Rapid shoot regeneration from thin cell layer explants excised from petioles and hypocotyls in four cultivars of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> L.

The present work describes a procedure that allows for the easy and rapid induction of caulogenesis in four cultivars of Brassica napus L. from transversal Thin Cell Layers (tTCLs). In order to investigate the regeneration ability of this crop, the effects of genotype, explant source and culture medium were examined on shoot regeneration. The tTCL explants were excised from hypocotyl and petiole of 2-week-old seedlings and cultured on a solid basal MS medium supplemented with α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA: 0.1–0.4 mg l⁻¹), 6-benzylamino-purine (BAP: 1–4 mg l⁻¹) and sucrose (20–40 g l⁻¹). A significant genotypic effect was observed between the four cvs; Jumbo and Drakkar displayed higher capacities to produce shoots than Pactol and Cossair. Regeneration commenced earlier and the percentage of shoot-producing explants as well as the number of shoots per regenerating explant was greater. The comparison between the regeneration ability of different explants showed that the hypocotyls exhibited a high rate of shoot organogenesis when they were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 3 mg l⁻¹ BAP, 0.3 mg l⁻¹ NAA and 30 g l⁻¹ sucrose. Adventitious shoot buds developed from 46% of the tTCLs, with a mean of 7.5 buds. Furthermore, the method was fast with shoot formation occurring by 7 days culture. Plantlets regenerated from all shoots and developed normally. The regenerated plants were fertile and identical to source plants.     

Non-axillary branching in the palms Eugeissona and Oncosperma (Arecaceae)

FISHER, J. B., GOH, C. J. & RAO, A. N., 1989. Non-axillary branching in the palms Eugeissona and Oncosperma (Arecaceae). The south-east Asian palms, Eugeissona (Calamoideae) and Oncosperma (Arecoideae) are multiple-stemmed. The morphology and development of branching in two species of each genus were examined in Singapore, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula. Cultivated seedling and adult plants of 0. tigillarium were also observed in Florida. A new shoot arises most often from a longitudinal abaxial groove at the base of an enclosing leaf sheath. In some instances, especially in E. tristis , the enclosing leaf has two equal, adjacent grooves such that any distinction between an original mother shoot and a lateral daughter shoot is impossible. No axillary buds occur in Eugeissona which is hapaxanthic. In Oncosperma , which is pleonanthic, axillary buds are absent from young pre-flowering stems, but an inflorescence bud occurs in the axil of each leaf in older aerial stems. Early ontogenetic stages of vegetative branching, as seen in sectioned apices, indicate that a new vegetative shoot is present on the abaxial base of the first (youngest) leaf primordium. There is no ontogenetic evidence for the displacement of an originally axillary meristem as previously described for the palm Salacca (Calamoideae). Shoot development in Eugeissona is interpreted as a putative dichotomy of the apical meristem in which the meristem centres commonly develop unequally. In Oncosperma the smaller sucker bud meristem may be described as an abaxial leaf base bud, but ontogenetic variations indicate this form of branching is close to dichotomous branching. These new examples of non-axillary branching are compared to similar cases previously reported for palms and other monocotyledons.     

Changes of adenine nucleotide and orthophosphate concentrations in buds of deciduous trees during spring reactivation

Summary Concentrations of AMP, ADP, ATP, and inorganic phosphate (Pi) were determined in buds of five deciduous tree species (Acer pseudoplatanus, Alnus glutinosa, Fagus sylvatica, Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur) during spring reactivation from February to the middle of May. In closed buds of diffuse-porous wood trees (Acer, Alnus, Fagus), the content of adenine nucleotides (AdN) increased temporarily between the middle of February and the middle of March. The main increase of AdN concentration appeared either when buds became swollen (Fraxinus, Fagus, Quercus), or at the time of bud-break (Acer, Alnus). Pi content in general decreased during the course of reactivation. It was almost zero in buds of Quercus at bud-break and afterwards, but in Fraxinus Pi concentration rose when bud-break took place. The extremely low AdN content in Quercus buds is contrasted by a steep increase in AdN content in Fraxinus following bud-break. The decrease of AdN content in emerging leaves of Quercus and Fagus could be related to the high age of these trees.Abbreviations AdN adenine nucleotide(s) - DTT dithiothreitol - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - Pi orthophosphate Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and by Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, Federal Republic of Germany.     

Bud damage from controlled heat treatments in Quercus garryana

Quercus garryana habitats are increasingly being managed with prescribed fire, but acorn dependent wildlife might be adversely affected if fires damage acorn crops. We examined one way that fire might affect subsequent acorn crops: through direct heating and damage of buds containing the following year’s floral organs. We measured internal bud temperatures during controlled time and temperature treatments, described damage to heated buds at the tissue and cellular levels and quantified spring flowering to assess the consequences of the treatments. We found that internal bud temperature was logarithmically related to exposure time and linearly related to treatment temperature. Tissue damage was more common in bud scales, staminate and bud scale scar primordia than in leaf, pistillate, leaf axillary primordia and apical meristems. Damaged tissues were sequestered by cells with thickened cell walls. A 133°C treatment applied for 60 s produced minimal damage or mortality, but damage increased rapidly in hotter or longer treatments, culminating in 100% mortality at 273°C for 60 s. Our experiments account only for radiative, not convective heating, but suggest that fires might produce sublethal effects that affect flowering and acorn crops. Q. garryana’s large buds possess an internal organ arrangement well suited to minimizing heat damage. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

狐尾藻断枝上不定根与芽发生的初步研究

本文比较研究了不同节位和不同长度狐尾藻断枝的不定根和芽的发生时间及其形成幼苗的频率(本文中的幼苗指最终形成了不定根和芽的断枝)。结果表明:在狐尾藻顶芽以下叶已完全展开的茎段部分,不定根和芽的发生时间呈现出随着节位下降而逐渐缩短的趋势,而幼苗形成频率呈现出随着节位下降而增高的趋势;断枝的长度(用断枝所含的茎节数表示)对不定根和芽的发生时间及幼苗形成频率也有明显的影响。断枝长度增加,不定根和芽的发生时间缩短,形成幼苗的频率升高。另外与抛掷方式相比,扦插延长多节断枝的不定根和芽形成时间,但提高幼苗的形成频率。这些研究结果为制定水体生态系统中狐尾藻的恢复和管理措施提供了参考。     

Frost hardiness in the juvenile and adult life phase of ivy (Hedera helix L.)

The common ivy (Hedera helix L.) remains juvenileat its northern, eastern and altitudinal distribution limits although juvenileparts are largely killed by severe frost spells. In order to explain thisdiscrepancy we investigated the seasonal course of frost resistance in variousorgans of juvenile and adult parts of the same H. helixplants. Maximum frost resistance of leaves (LT₅₀–25°C) and axis (xylem parenchyma:LT₅₀ –29°C; cambium: LT₅₀–35°C) was quite the same in juvenile and adultparts. Thus, H. helix is able to acquire full frostresistance in its juvenile phase. However, hardening of leaves was slower anddehardening of axis was faster in juvenile parts. Leaves of juvenile partsremain 2 to 4 K less resistant than those of adult parts untilattaining the maximum resistance. This explains why mainly leaves of thejuvenile parts were damaged following severe frost episodes with temperaturesbelow –20°C. The occurrence of H.helix in its juvenile phase at the frost-caused distribution limitsmay be explained as follows: Leaves of juvenile plants may occasionally bekilled by severe frosts, but regeneration from dormant eyes enables survival.Loss of leaves may impede the change to the adult phase, but even if the plantsbecame adult frost killing of rest buds (2 to 3 K less resistantthan leaves) would induce rejuvenation.     

Bud structure and resprouting in coppiced stools of Salix viminalis L., S. eriocephala Michx., and S. amygdaloides Anders

Fast-growing willows are cultivated as coppice in short rotation biomass plantations. The production and sustainability of the system is based on the ability of trees to resprout after repeated harvesting. The large variation in coppicing ability is due to plant genotypic differences in structure and physiology as well as environmental factors. Morphological and structural prerequisites for resprouting were compared in two shrubby willows with high coppicing ability, S. viminalis and S. eriocephala, and one tree-formed species, S. amygdaloides, with low coppicing ability. The initiation and development of buds and the resprouting pattern of coppiced stools were compared. All buds were axillary in origin and showed the same principal structure consisting of one main shoot primordium and two lateral primordia. In S. viminalis and S. eriocephala the lateral buds contained several leaf primordia and sprouted shortly after the main bud. In S. amygdaloides further development of lateral buds was inhibited after formation of two budscales, and leaf primordia were not formed until the buds were forced to sprout. The number of sprouts developing after coppicing were correlated to the structure and number of buds and their position on the stools. Self-thinning rate was high and many shoots originating from lateral buds died. Most buds were located above ground on the remaining basal portions of harvested stems. No adventitious buds were found on the stools. Significantly different bud differentiation pattern and frequent sylleptic sprouting resulted in lower coppice response in S. amygdaloides compared to S. viminalis and S. eriocephala.     

Fungal infections of a colonial marine invertebrate: Diversity and morphological consequences

Summary Colonies of the bryozoan speciesHippodiplosia insculpta collected from Grandmother’s Cove (American Camp, San Juan Island, Washington, USA) were analyzed in view of pathologic growth patterns. The species produced giant buds that were filled with extracellular polymeric substances and a dense microbial biofilm consisting of bacteria and fungal hyphae. Fungi were isolated from the colonies and were identified asPenicillium expansum, Peniillium brevicompactum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Acremonium breve, andCladosporium sphaerospermum. The results of this study indicate that the formation of giant buds in the bryozoan is a defense mechanism against fungal infection.     

高海拔生境下怀玉山高山马铃薯和本土农家薯的全基因组重测序分析

为了探究怀玉山高山马铃薯只限于高海拔生境下的适应机制,本研究以高海拔生境下怀玉山高山马铃薯和怀玉山本土农家薯采后块茎萌发的芽为材料,进行了全基因组重测序分析。结果表明:HAP的总SNP数量为2 835 211,SNP的密度为3.925 212,编码区nsSNP总数为104 456;LAP的总SNP数量为3 968 618,SNP的密度为5.427 855,编码区nsSNP总数为141 060。经CV分析后,LAP和HAP共有319个nsSNP关联了315个基因,其中76个基因具有超过1个的nsSNP。nsSNP的防御反应、蛋白氨基酸磷酸化、蛋白激酶等GOterms显著富集。HAP的总Indel数量为159 797,编码区的Indel数量为1 850;LAP的总Indel数量为154 291,编码区的Indel数量为1 714;两组的总Indel数量远远小于两组的总SNP数。经差异分析后,共有1 629个Indel关联到了726个基因。Indel的防御反应、胁迫应答、细胞凋亡等GOterms显著富集。nsSNP和Indel的GOterms大多与高海拔生境和光合作用相关。nsSNP和Indel分布在端粒附近相对于中心粒具有更高密度的变异。LAP和HAP共获得了1 490个CNV,其中缺失(Deletion)为610个,中性(Neutral)为548个,扩增(Amplification)为332个。本研究结果可为高海拔生境下怀玉山高山马铃薯的SNP和Indel相关标记的开发、优异基因的挖掘提供重要理论依据。