Auxins,ABA and gibberellin-like activity in abscising and non-abscising flowers and pods of Vicia faba L.

Abscission probability varies among floral positions within inflorescences of Vicia faba L. Flowers from proximal positions have a greater chance to develop into mature pods than flowers from more distal positions which normally abscise either as older flowers or as young pods. In three field experiments with the indeterminate single stem variety Herz-Freya, changes in the contents of extractable auxins, abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins in flowers and pods during their development, and their possible influence on abscission were investigated.Inflorescences at different positions along the stem were divided into the two proximal and the remaining fruits. The content of all three hormones was at a low level during flower development, increased greatly in parallel with dry matter accumulation in the young pods, and then decreased to maturity. The first hormone to increase in the fruits was auxin and this took place when abscission from the distal positions began. ABA and gibberellins at this time were still at a low level. This ontogenic course of hormone production was very similar in fruits of both positions within an inflorescence, but in flowers and young pods from proximal positions, auxin content in most inflorescences was greater than in those from the abscising distal positions. No such positional differences were observed with ABA and gibberellins. Decapitation of the plants reduced flower and pod drop from the remaining reproductive nodes. Although decapitation resulted in less abscission among distal flowers and young pods from these nodes, it did not affect the ontogenic course of auxin and ABA production in these fruits.     

Meloidogyne mayaguensis n. sp. (Meloidogynidae), a Root-knot Nematode from Puerto Rico

Meloidogyne mayaguensis n. sp. is described and illustrated from specimens obtained from galled roots of eggplant, Solanum melongena L., from Puerto Rico. The perineal pattern of females is round to ovoid with fine, widely spaced striae. It has occasional breaks of striation laterally and a circular tail tip area lacking striae. The stylet, 15.8 μm long, has reniform knobs that merge gradually with the stylet shaft. Males have a high, rectangular, smooth head region, not set off from the body contour. The labial disc is continuous with the medial lips which do not slope posteriorly. The styler, 22.9 μm long, has large rounded backward sloping knobs; the shaft is of uneven diameter. Mean body length of second-stage juveniles is 453.6 μm. The truncate head region is not annulated, and the rounded, slightly raised labial disc and the crescentic medial lips form dumbbell-shaped lip structures. The stylet, 11.6 μm long, has rounded, posteriorly sloping knobs. The slender tail, 54.4 μm long, gradually tapers to a bluntly pointed tip. Tomato, tobacco, pepper, and watermelon are good hosts; cotton and peanut are not hosts. M. mayaguensis n. sp. reproduces by mitotic parthenogenesis and has a somatic chromosome number of 2n = 44-45. The enzyme patterns are unique among Meloidogyne species.     

Rice cultivar evaluation for phosphorus use efficiency

Phosphorus deficiency is one of the most growth-limiting factors in acid soils in various parts of the world. The objective of this study was to screen 25 rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L.) at low, medium, and high levels of soil P. Number of tillers, root length, plant height, root dry weight and shoot dry weight were related to tissue P concentrations, P uptake and P-use efficiency. Shoot weight was found to be the plant parameter most sensitive to P deficiency. Significant cultivar differences in P use efficiency were found. Phosphorus use efficiency was higher in roots than shoots and decreased with increasing levels of soil P. Positive correlations were found among growth parameters such as plant height, tillers, root and shoot weight, and P content of roots and shoots. These results indicate selection of rice cultivars for satisfactory performance under low P availability can be carried out using shoot and root dry weight as criteria.     

Growth and development of maxipak wheat as affected by soil salinity and moisture levels

The effect of soil salinity and soil moisture on the growth and yield of maxipak wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was studied in a lath-house experiment in whih, chloride-sulphate salt mixtures were used to artificially salinize a sandy loam soil from Al-Jadyriah Baghdad. Five soil salinity levels of ECe's equal to 1.7 (Control) 4.2, 5.8, 8.1, 9.4 and 11.0dSm^–1 were prepared and used at 3 levels of available soil moisture depletion, namely, 25, 50, and 75% as determined by weight. Both growth (vegetative) and yield components were studied throughout the growing season.Results showed that increasing the soil salinity from 1.7 to 11.0 dSm^–1, and decreasing the available soil water from 75 to 25% resulted in independent and significant decreases in Mazipak wheat growth and yield components at different stages of plant development. Root growth showed more sensitivity to both available soil water and soil salinity level than other components. It has been concluded that at soil salinity levels of more than 8.0 dSm^–1, available soil water became a limiting factor on wheat growth and the maintenance of 75% of available soil water during the growth period is recommended to obtain satisfactory grain yield.     

Modifications to the photosynthetic apparatus of higher plants in response to changes in the light environment

A brief review of the photosynthetic apparatus of higher plants is given, followed by a consideration of the modifications induced in this apparatus by changes in light intensity and light quality. Possible strategies by which plants may optimize photosynthetic activity by both long- and short-term modifications of their photosynthetic apparatus in response to changing light regimes are discussed.     

Behavior of chloroplasts and chloroplast nuclei during spermatogenesis in the fern,Pteris vittata L.

Summary The fate of the chloroplasts and chloroplast nuclei (cp-nuclei) was followed during spermatogenesis in the fernPteris vittata L. by epifluorescence microscopy after staining with 4-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and by quantitation of chloroplast DNA (cp-DNA) by fluorimetry using a video intensified microscope photon counting system (VIMPICS). The spores were grown on solid medium that contained antheridiogen (An_ptd), and formed an antheridium initial on the protonema cell. The antheridium initial divided and produced 16 spermatocytes and 3 surrounding cells. The chloroplasts in the spermatocytes decreased in volume as cell division was repeated, until finally the volume of each chloroplast was 1/15 of that of the primary chloroplasts. The DNA content of the chloroplasts was also reduced to 1/5 of the original value and when the sperm matured, the fluorescence of cp-DNA disappeared. In the 16-cell spermatocyte, the recognition of the fluorescence of chlorophyll in the chloroplasts with a green excitation filter became difficult. But, the plastids could be observed until the final stage of the sperm. From these observations, it appears that there are two steps in the metamorphosis of chloroplasts during spermatogenesis in the fern. The first step involves the decrease in the volume of chloroplasts, accompanied by reduction of the DNA content, and the second step involves the change of the physical state of chloroplasts to amyloplasts and the disappearance of the cp-DNA from the amyloplasts.     

水稻原生质体产生细胞团的冰冻保存和冻后再生植株形成

水稻(Oryza sativa L.)原生质体产生的细胞团加上10-20％的二甲亚枫(DMSO)和10-20％的蔗糖,置于液氮中保存。冻后细胞生存率达到对照的40-50％。存活的细胞在附加2×10~(-5)mol/l 2,4-D 的Linsmier-Skoog(Ls)固体培养基上再生长,然后将形成的愈伤组织块转到附加10~(-6)mol/l NAA,4×10~(-6)mol/l 激动素和10~(-6)mol/l 2 IP 及8％的蔗糖的 LS培养基上分化出芽并形成植株。     

(2'-5')An-dependent endoribonuclease: enzyme levels are regulated by IFN beta, IFN gamma, and cell culture conditions

The levels of a (2'-5')An-dependent endonuclease (RNase L) were determined in extracts prepared from murine L cells and Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells by measuring specific binding of protein to a labeled derivative of (2'-5')An, (2'-5')A3[32P]pCp. RNase L levels were found to depend both on interferon (IFN) treatment and on cell growth conditions. Treatment of murine L cells and EAT cells with 100-2,000 IRU IFN beta or IFN gamma resulted in a similar 2-4-fold increase in the levels of RNase L when cells were present at low density. The levels of RNase L were also shown to increase 2-3-fold as cells approached saturation density. Serum-starved cells also displayed relatively high levels of RNase L. RNase L levels in cells maintained at high cell density did not change appreciably following treatment with IFN beta or IFN gamma. Regulation of RNase L levels by cell growth conditions as well as by IFN beta or IFN gamma treatment suggests that RNase L may play an important role in regulating the levels of cellular mRNAs as well as acting to degrade viral RNAs.     

Chloroplast proliferation based on their distribution and arrangement inAdiantum protonemata growing under red light

Chloroplast proliferation was investigated inAdiantum protonemata growing under continuous red light. Cell division is absent when cells are grown under red light. The chloroplast number increases as the cell length increases, therefore the chloroplasts divide in the absence of cell division. Chloroplasts in the basal part of the filamentous protonemal cell migrate gradually toward the cell apex, but there is no large net migration from the tip to the base or vice versa, indicating that chloroplast division takes place in the apical part of the protonemata. Chloroplast number in the apical 100 μm was maintained at about 200 during cell growth at least over eight days. The chloroplasts were either dumbbell- or ellipsoid-shaped. Dumbbell-shaped chloroplasts are abundant everywhere in a protonema, ranging from 30 to 50% of the total chloroplasts. The dumbbell-shaped chloroplasts attached to or very close to the plasma membrane seem to be the ones that are dividing but the dumbbell-shaped ones in the other regions do not divide. These data support the hypothesis that a signal from the plasma membrane induces the dumbbell-shaped chloroplasts to divide.     

Differences in learning by foraging juvenile pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish in a structured habitat

Synopsis We investigated the ability of two congeneric species of sunfish to learn to forage on a novel prey item in feeding arenas containing structured habitats. Eight bluegill sunfish and eight pumpkinseed sunfish were given the opportunity to forage on whiteworms daily for 10 days. Each day, several behavioural measures were recorded for each fish. Both species of sunfish learned to feed over the 10-day period but the bluegill sunfish learned to feed more quickly than the pumpkinseed sunfish. Pumpkinseeds, however, attained a higher level of foraging efficiency. The differences in learning and foraging efficiency were related to body morphology.