Contributions to the cytotaxonomy of the Commelinaceae. Chromosome evolution in Tradescantia section Cymbispatha

The five species of Tradescantia section Cymbispatha studied, including one species T. poelliae D. R. Hunt, have chromosome numbers of In = 12, 14, 16, 22, 28, 30 and 36 and karyotypes of acrocentric, metacentric or telocentric chromosomes, or mixtures of both acrocentric and metacentric chromosomes. The numbers of major chromosome arms of these cytotypes give a nombre fondamentaP series of 14, 28, 42 and 56 which, in combination with meiotic analyses, indicates plants which, in genetical terms at least, are diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid and octoploid. This series has evolved from a 2 n = 14 acrocentric or telocentric karyotype by a combination of Robertsonian fusion and polyploidy. Pseudo-iso-chromosomes are sometimes formed in this evolutionary development and can persist as stable members of normal complements.     

The identification and fitness of virulent potato cystnematode populations (Globodera pallida) selected on resistant Solarium vernei hybrids for up to eleven generations

Selection of Globodera pallida populations on resistant Solanum vernei-hybrids resulted in distinct virulent strains after eleven generations. Some of these virulent populations were assessed on their environmental fitness under field-type conditions. All reproduced less well in unsterilised soil, but virulent populations were less affected by environmental variation than their avirulent counterparts. Evaluation of their reproductive ability could not equate virulence to overall enhanced or reduced genotypic fitness compared with their avirulent counterparts. These populations were shown to be genetically distinct from their unselected counterparts using isoelectric focusing and specific enzyme staining. The control and management of virulent G. pallida populations is discussed.     

The production of synthetic chemodisruptive peptides in planta disrupts the establishment of cyst nematodes

Root exudates from transgenic potato plants expressing a chemoreception-disruptive peptide inhibit acetylcholinesterase by up to 63 +/- 3%. This inhibition correlates strongly with the efficacy of the exudates as a presoak solution for infective juveniles of Heterodera glycines that leads to reduced root invasion. The establishment of developing Globodera pallida at 21 days post-infection in these transgenic plants was also suppressed in containment trials. Relative to controls, the best line showed a 47 +/- 5% reduction in developing females and had 188 +/- 25% more undeveloped infective juveniles. This suggests that disorientation of chemoreception occurs after initial root invasion. Line (e) showed the highest level of resistance with 61 +/- 4% in glasshouse trials conducted over a 9-week period. This result represents the combined effect on the number of cysts produced and the number of eggs each cyst contains. The level of control shown to saccate females was consistent in both the 21-day and 9-week post-infection studies. Another chemoreception-disruptive peptide, that binds to nematode nicotinic receptors in cholinergic neurones, provided a 52.6 +/- 1% reduction in the number of nematodes able to establish in transgenic hairy roots that expressed the peptide. This confirms that both chemoreception-disruptive peptides have efficacy in suppressing parasitism by cyst nematodes when expressed in planta at low concentrations.     

Estimation of genomic variation between British populations of the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida using RAPD-PCR

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) has been used to investigate the interrelationships of 20 populations of Globodera pallida collected originally from field soils around the UK. RAPD analysis revealed a high level of relative genomic diversity within British G. pallida but there was no general correlation of genomic similarity with geographic distribution. Two populations of pathotype Pa1 were clearly divergent from the bulk of G. pallida and might represent a distinct introduction. Two other populations, from Scotland and Wales, were also dissimilar from each other and from the rest of the G. pallida populations.     

Identification of AFLP and SSR markers associated with quantitative resistance to Globodera pallida (Stone) in tetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum subsp. tuberosum) with a view to marker-assisted selection

 Seventy eight clones from the cross between SCRI clone 12601ab1 and cv Stirling were used to explore the possibility of genetical linkage analysis in tetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum subsp. tuberosum). Clone 12601ab1 had quantitative resistance to Globodera pallida Pa2/3 derived from S. tuberosum subsp. andigena. The strategy adopted involved identifying single- (simplex) and double- (duplex) dose AFLP markers in the parents from segregation ratios that could be unambiguously identified in their offspring, detecting linkage between a marker and a putative quantitative trait locus (QTL) for resistance, and placing the QTL on the linkage map of markers. The numbers of scorable segregating markers were 162 simplex ones present only in 12601ab1, 87 present in Stirling, and 32 present in both; and 72 duplex markers present only in 12601ab1 and 45 present in Stirling. The total map length was 990.9 cM in 12601ab1 and 484.6 cM in Stirling. A QTL with a resistance allele present in double dose (QQqq) in 12601ab1 was inferred from the associations between resistance scores (square root of female counts) and two duplex markers linked in coupling, which, in turn, were linked in coupling to four simplex markers also associated with resistance, but to a lesser degree. The largest marker class difference was the one for the duplex marker P61M34=15. It accounted for 27.8% of the phenotypic variance in resistance scores, or approximately 30% of the genotypic variance. Subsequently, this duplex marker was found to be linked in coupling with a duplex SSR allele Stm3016=a, whose locus was shown to be on chromosome IV in a diploid reference mapping population. The other QTLs for resistance segregating in the progeny were not identified for one or more of the following reasons: the markers did not cover the whole of the genome, there were unfavourable repulsion linkages between the QTLs and markers, or the gene effects were not large enough to be detected in an experiment of the size conducted. It is concluded that prospects appear good for detecting QTLs and using marker-assisted selection in a tetraploid potato breeding programme, provided that, in future, the population size is increased to over 250 and more SSR markers are used to complement the AFLPs; the same is likely to be true for other autotetraploid crops. Received: 16 December 1997 / Accepted: 4 March 1998     

枸杞木虱成虫携带瘿螨越冬

多年来一直认为枸杞瘿螨Aceria pallida Kefer以成螨在树皮缝和芽缝内越冬,我们在宁夏中宁最新调查发现,大量瘿螨若螨潜伏于枸杞木虱越冬成虫体壁缝隙,尤其以后足基节与腹部缝隙最多。初步调查结果显示,越冬枸杞木虱Poratrioza sinica Yang et Li成虫雌性和雄性成虫均携带瘿螨成螨和若螨,平均2~3头,最多的可达30头。如果枸杞瘿螨随枸杞木虱越冬成虫越冬成为主要途径,那么对枸杞木虱越冬成虫的防治将成为控制枸杞瘿螨危害的重要防治策略和技术手段。     

Self-incompatibility and the pollen-stigma interaction inTradescantia ohiensis rafin

Summary Self-incompatibility (SI) is reported for an accession ofTradescantia ohiensis. Pollen tube inhibition is stigmatic. The stigma is wet and papillate, the papillr surface bearing conspicuous blebs particularly in the mid- and basal regions of the cell. A proteinaceous pellicle is present on the surface of the papillar cuticle. The penetration of the stains calcofluor white and alcian blue into the cell wall of fresh stigma papillae strongly indicates that the permeability of the papillae is greatest at the mid-region of the cell and not at the tip. When single pollen grains are attached to the tip of a papilla there is either no response at all or the pollen adheres to the papilla. When attached in the mid-region pollen adheres, and often germinates. It is concluded that the sites of pollen receptivity are the mid- and basal regions of the papular cell.     

Chromosomal studies in species of Salvia (Lamiaceae) from Argentina

Meiotic and mitotic chromosomes of 13 species of Salvia from Argentina were studied. Most of our data are new counts but some, mainly from cultivated species, confirm previous reports or represent numbers which are different from those cited previously. Only Salvia gilliesii Benth. and the introduced species S. coccinea Juss., S. farinacea Benth., S. involucrata Cav. and S. microphylla Kunth are diploids. S. cardiophylla Benth., S. procurrens Benth. , S. splendens Roem. & Schult. and S. uliginosa Benth. are tetraploids; S. stachydifolia Benth. is hexaploid; and S. guaranitica A. St.-Hil., S. pallida Benth. and S. rypara Briq. are octoploids. The basic number most frequently found is x  = 11, but two species, S. procurrens and S. uliginosa , have x  = 13. S. farinacea has x  = 10 but this species is a widespread cultivated plant, not native in this area. Seven of the studied species showed one to three B chromosomes. We discuss some systematic and evolutionary aspects of the genus in the light of the cytogenetic data, the relationships between geographical distribution and chromosome numbers in relation to levels of ploidy and basic chromosome numbers, and make comparisons with some of the different taxonomic sections.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 141 , 483–490.     

枸杞瘿螨姬小蜂的生物学特性

枸杞瘿螨姬小蜂Cirrospilus eniophyesiYang(新种)是枸杞瘿螨Aceria pallidaKeifer的重要天敌,以幼虫在虫瘿内取食枸杞瘿螨的成虫和若虫。在(25±1)℃下,该蜂完成1个世代需16~21d。成虫寿命及产卵量与补充营养有关,取食10%蜂蜜水的雌虫寿命为(6.94±0.67)d,雄虫为(5.14±0.49)d。不进行补充营养的雌雄成虫寿命分别为(1.96±0.27)d和(1.06±0.29)d;补充10%蜂蜜水和水可显著提高产卵量,每雌平均产卵量分别为(29.13±6.12)粒和(23.14±3.16)粒,产卵高峰期在羽化后的第2天。成虫羽化时间多集中在6:00~8:00am和4:00~6:00pm,羽化当天即可交尾。枸杞瘿螨姬小蜂自然种群消长与寄主虫口密度相关,在6月底7月初寄生率达到83.3%。