Management of disease complex of balsam caused by Meloidogyne javanica and Macrophomina phaseolina by using biofertilisers and pesticides

An investigation was conducted to study the effect of biofertilisers (Glomus fasciculatum, Azospirillum brasilense, Azotobacter chroococcum and Micro Phos) and pesticides (carbofuran and bavistin) on the management of root-rot and root-knot disease complex of balsam. The individual application of biofertilisers (G. fasciculatum, A. brasilense and A. chroococcum) significantly improved the plant growth parameters viz., length, dry weight and number of flowers compared to untreated-uninoculated plants. The simultaneous inoculation of plant with Meloidogyne javanica and Macrophomina phaseolina in the pots treated with either of the biofertilisers (G. fasciculatum, A. brasilense and A. chroococcum) and pesticides (carbofuran/bavistin) significantly improved the plant growth parameters and reduced the reproduction factor, number of galls and intensity of root-rot compared to untreated-inoculated plants. On the other hand, the plants treated with Micro Phos neither significantly improved the plant growth parameters nor reduced the reproduction factor, number of galls and intensity of root-rot. Among the biofertilisers and pesticides, carbofuran was found to be the most effective in the management of disease complex of balsam followed by bavistin, G. fasciculatum, A. brasilense and A. chroococcum.     

Parasitic and mutualistic associations between a mycorrhizal fungus and soybean: The effect of phosphorus on host plant-endophyte interactions

Soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Kent] plants were colonized by the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus fasciculatum (Thaxt. sensu Gerd.) Gerd. and Trappe in pot cultures using an inert medium and a nutrient solution. Phosphorus was provided initially as 0, 25,50, 100 or 200 mg hydroxyapatite [HAP, Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂] per pot. Under the low (0 mg HAP) and high (100 and 200 mg HAP) P regimes, VAM plants showed 20, 25 and 38% growth retardation, respectively, relative to non-colonized controls. At 50 mg HAP, VAM plant growth was significantly enhanced (14%). Dry weight and P content of both VAM and control plants increased with increased P availability throughout the HAP gradient. Intraradical VAM fungal biomass increased linearly with increasing P availability. Extraradical VAM fungal biomass was smaller than the intraradical component of the fungus at the lowest and highest levels of P addition in the growth medium. The ratio of extra- to intraradical mycelium, a suggested index of VAM fungal effectiveness, was greatest for the 50 mg HAP treatment, coinciding with growth enhancement of the host plant. This enhanced growth of the host at an intermediate P level was apparently a result of increased P uptake by the endophyte.     

A field fumigation system for elevated carbon dioxide exposure in chaparral shrubs

1. Modifications and improvements in the hardware and software of a free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE) system are described. The modifications were undertaken to minimize the amount of structure required and to improve software control of CO₂ set points.
2. A new low-cost CO₂ flow controller which provides increased reliability is described.
3. Analysis of system performance during a 79-day evaluation period of operation (13 h day^–1) showed that for 1 min averages, the system is capable of maintaining a 550 p.p.m. ± 10% CO₂ set point during 78% of the operating time and a 550 p.p.m. ± 20% set point during 95% of the operating time. Ten-minute averages were within ± 10% and 20% during 87% and 96% of the operating time, respectively.
4. Continuous measurements of the spatial variation in CO₂ concentration inside the FACE ring over an 18-day period showed that of the total 16-m diameter treatment area, the central 11-m diameter portion remains within the 550 p.p.m. ± 10% set point.
5. Daily course gas-exchange measurements in matched individuals of the chaparral shrub Adenostoma fasciculatum just prior to and following a 6-week fumigation period at 550 p.p.m. CO₂ in the FACE treatment ring showed the FACE plants with reduced photosynthetic rates and higher (less stressful) water potentials compared with control A. fasciculatum plants measured at the same times and conditions, indicating the responsiveness of this species to elevated CO₂ conditions.     

粗根韭的核型分化研究

对葱属粗根韭的3个地方居群的核型分析结果表明,3个居群的核型表现出很大的差异。西藏 达孜居群为2n=2x=20=4m+10sm+2t(2SAT)+4T;四川乡城居群为2n=2x=20=10sm+6t (2SAT)+4T;四川理县居群为2n=2x=20=6m+1Osm+2t(2SAT)+2T。虽然它们之间在核型上存 在差异,但除达孜居群的植株较矮小外,3个居群的植物在形态上却非常一致。理县居群的核型被认为 是原始类型,由它通过染色体结构变异,分别演化出更不对称的达孜居群和乡城居群。葱属中,目前只 发现4个种的染色体基数为10,除本种外其余3种分别是A．decipiens Fisch．;A．kujukense Vved．和 A．chelotum Wendelbo。根据这4个种的核型特征和分布格局,基数10可能有不同的起源,至少粗根韭 的起源与其余3种不同,而且起源最晚。粗根韭的核型特征及它与染色体基数为11的宽叶韭A．hook- eri Thwaites在核型上的相似性,表明它们很可能共同起源于基数为10但现已绝灭的祖先种。此外,还探讨了该祖先种的起源问题。     

Flavonoids and phenolic acids in adenostoma, a dominant genus of the californian chaparral

The flavonoid and phenolic acid pattern of Adenostoma fasciculatum and A. sparsifolium, two dominant, endemic species of the Californian chaparral, was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. Adenostoma sparsifolium was found to secrete large amounts of lipophilic, unusually substituted flavonoids onto the leaf surface; A. fasciculatum produces five hydrophilic flavonol 3-O-glycosides of kaempferol, quercetin and isorhamnetin. The phenolic acid pattern differed quantitatively but not qualitatively between the species. The amounts of phenolic acids that could be detected within the leaves, leaf litter and soil beneath the shrubs seem too small to explain allelopathic effects as the main reason for the dominance of the two species.