Hydraulic control of stomatal conductance in Douglas fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] and alder [Alnus rubra (Bong)] seedlings

Experiments were conducted on 1-year-old Douglas fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] and 2- to 3-month-old alder [Alnus rubra (Bong)] seedlings growing in drying soils to determine the relative influence of root and leaf water status on stomatal conductance (g_c). The water status of shoots was manipulated independently of that of the roots using a pressure chamber that enclosed the root system. Pressurizing the chamber increases the turgor of cells in the shoot but not in the roots. Seedling shoots were enclosed in a whole-plant cuvette and transpiration and net photosynthesis rates measured continuously. In both species, stomatal closure in response to soil drying was progressively reversed with increasing pressurization. Responses occurred within minutes of pressurization and measurements almost immediately returned to pre-pressurization levels when the pressure was released. Even in wet soils there was a significant increase in g_c with pressurization. In Douglas fir, the stomatal response to pressurization was the same for seedlings grown in dry soils for up to 120 d as for those subjected to drought stress over 40 to 60 d. The stomatal conductance of both Douglas fir and alder seedlings was less sensitive to root chamber pressure at higher vapour pressure deficits (D), and stomatal closure in response to increasing D from 1.04 to 2.06 kPa was only partially reversed by pressurization. Our results are in contrast to those of other studies on herbaceous species, even though we followed the same experimental approach. They suggest that it is not always appropriate to invoke a ‘feedforward’ model of short-term stomatal response to soil drying, whereby chemical messengers from the roots bring about stomatal closure.     

Preliminary studies on the mechanisms of action of phosphonic analogues of morphactins on plants and bacteria

Two classes of phosphonopeptides, those containing P-terminal 9-aminofluoren-9-ylphos-phonic acid and those of dialkyl 9-aminofluoren-9-ylphosphine oxides, influence plant growth according to different mechanisms. The effect of these compounds on the growth of several bacterial species, including the photosynthetic bacteriumRhodospirillum rubrum, as well as on the activity of photosystems 1 and 2 in isolatedPisum sativum andSpirodela oligorrhiza chloroplasts was studied. The peptides of free, unblocked 9-aminofluoren-9-ylphosphonic acid acted in a morphactin-like manner, whereas those of dialkyl 9-aminofluoren-9-ylphosphine oxides influenced photosynthesis indirectly.     

Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the acclimatization of micropropagated banana plantlets

 The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on micropropagated banana plantlets was evaluated during the acclimatization period. Plants were inoculated with Acaulospora scrobiculata, Glomus clarum or Glomus etunicatum. After cultivation in a greenhouse for 3 months, height, leaf area, fresh weight and dry matter of root and shoots, level of AMF colonization, nutrient level, photosynthesis and transpiration rate, water potential and stomatal conductance were measured. The number of AMF spores produced in each treatment was also determined. Plantlets inoculated with AMF had greater height, leaf area and fresh weight of shoots and roots, as well as higher rates of photosynthesis and transpiration than controls. Plants inoculated with Glomus were superior in most of the evaluated parameters. Accepted: 24 May 1999     

香蕉肉桂醇脱氢酶基因的克隆及表达分析

肉桂醇脱氢酶(CAD)在木质素合成过程中起关键作用。通过RACE(rapid-amplification of cDNA ends)方法从香蕉根系cDNA均一化全长文库中获得一个肉桂醇脱氢酶基因,命名为MaCAD1(GenBank登录号为KF582533)。MaCAD1是香蕉MYB基因编码框全长cDNA,包含一个1 077bp的最大开放阅读框(ORF),编码358个氨基酸。蛋白质序列同源比对发现,其含有完整的醇脱氧酶的典型保守结构域,属于典型的CAD蛋白。系统进化树比对分析表明,MaCAD1与水稻OsCAD6(CAD39907)的亲缘关系较近。组织特异性研究表明MaCAD1基因组成型表达于香蕉各个组织。在耐病和感病品种中,MaCAD1均上调表达,但在耐病品种中MaCAD1在所有时间点相对于对照增加的倍数均高于感病品种,表明MaCAD1基因在香蕉的抗病性中起着重要作用,MaCAD1可以作为一个新的响应枯萎病侵染的标记基因。     

Number,position, diameter and initial direction of growth of primary roots in Musa

To understand soil colonization by a root system, information is needed on the architecture of the root system. In monocotyledons, soil exploration is mainly due to the growth of adventitious primary roots. Primary root emergence in banana was quantified in relation to shoot and corm development. Root emergence kinetics were closely related to the development of aerial organs. Root position at emergence on the corm followed an asymptotic function of corm dry weight, so that the age of each root at a given time could be deduced from its position. Root diameter at emergence was related to the position of the roots on the corm, with younger roots being thicker than older ones. However, root diameters were not constant along a given root, but instead decreased with the distance to the base; roots appear to be conical in their basal and apical parts. Root growth directions at emergence were variable, but a high proportion of the primary roots emerged with a low angle to the horizontal. Further research is needed to evaluate whether these initial trajectories are conserved during root development. Results presented in this study are in good agreement with those reported for other monocotyledons such as maize and rice. They give quantitative information that will facilitate the development of models of root system architecture in banana.     

紫羊茅重金属抗性和敏感品种中类金属硫蛋白基因的鉴定及表达初探

重金属对生命机体的作用具有双重性。一方面,作为多数辅酶的辅助因子对细胞的正常代谢必不可少;另一方面,当重金属超过一定的浓度时对细胞有较大的毒性。在长期的进化过程中,生物可能形成一种调节细胞内重金属浓度的机制。这种机制在动物和真菌中被认为同金属硫蛋白(metallothionein,MT)的作用密切相关。植物中也存在类似的与重金属结合的低分子量蛋白(heavy metal binding pep-tide)。最近对拟南芥菜和水稻中类金属硫蛋白(MT-like)基因的研究证实其作用与动物MT相似。紫羊茅品种“Merlin”是一种从锌铅矿区的重金属污染地采集的单子叶草种,对镉和铜的抗性都较高,分别达到50mg/L和30mg/L,而5mg/L Cd~(2 )或2mg/L Cu~(2 )便可抑制敏感品种“S59”的正常生长。目前     

The relationships between static and dynamic variables in the description of root growth. Consequences for field interpretation of rooting variability

Field root investigations are often limited by the static nature of classical observations, resulting in the need to develop alternative methodologies that allow dynamic interpretation of root architecture variability on the basis of static measurements. The objectives of this work were (i) to evaluate the use of selected morphological indicators, namely root apical diameter (Da) and the length of the apical unbranched zone (LAUZ), in predicting primary and lateral root growth patterns in banana trees, (ii) to propose a field methodology for the assessment of root dynamics based on static measurements. Banana trees (Musa acuminata cv `Grande Naine') were grown in 5 rhizotrons as well as in field conditions, respectively on pouzzolane and Mollic Andosols. In rhizotrons, root growth analysis was carried out by reporting root elongation, Da and LAUZ, three times a week. In field conditions, 4 series of excavations were made at three-week intervals. Apart from root growth rate, measurements were the same as those in the rhizotrons. LAUZ was confirmed as a stable and good predictor of root growth rate for the different types of roots. In the rhizotrons, the root growth of lateral roots was found to be well correlated to the product of Da and the growth rate of the bearing root. Evaluation in field conditions from static observations attested consistent relationships between measured and predicted root length for lateral roots (slopes close to 1:1). The apical diameter can be considered as a good indicator of root growth potential, while actual lateral root growth depends on the bearing root elongation rate. Morphological static indicators calibrated from growth dynamics in rhizotrons are of major interest in explaining growth variability in field conditions. Especially the `growth rate-LAUZ' relationship can be considered a useful tool in interpreting field patterns of growing roots in relation to various soil conditions.     

Increasing in vitro germination of Musa balbisiana seed

Seeds of Musa balbisiana were soaked in water for five days prior to excision of embryos. Embryos with their longitudinal axis laid flat and half-way embedded on agar-solidified medium produced the highest germination and the most desirable plantlet characteristics. Germination in vitro was 94% within 7 days compared to 50% after 54 days for greenhouse-sown seeds.     

蕉类的细胞遗传学研究

本文对芭蕉属正蕉组内的一些有代表性的野生种和包括香蕉,大蕉在内的二倍体和三倍体食用栽培蕉,共１８个材料进行了核型比较分析,对其中５个重要的栽培蕉品种的花粉母细胞减数分裂进行了观察,从核型、染色体配对以及染色体 特殊分离行为等３个方面得到的证据表明,并非所有香蕉才同源三倍体,有一些香蕉品种的３个染色体组之间同源程度很低, 通过对一些特征染色体的分析,推测这种香蕉的单染色体组很可能来自ＢＢ野生蕉、大蕉