Efficacy of carboxin and heat treatment for controlling the growth of Sclerotium rolfsii during culture of the mushroom Pleurotus flabellatus

Soaking paddy straw for 18 h in a carboxin suspension in water (5 mg a.i./l) effectively controlled the growth of Sclerotium rolfsii occurring as a natural contaminant in paddy straw, during culture of the mushroom Pleurotus flabellatus. Carboxin at this concentration delayed sporophore formation by 2–3 days, but did not affect total yield. No detectable carboxin residues were found in the mushrooms grown on the treated paddy straw. Treatment of the paddy straw with hot water at 60°C for 10 min completely controlled the contaminant without affecting mushroom growth and yield; but 20 mm treatments with hot air at 60°C or heating with the steam to 75–80°C did not control S. rolfsii.     

LIGHT ABSORPTION BY PLANTS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS

The preceding account has attempted to examine the interactions between light absorption and photosynthesis, with reference to both unicellular and multicellular terrestrial and aquatic plants. There are, however, some notable plant groups to which no direct reference has been made, e.g. mosses, liverworts and lichens. Although many have similar optical properties to terrestrial vascular plants (Gates, 1980) and apparently similar photosynthetic responses (see Green & Snelgar, 1982; Kershaw, 1984) they may possess subtle, as yet unknown differences. For instance, the lichen thallus has a high surface reflectance although the transmittance is virtually zero (Gates, 1980; Osborne, unpublished results). It is envisaged, however, that differences in optical properties between species will reflect differences in degree not kind. Although not all variation in photosynthesis is due to differences in light absorption a number of accounts suggest that this is a contributing factor. Variations in leaf absorptance have been found to account for most of the variation in leaf photosynthesis at low J_is (see Ehleringer & Björkman, 1978a; Osborne & Garrett, 1983). There is, however, little direct experimental evidence on light absorption and photosynthesis in either microalgal species or aquatic macrophytes. We also do not know over what range of incident photon flux densities photosynthesis is determined largely by changes in light absorption. Plants growing under natural conditions also experience large diurnal and seasonal fluctuations in J_i, unlike species grown under laboratory conditions. The occurrence of transitory peaks in J_i tends to overshadow the fact that the average J_i is often lower than the J₁ required to saturate photosynthesis, i.e. 1500–2000 μmol m^-2 s^-1, depending on the growth treatment. Using the data of Monteith (1977) and I W m²= 5 μmol m^-2 s^-1, and with photosynthetically active radiation 50% of total solar radiation, the daily mean value for Britain is approximately 450 μmol m^-2 s^-1, with a maximum in June of 1000μmol m^-2 s^-1 and a minimum during the winter of 75 μmol m^-2 s^-1. Such values could be even lower on shaded understory leaves and considerably lower for aquatic species. Based on average values of net photosynthesis for a terrestrial plant leaf, light saturation would only be expected in June while for most of the year the average values would lie largely on the light-limited portion of the photosynthesis light response curve. Although the daily average values in tropical climates may be higher during the winter months, they are remarkably similar throughout the world for the respective summers in the northern and southern hemispheres, because the increased daylength at high latitudes compensates for the lower J_is. The expected lower dark respiration rates during the winter may also partially offset the effects of a lower light level. There is therefore a trade-off between high J_is for a short period of time against a lower J_i for a longer period of time. We might expect different photosynthetic responses to these two very different conditions. Importantly, a low J_i with a long daylength may enable a plant to photosynthesize at or near its maximum photon efficiency for most of the day. Although the response of the plant to fluctuations in J_i is complicated because it is affected by the previous environmental conditions, this may indicate that light absorption has a much greater significance under natural conditions, particularly for perennial species. The bias in many laboratories towards research on terrestrial vascular plants also tends to ignore the fact that a number of multicellular and unicellular aquatic species survive in very low light environments. Furthermore, the direct extrapolation of photosynthetic responses from measurements on single leaves to those of whole plants is clearly erroneous. Although this is obvious, many physiological ecologists have attributed all manner of things to the photosynthetic responses of ‘primary’ leaves. Most researchers have ignored problems associated with composite plant tissues and internal light gradients. Clearly caution is required in interpreting the photosynthesis light-response curve of multicellular tissues based on biochemical features alone. Also, the importance of cell structure on light absorption and photosynthesis has generally been ignored and attributed solely to the effects of structural features on CO₂ diffusion. In doing so the work of two or three generations of plant physiologists has been ignored. Haberlandt (1914) at the turn of the century probably first implicated the role of cell structure in leaf optics, and Heath (1970) stressed that in order to completely understand the role of light in photosynthesis we need to know the flux incident on the chloroplast itself. Even this suggestion may need modification because of the capacity of the internal chloroplast membranes for scattering light. It is worth emphasizing the importance of light gradients within tissues and their role in regulating photosynthesis, particularly at light saturation. Measurements of light gradients are fraught with problems because of experimental difficulties and the majority (few) are based on reflectance and transmittance measurements. Seyfried & Fukshansky (1983) have shown that light incident on the lower surface of a Cucurbita cotyledon produced a larger light gradient than light incident from above, indicating the importance of the spatial arrangement of the tissues with respect to the light source. Also, light incident on the lower surface of leaves of Picea sitchensis was less ‘effective’ in photosynthesis than light from above (Leverenz & Jarvis, 1979). Clearly, two tissues could have the same gross absorptance but different photosynthetic rates because of differences in the internal light environment. Fisher & Fisher (1983) have recently found asymmetries in the light distribution within leaves, which they related to asymmetries in photosynthetic products due to differences in solar elevation. Such modifications in light distribution could be important for a number of solar-tracking species. Changes in light absorption are brought about by a whole gamut of physiological, morphological and behavioural responses which serve to optimize the amount of light absorbed. Perhaps the simplest way of regulating the amount of light absorbed is by restricting growth either to particular times of the year or to conditions when the light climate is favourable. We are still largely ignorant of many details of these modifications. In particular, differences in tissue structure such as the size and number of vacuoles or the effects of organelles on the scattering component of the internal light environment of photosynthetic tissues are not understood. A better understanding of the interaction of light with plants in aquatic systems is also required. It is unfortunate that light-absorptance measurements are not routinely made in photosynthetic studies, and this is quite clearly a neglected area of study. That these measurements are not made is even more surprising, since techniques have been available for over sixty years (Ulbricht, 1920). Absorptance measurements are of particular importance in the photosynthetic adaptation of microalgae, where only a small proportion of the incident photon flux density is absorbed. For multicellular species more detailed information is required on internal light gradients and their variability. Light-absorptance measurements are also important in any study relating kinetic data on CO₂ fixation to in vivo photosynthesis, especially when there are large variations in the morphology and structure of the photosynthetic organ.     

Temperature Effects on Maturity Periods in Tetrahymena pyriformis Syngen 1*

Cells of Tetrahymena pyriformis syngen 1 grown at 30 C after conjugation achieve sexual maturity more quickly than do cells grown at 19 C, whether time is measured in numbers of cell divisions or in terms of absolute time. This result is achieved regardless of the temperature at which conjugation and nuclear reorganization occur. These observations differ from those of other workers investigating Paramecium, and suggest that the long term “chronometer” is more tightly coupled to cell division in Paramecium multimicronucleatum and Paramecium caudatum than in Tetrahymena pyriformis.     

Isolation of Mitochondria from Orobanche, a Total Root Angiospermic Parasite

Mitochondria were isolated from the scapes of Orobanche cernua. On the basis of comparative studies with four media, a mannitol grinding medium was selected at a slightly alkaline pH and supplemented with EDTA, metabisulphite, BSA and soluble PVP. Various intermediates of the Krebs cycle, pyruvate, glutamate and NADH were oxidized by the isolated particles, though with different efficiencies. The rate of oxidation was steady for every intermediate tested over a 60 min period, except for NADH. In the majority of cases, the oxidation was accompanied by efficient coupling with phosphorylation. Antimycin A led to significant reduction in the oxygen uptake in the presence of succinate and complete suppression of phosphate-esterification. The amount of protein recovered in the mitochondrial fraction was comparable with the reported recoveries from a number of plant tissues. The biochemical integrity of mitochondria in the particulate fraction appeared possible from: (a) the absence of respiratory response to added cytochrome c during the oxidation of succinate, (b) insignificant oxidation of exogenously added pyruvate in the absence of sparker and (c) the ability to satisfactorily couple phosphorylation to the oxidation of a number of substrates.     

Do wild dogs exclude foxes? Evidence for competition from dietary and spatial overlaps

Abstract The management of wild canids (wild dogs/dingoes and foxes) presents a conservation dilemma for land managers across Australia. These canids are predators of wildlife and domestic stock but dingoes are considered native and anecdotal reports suggest that they may suppress foxes such that dingo/dog conservation may have a net benefit to wildlife. This study examines dietary and spatial interactions between wild dogs and foxes in the Greater Blue Mountains region of NSW to address the possibility of suppression through competitive exclusion by dogs on foxes. Predator diets were compared using faecal analysis as well as an analysis of 19 dietary studies from similar forest habitats in eastern Australia. Spatial relationships were examined using data from an extensive canid control programme. Diets of wild dogs and foxes showed a high degree of overlap in species taken, indicating potential for competition. But there was also evidence of resource partitioning with the size and arboreality of mammalian prey differing between the two predators. Wild dogs and foxes responded to different landscape‐scale variation in the physical environment, but there was no clear evidence of large‐scale differences in their distribution. At the fine scale there was a negative association between these predators that indicated possible temporal avoidance or localized habitat shifts. Therefore, there is evidence for dietary competition and fine‐scale exclusion, but no support for landscape‐scale exclusion of foxes by wild dogs in the Blue Mountains.     

Kin Recognition and Incest Avoidance in Toads

Toads, like many amphibians, display breeding site fidelity.Individuals that return to natal ponds to breed are likely toencounter siblings as potential mates. We examined the geneticstructure of Bufo americanus breeding populations at five localitieswithin a 1 km radius. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes significantlydiffered among the breeding populations, but haplotype distributionsdid not differ from year to year within breeding sites. Natalphilopatry may account for these results. Although incest isthus possible, siblings rarely mate. Comparing haplotypes oftoads captured while mating, we found only 2 of 86 pairs thatcould possibly be siblings. We suggest that toads might recognizeand actively avoid close kin as mates. Advertisement vocalizationsgiven by males serve as potential cues by which females mightrecognize their kin. We recorded calls of males, in the field,and later obtained rank estimates of their relationships toone another by DNA fingerprinting of the nuclear genome. Theresemblance of males' calls was positively correlated with thesimilarity of their fingerprints. Significant differences incall characteristics were also found among breeding populations.Temporal parameters, rather than frequency components, encodekinship information. Recently developed techniques in moleculargenetics facilitate studies of the heritability of behavioraltraits in natural populations.     

Control of pearl millet downy mildew by seed treatment with metalaxyl*

Three formulations of the systemic fungicide metalaxyl were tested in various seed treatments for the control of pearl millet downy mildew in three field experiments with downy mildew-susceptible pearl millet hybrid NHB-3. Uniform, high levels of sporangial inoculum of the causal fungus, Sclerospora graminicola, were provided throughout the growth of the test crops from inoculated infector rows of NHB-3, planted earlier between the test plots. Significant reductions in downy mildew were obtained with all fungicide treatments. Best control was obtained when seed was soaked in a 0.5% aqueous solution of a liquid formulation (mean infection index of 9.8% compared with 94.8% in the untreated check). The degree of control with the wettable powder formulations was directly related to fungicide dosage, and there were no significant effects of application method. Simple dusting of seed at 2 g a.i./kg, a rapid and simple operation requiring small quantities of fungicide and no special application equipment, gave a high level of control (infection index of 12.6% compared with 78.9% in the untreated check). In two experiments grain yields from all the treated plots were significantly greater than from the untreated plots (means of 1234 and 1534 kg/ha for treated plots compared with 485 and 743 kg/ha, respectively), and in the third, the treatment with the least downy mildew gave significantly more grain than the untreated check (1228 compared with 727 kg/ha).