种植Bt水稻后的土壤对赤子爱胜蚓生长发育及酶活性的影响

【背景】转基因作物种植的安全问题一直备受关注。关于Bt蛋白对地下非靶标生物影响的研究是转基因作物安全评价的重要内容。【方法】在转Bt基因水稻收割后的稻田里分别种植豌豆、紫云英和油菜作为后茬作物。分别于2013年1、3和6月3次采集不同后茬作物田中的土壤作为材料,于室内饲养赤子爱胜蚓,4周和7周后,测定蚯蚓的生长发育指标、存活率以及体内酶活性的变化情况。此外,还测定了不同深度土壤中Bt蛋白的含量以及用Bt蛋白直接饲喂的赤子爱胜蚓的存活率。【结果】与种植过非转基因水稻MH63的土壤相比,分别种植过含cry2A和cry1C基因水稻后的土壤对赤子爱胜蚓的生长发育、存活率及体内酶活性无显著影响。1月份和3月份转cry2A基因水稻田以及1月份转cry1C基因水稻田采集的表层土样中的Bt蛋白含量显著高于地下10 cm和地下20 cm土壤中的含量,地下2层土样中的Cry2A蛋白含量之间无差异。3月份转cry1C基因水稻田以及6月份转cry2A和转cry1C基因水稻田的土壤中Bt蛋白的含量均不受土壤深度的影响。种植的后茬作物对土壤中的Bt蛋白无显著消解作用。室内模拟土壤最高Bt蛋白浓度的条件下,Cry2A蛋白处理的蚯蚓存活率为96.7%,Cry1C蛋白处理的蚯蚓存活率为95.0%,两者与对照相比无显著差异。【结论与意义】转cry2A和cry1C基因Bt水稻的种植对蚯蚓的生长发育和体内酶活性无显著影响。本研究为转基因水稻的安全评价提供了一定的依据。     

Ozone‐induced reductions in below‐ground biomass: an anatomical approach in potato

Potato plants were grown in open‐top chambers under three ozone concentrations during two complete cropping seasons (93 and 77 d in 2004 and 2005, respectively). The effects of chronic exposure to ozone on leaf anatomy, cell ultrastructure and crop yield were studied. Severe cell damage was found, even at ambient ozone levels, mainly affecting the spongy parenchyma and areas near the stomata. Damage to the cell wall caused loss of cell contact, and loss of turgor pressure due to tonoplast disintegration, contributed to cell collapse. Phloem sieve plates were obstructed by callose accumulation, and damaged mesophyll cells increased their starch stores. Tuber yield fell sharply (24–44%), due to the biggest tubers becoming smaller, which affected commercial yield. These anatomical findings show the mechanisms of ozone effect on assimilate partitioning, and thus crop yield decrease, in potato. Further implications of ozone causing reductions in below‐ground biomass are also discussed.     

Miscanthus×giganteus plant regeneration: effect of callus types,ages and culture methods on regeneration competence

The perennial rhizomatous grass, Miscanthus×giganteus is an ideal biomass crop due to its rapid vegetative growth and high biomass yield potential. As a naturally occurring sterile hybrid, M. ×giganteus must be propagated vegetatively by mechanically divided rhizomes or from micropropagated plantlets. Plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis is a viable approach to achieve large‐scale production of plantlets in tissue culture. Effect of the callus types, ages and culture methods on the regeneration competence was studied to improve regeneration efficiency and shorten the period of tissue culture in M. ×giganteus. Shoot‐forming calli having a yellow or white compact callus with light‐green shoot‐like structures showed the highest regeneration frequency. Percentage of shoot‐forming callus induction from immature inflorescence explants was 41% on callus induction medium containing 13.6 μM 2,4‐d and 0.44 μM benzyladenine (BA). The use of a regeneration medium containing 1.3 μM NAA and 22 μM BA was effective at shortening the incubation period required for plantlet regeneration, with 69% of total regenerated plantlets obtained within 1 month of incubation on regeneration medium. Embryogenic‐like callus morphotype could maintain regeneration competency for up to 1 year as suspension cultures. Field grown regenerated plants showed normal phenotypic development with DNA content and plant heights comparable to rhizome propagated plants. Winter survival rates of the regenerated plants planted in 2006 and 2007 at the University of Illinois South Farm, Urbana‐Champaign, Illinois, were 78% and 56%, respectively.     

Numbers of pink sugarcane mealy bug, Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), differ within seasons and among regions and stages of the sugarcane crop cycle

Abstract  The pink sugarcane mealy bug (PSMB; Saccharicoccus sacchari ) is widespread on sugarcane globally. PSMB infest above-ground storage tissue as it develops, feeding on phloem and producing exudate. It is not known, however, whether the level of infestations is the same in different sugar growing regions, or how population size varies year to year within a region. Field surveys of the number of nodes infested were conducted over five seasons in three mill-regions in northern Australia (Macknade, Kalamia and Marian) on plant and ratoon crops. The pattern of infestation was very similar across seasons (only in 1 year of very low rainfall was the increase in population delayed). In all three regions the proportion of nodes infested was similar but reached the maximum 1 month later in the Marian region compared with the Kalamia and Macknade regions. The Kalamia region was distinguished by the rapid decline in the number of nodes infested down to a very low level by March. In the Macknade region mealy bugs persisted at higher levels than the other two regions. The PSMB infestation started earlier and was much greater in ratoon crops than plant crops throughout the sampling period. The differences were more pronounced in the Macknade and Marian districts. These observations provide a firm basis from which future strategies to control PSMB can be developed.     

Root, shoot tissues of Brassica juncea and Cereal secale promote potato health

Brassica species are increasingly being used as cover crops to suppress soil-borne diseases in potato cropping systems. Experiments were conducted in controlled environments and in the field to evaluate the effects of cover crop root or shoot or a combination of root and shoot tissues on potato root and tuber health. In a lab assay we examined the extent to which volatile compounds released from tissues of two cover crop species, rye (Cereale secale L.) and oriental mustard (Brassica juncea L.), could inhibit mycelium growth of two important potato diseases, Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium ultimum. Twenty-four hours into the lab assay, volatile compounds from all residues suppressed fungal growth. After 48 h, marked suppression of hyphal growth continued in the presence of mustard residues but not in the presence of rye tissues or the control without tissues. A 75 L volume container experiment evaluated the effect of incorporating different quantities of mustard shoot and root tissues (none, comparable to field level and fourfold field level) into R. solani and P. ultimum infested soil on potato growth, root health and tuber disease. In the container study, incorporating mustard shoots at the highest dose increased potato yield by 54% and reduced disease rating to 2.3 compared to a severe rating of 4.4 in the control. In the field trial, potato growth, root health and tuber disease levels were evaluated in plots where disease management involved either incorporation of mustard or rye cover crop roots, shoots and whole plants (roots plus shoots) or standard farmer practice of a fumigated fallow as a control. White root tissue was used as a health indicator, and averaged 58 and 78% in the fumigated control and mustard cover crop treatments, respectively. The highest healthy root tissue status (91%) was recorded where whole plants of mustard were incorporated. In contrast to the visual assessment of root and tuber health, tuber yield in the field was not influenced by cover crop treatment. Across experiments, the incorporation of or exposure to whole mustard plants was consistently effective at suppressing soil-borne fungi and promoting healthy roots and tubers, especially at higher rates of biomass. Mustard should be managed so as to maximize incorporated biomass for effective biofumigation. Multipurpose management requiring removal of mustard shoots is incompatible with promoting potato rhizosphere health.     

黄土高原马栏林区辽东栎更新特性研究

研究了黄土高原马栏林区主要植被类型中的辽东栎幼苗的数量特征,更新层幼苗、幼树的实生和萌生特性及其辽东栎在垂直结构上的数量分布。结果表明:(1)辽东栎幼苗在黄土高原马栏林区分布广泛且数量充足。不同的植被类型中辽东栎种群表现出不同的大小级结构,在油松—辽东栎混交林、油松林和辽东栎林中辽东栎种群的幼苗、幼树和成树均占一定的比例,而在油松—白桦混交林、白桦林、山杨林和山杨—白桦混交林中辽东栎种群则以幼苗和幼树为主。表明辽东栎种群在该地区植被的发展过程中将产生重要的作用。(2)辽东栎在这一地区是由实生和萌生的个体混合组成的。在各种植被类型中实生植株的密度都高于萌生植株,辽东栎种群的更新在该地区可能主要是通过实生植株来完成的,即辽东栎实生植株在更新过程中起重要的作用。但萌生植株作为辽东栎顺利通过瓶颈的一种手段,作为辽东栎种群繁衍和稳定的一种途径,在辽东栎种群的更新中也起着一定的作用。     

Photosynthetic characteristics and productivity of spring rape plants as related to crop density

Optimal density of spring rape (Brassica napus L.) crop stand was determined by plant photosynthetic characteristics at the beginning of flowering. As crop density increased from 100 to 350 plants/m², leaf surface index (LSI) of the crop was found to increase by 18.2–80.2%, and LSI decreased by 38.8–67.3% as compared with the sparsest crop (50–100 plants/m²). LSI depended on the rate of incident PAR reaching 0.5 and 0.25 heights of the crop stand and to the soil surface. When crop density increased from 100 to 350 plants/m², the photosynthetic potential (PP) of the crop increased 1.8 times as compared with the sparsest crop. PP of the densest rape crop stand was 3 times lower than in the sparsest crop. When the crop density increased from 100 to 250 plants/m², the daily increment in biomass calculated per leaf surface unit increased by 27.0% as compared with the sparsest crop and depended on LSI. When leaf area decreased, the daily increment in biomass calculated per leaf surface unit declined; in the densest stand, this characteristic was by 58.3% lower than in the sparsest crop. Rape productivity at the flowering stage depended on the crop density, LSI of plants, rate of PAR reaching 0.5 and 0.25 heights of the crop stand and to the soil surface, PP, and the daily increment in biomass calculated per leaf surface unit. Crop productivity at the flowering stage and the rape seed yield were associated by a significant parabolic relationship. When crop density increased from 100 to 350 plants/m², seed yield per plant considerably decreased (by 33.1–78.5%) as compared with the sparsest crop. The greatest influence on seed yield per plant was exerted by LSI and the daily increment in biomass calculated per leaf surface unit. When crop density increased to 250–300 plants/m², the seed yield considerably rose (by 28.6–58.8%) as compared with the sparsest crop; when this index reached 300–350 plants/m², the seed yield decreased because plant growth was suppressed, with the productivity reduced. The results thus obtained suggest that the photometric characteristics of spring rape were at optimum at crop density of 100–250 plants/m². The agroclimatic conditions of Lithuania ensure potential for rapid accumulation of total biomass and high seed yield.     

Foraging interactions between native and exotic bumblebees: enclosure experiments using native flowering plants

To assess the impact of Bombus terrestris invasion on the foraging efficiency of native Japanese bumblebees, consumption and acquisition of floral resources during foraging on flowers of native Japanese plant species were investigated using enclosures with three treatments: one with only B. terrestris (exotic), one with both B. terrestris and native Japanese bumblebee species (mixed), and one with only Japanese species (native), but with the bumblebee density held constant. Changes in the body mass of queens and the nest mass of colonies for two days did not significantly differ among four combinations of the species and treatment, B. terrestris in the exotic and mixed treatments and Japanese species in the mixed and native treatments. Thus, it is not clear that B. terrestris has higher foraging efficiency than native species and that B. terrestris individuals more negatively affect the foraging efficiency of native species than individuals of the native species themselves. The nectar standing crop of Cirsium kamtschaticum was smaller in the exotic treatment than in the mixed and native treatments. However, this may have been an artifact of differences in the numbers of flowers in the various treatments. T. Nagamitsu and T. Kenta contributed equally to this work     

Fruit removal efficiency and success: influence of crop size in a neotropical treelet

The reproductive success of animal-dispersed plants is closely linked to the number of seeds that they are able to disperse. The fruit crop size hypothesis states that a plant with large fruit crop size will attract more dispersers than a plant with a smaller fruit crop, which may result in more seeds being dispersed from the foremost. In this study, we experimentally examined the effect of crop size and other factors on primary seed dispersal in a neotropical shrub/tree, Casearia corymbosa (Flacourtiaceae). We used two predictive variables of reproductive success, which produce an accurate picture of seed dispersal ratio: fruit removal efficiency (proportion of a fruit crop removed by frugivores) and fruit removal success (relative contribution of each individual tree to the number of fruits removed in the population). We established two levels of fruit crop size at the C. corymbosa individuals, using plants with large (150 fruits) and small crops (50 fruits). We found that individual plants with larger crops had significantly higher values of fruit removal efficiency (92.6%) and success (5%) than plants with smaller crops (69.3% and 1.3%, respectively). Fruit removal efficiency was related to vegetation type, plant height and fruit width, but the variance explained by these variables was low ( < 8%). Fruit removal success was significantly related to crop size ( > 90% of the variance explained). These results suggest that fruit removal efficiency and success are strongly related to fruit crop size of C. corymbosa plants.