Host plant resistance against broomrapes (Orobanche spp.): defence reactions and mechanisms of resistance

Over 4000 species of angiosperms are able to directly invade and parasitise other plants, but only very few are weedy and parasitise cultivated plants. Together with the witchweeds (Striga spp.) and dodders (Cuscuta spp.), the broomrapes (Orobanche spp.) affect important crops causing complete yield loses with severe infestations. Genetic resistance to parasitisation remains as one of the most desirable components in an integrated control strategy. However, breeding for resistance is a difficult task and many aspects of the host/parasite interaction remain unknown. In the present work, we review the cytological and cytochemical studies investigating the mechanisms of resistance involved in the process leading to an incompatible host–parasite interaction. We have attempted to identify the main gaps and problems related to such studies with parasitic plants and present an in‐depth review of histochemical techniques used to assess mechanisms of resistance against these parasitic plants. Furthermore, we discuss future research directions and novel techniques and finally, how such techniques can be applied and incorporated within a breeding programme.     

樱桃属(Cerasus)植物根围微生物多样性

研究了樱桃属(Cerasus) 5种植物本溪山樱(Cs)、大青叶(Cp)、马哈利(Cm)、考特(Cap)、早红宝石(Ca)各主要生长期根围微生物数量、种群组成、Shannom-Wiener指数(H)、丰富度(S)、Pielou均匀度指数(J)、Simpson 优势度(D)和优势微生物种群变化动态.从樱桃根围共分离到细菌18属,优势菌属主要为假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)和黄杆菌属(Flavobacterium);放线菌为链霉菌的12个类群,优势类群主要为白色类群(Albosporus)、吸水类群(Hygroscopicus)和黄色类群(Flavus);真菌6属,优势菌属为青霉属(Penicillium).樱桃根围微生物的多样性指数(H)、丰富度指数(S)、均匀度指数(J) 及优势度指数(D) 随樱桃种类不同而发生变化,细菌的多样性和丰富度指数为Ca＞Cs＞Cp＞Cm＞Cap,放线菌为Ca＞Cp＞Cs＞Cm＞Cap,真菌为Cm＞Ca＞Cp＞Cs＞Cap.各生长期根围微生物种类与数量发生变化,新梢迅速生长期Ca、Cs、Cp和Cm根围微生物种类与数量较多,新梢停长期Cap根围微生物种类与数量较多,落叶期5种樱桃属植物根围微生物种类与数量均较少.     

Examination of correlation between histidine and nickel absorption by Morus L., Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Populus nigra L. using HPLC-MS and ICP-MS

In this study, HPLC-MS and ICP-MS methods were used for the determination of histidine and nickel in Morus L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., and Populus nigra L. leaves taken from industrial areas including Gaziantep and Bursa cities. In the determination of histidine by HPLC-MS, all of the system parameters such as flow rate of mobile phase, fragmentor potential, injection volume and column temperature were optimized and found to be 0.2 mL min^?1, 70 V, 15 µL, and 20°C, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, histidine was extracted from plant sample by distilled water at 90°C for 30 min. Concentrations of histidine as mg kg^?1 were found to be between 2–9 for Morus L., 6–13 for Robinia pseudoacacia L., and 2–10 for Populus nigra L. Concentrations of nickel were in the ranges of 5–10 mg kg^?1 for Morus L., 3–10 mg kg^?1 for Robinia pseudoacacia L., and 0.6–4 mg kg^?1 for Populus nigra L. A significant linear correlation (r = 0.78) between histidine and Ni was observed for Populus nigra L., whereas insignificant linear correlation for Robinia pseudoacacia L. (r = 0.22) were seen. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were found to be 0.025 mg Ni L^?1 and 0.075 mg Ni L^?1, respectively.     

东北地区草本植物1个新记录科和3个新记录属

东北地区位于我国东北部,共有维管束植物164科928属3 103种。根据野外调查结果及相关资料,报道了东北地区草本植物1个新记录科—粟米草科(Molluginaceae)和3个新记录属—粟米草属(Mollugo L.)、牛膝属(Achyranthes L.)和秃疮花属(Dicranostigma Hook. f. et Thoms.),以及对应的3个新纪录种—粟米草(Mollugo stricta L.)、牛膝(Achyranthes bidentata Blume)和秃疮花[Dicranostigma leptopodum(Maxim.) Fedde]。新记录种凭证标本保存于大连自然博物馆植物标本室。这些新记录草本植物的发现,对东北地区生物多样性的研究具有重要意义,为其在我国的地理分布研究提供了新资料。     

Evolutionary analysis of 58 proteins encoded in six completely sequenced chloroplast genomes: Revised molecular estimates of two seed plant divergence times

Fifty-eight homologous protein sequences from the completely sequenced chloroplast genomes ofZea mays, Oryza sativa, Nicotiana tabacum, Pinus thunbergii, Marchantia polymorpha andPoryphyra purpurea were investigated. Analyzed individually, only 40 of the 58 proteins gave the true, known topology for these species. Trees constructed from the concatenated 14295 amino acid alignment and from automatically generated subsets of the data containing successively fewer polymorphisms were used to estimate theNicotiana-Zea andPinus-angiosperm divergence times as 160 and 348 million years, respectively, with an uncertainty of about 10%. These estimates based upon phylogenetic analysis of protein data from complete chloroplast genomes are in much better accordance with current interpretations of fossil evidence than previous molecular estimates.This paper is dedicated to emer. Univ.-Prof. DrFriedrich Ehrendorfer on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

The role of long‐distance seed dispersal in the local population dynamics of an invasive plant species

Aim Long‐distance dispersal is important for plant population dynamics at larger spatial scales, but our understanding of this phenomenon is mostly based on computer modelling rather than field data. This paper, by combining field data and a simulation model, quantifies the fraction of the seed of the alien species Heracleum mantegazzianum that needs to disperse over a long distance for successful invasion. Location Central Europe, Czech Republic. Methods To assess the role of random dispersal in long‐term population dynamics of the studied species, we combined longitudinal data covering 50 years of the invasion of this plant from its very start, inferred from a series of aerial photographs of 60‐ha plots, with data on population dynamics at a fine scale of 10‐m² plots. Results A simulation model based on field data indicates that the fraction of seed that is dispersed from source plants not described by the short‐distance dispersal kernel ranges from 0.1 to 7.5% of the total seed set. The fraction of long‐distance dispersed seed that provides the best prediction of the observed spread was significantly negatively correlated with the percentage of habitats suitable for invasion. Main conclusions Our results indicate that the fraction of seeds that needed to be dispersed over long distances to account for the observed invasion dynamics decreased with increasing proportion of invasible habitats, indicating that the spatial pattern of propagule pressure differs in landscapes prone to invasion. Long‐distance dispersal is an important component of the population dynamics of an invasive species even at relatively small scales.     

The binding motifs for Ac transposase are absolutely required for excision of Ds1 in maize

A reverse genetic system for studying excision of the transposable elementDs1 in maize plants has been established previously. In this system, theDs1 element, as part of the genome of maize streak virus (MSV), is introduced into maize plants via agroinfection. In the presence of theAc element, excision ofDs1 from the MSV genome results in the appearance of viral symptoms on the maize plants. Here, we used this system to study DNA sequences requiredin cis for excision ofDs1. TheDs1 element contains theAc transposase binding motif AAACGG in only one of its subterminal regions (defined here as the 5′ subterminal region). We showed that mutation of these motifs abolished completely the excision capacity ofDs1. This is the first direct demonstration that the transposase binding motifs are essential for excision. Mutagenesis with oligonucleotide insertions in the other (3′) subterminal region resulted in elements with either a reduced or an increased excision efficiency, indicating that this subterminal region also has an important function.     

不同基质中水鳖对共存的穗花狐尾藻和金鱼藻的影响

研究设置了营养水平不同的3种基质,在有或无浮水植物水鳖共存的情况下,混合种植营养吸收方式不同的两种沉水植物（仅从水中吸收营养的金鱼藻和从水和基质都能吸收营养的穗花狐尾藻）,探讨在不同的基质中浮水植物对沉水植物的影响。结果显示:实验中水鳖的存在均未对共存的两种沉水植物的生长产生抑制作用。当水鳖覆盖水面时,与无根的金鱼藻竞争光照和水体营养,促使其增加分枝数和茎长,并增加叶生物量的分配,最终导致水鳖的共存促进了金鱼藻的生物量积累。但与金鱼藻不同,有根的穗花狐尾藻可通过基质吸收营养,与共存的水鳖之间只存在光照竞争,使穗花狐尾藻仅以改变植株形态来适应浮水植物的表层覆盖,生物量积累并未发生显著变化。与沙处理相比,水鳖在营养水平较高的泥处理和泥沙混合处理中生长更旺盛,基质没有显著影响沉水植物的生物量和分株数。因此,在退化湿地生态系统中恢复水生植物时,为了提高群落的物种多样性,可以将沉水植物与少量的浮水植物组合配置,少量的浮水植物不会对沉水植物的生长带来负面影响。     

The fourteen International Symposia on Biological Control of Weeds, 1969–2014: Delegates,demographics and inferences from the debate on non-target effects

Since 1969, weed biological control (WBC) practitioners have met at a series of 14 International Symposia on Biological Control of Weeds (ISBCWs). These gatherings have had no societal organization, thus the published proceedings are the main source of information on the recent history of this sub-discipline. Only 1144 individuals (mostly entomologists and plant pathologists) have ever attended an ISBCW: 338 (29.6%) have been at more than one symposium, bringing the total number of attendees to 1972. About 75% of these have come from the main WBC implementing nations, the USA, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand. The present analysis of ISBCW attendees has led to estimates that the global WBC research and development effort over the last 50 years has been the domain of about 450–550 WBC practitioners. WBC is presently beleaguered in the USA, Canada and Australia and attendance figures at recent ISBCWs are in decline. A case is made that these trends are largely due to the negative perceptions and damaging consequences of two decades of debates that have exaggerated the risks of non-target impacts and impeded progress in WBC. Further procrastination seems inevitable but in the interests of agriculture and conservation, WBC will need to be deployed more extensively if invasive alien (i.e., introduced, non-indigenous) plants are to be suppressed. In this context, the recent releases of WBC agents in Europe are signal events. It is mooted that a more formal and structured organization for the ISBCW meetings and perhaps a ‘rebranding’ of the sub-discipline is needed to champion and rekindle the practice of WBC.     

Plant life on gypsum: a review of its multiple facets

The adaptation of plants to particular soil types has long intrigued biologists. Gypsum soils occupy large areas in many regions of the world and host a striking biological diversity, but their vegetation has been much less studied than that developing over serpentine or saline soils. Herein, we review all aspects of plant life on gypsum ecosystems, discuss the main processes driving their structure and functioning, and highlight the main conservation threats that they face. Plant communities in gypsum habitats typically show distinctive bands at very small spatial scales, which are mainly determined by topography. Plants living on gypsum soils can be classified into three categories: (i) wide gypsophiles are specialists that can penetrate the physical soil crust during early life stages and have physiological adjustments to cope with the chemical limitations imposed by gypsum soils; (ii) narrow gypsophiles are refugee plants which successfully deal with the physical soil crust and can tolerate these chemical limitations but do not show specific adaptations for this type of soils; and (iii) gypsovags are non‐specialist gypsum plants that can only thrive in gypsum soils when the physical crust is absent or reduced. Their ability to survive in gypsum soils may also be mediated by below‐ground interactions with soil microorganisms. Gypsophiles and gypsovags show efficient germination at low temperatures, seed and fruit heteromorphism within and among populations, and variation in seed dormancy among plants and populations. In gypsum ecosystems, spatio‐temporal changes in the composition and structure of above‐ground vegetation are closely related to those of the soil seed bank. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) dominated by cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses are conspicuous in gypsum environments worldwide, and are important drivers of ecosystem processes such as carbon and nitrogen cycling, water infiltration and run‐off and soil stability. These organisms are also important determinants of the structure of annual plant communities living on gypsum soils. The short‐distance seed dispersal of gypsophiles is responsible for the high number of very narrow endemisms typically found in gypsum outcrops, and suggests that these species are evolutionarily old taxa due to the time they need to colonize isolated gypsum outcrops by chance. Climate change and habitat fragmentation negatively affect both plants and BSCs in gypsum habitats, and are among the major threats to these ecosystems. Gypsum habitats and specialists offer the chance to advance our knowledge on restrictive soils, and are ideal models not only to test important evolutionary questions such as tolerance to low Ca/Mg proportions in soils, but also to improve the theoretical framework of community ecology and ecosystem functioning.