Wheat seed proteins regulated by imbibition independent of dormancy status

Seed dormancy is an important trait in wheat (Trticum aestivum L.) and it can be released by germination-stimulating treatments such as after-ripening. Previously, we identified proteins specifically associated with after-ripening mediated developmental switches of wheat seeds from the state of dormancy to germination. Here, we report seed proteins that exhibited imbibition induced co-regulation in both dormant and after-ripened seeds of wheat, suggesting that the expression of these specific proteins/protein isoforms is not associated with the maintenance or release of seed dormancy in wheat.     

紫斑牡丹休眠地下芽在组织培养条件下的发育研究

以紫斑牡丹（Paeonia rockii T.Hong et Li J.J.)休眠地下芽为材料,对同一时期打破休眠的地下芽在3种不同培养基上的发育状况、不同时间低温处理后在同一培养基上的发育,以及不同时期休眠地下芽在同一培养条件下的发育进行了比较研究。结果表明：MS＋BA 1mg/L NAA 0.5mg/L 2,4-d 0.5mg/L最有利于打破休眠的地下芽发育;不同低温处理对休眠地下芽的萌发率及发育速率作用明显不同,其中,720h的低温处理效果最佳;彻底打破休眠的不同时期地下芽在同一培养条件下发育速率基本一致。     

Polyamines in turions and young plants of hydrocharis morsus-ranae and utricularia intermedia

Spermidine is the most abundant polyamine in dormant turions of Hydrocharis morsus-ranae and Utricularia intermedia, and it is also the dominant polyamine in sprouts of U. intermedia. The putrescine level is high in young leaves of H. morsus-ranae. Cadaverine and homospermidine occur respectively in vernalized turions of H. morsus-ranae and of U. intermedia.     

Get up early: Revealing behavioral responses of sandeel to ocean warming using commercial catch data

1. Warming of the oceans and shifts in the timing of annual key events are likely to cause behavioral changes in species showing a high degree of site fidelity. While this is well studied in terrestrial systems, there are fewer examples from the marine environment. Sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) is a small eel‐shaped teleost fish with strong behavioral attachment to sandy habitats in which they are buried from late summer through winter. When spring arrives, the sandeel emerge to feed during the day for several of months before returning to the sand for overwintering refuge.
2. Using fisheries data from the North Sea, we investigated whether catch rates reflect the timing of emergence and if seasonal patterns are related to temperature and primary production.
3. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) was used to describe sandeel emergence. We developed indicators of the relative timing of the emergence from the winter sand refuge and the subsequent growth period. Different modeling approaches were used to investigate the relationship with bottom temperature and primary production.
4. Variation in emergence behavior was correlated with variation in sea bottom temperature. Warmer years were characterized by earlier emergence. Significant warming over the last three decades was evident in all sandeel habitats in the North Sea throughout most of their adult life history, though no net shift in the phenology of emergence was detected. Minimum temperature during spring was a better predictor of emergence behavior than, for example, degree days.
5. This study emphasizes how temperature‐induced changes in behavior may have implications for predators and fisheries of sandeel. The method can be applied to other species for which the timing of exploitation (i.e., fisheries) and species life history are well matched.

     

施氮时期对高产夏玉米氮代谢关键酶活性及抗氧化特性的影响

选用玉米品种登海661和郑单958为材料,研究了高产条件下施氮时期对夏玉米产量、氮素利用率、氮代谢相关酶及抗氧化酶活性的影响.结果表明:拔节期一次性施氮不利于夏玉米产量提高和氮素积累,分次施氮且增施花粒肥显著提高了植株和籽粒的吸氮量,并提高了籽粒产量.拔节期、10叶期、花后10d按2∶4∶4施氮,登海661产量最高可达14123.0kg· hm-2;基肥、拔节期、10叶期、花后10 d按1∶2∶5∶2施氮,郑单958产量最高可达14517.1 kg· hm-2,这2种施氮方式较拔节期一次性施氮分别增产14.5％和17.5％.花前分次施氮可以显著提高开花期硝酸还原酶活性;登海661和郑单958在花后0～42 d中,施氮处理的谷氨酰胺合成酶、谷氨酸合成酶、谷氨酸脱氢酶活性分别平均提高了32.6％、47.1％、50.4％和14.5％、61.8％、25.6％,减缓了其下降趋势;超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化氢酶活性提高了22.0％、36.6％和13.4％、62.0％,丙二醛含量显著降低.在高产条件下,分次施氮且适当增加花粒肥施入比例可以提高氮代谢相关酶活性,延缓植株衰老,促进氮素吸收利用,进而提高籽粒产量.     

不同颜色遮阳网遮光对丘陵茶园夏秋茶和春茶产量及主要生化成分的影响

为研究不同颜色遮阳网遮光对夏秋茶与春茶产量和品质的影响,在中国科学院桃源农业生态试验站以“碧香早”茶树为试验材料,选用不遮光和中度遮光（遮光率(50?4)%）的黑色、绿色、银灰色遮阳网开展遮光试验。结果表明：不同季节使用黑色遮阳网能显著增加氨基酸和咖啡碱含量,降低茶多酚含量和酚氨比,与对照茶园比较,夏季、秋季、春季茶叶氨基酸含量分别增加了14.22%、17.07%、6.23%,茶多酚含量分别降低了4.40%、6.43%、27.66%,咖啡碱含量分别增加了9.48%、8.10%、7.28%。夏秋季银灰色遮阳网效果最差,绿色遮阳网效果介于黑色和对照之间,春季三种颜色遮阳网效果均优于对照;茶树遮光后品质明显优于对照,夏秋茶经遮光可达到制高档茶的要求,春茶遮光可达到制名优茶的要求。     

Latitudinal cline of requirement for far‐red light for the photoperiodic control of budset and extension growth in Picea abies (Norway spruce)

To test for the effects of far‐red light on preventing budset in Picea abies , seedlings of six populations originating from latitudes between 67°N and 47°N were grown for 4–8 weeks in continuous incandescent (metal halogen) light at 300 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 20°C and then transferred, at the same temperature, to a daily regime of 8 h incandescent light (300 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹) followed by 16 h cool white fluorescent light (40 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹). (Cool white lamps are deficient in far‐red light, with a R/FR ratio of 7.5 compared with 2.0 for the incandescent lamps.) All the seedlings from 67° and 80% of those from 64° stopped extension growth and set terminal buds within 28 days of the change of regime. The seedlings from 61° and further south continued growing, as did control seedlings from 67° grown as above but with incandescent light at 20 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ replacing cool white illumination. To distinguish between a clinal and ecotypic pattern of variation, the interval between 64° and 59° was investigated by growing populations originating from that area in the same regimes as before. After 28 days in the cool white day‐extension regime, the percentage budset was 86 for the population from 64°, 0 for the population from 59° and 25–50 for the intermediate populations; i.e. the populations showed a clinal variation in requirement for far‐red light according to latitude. Thus northern populations of Picea abies appear to behave as 'light‐dominant' plants for the photoperiodic control of extension growth and budset, whereas the more southern populations behave as 'dark‐dominant' plants.     

The autumn effect: timing of physical dormancy break in seeds of two winter annual species of Geraniaceae by a stepwise process

Background and Aims

The involvement of two steps in the physical dormancy (PY)-breaking process previously has been demonstrated in seeds of Fabaceae and Convolvulaceae. Even though there is a claim for a moisture-controlled stepwise PY-breaking in some species of Geraniaceae, no study has evaluated the role of temperature in the PY-breaking process in this family. The aim of this study was to determine whether a temperature-controlled stepwise PY-breaking process occurs in seeds of the winter annuals Geranium carolinianum and G. dissectum.

Methods

Seeds of G. carolinianum and G. dissectum were stored under different temperature regimes to test the effect of storage temperature on PY-break. The role of temperature and moisture regimes in regulating PY-break was investigated by treatments simulating natural conditions. Greenhouse (non-heated) experiments on seed germination and burial experiments (outdoors) were carried out to determine the PY-breaking behaviour in the natural habitat.

Key Results

Irrespective of moisture conditions, sensitivity to the PY-breaking step in seeds of G. carolinianum was induced at temperatures ≥20 °C, and exposure to temperatures ≤20 °C made the sensitive seeds permeable. Sensitivity of seeds increased with time. In G. dissectum, PY-break occurred at temperatures ≥20 °C in a single step under constant wet or dry conditions and in two steps under alternate wet–dry conditions if seeds were initially kept wet.

Conclusions

Timing of seed germination with the onset of autumn can be explained by PY-breaking processes involving (a) two temperature-dependent steps in G. carolinianum and (b) one or two moisture-dependent step(s) along with the inability to germinate under high temperatures in G. dissectum. Geraniaceae is the third of 18 families with PY in which a two-step PY-breaking process has been demonstrated.     

Interchangeable effects of gibberellic acid and temperature on embryo growth, seed germination and epicotyl emergence in Ribes multiflorum ssp. sandalioticum (Grossulariaceae)

Morphophysiological dormancy was investigated in seeds of Ribes multiflorum Kit ex Roem et Schult. ssp. sandalioticum Arrigoni, a rare mountain species endemic to Sardinia (Italy). There were no differences in imbibition rates between intact and scarified seeds, suggesting a lack of physical dormancy, while methylene blue solution (0.5%) highlighted a preferential pathway for solution entrance through the raphe. Embryos were small at seed dispersal, with an initial embryo:seed ratio (E:S) of ca. 0.2 (embryo length, ca. 0.5 mm), whereas the critical E:S ratio for germination was three times longer (ca. 0.6). Gibberellic acid (GA(3), 250 mg · l(-1)) and warm stratification (25 °C for 3 months) followed by low temperature (<15 °C) enhanced embryo growth rate (maximum of ca. 0.04 mm · day(-1) at 10 °C) and subsequent seed germination (radicle emergence; ca. 80% at 10 °C). Low germination occurred at warmer temperatures, and cold stratification (5 °C for 3 months) induced secondary dormancy. After radicle emergence, epicotyl emergence was delayed for ca. 2 months for seeds from three different populations. Mean time of epicotyl emergence was affected by GA(3) . Seeds of this species showed non-deep simple (root) - non-deep simple (epicotyl) morphophysiological dormancy, highlighting a high synchronisation with Mediterranean seasonality in all the investigated populations.     

Seed germination and in vitro propagation of Maytenus canariensis through regeneration of adventitious shoots from axillary and apical buds

Seed germination and micropropagation protocols of the medicinal species Maytenus canariensis (Loes.) G. Kunkel & Sunding were optimized. In vitro seed germination occurred (86 to 94.7 %) only after treatment of the seeds with H₂SO₄, followed by surface sterilization and culture on solid nutrient medium without any growth regulators. Micropropagation failed when explants were taken from mature trees, and browning of the nutrient medium frequently occurred despite testing many growth media. Nonetheless, adventitious shoot regeneration was achieved employing axillary or apical buds taken from 2–2.5 months old plantlets obtained after in vitro germination of seeds, following culture on nutrient media supplemented with benzylaminopurine, kinetin and naphthalenacetic acid (NAA), attaining up to 3.9 shoots per explant, after 4–6 months. Root induction was best on a medium containing 4.0 mg dm⁻³ NAA, achieving a 100 % induction. After hardening of rooted plants, survival after transfer to soil was 71.43 %.