Lobeline production by hairy root culture of Lobelia inflata L.

Hairy roots were obtained following inoculation of the stems of Lobelia inflata L. with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain ATCC 15834. These hairy roots contained agropine and mannopine. In addition, lobeline was detected by HPLC and confirmed by mass spectrometry. Various media were tested for the growth of hairy roots as well as for the content of lobeline in hairy roots. The growth rate of hairy roots cultured in Nitsch and Nitsch's medium was approximately one third of those cultured in other media. The lobeline content of hairy roots (18–54 g/g dry weight) cultured in these media was the same order of magnitude compared with that of roots of L. inflata (24 g/g dry weight) cultivated in pots. The hairy roots cultured in Nitsch and Nitsch's medium were morphologically different from those cultured in other media.Abbreviations MS medium Murashige and Skoog's medium - 1/2 MS medium one-half strength of the standard Murashige and Skoog's medium - B5 medium Gamborg's B5 medium - NN medium Nitsch and Nitsch's medium - FW fresh weight - DW dry weight     

Rice cultivar evaluation for phosphorus use efficiency

Phosphorus deficiency is one of the most growth-limiting factors in acid soils in various parts of the world. The objective of this study was to screen 25 rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L.) at low, medium, and high levels of soil P. Number of tillers, root length, plant height, root dry weight and shoot dry weight were related to tissue P concentrations, P uptake and P-use efficiency. Shoot weight was found to be the plant parameter most sensitive to P deficiency. Significant cultivar differences in P use efficiency were found. Phosphorus use efficiency was higher in roots than shoots and decreased with increasing levels of soil P. Positive correlations were found among growth parameters such as plant height, tillers, root and shoot weight, and P content of roots and shoots. These results indicate selection of rice cultivars for satisfactory performance under low P availability can be carried out using shoot and root dry weight as criteria.     

Rhizosphere microorganism effects on soluble amino acids,sugars and organic acids in the root zone ofAgropyron cristatum,A. smithii andBouteloua gracilis

Three axenic and rhizosphere microorganism-inoculated shortgrass steppe plant species were evaluated for possible differences in residual organic carbon and nitrogen present as sugars, organic acids and amino acids. IntroducedAgropyron cristatum was compared toA. smithii andBouteloua gracilis, which are dominant species in the native shortgrass steppe. These plants, grown for 90 days in root growth chambers, showed differences in residual organic carbon and nitrogen per gram of root, and rhizosphere microbe presence resulted in additional changes in these compounds. The root biomass ofB. gracilis was significantly increased with microbes present. TheAgropyron species had significantly lower amino acid levels with microbes present, while under the same conditions, theB. gracilis showed significant decreases in residual sugars. Based on the amino acids, sugars and organic acids, the C/N ratio of the sterileA. cristatum was higher than forB. gracilis. Rhizosphere microbe presence did not result in changes in these C/N ratios. These results suggest thatA. cristatum, with microbes present, will have lower levels of amino acids present, whileB. gracilis, with a lower C/N ratio, will have sugars used to a greater extent by the rhizosphere microbes. This resulted in the higher levels of residual soluble organic C and N in the rhizosphere ofB. gracilis, in comparison with the introducedA. cristatum. These differences may be critical in influencing the course of nutrient accumulation and plant competition in short-grass steppe communities, and in understanding basic aspects of plant-rhizosphere microorganism interactions.     

Lectin-gene expression in pea (Pisum sativum L.) roots

The expression of a lectin gene in pea (Pisum sativum L.) roots has been investigated using the copy DNA of a pea seed lectin as a probe. An mRNA which has the same size as the seed mRNA but which is about 4000 times less abundant has been detected in 21-d-old roots. The probe detected lectin expression as early as 4 d after sowing, with the highest level being reached at 10 d, i.e. just before nodulation. In later stages (16-d- and 21-d-old roots), expression was substantially decreased. The correlation between infection by Rhizobium leguminosarum and lectin expression in pea roots has been investigated by comparing root lectin mRNA levels in inoculated plants and in plants grown under conditions preventing nodulation. Neither growth in a nitrate concentration which inhibited nodulation nor growth in the absence of Rhizobium appreciably affected lectin expression in roots.Abbreviation cDNA copy DNA - poly(A)⁺RNA polyadenylated RNA     

Influence of Meloidogyne incognita on Resistant and Susceptible Sweet Potato Cultivars

Effects of several population densities ofMeloidogyne incognita on the sweet potato cultivars Centennial (susceptible) and Jasper (moderately resistant) were studied. Field plots were infested with initial levels (Pi) of 0, 10, 100, 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 eggs and juveniles/500 cm³ soil in 1980 and 0, 100, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 in 1981. M. incognita population development trends were similar on both cultivars; however, at high Pi, more eggs and juveniles were recovered from Centennial than from Jasper. The highest Pi did not result in the highest mid-season (Pm) counts. Pi was negatively correlated with the number of marketable roots and root weight but positively correlated with total cracked roots, percentage of cracked roots, and cracking severity. Jasper tolerated higher Pi with greater yields and better root quality than Centennial. Cracking of fleshy roots occurred with both cultivars at low Pi.     

Cross-linked collagen surface for cell culture that is stable,uniform, and optically superior to conventional surfaces

Summary A new type of collagen surface for use with cultures of peripheral nervous system cells is described. Collagen is derivatized to plastic culture dishes by a cross-linking reagent, 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinoethyl)-carbodiimide-metho-p-toluenesulfonate (carbodiimide), to form a uniform and durable surface for cell attachment and growth that allows dry storage, long-term culture, and improved microscopy. Surfaces of collagen derivatized to plastic were compared to surfaces of adsorbed or ammonia-polymerized collagen in terms of collagen binding and detachment, growth by dorsal root ganglion cells, and electron microscopy appearances. Derivatized collagen surfaces retained more collagen and showed much less evidence of degradation and cellular damage over periods of many weeks than did conventional adsorbed surfaces. Long-term survival of cells on derivatized collagen was far superior to that on the other surfaces, with almost 90% of cultures still viable after 10 wk. Transmission electron microscopy showed an organized layer of single fibrils that supported cell growth well, and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated an increased uniformity of derivatized collagen surfaces compared to ammoniated collagen surfaces. Applications for this improved substrate surface are discussed. This work was supported by the Leopold Schepp Foundation, the Dysautonomia Foundation, National Institutes of Health Grants NS14768 and NS11237, and Institutional Core Grant HD06276.     

Local population differences in emergence of cabbage root flies from south-west Lancashire: implications for pest forecasting and population divergence

ABSTRACT.

• 1 Emergence of cabbage root fly, Delia radicum (L.), from overwintering populations of puparia collected from twenty-one sites in south-west Lancashire, was extremely variable.
• 2 The patterns of emergence indicated that there were two extreme biotypes, one with early- and the other with late-emerging flies. There was also evidence of an intermediate biotype, tending more to early than to late emergence.
• 3 This gradient of biotypes, or clinal divergence, was maintained by populations breeding at different times and by females mating close to their sites of emergence. Non-dispersive females then perpetuated their genotype within their own locality.
• 4 The time of emergence was not obviously associated with the type of host-crop on which larvae had developed.
• 5 The late-emerging biotype was most prevalent around Halsall. The minimum distance between populations of the late- and the early-emerging biotypes was 16 km. 20 km south-east from Halsall only half of the fly population was early-emerging, possibly a result of a displacement of the Halsall biotype by the prevailing NW wind.
• 6 Regional-based forecasts will need to take into account the emergence characteristics of the populations to predict the peak periods of cabbage root fly activity adequately in south-west Lancashire and other areas where emergence patterns differ.

     

Establishment of transformed root cultures of Perezia cuernavacana producing the sesquiterpene quinone perezone

Summary The sesquiterpene quinone currently known as perezone is abundantly produced by the roots of Perezia cuernavacana. This compound is of biotechnological interest since it may be used as a pigment and has several pharmacological properties. In this work we demonstrate that perezone is also produced in transformed root cultures of P. cuernavacana. Hairy roots were induced by inoculation of internodal segments of sterile plants of P. cuernavacana with Agrobacterium rhizogenes AR12 strain. The axenic liquid MS medium cultures of the hairy roots isolated from the internodes showed active growth in the absence of growth regulators. The transformed nature of the tissue was confirmed by genomic integration (PCR and slot blot hybridization) and expression (enzyme activity) of the marker gus-gene. The production of perezone by a transformed root culture was evidenced by IR spectroscopy. Our results offer an alternative for enhanced production of perezone and represent an advantage over its extraction from natural plant populations which present problems in their agronomic culture.