A computational approach to animal breeding

We propose a computational model of mating strategies for controlled animal breeding programs. A mating strategy in a controlled breeding program is a heuristic with some optimization criteria as a goal. Thus, it is appropriate to use the computational tools available for analysis of optimization heuristics. In this paper, we propose the first discrete model of the controlled animal breeding problem and analyse heuristics for two possible objectives: (1) breeding for maximum diversity and (2) breeding a target individual. These two goals are representative of conservation biology and agricultural livestock management, respectively. We evaluate several mating strategies and provide upper and lower bounds for the expected number of matings. While the population parameters may vary and can change the actual number of matings for a particular strategy, the order of magnitude of the number of expected matings and the relative competitiveness of the mating heuristics remains the same. Thus, our simple discrete model of the animal breeding problem provides a novel viable and robust approach to designing and comparing breeding strategies in captive populations.     

激光在农作物遗传育种上的应用

本文论述了激光的作用原理包括光效应,热效应,压力效应和激光的应用包括小剂量激光对农作物的刺激作用,大剂量激光的诱变作用,其它诱变剂复合使用的诱变作用,并评述了激光在水稻,小麦,油菜、大麦、大豆及果树,蔬菜,桑等的研究进展,最后阐述了激光在农作物遗传育种上的应用前景。     

Spectral quality and UV-B stress stimulate glycyrrhizin concentration of Glycyrrhiza uralensis in hydroponic and pot system

Glycyrrhizin, the major bioactive component of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, is widely used as a natural sweetener. Recently glycyrrhizin has been shown to have anti-tumor activity, highly active in inhibiting replication of HIV-1 and SARS-associated virus and exhibits a number of pharmacological effects. The principle objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of different spectral quality including red, blue, white and UV-B radiation on the production of glycyrrhizin, in a controlled environment. Plants were grown under artificial lights with elevated CO(2) concentration and both the pot and hydroponic plants were assigned to red and blue light treatments and those grown under white fluorescent lamps were used as control. In a separate experiment, pot plants were exposed to ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation (wavelength: 280-315 nm). The net photosynthetic rates (NPR) of the leaves reduced significantly immediately after exposure to the high intensity UV-B radiation (3 days at 1.13 W m(-2)). In case of the low intensity UV-B radiation (15 days at 0.43 W m(-2)), NPR was also reduced, but the rate of reduction was significantly slower than that of the high intensity treatment. The concentrations of glycyrrhizin quantified in the root tissues were highest in the plants grown under red light in both hydroponic and pot systems and the concentration increased linearly from 1- to 3-month-old pot plants. Both the low and high intensity of UV-B exposure increased the concentration of glycyrrhizin in the root tissues of 3-month-old pot plants, the values being nearly X1.5 those of the control. The results also indicate that the glycyrrhizin concentrations of 3-6 months old pot plants were similar or even higher than the previously reported values for 3-4 years old field-grown plants and confirm that high concentration of glycyrrhizin production is possible within a very short production period under controlled environments.     

生物育种产业化面临的机遇与政策保障

随着中国转基因玉米和大豆产业化试点的推进,间接食用转基因农产品在中国大范围产业化种植到了关键时刻。为有序推进生物育种产业化进程,本文在回顾全球和中国转基因作物产业化历史的基础上,着重分析了中国生物育种产业化遇到的两大机遇: 一是中国转基因农产品的持续进口和间接食用在下游加工业和群众中积累了一定的消费基础;二是过去这些年中国转基因技术的研发和技术储备已为转基因作物产业化做出了良好准备。最后,本文从充分利用现有群众消费基础、进一步释放技术储备潜力、更加严格地做好全流程监管等方面,提出有序推进生物育种产业化的政策建议。     

QTL analysis of yield and seed number in Citrus

Amount, regularity and low seed content of the crop are important properties of scion citrus cultivars. The genetic control of these traits was studied in a progeny derived from the cross Citrus volkameriana×Poncirus trifoliata using molecular marker analysis. Since the traits were not normally distributed, the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was used for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) detection. Most of the QTLs detected correspond to the trait ”number of fruits per tree”, in agreement with its known physiological complexity. Related traits (fruit number, fruit size and seed number) are controlled by QTLs some of which are located in the same genomic regions, suggesting that undesired associations could be broken to some degree by recombination. QTL analysis over years revealed important effects of genotype-by-environment interaction on QTL detection. This result agrees with the differences found for the trait means among years, which was found to be related, among other causes, to the alternate bearing of some genotypes and the amount of rain before harvest. Received: 1 October 1999 / Accepted: 2 December 1999     

Performance of trees in forest canopies: explorations with a bottom-up functional-structural plant growth model

Here we present a functional-structural plant model that integrates the growth of metamers into a growing, three-dimensional tree structure, and study the effects of different constraints and strategies on tree performance in different canopies. The tree is a three-dimensional system of connected metamers, and growth is defined by the flush probability of metamers. Tree growth was simulated for different canopy light environments. The result suggest that: the constraints result in an exponential, logistic and decay phase; a mono-layered-leaf crown results from self-shading in a closed canopy; a strong apical control results in slender trees like tall stature species; the interaction between weak apical control and light response results in a crown architecture and performance known from short stature species in closed forest; correlated leaf traits explain interspecific differences in growth, survival and adult stature. The model successfully unravels the interaction effects of different constraints and strategies on tree growth in different canopy light environments.     

植物根际促生菌促生特性研究进展

根际微生物组是决定农作物健康状况的关键因素之一,也是调节农作物与生物和非生物环境相互作用的重要因素。植物根际促生菌(plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, PGPR)为农作物宿主提供了多种有益作用,通过化学交流以复杂的方式与农作物、土壤相互作用,进而促进农作物生长。本文综述了PGPR对农作物的促生机制、PGPR与农作物的互作及其在农业实践中的应用,并展望了PGPR在农业实践中应用的发展趋势,以期为今后PGPR的应用和研究提供新的思路和理论支撑。     

Genetics of nitrogen metabolism and physiological/biochemical selection for increased grain crop productivity

Summary It is necessary to increase protein productivity of grain crops to meet present and future world protein requirements. Conventional plant breeding methodology has been to select genotypes with enhanced yield or grain protein concentration. In addition to this determination of end product, we suggest measurements of a number of physiological and biochemical processes of nitrogen (N) metabolism which precede plant maturity as selection criteria for enhanced N metabolism and grain crop productivity. The measurement across the growing season of genotypic variation in components of N metabolism would constitute a physiological/biochemical selection program to be incorporated with the determination of harvestable end product. A properly designed physiological/biochemical selection program would integrate the effects of plant genotype, environment, and their interactions allowing identification of the factors limiting productivity of particular genotypes, and would also estimate end product. Our review of literature pertinent to whole plant N metabolism suggests that such a selection program initially include NO ₃ ^- uptake, N₂ fixation, N accumulation, N remobilization, seed protein synthesis, and Nitrogen Harvest Index.Supported by USDA, Nitrogen Fixation and Soybean Genetics Laboratory, Beltsville, Md., and the Agronomy Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Md., under Cooperative Agreement 58-32U4-3-370, Scientific Article No. A-3400, Contribution No. 6473 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Agronomy, College Park, MD 20742, USA     

蔬菜作物重要农艺性状相关基因分离的研究进展

本文简要综述了蔬菜作物基因分离的主要方法和近年来蔬菜作物重要农艺性状相关基因分离的研究进展,指出在分离蔬菜作物目的基因的研究中,必须加强基因分离的原创性;充分利用现有的研究条件,做到基因分离与功能基因组研究相互协调,均衡发展,从而为我国蔬菜作物开展分子育种研究奠定基础。     

DGAT和PDAT基因在调控植物油脂合成中的作用

我国植物油料产需缺口大,严重依赖进口。二酰甘油酰基转移酶(diacylglycerol acyltransferase,DGAT)与磷脂:二酰甘油酰基转移酶(phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase,PDAT)是负责三酰甘油合成并影响植物油脂产量和品质的两个关键酶。本文综述了DGAT与PDAT基因的国内外研究进展,重点总结了二者在油料植物油脂合成中的生物学功能,在逆境胁迫下影响植物脂质代谢与生长发育的分子机制,以及合成生物学背景下DGAT和PDAT基因在驱动油脂合成中的重要作用,同时对深入开展DGAT和PDAT基因的机理研究与应用进行了展望,为深入了解植物油脂合成的分子机制,利用DGAT和PDAT基因改良油料作物品质、提高油料产能提供了依据。     

转基因生物技术育种: 机遇还是挑战？

转基因生物技术是一项全新的育种技术, 也是当前国际上进展最快、竞争最激烈的研究领域之一。自20世纪90年代生物技术育种诞生以来, 转基因作物的商品化应用及由此引发的一系列问题就引起公众的广泛关注。该文就世界上转基因生物技术育种及产业化现状、几个主要转基因作物安全性案例及最终结果, 以及如何科学推进我国转基因作物的产业化等提出了自己的思考, 以期帮助公众科学地理解和面对转基因生物技术所带来的育种技术上的革命。