Interspecific hybrids between Brassica napus L. and B. oleracea L. developed by embryo culture

Summary Interspecific hybrids between Brassica napus and B. oleracea are difficult to produce, and previous attempts to transfer economic characters from one species to the other have largely been unsuccessful. In these studies, oilseed rape cv. Tower (2n38) (B. napus) was crossed with broccoli and kale (2n18) (B. oleracea), and hybrid plants were developed from embryos in culture by either organogenesis or somatic embryogenesis. In rape × broccoli, F₁ plants were regenerated from hybrid embryos and the plants produced viable selfed seeds. F₅ plants (2n38) homozygous for white flower colour were selected for high oil content (47%) and Line 15; a selection from these plants produced fertile hybrids with rape, broccoli and kale without embryo culture. In reciprocal crosses between oilseed rape cv. Tower and an aphid resistant diploid kale, 28 and 56 chromosome F₁ hybrid plants were regenerated from somatic embryos. The 56 chromosome plants were self-fertile and it was concluded from F₂ segregation ratios that a single dominant gene controls resistance to cabbage aphid in kale. The 28 chromosome F₁'s were self-sterile, but these and the 56 chromosome F₁'s could be backcrossed to rape and kale. A cross between the F₁ (2n56) and a forage rape resulted in the selection of a cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae L.) resistant line (Line 3). Both Line 15 and Line 3 can serve as bridges for gene interchange between B. campestris, B. napus and B. oleracea, which has not been possible hitherto. Hybridisations between rape and tetraploid kale produced F₁ plants with 37 chromosomes. One F₂ plant possessed coronal scales and the inheritance was shown to be controlled by a single recessive gene unlinked to petal colour.This paper is dedicated to Mr. T. P. Palmer, a colleague and close friend who retired from the DSIR as Assistant Director of the Crop Research Division in September 1984     

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.

     

Non‐target habitat exploitation by Trichogramma brassicae (Hym. Trichogrammatidae): what are the risks for endemic butterflies?

Abstract 1 Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko is inundatively released against the European corn borer in Switzerland. Because parasitoids dispersing from the release fields might pose a threat to native butterflies, the searching efficiency of T. brassicae was investigated in nontarget habitats. 2 In field studies, T. brassicae was released at rates of 120 000 females/ha. Parasitism of sentinel Ephestia kuehniella egg clusters was 1.6–3.6% in meadows and 2.0–4.0% in flower strips. The respective figures were 57.6–66.7% and 19.2–46.9% in maize, significantly higher than the parasitism rates in the nontarget habitats. Experiments carried out in small field cages confirmed these results: Again, significantly higher parasitism rates were found in maize compared to meadows and flower strips, and also compared to hedgerows (in sleeve cages). 3 To elucidate potential factors underlying the low searching efficiency in nontarget habitats, the behaviour of individual T. brassicae females was investigated on four meadow plants comparatively to maize and a filter paper control. Mean (±SE) walking speed on maize was 2.2 ± 0.2 mm/s, similar to three of the plants tested and filter paper but significantly higher than on Trifolium pratense (0.85 mm/s). A higher turning rate was found on T. pratense, Viola wittrockiana and Plantago lanceolata, in contrast to the longer leaved maize and Alopecurus pratensis. The number of wasps leaving the plant within the observation period differed significantly between plant species, and was twice as high for T. pratense (and the filter paper control) compared to the other plant species. 4 In a choice experiment carried out in a climate cabinet with all five host plant species in cages, we obtained the highest parasitism rates on maize and the lowest parasitism on T. pratense, thus confirming the behavioural observations. 5 In conclusion, there is evidence for a decreased searching efficiency on plants in nontarget habitats compared to maize. However, the data explain only part of the differences found between parasitism in maize compared to nontarget habitats. Other factors, such as the structural complexity of a habitat, may also play a role. We conclude that the risk for butterfly populations in the tested nontarget habitat due to mass released T. brassicae is low.     

The fine structure of distal receptors on the labium of the aphid,Brevicoryne brassicae L. (Homoptera)

Summary Short peg receptors located at the distal tip of the aphid labium have the structure of mechanoreceptors. Each peg is innervated by a single sensory nerve which is anchored eccentrically to a basal cuticular tube and terminates in electron-dense material in the base of the peg. The arrangement and eccentric insertion of the eight pegs in the labial wall on one side of the stylet groove, with the eccentric insertions of their innervating neurones, provide a mirror image of the receptors on the opposite side. On the basis of a comparison of the structure of these receptors with that of tactile receptors for which electrophysiological data on sensitivity are available, it is possible to predict that the receptors detect both surface contact (pressure) and surface profile; and that the bilateral symmetry in the receptor arrangement facilitates the detection of vein contours which are preferred settling sites on the leaf. The structure of the dendritic terminal and its insertion is that of a well reinforced cytoskeleton designed to transmit tension to the cell membrane, in agreement with the concept that transduction is a membrane related phenomenon. The distal microtubules, fifty per-cent of which originate as well as terminate in the tubular body, are packed in electron-dense material which binds to the cell membrane. The membrane in turn is attached to cuticular components of the receptor. Abrupt changes in dimension of the dendritic outer segment may be designed to modulate the conduction of a membrane potential. On the other hand, lack of continuity in the microtubules makes these organelles poor candidates for the transduction of excitation from a distal site of stimulation to a proximal region.Supported by operating grants Nos. A 6063 and A 9856 from NRCC     

Dieter Seidel‐65 Jahre

Fruit extract of Solanum xanthocarpum was evaluated for its toxicity against Alternaria brassicae, the causal agent of Alternaria blight of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. &; Coss]. The mass obtained after vacuum drying of the crude methanolic extract was utilised for further sequential fractionation using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and methanol. Among the crude and different fractions tested, methanolic fraction was most effective with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62.5 μg/ml. The methanolic fraction was further fractionated using open column liquid chromatography into five subfractions (I–V) to identify the antifungal bioactive compounds. Among the five subfractions (SFs) tested SF IV was most effective at inhibiting A. brassicae conidial germination and thereby inhibited lesion development of Alternaria blight at a concentration of 15.625 μg/ml or higher. Furthermore, bioautography of SF IV with Alternaria alternata and diagnosis with Dragendorff reagent indicated that SF IV contains a mixture of bioactive alkaloids, namely a₁ (R_f = 0.12) and a₂ (R_f = 0.22). The potential of using S. xanthocarpum as a resource for the development of biofungicides is discussed.     

Temperature and host plant effects on development and fecundity of Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Homoptera: Aphididae)

The development, survival and reproduction of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) were evaluated at three constant temperatures (20, 25 and 30°C) on cabbage, cauliflower, red cabbage, turnip and radish. The development periods of immature stages ranged from 10.7 d at 20°C to 7.60 d at 30°C for red cabbage. Total percentages of survivorship of immature stages varied from 39.40 and 82.50 within the temperature range of 25–30°C on radish. The average progeny per female was 31.15, 28.95 and 23.77 at 20, 25 and 30°C on cabbage.     

Mobility affects copulation and oviposition dynamics in Pieris brassicae in seminatural cages

When, how often and for how long organisms mate can have strong consequences for individual fitness and are crucial aspects of evolutionary ecology. Such determinants are likely to be of even greater importance in monandrous species and species with short adult life stages. Previous work suggests that mobility, a key dispersal? related trait, may affect the dynamics of copulations, but few studies have investigated the impact of individual mobility on mating latency, copulation duration and oviposition latency simultaneously. In this paper, we monitored the copulation dynamics of 40 males and 40 females, as well as the oviposition dynamics of the females of the Large White butterfly Pieris brassicae, a facultative long-distance disperser butterfly. Individuals from a breeding were selected to create a uniform distribution of mobility and we recorded the timing, number and duration of all copulations in a semiexperimental system. We showed that mobility, measured as the time spent in flight under stressful conditions (a proxy of dispersal tendency), correlates with all aspects of copulation dynamics: mobile males and females mated earlier and for shorter periods than less mobile individuals. In turn, late mating females increased the time between copulation and oviposition. These results feed the previously described mobility syndrome of R brassicae, involving morphological and physiological characters, with life-history traits. We suggest that the reduction of mating latency and copulation duration has an adaptive value in dispersing individuals, as their life expectancy might be shorter than that of sedentary individuals.     

Effects of light leaf spot (Pyrenopeziza brassicae) on yield of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus)

The relationship between development of light leaf spot and yield loss in winter oilseed rape was analysed, initially using data from three experiments at sites near Aberdeen in Scotland in the seasons 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1993/94, respectively. Over the three seasons, single-point models relating yield to light leaf spot incidence (% plants with leaves with light leaf spot) at GS 3.3 (flower buds visible) generally accounted for more of the variance than single-point models at earlier or later growth stages. Only in 1992/93, when a severe light leaf spot epidemic developed on leaves early in the season, did the single-point model for disease severity on leaves at GS 3.5/4.0 account for more of the variance than that for disease incidence at GS 3.3. In 1991/92 and 1992/3, when reasonably severe epidemics developed on stems, the single-point model for light leaf spot incidence (stems) at GS 6.3 accounted for as much of the variance. Two-point (disease severity at GS 3.3 and GS 4.0) and AUDPC models (disease incidence/severity) accounted for more of the variance than the single-point model based on disease incidence at GS 3.3 in 1992/93 but not in the other two seasons. Therefore, a simple model using the light leaf spot incidence at GS 3.3 (x) as the explanatory variable was selected as a predictive model to estimate % yield loss (y_r): y_r= 0.32x– 0.57. This model fitted all three data sets from Scotland, When data sets from Rothamsted, Rosemaund and Thurloxton in England were used to test it, this single-point predictive model generally fitted the data well, except when yield loss was clearly not related to occurrence of light leaf spot. However, the regression lines relating observed yield loss to light leaf spot incidence at GS 3.3 often had smaller slopes than the line produce, by the model based on Scottish data.