Salinity tolerance in different cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Seven barley(Hordeum vulgäre L.) cultivars tested varied greatly in their responses to root medium salinity (electrical conductivity of 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 dS nr^-1)-lant growth was relatively more adversely affected than seed germination. Dry/fresh mass ratio increased at higher salinity levels in all barley cultivars indicating reduced water uptake. Higher K/Na ratio in plant shoots compared to that in the root medium solution indicated selective uptake of K that seems to be among processes involved in tolerance of cultivars to salinity stress.     

The interaction and photolabeling of myosin subfragment 1 with 3'(2')-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyladenosine 5'-triphosphate

The photoprobe 3'(2')-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyladenosine 5'-triphosphate (Bz2ATP) was used to characterize the nucleotide-binding site of myosin subfragment 1 (SF1). Improved synthesis and purification of Bz2ATP are reported. 1H NMR and ultraviolet spectroscopy show that Bz2ATP is a 60:40 mixture of the 3'(2')-ribose isomers and that the epsilon M261 is 41,000 M-1 cm-1. Bz2ATP is hydrolyzed by SF1 comparably to ATP in the presence of actin or K+, NH4+, or Mg2+ ions; and the product, Bz2ADP, has a single binding site on SF1 (K'a = 3.0 X 10(5) M-1). [3H]Bz2ATP was photoincorporated into SF1 with concomitant loss of K+-EDTA-ATPase activity. Analysis of photolabeled SF1 showed that the three major tryptic peptides (23, 50, and 20 kDa) of the heavy chain fragment and the alkali light chains were labeled. The presence of ATP during irradiation protected only the 50-kDa peptide, indicating that the other peptides were nonspecifically labeled. If Bz2ATP was first trapped on SF1 by cross-linking the reactive thiols, SH1 and SH2, with p-phenylenedimaleimide, only the 50-kDa tryptic peptide was labeled. These results confirm and extend previous observations that [3H]Bz2ATP trapped on SF1 by cobalt(III) phenanthroline photolabeled the same 50-kDa peptide (Mahmood, R., and Yount, R.G. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12956-12959). Thus, the 50-kDa peptide is labeled with or without thiol cross-linking, indicating that the relative position of SH1 and SH2 does not affect the labeling pattern.     

Purification of a kappa-carrageenase from marine Cytophaga species

A mixture of extracellular carrageenases was isolated from the cell-free medium of a culture of marine Cytophaga sp. 1k-C783 grown on ZoBell 2216 E broth with 0.1% commercial carrageenan. A single active peak of kappa-carrageenase was separated and purified from the mixture by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration chromatography. Molecular weight of the purified kappa-carrageenase was estimated as 100,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The purified kappa-carrageenase had pH optimum 7.6 and temperature optimum 25 C.     

Response of field-grown chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) to phosphorus fertilization for yield and nitrogen fixation

Application of phosphorus at 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg P₂O₅ ha^–1 in the presence of a uniform dressing of nitrogen (N) and potash (K₂O) each applied at 20 and 24 kg ha^–1 to chickpea (CM-88) grown in sandy loam soil in a replicated field experiment improved the nodulation response of the crop, increased its grain yield (ka ha^–1) by 18, 59, 40 and 14 percent, biomass yield (ka ha^–1) by 32, 32, 54 and 14 percent, biomass N (kg ha^–1) by 31, 48, 49, 19 percent, and biomass P (kg ha^–1) by 26, 40, 41 and 11 percent, respectively. The effect of phosphorus on the nitrogenase activity of the excised roots of chickpea was, however, inconsistent.     

Associative N2-fixation in plants growing in saline sodic soils and its relative quantification based on15N natural abundance

The interactive effect of low P supply (0, 10, 20 and 40 M) and plant age on nodule number, mass and functioning (ureide analysis technique), vegetative growth and pod production were investigated in glasshouse-grown nodulated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.cv. Kausband) in sand culture. Compared with 40 M P, P stress (0 M P) or very low (10 M P) supply markedly impaired nodulation, allantoin and amino-N concentrations and weight of N solutes in xylem exudates. Consequently, P stress reduced top growth and pod yields by 48 and 90%, respectively. N solutes in xylem exudates and total plant N assayed by Kjeldahl technique (as estimates of N₂ fixation) responded similarly to P supply. However, the relative ureide index [(ureide-N/ureide N+amino-N)×100] remained constant (99%), irrespective of P supply, indicating the plants' complete dependency on symbiosis for growth, without implying that growth was markedly increased by N₂ fixation. Although P concentrations in plant tops, roots and nodules increased with P supply, N concentrations in these plant tissues were unaffected by P supply. The concentrations of N and P in the nodules were 2–2 1/2 times higher than in plant tops. P application interacted strongly with plant age, with the largest P effect evidently achieved at the early podding stage. The significance and implications of these results are discussed.     

An ovarian chromosome map of Anopheles stephensi

A polytene chromosome map of Anopheles stephensi has been prepared from the ovarian nurse cells of adult females. Many homologous regions can be recognized in comparisons between the ovarian and salivary gland chromosome maps but band for band homologies are not readily evident. The preparation of polytene chromosomes from ovarian nurse cells is easier than from the larval salivary glands and the results more consistent.     

Continuous production of galacto-oligosaccharides from lactose using immobilized β-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans

Summary -Galactosidase-2 (-d-galactoside galactohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.23) from Bacillus circulans was purified using hydroxyapatite gel chromatography and immobilized onto Duolite ES-762 (phenolformaldehyde resin) and Merckogel (controlled pore silica gel) for continuous production of galacto-oligosaccharides using lactose as the substrate. The maximum amount of ologosaccharides produced by the immobilized enzyme was 35–40% of the total sugar during hydrolysis of 4.56% lactose. Partially purified -galactosidase from B. circulans was also immobilized onto various supports for the same purpose. The stability of the immobilized -galactosidase-2 or partially purified enzyme during a continuous reaction depended on their supports and specific activity. Of the supports tested, Merckogel was best for operational stability. With this support, the enzyme was quite stable with specific activity up to 15 units/g of wet gel; it was reversibly inactivated with more.