The Role of Buds and Gibberellin in Dormancy and the Mobilization of Reserve Materials in Potato Tubers

Reducing sugar levels in potato tubers increased up to eight-foldduring storage from October to May, with almost all the riseoccurring after emergence from dormancy in December. Removalof all buds from the tubers within a month of harvest preventedthis rise in soluble carbohydrate, but application of a lanolinpreparation of gibberellic acid (GA₃ to the ‘eye’-positions completely substituted for the buds in permittingthe same pattern and magnitude of sugar formation in the storagetissues. Discs of tuber tissue responded to exogenous GA₃ byforming reducing sugars only when obtained from non-dormanttubers. It is con cluded that both the buds and the storagetissues exhibit dormancy, and that breaking of this during after-ripeningoperates independently in the two regions, with the storagetissues becoming responsive to bud-synthesized gibberellin onlyafter they have themselves emerged from the dormant condition. Levels of activity of starch phosphorylase, amylase and acidphosphatase in the storage tissues rose markedly after emergencefrom dormancy, but neither disbudding nor exogenous gibberellinhad any quantitative or qualitative effect on these enzymes.Thus, it appears that neither enzyme synthesis nor enzyme activationwas stimulated by gibberellin, and it is suggested that gibberellinregulation of the mobilization of the reserve materials is achieved,at least initially, through effects on cell compartmentation.     

Levels of Indol-3yl-acetic Acid and Acid Inhibitors in Green and Etiolated Bean Seedlings (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Indol-3yl-acetic acid (IAA) was identified in Phaseolus vulgaris L. Shoot tissue of seedlings, exposed to light for 5 days, had a higher level of IAA than etiolated seedlings of the same age. The content of IAA increased in green seedlings during light treatment for 5–12 days. No increase could be measured in dark-grown seedlings. Inhibitory substances appeared at different R_f-values. The main part was identical to the inhibitor-β complex and occurred in a higher amount in light-grown seedlings than in etiolated taller ones. One part of the inhibitor-complex appeared to be abscisic acid (ABA). It is suggested that both IAA and acid inhibitors may play an important role in the control of stem growth and differentiation, although light effects on other hormones and regulatory systems cannot be ignored.     

Reliability of the Indolo-α-Pyrone Fluorescence Method for Indole-3-acetic Acid Determination in Crude Plant Extracts

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) contents in plant extracts were determined spectrofluorometrically after conversion of the compound into indolo-α-pyrone. The method is sensitive and accurate and showed good reproducibility. The values obtained by this method corresponded well with those obtained with the Avena coleoptile straight-growth assay. Impurities in extracts often cause various difficulties. Colored compounds influence the readings and may even make indole-3-acetic acid determination impossible by strong quenching of the fluorescence light. Insoluble compounds can be formed in the reaction and cause increased opalescence and light scattering which interferes with the fluorescence measurements. The necessities for the method to be reliable are that the insoluble compounds are removed or brought into solution and that the exciting light is sufficiently monochromatic. Indolo-α-pyrone is fairly stable in the dark but is rapidly broken down by UV radiation. This decay may be used as a check to see if the measured light represents fluorescence of indolo-α-pyrone.     

Glycolate and glyoxylate stimulation of growth in Lemna gibba

A 10 to 20% stimulation of growth in Lemna gibba L. G3 occurred following the addition of 0.5 to 3 mM glycolate or glyoxylate, although concentrations of 5 mM or higher were inhibitory. Glyoxylate gave a higher stimulation than glycolate. The stimulating effect on growth was obtained in media with or without 2% added sucrose. A higher stimulation was obtained when the plants were cultivated in open flasks in comparison to cultivation in flasks plugged with cellulose stoppers, which presumably retarded gas exchange.     

A SIMPLE PROCEDURE TO DETECT NISIN IN CHEESE

SUMMARY: A suitable amount of agar medium inoculated with a test organism sensitive to nisin ( Lactobacillus lactis or Streptococcus cremoris ) is poured on a cheese cylinder placed in a Petri dish. After a convenient incubation time the presence of a clear zone around the cheese cylinder will indicate the presence of nisin.
The method is applicable both to natural and processed cheese and can also be used for other antibiotics that may be present in cheese.     

Effects of contrasting omnivorous fish on submerged macrophyte biomass in temperate lakes: a mesocosm experiment

1. Freshwater fish can affect aquatic vegetation directly by consuming macrophytes or indirectly by changing water quality. However, most fish in the temperate climate zone have an omnivorous diet. The impact of fish as aquatic herbivores in temperate climates therefore remains unclear and depends on their dietary flexibility. 2. We tested the effects of a flexible omnivore and an herbivore on aquatic vegetation by comparing the effects of rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus, the most herbivorous fish in temperate climates) with grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in a mesocosm pond study. Exclosures distinguished herbivorous effects of fish on submerged macrophytes from indirect effects through changes in water quality, whereas stable isotope food‐web analysis provided information on fish diets. 3. We hypothesised that rudd, with its flexible diet and preference for animal food items, would only indirectly affect macrophytes, whereas grass carp, with its inflexible herbivorous diet, would directly affect macrophyte biomass. 4. Only grass carp significantly reduced macrophyte biomass through consumption. Rudd had no effect. Food‐web analysis indicated that rudd predominantly consumed animal prey, whereas grass carp included more plants in their diet, although they also consumed animal prey. Grass carp significantly affected water quality, resulting in lowered pH and increased N‐NH₄ concentrations, whereas more periphyton growth was observed in the presence of rudd. However, the indirect non‐herbivorous effects of both fish species had no effect on macrophyte biomass. 5. Both fish species should be considered as omnivores. Despite the fact that rudd is the most herbivorous fish in the western European climate zone, its effect on submerged macrophyte biomass is not substantial at natural densities and current temperatures.     

A revision of West Palaearctic species of the Micropsectra atrofasciata species group (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Phylogenetic relations among selected Micropsectra (Diptera: Chironomidae) species are inferred using mitochondrial COII gene sequences and morphological characters. Both maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses indicate a monophyletic atrofasciata species group. However, some species morphologically similar to M. atrofasciata (Kieffer) in the adult male, i.e. M. appendica sp. nov. and M. logani (Johannsen), are placed outside the atrofasciata group in the gene trees. The phylogenetic hypotheses based on parsimony analyses of the combined molecular and morphological data sets weakly support a monophyletic atrofasciata group including M. appendica sp. nov. and M. logani if third positions in the COII gene sequences are excluded. In the taxonomic part of this study, adult males, pupae and larvae of Micropsectra aristata Pinder, M. atrofasciata, M. bavarica sp. nov., M. klinki sp. nov., M. logani, M. pallidula (Meigen) and M. schrankelae sp. nov. , and adult males and pupae of M. appendica sp. nov. and M. sofiae sp. nov. as well as adult males of M. andalusiaca Marcuzzi, M. calcifontis sp. nov., M. freyi Storå, M. longicrista sp. nov., M. robusta sp. nov. , and M. zernyi Marcuzzi are described and diagnosed. Micropsectra bidentata (Goetghebuer), M. jokaquarta Sasa & Ogata, M. miki Marcuzzi, M. pallida Goetghebuer, M. subnitens Goetghebuer, M. suecica (Kieffer) and M. shouharasima Sasa are new junior synonyms of M. atrofasciata; Micropsectra groenlandica Andersen and M. utonaitertia Sasa are new junior synonyms of M. logani; Micropsectra candida Chaudhuri & Datta, M. franzi Goetghebuer and M. viridiscutellata Goetghebuer are new junior synonyms of M. pallidula. Comments on the ecology, distribution and systematics of each species are provided. Keys to all known life stages are presented, as well as an annotated list of species morphologically similar to species in the atrofasciata group and nomina dubia in the atrofasciata group. Chironomus mimulus Holmgren is transferred to the genus Micropsectra. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 146 , 165–225.