between the native and introduced populations, providing no evidence for range-level, post-introduction evolution of defense. This finding was consistent with the fact that, despite significant population-level variability for all defenses, there was little evidence of trade-offs between growth and defense or among different types of defense. These results suggest that evolution of increased growth in V. thapsus is not fueled by decreased allocation to defense, and that selection on defense may vary more at the population scale than the continental scale.     

The in vivo anthelmintic efficacy of some Verbascum species growing in Turkey

Verbascum L. (Scrophulariaceae) species are used for desiccating wounds and as a fish poison in Anatolia as well as for diarrhea and dysentery of animals in several countries. To further evaluate their activity, methanolic extracts obtained from 13 Verbascum species growing in Turkey, including V. chionophyllum Hub.-Mor., V. cilicicum Boiss., V. dudleyanum (Hub.-Mor.) Hub.-Mor., V. lasianthum Boiss., V. latisepalum Hub.-Mor., V. mucronatum Lam., V. olympicum Boiss., V. pterocalycinum var. mutense Hub.-Mor., V. pycnostachyum Boiss. & Heldr., V. salviifolium Boiss., V. splendidum Boiss., V. stachydifolium Boiss. & Heldr. and V. uschackense (Murb.) Hub.-Mor. were evaluated for their in vivo anthelmintic activity. The extracts from V. lasianthum, V. latisepalum, V. mucronatum and V. salviifolum showed the highest inhibitory rates against Aspiculuris tetraptera at 100 mg/kg in mice. Additionally, extracts from V. dudleyanum and V. pterocalycinum var. mutense were found generally highly effective. The remaining species did not show any activity. Results of the present study support the utilization of these plant species employed in Turkish folk medicine.     

Consanguineous marriages in diocesis of Brno,Czechoslovakia

Summary The frequency of consanguineous marriages in our country which has been evaluated with regard to the corresponding time period does not differ on the whole from the data given for the European populations. The relatively higher frequency of consanguineous marriages in the years before the World War II was due to the greater endogamy among the German inhabitans especially in the frontier areas. The continuous decrease of the frequency of consanguineous marriages reveals the trend of our population to the panmixia. As the decrease of consanguinity rate in time is significant we recommend to use the data from the corresponding time period in calculating the genetic parameters.

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Zusammenfassung Die Häufigkeit von Verwandteneben in unserem Lande, die in Abhängigkeit von der Zeit zusammengestellt wurde, unterscheidet sich nicht von der Häufigkeit bei anderen europäischen Bevölkerungen. Die etwas höhere Häufigkeit in den Jahren vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg war auf eine höhere Endogamie in der deutschen Bevölkerung der Grenzgebiete zurückzuführen. Ein kontinuierlicher Abfall der Häufigkeit zeigt den Trend zur Panmixie in unserer Bevölkerung. Da dieser Abfall statistisch signifikant ist, empfehlen wir die Benutzung von Daten aus gleichen Zeitabschnitten für die Berechnung der genetischen Parameter.

     

Detection of yeast species also occurring in substrates associated with animals and identification of a novel dimorphic species in Verbascum flowers from Georgia

The molecular taxonomic analysis of yeasts isolated from Verbascum flowers collected in central Georgia identified strains that could be assigned to the species Cryptococcus adeliensis, Cryptococcus magnus and Moniliella megachiliensis detected previously also in substrates associated with insects and other animals and a hitherto undescribed species for which the name Candida verbasci is proposed. The new species forms slightly pink colonies, propagates by mostly unipolar budding, forms invasive pseudomycelium, and the sequences of its D1/D2 LSU rRNA genes and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 regions indicate close phylogenetic relationship with a group of species that form a cluster basal to the Candida albicans/Lodderomyces elongisporus clade. The type strain is 11-1055^T. It has been deposited in Centralbureau voor Schimmelcultures (Utrecht, the Netherlands) as CBS 12699^T, the National Collection of Agricultural and Industrial Microorganisms (Budapest, Hungary) as NCAIM Y.02048^T and the Culture Collection of Yeasts (Bratislava, Slovakia) as CCY 29-185-1^T. The GenBank accession numbers for nucleotide sequences of the C. verbasci type strain are: JX515981 (D1/D2 domain of the 26S rRNA gene) and JX515982 (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2). Mycobank: MB 801391.     

A strain of guniea grass mosaic virus naturally occurring on maize in the Ivory Coast

During a survey of cereal crops in Ivory Coast, a virus wiht flexuous filamentaous paricles c. 825 nm long was isolated from diseased maize. Its host range, biological properties, morphology and aphid transmission place it in the potyvirus group. Antigenically it is closely related to guinea grass mosaci virus, from which it differs in hos range, aphid transmissibility and behaviouir on isoelectric focusing. It is named guinea grass mosaic virus strain B.     

The occurrence of beet mild yellowing virus in Czechoslovakia

The occurrence of beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) on feeding- and sugar-beet in Czechoslovakia has been proved. The virus was transmitted by aphidMyzus persicae (Sulz.) on indicator plantsSinapis alba L.,Capsella bursa-pastoris Medik, andClaytonia perfoliata Donn and from these plants back to sugar-beet cv. ‘Dobrovická A.’ A weed plantRaphanus raphanistrum L. was identified as a new natural host plant of BMYV. The virus was identified in ten of twelve biologically examined samples of beet with BMYV-like symptoms, which were collected at various places in Czechoslovakia