Correlations between Growth and Flowering in Chenopodium amaranticolor: I. Initiation of Leaf and Bud Primordia

Vegetative plants of Chenopodium amaranticolor were inducedto flower by exposure to 2, 6 or continuous short days (SDs)and the effect of such treatments on organogenesis at the apexof the main stem followed by means of dissections. The mostoutstanding responses to SD treatment were (I) an immediateelongation of the apex, (2) a stimulation of the rate of initiationof leaf primordia, and (3) a promotion of the rate of initiationof axillary bud primordia. In response to as few as 2 SDs, therate of initiation of leaf primordia increased from 0.47 toa maximum of 3.70 per day and the rate of initiation of axillarybud primordia immediately increased from 0.47 to 1.35 per day. Precocious initiation of axillary bud primordia led to the formationof double ridges. The results indicate double ridges to be homologouswith vegetative axillary buds; although they normally developedinto reproductive tissues, they passed through a period of vegetativegrowth following minimal induction to flowering by exposureto 2 SDs. The rate and degree of flowering were highest in plants whichreceived the longest period of SDs, but the differences in finalflowering response were greater than the differences betweenthe initial responses at the apices. The effect of SDs was thusnot confined to an initial stimulation of organogenesis; a prolongedexposure to SDs must have enhanced the subsequent developmentof double ridges into flower primordia. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings andthe general conclusion drawn that the initiation of double ridgesis very widely accompanied by a stimulation of apical growth.It is suggested that inductive conditions remove a general growthinhibition and that the resultant stimulation of apical growthmight lead to the initiation of double ridges.     

Purification and characterization of a hemagglutinin isolated from the leaves of Chenopodium (Chenopodium amaranticolor).

A hemagglutinin was isolated and purified from the leaves of Chenopodium (Chenopodium amaranticolor) using ion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography on fetuin-agarose matrix. It agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes. The hemagglutinin had a native molecular mass of 58 kDa, as estimated by gel filtration and showed a single band of molecular mass of 33 kDa on SDS-PAGE. It showed hemagglutination activity over the pH range 3-12 and was found to be stable up to 70 degrees C. On isoelectrofocussing, the pI of this hemagglutinin was estimated to be 5.25. However, it was found to contain seven charge variants when isoelectrofocussing was performed in presence of 6M urea.     

Effect of Darkness on Growth and Flowering of Chenopodium rubrum and C. murale Plants in vitro

Chenopodium rubrum, a short-day plant, and C. murale, a long-day plant, were grown in vitro in continuous darkness. Control C. rubrum plants exposed to continuous darkness for 15 d at cotyledonary phase, did not flower, while 80 % of plants flowered on the medium with 5 % glucose and 10 mg dm⁻³ GA₃. Control C. murale plants exposed to continuous darkness for 10 d at the age of 4^th pair of leaves, did not flower, while GA₃ (1 – 5 mg dm⁻³) stimulated flowering up to 65 %. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Effects of Growth Regulators on Flowering of Chenopodium murale Plants in vitro

In vitro culture of Chenopodium murale L. (ecotype 197) green and herbicide SAN 9789 - treated "white" plants was established and the effects of benzylaminopurine (BAP), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellic acid (GA₃) on growth and flowering were tested. Green plants did not flower on glucose free media, while 17 % of plants flowered on 5 % glucose-containing medium. SAN 9789 (10^–5 M) inhibited growth and flowering. BAP and IAA (0.1 – 5 mg dm^–3) also inhibited growth and flowering of green and "white" plants. GA₃ (10 mg dm^–3) stimulated leaf development in green plants, but had no significant effect on "white" plants, and stimulated flowering of green (41 %) and "white" (33 %) plants.     

Plant Leaf and Stem Proteins. II. Isozymes and Environmental Cabbage

The activity of 10 enzymes separated by acrylamide disc gel electrophoresis of leaf and stem extracts from Dianthus grown under summer and winter conditions was studied. While banding was constant and highly reproducible under each environment, differences between the 3 cultivars and between the tissues were evident. No significant differences in the isozyme patterns of glutamate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and catalase were observed between the 2 environments. Loss of activity was observed under winter conditions with amylase and lactate dehydrogenase and loss of certain isozymic components was evident with acid phosphatase and esterase. Prominent changes were observed in peroxidase isozymes, the hardy cultivars developing additional isozymic components under winter conditions. Only minor changes in the total protein banding were seen. The enzymes showed considerable stability in those tissues killed by the freezing conditions.     

Effects of Abscisic Acid on the Growth Pattern of the Shoot Apical Meristem and on Flowering in Chenopodium rubrum L.

Abscisic acid (ABA) at 1 x 10^–4 M or 3 x 10^–4 Mwas applied to the apical buds of Chenopodium rubrum plantsexposed to different photoperiodic treatments and showing differentpatterns of floral differentiation. Stimulation of growth inwidth of the apical meristem of the shoot and/or inhibitionof growth in length was obtained under all photoperiodic treatments.This change of growth pattern was followed by different effectson flowering. In non-induced plants grown under continuous light ABA stimulatedpericlinal divisions in the peripheral zone and the initiationof leaves as well as the growth in width of bud primordia. Inplants induced by two short days reduced growth of the meristemcoincided with ABA application. Longitudinal growth of the meristemwas inhibited in this case and only a temporary stimulationof inflorescence formation took place. In plants induced ata very early stage, ABA exerted a strong inhibitory effect onflowering. A permanent and reproducible stimulatory effect onflowering was obtained in plants induced by three sub-criticalphotoperiodic cycles if ABA was applied to apices released fromapical dominance. In this case formation of lateral organs andinternodes was promoted by ABA and was followed by stimulatedinflorescence formation. Gibberellic acid (GA2) at 1x 10^–4M or 3 x 10^–4 M brought about a similar effect on floweringas ABA, although the primary growth effect was different, i.e.GA₂ stimulated longitudinal growth. The effects of ABA and GA₂ on floral differentiation have beencompared with earlier results obtained from auxin and kinetinapplications. These growth hormones are believed to regulateflowering by changing cellular growth within the shoot apex.Depending on the actual state of the meristem identical growthresponses may result in different patterns of organogenesisand even in opposite effects on flowering. Shoot apex, flowering, photoperiodic induction, abscisic acid, gibberellic acid, Chenopodium rubrum L.     

水稻主茎叶片出生与温度关系

水稻叶片生长与分蘖、根系、穗分化、节间伸长存在规律性的同伸规律［２，３．９］。水稻主茎每出一张叶片都形成和生长相应的器官。因此，可根据叶龄预报分蘖发生与成穗、节间伸长时间、穗分化进程。以此为依据可指导水稻高产栽培和杂交水稻制种的父母本播栽期。但目前水...     

The Effects of Photoperiod, Glucose and Gibberellic Acid on Growth In Vitro and Flowering of Chenopodium Murale

In vitro culture of long-day plant Chenopodium murale L was established. The effects of photoperiod, glucose and gibberellic acid (GA₃) on flowering and growth in vitro were investigated. Oscillatory changes of photoperiodic sensitivity were noticeable with regard to plant age. The plants induced at the phase of the 1^st and the 3^rd pair of leaves flowered to higher degree than those induced at the phase of 2^nd pair. Plants induced at the phase of the 1^st pair of leaves flowered to 17 % on 5 % glucose-containing medium and the addition of 5 mg dm^-3 GA₃ resulted in maximum flowering (43 %). Neither glucose nor GA₃ were able to compensate for photoperiodic requirements for flowering. Hypocotyl growth was decreased and the 1^st internode elongation and development of leaves were increased due to inductive photoperiodic conditions, as compared to non-inductive ones.     

Solvation thermodynamics of biopolymers. II. Correlations between functional groups

The extent of correlations between functional groups that can form hydrogen bonds with solvent molecules has been estimated. From the observed distance distribution of functional groups on the surfaces of several proteins, and from the extent of correlation between pairs of such functional groups, we conclude that the assumption of independence of functional groups made in part I is probably a good approximation. The reason is that even when correlations exist there is, on average, cancellation of the positive and negative correlations. The relevance of hydrogen bonding with the solvent to the relative stability of different conformers of biopolymers is also indicated.     

Collateral gene expression changes induced by distinct plant viruses during the hypersensitive resistance reaction in Chenopodium amaranticolor

Hypersensitive reactions to plant diseases are typically mediated by R genes. Many R genes that have been cloned only confer resistance to a particular pathogen. However, Chenopodium spp. have multivirus hypersensitive resistance, thus making the understanding of this broad-spectrum resistance mechanism attractive. Using tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) tagged with green fluorescent protein to follow infection over time, cDNA-AFLP to find genes up-regulated during virus infection in C. amaranticolor and quantitative RT-PCR to accurately measure gene expression at different time points, the first dissection of this significant defense response pathway is presented. The detected disease-expressed sequences in C. amaranticolor (DESCA) are similar to those that encode p450 monooxegenases, hypersensitivity-related genes, cellulases, ABC transporters, receptor-like kinases, serine/threonine kinases, phosphoribosylanthranilate transferases and hypothetical R genes, many of which are associated with pathogen defense in other plants. The expressions of these DESCA genes are also induced by infection with the taxonomically distinct tobacco rattle virus (TRV) in C. amaranticolor. In particular, DESCA1, one of the gene fragments from C. amaranticolor that lacks similarity to any other sequence in the GenBank database, is induced at least 200 fold 4 d after infection (dai) by both TMV and TRV. The potential role of DESCA genes in a C. amaranticolor multivirus defense response with regard to their levels and time of gene expression is discussed.     

The Growth of the Shoot Apex of Chenopodium rubrum L. Treated with a Florigenic Extract from Flowering Tobacco Plants: Preliminary Anatomical Observations

Anatomical changes in the shoot apex of Chenopodium rubrum L.treated with an extract from flowering tobacco plants and cultivatedin non-inductive conditions are described. They are comparedwith the anatomy of non-treated vegetative apices and with apicesof plants induced with a short day. Treatment with the extractresulted in both activation of cell division in the upper partof the apex and in apex elongation. Acceleration of leaf primordiainitiation and stimulation of branching took place. The effectcorresponds to the sequence of changes in photoperiodically-inducedplants but is more pronounced. Elongation following 10^–4M GA₃ treatment was of a differentnature; there was only a slight stimulation in the upper partof the apex in contrast with a strong stimulation of growthin length in the lower internodes. These preliminary resultssuggest a similarity between apical changes evoked by a stimulusproduced by short days and an exogenously applied floral stimulus.The changes differed from those caused by exogenous phytohormones. Key words: Chenopodium rubrum, florigen, shoot apex     

国外松种间杂交后代生长和形态性状变异及相关性分析简

利用随机区组设计营建的试验林资料,对6种树龄5年的国外松杂种后代生长和形态性状变异及其相关进行了分析,结果显示：国外松种间杂交后代不同物种,同一物种的不同家系,同一家系内的不同单株均表现出丰富的多样性,单株材积和树干通直度的变异系数达30%~50%;而其它形态、生长性状变异系数为2%~30%。这些杂交种丰富的生长和形态变异为多目标选择奠定了基础。以湿地松（Pinus elliottii Engelman var. elliottii）为母本的杂交松针叶长度变短,同时湿地松×洪都拉斯加勒比松（P.caribaea Morelet var. hondurensis(Senecl.) Barrett et Golfari）还表现出良好的干形性状（通直度好,分枝角小等）。以火炬松（P.taeda L.）为母本的杂交松对针叶的改良效果不明显,但是火炬松×洪都拉斯加勒比松单株平均材积大、干形通直、分枝角小、侧枝细,说明这个杂交类型具有生长快、树形紧凑等优良特性。相关分析显示生长快、针叶短、分枝角度小、树干通直度好这几个性状可以同步改良。研究认为国外松种间杂交后代生长性状不低于母本,在形态性状上湿地松×洪都拉斯加勒比松与母本相比针叶较稀疏,针叶长度较短,分枝角较小,因此比母本更能抵抗雨雪冰冻等自然灾害,这对于我国南方湿地松抗逆性育种具有重要的意义。     

Changes in Stem and Leaf Hydraulics Preceding Leaf Shedding in Castanea Sativa L.

This paper describes changes in leaf water status and in stem, petiole and leaf blade hydraulics preceding leaf senescence and shedding in Castanea sativa L. (chestnut). Measurements of maximum diurnal leaf conductance to water vapour (g_L), minimum water potential (_L), hydraulic conductance per unit leaf surface area of stems (K_SL), petioles (K_PL) and leaf blades (K_LL) and number of functional conduits and inside diameter distribution were performed in June, September and October 1999. In September, still green leaves had undergone some dehydration as indicated by decreased g_L (by 75 %) and _L with respect to June. In the same time, K_SL decreased by 88 %, while K_PL and K_LL decreased by 50 % and 20 % of the conduits of stems and 10 % of the petioles (all belonging to the widest diameter range) were no longer functioning, causing a decrease in the theoretical flow by 82 % in stems and 27 % in petioles. Stem xylem blockage was apparently due to tyloses growing into conduits. We advance the hypothesis that the entire process of leaf shedding and winter rest may be initiated by extensive stem embolism occurring during the summer.