Diurnal water relations of expanding and full-sized cotton fruits and subtending leaves

Water relations of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fruits have received less attention than those of leaves, although crop water status has an important influence on fruit physiology. This study was conducted to describe diurnal changes in the water relations of cotton fruits and subtending leaves. Young, expanding fruits and full-sized fruits were compared because of previously reported changes in xylem maturity with ontogeny. Diurnal changes in relative water content were greater in leaves than in the capsule walls of fruits. The capsule walls of young fruits had a higher relative water content than subtending leaves, and water content was lower in full-sized (87%) than in expanding (92%) fruits. Water potentials of subtending leaves were always approximately 0-3 MPa lower than those of capsule walls. Water potential gradients favoured passive water flow from young fruits to branches, but water potentials of branches and the capsule walls of full-sized fruits were similar (?0.7 MPa). Water potential gradients were consistent throughout the day. These results indicate that xylem transport to young fruits is unlikely, but may occur in older fruits.     

土壤盐分对棉花功能叶气体交换参数和叶绿素荧光参数日变化的影响

2007—2008年在南京农业大学牌楼试验站进行盆栽试验,选择耐盐品种中棉所44和盐敏感品种苏棉12号为材料,试验设置5个土壤盐分水平(0、0.35%、0.60%、0.85%和1.00%),研究土壤盐分对棉花功能叶气体交换参数和叶绿素荧光参数日变化的影响.结果表明:随土壤盐分水平的升高,棉花功能叶中Na+、C l-和Mg2+含量升高,K+和Ca2+含量降低.低于0.35%盐分处理对叶片气体交换参数和叶绿素荧光参数的影响较小,高于0.35%的盐分处理显著降低了棉花功能叶的净光合速率(Pn),提高了棉花功能叶对日间光辐射强度和温度的敏感程度,导致光温抑制现象加重,并改变了Pn和气孔导度(Gs)的日变化趋势,使其由单峰曲线逐渐变为持续下降趋势.随日间光辐射强度和温度的变化,棉花叶片最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)、光系统Ⅱ(PSⅡ)量子产量(ΦPSⅡ)和光化学猝灭系数(qP)的日变化趋势呈V型曲线,最低值出现在12:00—13:00,非光化学猝灭系数(qN)的日变化趋势呈单峰曲线;盐分处理降低了棉花功能叶Fv/Fm、ΦPSⅡ和qP,提高了qN,且增大了其变化幅度.耐盐品种中棉所44功能叶片中较低的Na+、C l-含量及...     

Foraging and growth responses of cotton armyworm Spodoptera litura to the biophysical characteristics of five cotton varieties

This study investigated the morphological and biochemical characteristics of the CB1, CB3, CB5, CB8 and CB12 cotton varieties and evaluated their effects on third instar larval movement, and body weight of the cotton armyworm Spodoptera litura at different developmental stages. The cotton varieties differed in their plant architecture, branching, stem color and hairiness, leaf color and hairiness, leaf trichome density, flower color, numbers of leaves and bolls per plant, concentrations of protein and starch, and boll length, width and weight. The CB1 and CB3 varieties possessed significantly higher trichome densities, while CB8 produced larger and heavier bolls. Boll bearing was found to be highest in CB1 and lowest in CB8. Biochemical analyses indicated the highest percentage of protein in CB5, and of starch in CB8; concentrations of both were lowest in CB12. Cotton varieties did not affect larval foraging, but their abundance on leaflet, mature and square differed significantly. Analysis of the growth response parameters of S. litura as a result of feeding on the tested varieties revealed that larval instars, pupae and adult moths attained the highest body weight on CB8, followed by CB5, and the lowest weight on CB12. Collectively, the results of this study show that the CB5 and CB8 varieties are favorable host‐plants for cotton armyworms; therefore, these varieties are the least suitable for cultivation.     

Identification of a novel elite genotype for in vitro culture and genetic transformation of cotton

Hypocotyls of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars cv. YZ-1, Coker 312 and Coker 201 were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog callus induction medium. YZ-1 exhibited a very high regeneration potential, with 81.9 % of the explants inoculated differentiated into embryogenic callus within 8–10 weeks. During the process of callus maintenance (subculture for 1 to 3 years), the total embryos number in Coker 312 and Coker 201 calli dropped sharply, and the percentage of embryo germination decreased. On the contrary, the callus of YZ-1 consistently maintains a high frequency of plant regeneration after long-time subculture. Transgenic kanamycin-resistant calli of Coker 201 partially lost the ability of somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration. The stress produced by the transformation procedure slightly affected somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration of YZ-1, which showed minimum loss of plant regeneration ability.     

Nucleolar size at early stages of cotton fiber development in relation to final fiber dimension

Changes in nucleolar size and nucleolar vacuolation at early stages of fiber development and final fiber dimensions were determined for cotton of different species: Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. B49, Gossypium barbadense L. cv. Menoufi and Gossypium arboreum L. cv. Virnar. Size of the nucleolus in combination with its vacuolation at an early stage of development was found to be clearly associated with the final result of fiber development.     

Effects of water stress on oxygen, hydrogen and carbon isotope ratios in two species of cotton plants

Abstract. Two cotton species ( Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. SJ-2 and Gossypium barbadence cv. S-5) were grown under irrigated (wet) and non-irrigated (dry) conditions in the same field. Leaf water was enriched in ¹⁸O and deuterium in the dry treatment relative to the wet treatment for both species. Only in plants of S-5 was a similar enrichment observed in leaf cellulose. In both species, the isotopic composition of leaf cellulose must reflect the isotopic composition of the actual water pool involved in cellulose synthesis. Therefore, our observations indicate that one species (SJ-2) can maintain a relative isolation of this water pool from direct evapotranspirational effects. Such plant species will more faithfully record, in the isotopic composition of organic matter, the isotopic composition of ground water. In contrast, the isotopic composition of organic matter in plants such as S-5 could be used as an integrated signal reflecting humidity conditions during growth. Water use efficiency, based on seed-cotton yield and total water applied, correlated linearly with differences in carbon isotopic ratios between species in both the wet and dry treatments and between treatments in each species.     

Fungi associated with boll and lint rot of cotton in Southern Khorasan province of Iran

During surveys of cotton fields since 2009 in the Southern Khorasan province of Iran, symptomatic samples with lint and boll rot disease signs were collected and cultured on potato dextrose, malt extract agar and PARPH media. Several fungal isolates were obtained and identified. Among them, we found Penicillium expansum which to our knowledge is reported as a new pathogen of cotton worldwide; Fusarium semitectum and Nigrospora oryzae (associated to mite Siteroptes sp.) were also recorded as lint or boll rot pathogens for the first time from Iran. Disease symptoms and fungal characteristics of Exserohilum rostratum, which has been reported briefly as a new causal agent of boll and lint rot disease, are illustrated and presented. In addition, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus spp. were also isolated frequently from lint parts of cotton prior to harvesting. There was a positive correlation between disease occurrence and spiny cotton bollworm damage. The pathogenicity test was characterised by inoculating the attached and detached bolls of cotton plants.     

Fiber development in preanthesis cotton ovules

A tissue culture method was developed to investigate the production of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Texas Marker-1) fibers in vitro. Ovules were excised from 3, 5, 7 and 9 days preanthesis ovaries and placed on an agar-solidified, modified Murashige and Skoog medium containing 2.3 μ M kinetin and 0.45 μ M –2,4–dichlo-rophenoxyacetic acid or 2.3 μ M kinetin and 10.7 μ M naphthaleneacetic acid. Ovules formed fibers and callus tissue. Fibers formed in vitro were up to 10 mm long, 10–22 μ wide and the cell wall was 1–3 μ M thick. Callus tissue cells were subcultured for over 25 weeks and their degree of elongation was monitored. The ability of ovule-derived cells to direct expansion in a longitudinal direction diminished, while lateral expansion increased with time in culture.     

Cotton leafroll dwarf disease: An enigmatic viral disease in cotton

Taxonomy: Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) is a member of the genus Polerovirus, family Solemoviridae. Geographical Distribution: CLRDV is present in most cotton-producing regions worldwide, prominently in North and South America. Physical Properties : The virion is a nonenveloped icosahedron with T = 3 icosahedral lattice symmetry that has a diameter of 26–34 nm and comprises 180 molecules of the capsid protein. The CsCl buoyant density of the virion is 1.39–1.42 g/cm³ and S_20w is 115–127S. Genome: CLRDV shares genomic features with other poleroviruses; its genome consists of monopartite, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA, is approximately 5.7–5.8 kb in length, and is composed of seven open reading frames (ORFs) with an intergenic region between ORF2 and ORF3a. Transmission: CLRDV is transmitted efficiently by the cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) in a circulative and nonpropagative manner. Host: CLRDV has a limited host range. Cotton is the primary host, and it has also been detected in different weeds in and around commercial cotton fields in Georgia, USA. Symptoms: Cotton plants infected early in the growth stage exhibit reddening or bronzing of foliage, maroon stems and petioles, and drooping. Plants infected in later growth stages exhibit intense green foliage with leaf rugosity, moderate to severe stunting, shortened internodes, and increased boll shedding/abortion, resulting in poor boll retention. These symptoms are variable and are probably influenced by the time of infection, plant growth stage, varieties, soil health, and geographical location. CLRDV is also often detected in symptomless plants. Control: Vector management with the application of chemical insecticides is ineffective. Some host plant varieties grown in South America are resistant, but all varieties grown in the United States are susceptible. Integrated disease management strategies, including weed management and removal of volunteer stalks, could reduce the abundance of virus inoculum in the field.     

Increased nuclear DNA content in developing cotton fiber cells

The nuclear DNA content of developing cotton fiber cells (Gossypium hirsutum, cv. MD51ne) increases ∼24% after 2 d postanthesis (dpa). The amount of nuclear DNA at 2 dpa is 5.4 ± 0.27 pg. At 3–4 dpa it increases to 6.7 ± 0.24 pg and by 5 dpa it is 6.8 ± 0.70 pg. These values were obtained by nuclear fluorescence after staining with Hoechst 33258. Human oral squamous cell nuclei were used as a DNA standard. Nuclear DNA content increases in fibers growing on either fertilized or unfertilized ovules. The increase also is detectable in Feulgen stained nuclei using two-wavelength cytospectrophotometry. All measurements were made on isolated fiber cell nuclei using a newly developed method tailored to cotton fiber cells. The results imply that during the early stages of development fiber cell nuclei either selectively amplify certain sequences or enter S-phase replicating a portion of their genome.     

Natural deuterium and oxygen-18 enrichment in leaf water of cotton plants grown under wet and dry conditions: evidence for water compartmentation and its dynamics

Abstract. Significant differences in leaf water oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition were observed between cotton plants grown under wet and dry conditions. The magnitude of the differences could be fully explained by the conventional model that describes the isotopic composition of an evaporating water pool under steady state conditions. The results indicate that leaf water isotopic composition is strongly influenced by transpiration rate via its effects on relative humidity adjacent to the leaf surface and on the isotopic composition of the air moisture. Our application of the model, however, provides evidence that leaf water must consist of a mixture of several isotopically distinct pools. These pools are suggested to reside in the symplast, in the cell walls and intercellular spaces and in the veins. A model is proposed suggesting that only the water residing in the cell walls and the intercellular spaces (the transpiration pool) interacts directly with the external environment. The large symplastic pool responds to the external environment to a limited extent via its relatively slow exchange with water in the transpiration pool. It is likely that the isotopic composition of water in the symplastic pool is strongly buffered against shortterm environmental variations, a possibility that would have important implications for the isotopic conditions under which organic matter biosynthesis occurs.     

一年生陆地棉细胞核雄性不育系洞A的宿生栽培效应

植物细胞核雄性不育系具有易于恢复但保持困难的特点。根据广西南部冬季无霜冻的气候特点,在广西南宁进行了一年生陆地棉细胞核雄性不育系洞A的三年露地栽培。结果表明:二、三年生洞A在5月上旬开花、6月下旬吐絮,这是一年生洞A在相同环境条件下难以达到的;与一年生洞A相比,二、三年生洞A的子指、单株铃数、产量显著增加,但单铃重、衣分显著下降,僵瓣率显著增加;纤维品质基本没有显著变化。说明利用陆地棉细胞核雄性不育系在南亚热带的宿生栽培进行良种繁育具有较好的前景。     

The cotton MAPK kinase GhMPK20 negatively regulates resistance to Fusarium oxysporum by mediating the MKK4–MPK20–WRKY40 cascade

Fusarium wilt is one of the most serious diseases affecting cotton. However, the pathogenesis and mechanism by which Fusarium oxysporum overcomes plant defence responses are unclear. Here, a new group D mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) gene, GhMPK20, was identified and functionally analysed in cotton. GhMPK20 expression was significantly induced by F. oxysporum. Virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) of GhMPK20 in cotton increased the tolerance to F. oxysporum, whereas ectopic GhMPK20 overexpression in Nicotiana benthamiana reduced F. oxysporum resistance via disruption of the salicylic acid (SA)‐mediated defence pathway. More importantly, an F. oxysporum‐induced MAPK cascade pathway composed of GhMKK4, GhMPK20 and GhWRKY40 was identified. VIGS of GhMKK4 and GhWRKY40 also enhanced F. oxysporum resistance in cotton, and the function of GhMKK4–GhMPK20 was shown to be essential for F. oxysporum‐induced GhWRKY40 expression. Together, our results indicate that the GhMKK4–GhMPK20–GhWRKY40 cascade in cotton plays an important role in the pathogenesis of F. oxysporum. This research broadens our knowledge of the negative role of the MAPK cascade in disease resistance in cotton and provides an important scientific basis for the formulation of Fusarium wilt prevention strategies.     

陆地棉矮化突变体Ari1327茎尖的转录组分析

为了从分子水平上研究陆地棉矮秆突变体Ari1327的矮化机理,本研究以矮秆突变体Ari1327、野生型Ari971和高秆突变体Ari3697的茎尖为材料,建立3个cDNA文库,用Illumina HiSeqTM2000系统对3个材料的茎尖cDNA进行转录组测序。3个文库测序共得4.9 G数据量,拼接得到Unigene 70877个。通过矮化突变体Ari1327与野生型Ari971和高秆突变体Ari3697两个文库的差异筛选,得到13919个与矮化相关的差异表达基因,其中5406个表现上调,8513个表现下调。GO功能和KEGG通路富集发现,差异基因在植物激素信号转导途径显著富集。通过实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)验证,推测Ari1327的矮化可能与赤霉素和生长素2种激素的信号转导及互作有关。转录组测序得到的大量差异基因,为深入研究棉花的矮化机理具有重要参考价值,同时为棉花的矮化育种工作奠定了基础。     

源库关系改变对棉叶内源激素的影响

以中棉18号为材料,在大田条件下研究了摘蕾引起源库关系改变对主要源叶（对应的主茎叶和对位果枝叶）中内源激素的影响。结果表明;去蕾处理推迟了相应主茎叶和果枝叶中吲哚乙酸（IAA）峰出现,降低了玉米素及其核苷（Z ZR）含量,推迟了果枝叶中异戊烯基腺嘌呤及其核苷（iP iPA)的积累,提前了二氢玉米素及其核苷（DHZ DHZR）的积累,降低了脱落酸（ABA）含量。去除一个蕾对相应叶片内源激素的影响是短期的,随整株源库关系的协调,与对照趋同。激素的这种变化与叶片功能变化是一致的,表明棉花源库关系的协调不仅是物质上的关系,植物激素可能是其中重要的信息调控系统。