Plant-soil interactions associated with acid,weathered soils

Plant-soil interactions in weathered soils are so complex that unqualified statements about a suitable pH for plants are risky. Conventional experimental designs and statistical methods may not be appropriate for investigating such complexities. Lime experiments using continuous function designs and observation of plant response to indigenous variability in soil pH permit detailed observations of plant-soil interactions that are frequently not detected. A graphical boundary-line approach to interpreting data can make good sense out of apparent confusion. Increasing the pH of variable-charge soils by adding lime or by indigenous means increased CEC and retarded cation leaching, but Ca solubility changed very little over the range pH 5 to 6. N fixation and yield was closely related to soil pH, soil Mn and Mn uptake by soybean. This result was clearly demonstrated regardless of numerous other limiting factors. Plant yield response curves resolved into distinct segments that corresponded with associated soil properties. Excess Al compounded by Ca deficiency is suspect in the pH range <5. Excess Mn, and Ca deficiency probably limited yields in the pH range 5.0 to 5.7. Yields were stable, and Ca and P were constant in the pH interval 5.7 to 6.0. Yields abruptly increased in the pH interval 6.0 to 6.3. This was associated with elevated Ca concentrations in soil solutions.     

A somatic hybrid plant obtained by protoplast fusion between navel orange (Citrus sinensis) and satsuma mandarin (C. unshiu)

A somatic hybrid plant was obtained by protoplast fusion between navel orange and satsuma mandarin. Protoplasts isolated from nucellar calli of navel orange and from leaves of satsuma mandarin were fused by the PEG method. The fusion products were cultured in a Murashige & Tucker medium containing 0.6 M sucrose. In this medium, some colonies developed into whole plants through embryogenesis. One of the regenerated plants was shown to be a hybrid, which was proven by restriction endonuclease analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA. The chromosome number of the hybrid was 36. Both parents have a chromosome number 2n=18.     

The influence of nitrogen concentration and ammonium/nitrate ratio on N-uptake,mineral composition and yield of citrus

In short-term water culture experiments with different ¹⁵N labeled ammonium or nitrate concentrations, citrus seedlings absorbed NH₄ ⁺ at a higher rate than NO₃ ^–. Maximum NO₃ ^– uptake by the whole plant occurred at 120 mg L^–1 NO₃ ^–-N, whereas NH₄ ⁺ absorption was saturated at 240 mg L^–1 NH₄ ⁺-N. ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺ accumulated in roots and to a lesser degree in both leaves and stems. However, ¹⁵NO₃ ^– was mostly partitioned between leaves and roots.Adding increasing amounts of unlabeled NH₄ ⁺ (15–60 mg L^–1 N) to nutrient solutions containing 120 mg L^–1 N as ¹⁵N labeled nitrate reduced ¹⁵NO₃ ^– uptake. Maximum inhibition of ¹⁵NO₃ ^– uptake was about 55% at 2.14 mM NH₄ ⁺ (30 mg L^–1 NH₄ ⁺-N) and it did not increase any further at higher NH₄ ⁺ proportions.In a long-term experiment, the effects of concentration and source of added N (NO₃ ^– or NH₄ ⁺) on nutrient concentrations in leaves from plants grown in sand were evaluated. Leaf concentration of N, P, Mg, Fe and Cu were increased by NH₄ ⁺ versus NO₃ ^– nutrition, whereas the reverse was true for Ca, K, Zn and Mn.The effects of different NO₃ ^–-N:NH₄ ⁺-N ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100) at 120 mg L^–1 total N on leaf nutrient concentrations, fruit yield and fruit characteristics were investigated in another long-term experiment with plants grown in sand cultures. Nitrogen concentrations in leaves were highest when plants were provided with either NO₃ ^– or NH₄ ⁺ as a sole source of N. Lowest N concentration in leaves was found with a 75:25 NO₃ ^–-N/NH₄ ⁺-N ratio. With increasing proportions of NH₄ ⁺ in the N supply, leaf nutrients such as P, Mg, Fe and Cu increased, whereas Ca, K, Mn and Zn decreased. Yield in number of fruits per tree was increased significantly by supplying all N as NH₄ ⁺, although fruit weight was reduced. The number of fruits per tree was lowest with the 75:25 NO₃ ^–-N:NH₄ ⁺-N ratio, but in this treatment fruits reached their highest weight. Rind thickness, juice acidity, and colour index of fruits decreased with increasing NH₄ ⁺ in the N supply, whereas the % pulp and maturity index increased. Percent of juice in fruits and total soluble solids were only slightly affected by NO₃ ^–:NH₄ ⁺ ratio.     

Inhibitory activity of tea polyphenol and Candida ernobii against Diplodia natalensis infections

Aims: To investigate the effect of tea polyphenol (TP) and Candida ernobii alone or in combination against postharvest disease (Diplodia natalensis) in citrus fruit and to evaluate the possible mechanisms involved. Methods and Results: TP at concentrations of 0·1%, 0·5% and 1·0% alone, or in combination with C. ernobii (1 × 10⁶ CFU ml^?1), showed a lower infection rate of stem‐end rot. TP at the concentration of 0·5% or above significantly inhibited the spore germination of D. natalensis. TP at the concentration of 1·0% showed inhibitary ability on mycelium growth of D. natalensis. The addition of TP did not affect the growth of C. ernobii in vitro and significantly increased the population of C. ernobii in vivo. Conclusions: TP exhibited an inhibitory effect against D. natalensis and improved the biocontrol efficacy of C. ernobii. It was direct because of the inhibitory effects of TP on spore germination and mycelial growth of D. natalensis in vitro and indirect because of the increased populations of C. ernobii in vivo. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results suggested that TP alone or in combination with biocontrol agents has great potential in commercial management of postharvest diseases in fruits.     

锌胁迫对两种柑橘幼苗光合特性日变化及其相关性的影响

通过砂培试验,采用C I-340型便携式光合测定系统研究了不同锌处理（0.05mg/L Zn为对照,0.5mg/L Zn为锌过量,0mg/L Zn为锌缺乏）对‘不知火’和‘椪柑’幼苗叶片光合特性日变化及其相关性的影响。结果表明,在锌胁迫条件下,‘不知火’叶片的净光合速率（Pn）日变化呈单峰曲线,对照为双峰曲线,而‘椪柑’与对照呈现相似的单峰型变化,且锌胁迫下两者平均的Pn均显著低于对照。简单相关分析表明,‘不知火’在锌胁迫下叶片Pn与光合有效辐射（PAR）、蒸腾速率（Tr）均呈显著的正相关,其对照Pn与各因子之间并无显著相关性,各锌处理下的‘椪柑’叶片Pn均与Gs呈显著正相关。逐步多元回归的分析结果与简单相关分析结果存在出入。还就锌胁迫对两品种柑橘的光合特性及其相关性的影响进行了讨论。     

柑桔砧木矮化特性分类研究

以３１种柑桔砧木为试材,对根皮率,根导管总面积,栅海比,叶片气孔密度,茎还原性糖含量,叶片还原性糖含量,叶片氨基酸含量,茎蛋白质含量,叶片过氧化物酶活性９个柑桔砧木矮化预选指标进行测定,采用聚类分析的方法,将这些砧木分为矮化砧,半矮化砧、半乔化砧、乔化砧４类。     

INFLUENCE OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY ON SURVIVAL OF THE CITRUS LEAF-MINER, PHYLLOCNZSTZS CITRELLA STAINTON (LEPIDOPTERA: PHYLLOCNISTIDAE)

Abstract The relationshLps between relative humidity (RH) and survival rates of eggs, all larval stages and pupae of the citrus leaf-miner, Phyllooiistis citrella Stainton, were determined by laboratory experiments. The survival of the citrus leaf-miner was observed at seven levels of relative humidity from 35% RH to 95% RH at intervals of 10% RH, with 12 L: 12 D photoperiod and temperatiure (29±0.5) C. The relative humidity was controlled by saturated solutions of MgCl₂ 6H₂O, K₂CO₃ 2H₂O, C₆H₁₂O₆, NaNO₂, NaCl, KCl, and Pb(NO₃)₂. The results showed that lower relative humidity is unfavorable for incubation of the eggs, survival of the larvae and eclosion of the pupae. The survival rates increased generally with rising of relative humidity within the range of 35% - 85% RH, and the maximum survival rates occurred at 85% RH for different life stages. The variations in hatching rates of the eggs, survival rates of the larvae and emergence rates of the pupae were great, but unimodal at different relative humidity. The effect of relative humidity on survival rates of the citrus leaf-miner could be simulated by regression analysis, using a polynomial function of three orders, and the results of fitting the model to the observed data are presented and discussed.     

Structure and structure formation of viroids

The structure of viroids and the mechanism of structure formation were investigated by different methods. Results from gel analysis, partial degradation pattern, electron microscopy, dye binding, hydrodynamic studies, and temperature-jump kinetics were interpreted in a common structural and mechanistic scheme. Gel analysis, electron microscopy and kinetic investigations show that viroids may assume the native as well as metastable conformations under the same conditions. The native conformation is obtained by complete renaturation, i.e. slow cooling throughout the transition range (e.g. 52 to 48 ° C for potato spindle tuber viroid (PST viroid) in 0.01 m-sodium cacodylate, pH 6.8). In contrast, metastable conformations were trapped if viroids were redissolved in the cold from their ethanol precipitate or if they were denatured and cooled quickly.The native secondary structure of the recently sequenced PST viroid (Gross et al., 1978) was optimized for the free energy of base-pairing. The scheme agrees with that proposed by Gross et al. (1978), which was derived from chemical arguments. The extended structure does not undergo tertiary structure folding under a wide range of conditions, as was concluded from electron microscopy, sedimentation measurements and binding studies of ethidium bromide and a new dye specific for A · U pairs (2-(4′-aminophenyl)-5-(4′-methylpiperazin-1″yl)-benzirnidazol).Intermediate structures during viroid denaturation were analysed on theoretical and experimental grounds. The experimental data, in combination with the model calculations, show that all of the native base-pairs of viroids are dissociated in one highly co-operative main transition, and that during the same process very stable hairpins are formed that are not present in the native structure. The formation of stable hairpins induces a new type of long range cooperativity, which is responsible in part for the high co-operativity observed experimentally. This interpretation is in good agreement with kinetic results presented elsewhere (Henco et al., 1979).In order to understand the uniqueness of viroids, the structure and the conformational transitions of circular RNA molecules of the same base composition as PST viroids but with 359 nucleotides arranged randomly, were studied theoretically. Common viroid features, such as the number of base-pairs, the high co-operativity and the formation of very stable hairpins, are found to be improbable in such random sequences. It is concluded that various viroid species, although differing in nucleotide sequence, follow common principles of structure and structure formation.