2nd Node Research Articles

The Effect of New Nano-Released 1,1-Dimethyl-Piperidinium Chloride (DPC) Drip Application on Cotton Agronomic Traits

The use of 1,1-dimethyl-piperidinium chloride (DPC) in Xinjiang is one of the necessary measures for regulating cotton populations and optimizing canopy structure. However, mechanical spraying involves operation and energy consumption, which can alternatively be achieved via drip application. In the present study, to investigate the effect of drip application, two types of hydrophobic nano-released DPCs were used to regulate plant type at different dosages. DPC dripingation reduced plant height by more than 10 cm and plant width by more than 4 cm, and the effect improved with increasing concentration and times. The main effect of height control was at the 6th–10th nodes of the main stem, and the effect of width control was observed at the 1st and 2nd nodes of the fruit branch. The SPAD value was higher than that in the control group during the initial stages. An irregular downward trend was observed in the subsequent stages. The proline content was higher than that of the control and increased with higher concentrations of DPC. There was no significant difference in the soil DPC content at the different sites. The DPC content decreased by more than 30% at the seventh day after dripping, and the content was 2–4 μg·g−1 in each treatment. At 15 days after application, the soil DPC was lower than 1 μg·g−1 in all treatments. The number of harvested plants was more than 150,000 plants·hm−2, and the number of bolls per plant increased at least by one, compared with the control. The final yield of seed cotton increased by at least 300 kg·hm−2, with a maximum increase of 1672.01 kg·hm−2. Considering the different types of DPCs, nano-released types worked better than the conventional type in terms of plant height, plant width, degradation in soil and boll formation. Nano-released DPC can play an even better role than conventional DPC in chemical regulation with drip irrigation.

Effects of source-sink regulation and nodal position of the main crop on the sprouting of regenerated buds and grain yield of ratoon rice.

Ratoon rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the production of a second season rice that utilizes the dormant buds surviving on the stubble left behind after the harvest of the main crop. However, the sprouting mechanism of regenerated buds at separate nodes is rarely reported. Field experiments were conducted to examine the effects of leaf-cutting and spikelet thinning on the sprouting of regenerated buds at the separate node, the contributions of regenerated panicles at the separate node to the total grain yield in the ratoon crop, and the associated mechanism. The results showed that the contribution of separate node yields to the total grain yield in the ratoon crop was D2 (panicles regenerated from the 2nd node from the top) >D3 (panicles regenerated from the 3rd node from the top) >D4 (panicles regenerated from the lower nodes below the 3rd node), and the contribution of D2 and D3 made up approximately 80% of the total yield in the ratoon crop. In addition, the effect of leaf-cutting treatment and spikelet-thinning treatment on the grain yield of ratoon season was mainly realized by regulating the relative contribution rate of D2 and D4 grain yield to the total yield of ratoon season. Further analysis indicated that the sprouting of regenerated buds at the D2 node was mainly affected by the content of CTK, while D3 was mainly regulated by GAs and CTK, and D4 was mainly regulated by ABA and CTK. However, only the CTK content in stems and buds was positively correlated with single bud length and bud number at each nodes. These results indicated that CTK might be the main signal regulating the sprouting of regenerated buds and the grain yield at separate nodes, which might change the transport of assimilates to stems and buds.

Agronomic traits of white oat treated with the growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl

The growth and yield performance of white oat cultivars may vary in response to doses of trinexapac-ethyl (TE) growth regulator. The objective of the work was to evaluate the lodging and productive performance of white oat cultivars under different doses of trinexapac-ethyl growth regulator. The experiments were carried out in a randomized complete block design with four replications, in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme, with four doses of trinexapac-ethyl (0, 50, 100 and 150 g ha-1) applied in the phenological stage between the 1st visible stalk node and the 2nd perceptible node in two white oat cultivars (URS Altiva and URS Corona). The following were evaluated: plant height, panicle length, panicles per m2, spikelets per panicle, grains per spikelet, number of grains per panicle, thousand grain weight, plant lodging and grain yield. The application of trinexapac-ethyl at doses 100 and 150 g ha-1 reduces plant height and panicle components: length, number of spikelets and grains per panicle of the two cultivars. TE doses above 100 g ha-1 provide a significant reduction in lodging with an increase in the number of panicles per m2 and in grain yield for the two white oat cultivars.

Влияние регуляторов роста растений на формирование эмбриональной плодоносности почек зимующих глазков по длине однолетнего вызревшего побега технического сорта винограда Бианка

The influence of the plant growth regulators gibberellin and mycephyt on the embryonic inflorescence initiation along the length of the annual shoot of the Bianca grape variety, taking into account the climatic conditions of the year, was the purpose of our research. A treatment of plants was carried out before flowering with gibberellin at a concentration of 100 mg/l and mycephyt at three concentrations of 1, 10 and 100 mg/l. Fruiting coefficient and fruitfulness coefficient of the central buds of overwintering compound buds (eyes) along the length of the annual shoot were calculated, as well as the portion of fruitful eyes with 2-3 embryonic inflorescences was determined based on the obtained results.It was established that the treatment of plants with gibberellin stimulated the initiation of embryonic inflorescences at the level of the 7th node, which exceeds the control by 1,4 times. An increase in the portion of embryonic inflorescences at the level of the 2nd, 4th and 7th nodes by 12,8, 31,0 and 15,3 % was detected in comparison with the control when using mycephyt at a concentration of 1 mg/l. Also, an increase in the fruitfulness coefficient (ratio of the number of embryonic inflorescences to the number of fruitful eyes) at the level of the 7th node (1,77), which is 1,2 times higher than the control (1,46) in mychephyt (1 mg/l) treatment version was noted. The maximum value of fruitfulness coefficient was established in gibberellin and mycephyt (1 mg/l) treatment versions at the level of 8-10th (1,71) and 4-7th node (1,47), accordingly.

Doses and application times of trinexapac-ethyl on the industrial quality of white oat grains

The application of trinexapac-ethyl in white oats, in addition to controlling lodging, can modify the architecture of the plant, which can favor good growth and development and the production of well-formed, large and heavy grains, characteristics that are valued by the food industry oat processing. However, the responses of the white oat genotypes regarding the effect of doses and times of application of the growth reducer can be variable. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different doses and application times of the growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl on the industrial quality of white oat grains. The experiment was carried out with the cultivar IPR Artemis, under a randomized block design with four replications, in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme, corresponding to four doses of trinexapac-ethyl (0, 50, 100 and 150 g ha-1) and three application times (E1: plants with the 1st noticeable node; E2: between the 1st visible node and the 2nd noticeable node and E3: plants with the 2nd visible node and 3rd noticeable node). The weight of one thousand grains, hectoliter weight, percentage of grains with thickness greater than two millimeters, husking index and industrial grain yield were evaluated. The application of trinexapac-ethyl regardless of the stages at doses of 0 and 50 g ha-1 does not interfere with the industrial quality of grains, but at doses of 100 and 150 g ha-1, at times E2 and E3, there is a reduction in industrial quality of grains (weight of a thousand grains, hectoliter weight, percentage of grains thicker than two millimeters, hulling and industrial grain yield) of the cultivar IPR Artemis.

Nitrogen response of regenerated tillers varied among node positions in ratoon rice

Rice ratooning produces a ratoon crop (RC) with regenerated tillers in different nodes on the stubble of main crop (MC). It is crucial to apply nitrogen (N) at 15 d after heading and 1–2 d after harvest of MC for promoting bud initiation (N B ) and tiller growth (N T ), respectively to achieve high grain yield of RC. However, limited information is available on the N response of regenerated tillers in different node positions of RC. The hypothesis is that N response varied among node positions of regenerated tillers. [METHODS] Field experiments were conducted in 2019 and 2020 to compare yield performance of regenerated tillers of upper and lower node positions in RC under various combinations of N B and N T treatments and two cutting heights (15 and 45 cm) using a rice variety Huanghuazhan. showed that there was no significant difference in grain yield among N treatments of regenerated tillers in upper node (3rd and 2nd nodes from the top for 15 and 45 cm cutting height, respectively). However, N B and N T significantly increased the grain yield of regenerated tillers in lower nodes by 23.5 %− 52.7 % and 49.3 %− 115.7 %, respectively, which was mainly attributed to increased panicles m −2 for both cutting heights. N application also increased total dry weight and total N uptake of regenerated tillers in lower nodes, but not in upper node. Furthermore, a significant and positive correlation between grain yield and total N uptake was observed for regenerated tillers in lower nodes, but not in upper node. Our results indicate that regenerated tillers in lower nodes were more responsive to N application than those in upper node. [IMPLICATIONS] Therefore, optimization of N management for RC should emphasize on the N response of regenerated tillers in lower nodes for achieving high grain yield of RC. • Nitrogen (N) responses of tillers varied among node positions in ratoon crop. • Nitrogen responses of tillers in lower nodes were higher than in upper node. • Cutting height did not change N responses of tillers in various node positions. • Yield variation of ratoon crop was mainly due to the tillers in lower nodes.

First Report of Root and Hypocotyl Rot of Dry Bean Caused by Aphanomyces euteiches in Alberta, Canada.

Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a high-value crop grown under irrigation on 45,000 ha in southern Alberta, Canada. In 2019, one field of red beans showed premature yellowing and stunting of shoots in mid-July near Bow Island, AB. Roots had brown lesions along the length of hypocotyl and tap root, and decay and sloughing of the root cortex of lateral roots (Fig. 1). Roots were washed for 10 min under running tap water, and portions of the lesions were excised for DNA extractions using the Plant DNeasy kit (Qiagen) and multiplex PCR assays for an array of pathogens, which included Aphanomyces euteiches (Chatterton et al. 2019). Lesion pieces were also surface sterilized and plated onto PDA or cornmeal agar amended with metalaxyl, benomyl and vancomycin (CMBV) and visualized microscopically for oospores. The roots were PCR positive for A. euteiches, Rhizoctonia solani, and Pythium ultimum. Isolations yielded R. solani, and Fusarium spp. on PDA, but cultures on CMBV were over-grown with Rhizopus. Oospores measuring 24.7 +/- 1.08 m, consistent with the expected size of A. euteiches oospores of 18 - 25 m (Papavizas and Ayers, 1974), were visible in some of the root pieces. To obtain an A. euteiches isolate, soil was collected from three areas of the red bean field and used in a bait assay. Tests were performed using pea (cv. CDC Meadow) and dry bean (cv. Redbond) seeds treated with metalaxyl. Five seeds per pot were planted into field soils in 10-cm pots with 4 replicate pots/field. Soils were watered as needed until the 2nd node stage and then kept at saturation for 14 days, at which time roots were washed. Roots from the dry bean, but not the pea, plants showed severe root rot, including honey-brown discolouration of the lateral roots and extending to the hypocotyl, degradation of the root cortex, and presence of oospores. Diseased root pieces were plated onto CMBV without surface sterilization. Cultures with fast growing, white, aerial mycelia characteristic of A. euteiches on CMBV were recovered from dry bean roots from the three soil samples, considered as three isolates, and were transferred to PDATo confirm identity, total DNA was extracted from 7-day old cultures of the three isolates growing on PDA using the Qiagen DNeasy Plant Kit. The ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified using the primer pair ITS1 and ITS4, and sequenced (White et al. 1990). The sequences, deposited in GenBank with accession numbers OM976770, OM976771, and OM976772, were 100% identical to the ITS rDNA sequence of several isolates of A. euteiches (e.g. KM486066.1; 669/669 bp; 670/670 bp; 670/670 bp) using a BLASTn query and 99.7% identical to the CBS15773 voucher specimen (HQ643116.1, 661/663 bp; 662/664 bp; 662/664 bp). To confirm pathogenicity of these three isolates, cultures were used to produce zoospores for inoculating 14-day old red bean and pea seedlings (Chatterton et al. 2015). Control plants received minimal salt media solution and did not develop symptoms. Dry bean, but not pea, seedlings displayed root rot symptoms (Fig. 2). A. euteiches was re-isolated from dry bean seedlings by plating onto CMBV, and identity confirmed as described above. Although a previous survey detected A. euteiches in a small number of dry bean fields in southern Alberta (Chatterton et al. 2019), tests to confirm Koch's postulates were not performed. Aphanomyces root rot can be a devastating pathogen of pulse crops. Precautionary measures should be taken to prevent spread of this pathogen in the small dry bean growing area of southern Alberta by encouraging producers to use rotation intervals, monitoring movement of the pathogen, and evaluating cultivars for resistance to this pathogen.

First Report of Maize Stalk Rot Caused by Epicoccum latusicollum on Maize (Zea mays L.) in China.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important crop in Heilongjiang province. In July 2021, maize stalk rot was observed on approximately 10% of maize in a 2.4 ha field of Xiangfang District, Harbin City (N45°44'23″, E126°43'19″). Infected plants showed softening of the stalks at the lower internodes, and the pith tissue was disintegrated and brown to reddish. Fifteen symptomatic plants were collected from the field. The discolored stalk pith tissues were cut into small pieces (4 × 2 mm), superficially disinfected with 1% NaClO for 3 min, 70% ethanol for 10 s, and then washed three times with sterile distilled water. The disinfected tissues were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with streptomycin sulfate (50 mg/L) and incubated at 25°C for 1 week. Twenty-one cultures were obtained using hyphal tip technology and cultured on PDA for 7 days at 25°C for morphological and molecular analyses. The mycelia of the cultures were initially white but became grayish with time, and reddish-brown diffusible pigments were produced. A dark green discoloration was produced on malt extract agar (MEA) using the NaOH spot test (REF). Pycnidia were brown, predominantly spheroidal, and measured 80.1 to 130.2 × 110.5 to 220.6 μm. Conidia were ellipse, aseptate, and in a size range of 4.3 to 6.8 × 2.1 to 3.2 μm. The isolates were initially identified as Epicoccum latusicollum based on morphological features (Chen et al. 2017). To confirm the identity of E. latusicollum, primers TUB2Fd/TUB4Rd, LR0R/LR5, ITS1/ITS4 and RPB2-5F2/fRPB2-7cR (Valenzuela-Lopez et al. 2018) were used to amplify beta tubulin (tub2), nuclear large subunit rDNA (LSU), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and RPB2 genes, respectively for the representative isolate JF3. These sequences were deposited in GenBank (GenBank accession no. OK490498, OK445527, OK483136, and OK490497) and had 100% (276/276 bp), 100% (842/842 bp), 100% (501/501 bp), and 100% (589/589 bp) nucleotide identity with E. latusicollum isolate GZDS2018BXT010 (GenBank accession no. MK516208, MK516207, MK516206, and MK852278). To fulfill Koch's postulates, pathogenicity tests for all isolates were performed by individually inoculating surface-disinfected stalks of five healthy maize plants (10-leaf stage) between the 2nd and 3rd stem nodes with 20 μL conidial suspension at a concentration of 106 conidia/mL as described by Zhang et al. (2016). Five other healthy surface-disinfected maize plants inoculated with sterile distilled water served as control. All plants were kept at 25 ± 0.5°C in a greenhouse with a photoperiod of 12 h and approximately 90% relative humidity. After 10 days, all inoculated plants showed symptoms that were similar to those of the infected maize plants observed in the field, whereas the control plants were asymptomatic. The Epicoccum isoaltes were re-isolated from symptomatic plants, and species identification was performed using the morphological and molecular methods described above. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. latusicollum causing maize stalk rot in China, and this report will assist with monitoring distribution of the disease and developing management recommendations.

First Report of Maize Stalk Rot Caused by Fusarium nelsonii in China.

Maize (Zea Mays L.) is one of the main crops in Ningxia Province, China, and stalk rot has become a serious disease of maize in this area. Infected plants showed softening of the stalks at lower internodes, which lodged easily and died prematurely during grain filling, and the pith tissue internally appeared to be disintegrating and slightly brown to reddish. In September 2018, symptomatic tissue was collected from seventeen locations in Ningxia. The incidence ranged from 5% to 40% in surveyed fields, reaching as high as 86% in certain plots. The discolored stalk pith tissues from the lesion region were cut into small pieces (approximately 0.5 × 0.2 cm), superficially disinfected with 75% ethanol for 1 min and rinsed three times with sterile water before plating on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium with chloromycetin. The purified strains were obtained by single-spore separation and transferred to PDA and carnation leaf agar (CLA) medium. Morphological and molecular characteristics confirmed the presence of nine Fusarium species in these samples, including Fusarium graminearum species complex and Fusarium verticillioides. Four isolates of Fusarium nelsonii were recovered from samples collected in Shizuishan and Wuzhong. On PDA plates, the floccose to powdery, white to rose-colored aerial mycelia were produced and covered plates after 8 days of incubation, producing abundant mesoconidia and chlamydospores. Mesoconidia were fusiform or lanceolate until slightly curved with 0-3 septa, and chlamydospores were initially smooth and transparent, and became verrucous and light brown. Macroconidia produced in CLA were straight or curved and falcate, usually having 3-5 septa, with beak-shaped strongly curved apical cells and foot-shaped basal cells. Two isolates (SS-1-7 and ZY-2-2) were selected for molecular identification, and the total DNA was extracted using a fungal genomic DNA separation kit (Sangon Biotechnology, Shanghai, China). Sequence comparison of EF-1α (GenBank accession numbers MW294197 and MW294198) and RPB2 (Accession MW294176 and MW294177) genes showed 97% homology with the sequences of F. nelsonii reported in GenBank (accession MN120760 for TEF and accession MN120740 for RPB2). Pathogenicity tests with two isolates (SS-1-7 and ZY-2-2) were performed by individually inoculating five 10-leaf stage maize plants at between the 2nd and 3rd stem nodes from the soil level with 20 μl conidial suspension at a concentration of 106 conidia/ml as described by Zhang et al. (2016). Five maize plants inoculated with sterile water were used as controls. The inoculated plants were kept at 25 ± 0.5°C in the greenhouse with a photoperiod of 12 h. After 30 days, all plants inoculated with the conidial suspension formed an internal dark brown necrotic area around the inoculation site, whereas the control plants showed no symptoms. The pathogen was re-isolated from the necrotic tissue of the inoculated plants and identified by morphological characteristics as F. nelsonii. This species was first described by Marasas et al. (1998), and it is expanding its host range and has been isolated from sorghum, Medicago, wheat, and cucumber (Ahmad et al. 2020). The pathogen should be paid more attention owing to a serious risk of trichothecene and aflatoxin contamination (Astoreca et al. 2019; Lincy et al. 2011). To our knowledge, this is the first report of maize stalk rot caused by F. nelsonii in China.

Modelling the growth, development and yield of Triticum durum Desf under the changes of climatic conditions in north-eastern Europe

How agricultural ecosystems adapt to climate change is one of the most important issues facing agronomists at the turn of the century. Understanding agricultural ecosystem responses requires assessing the relative shift in climatic constraints on crop production at regional scales such as the temperate zone. In this work we propose an approach to modeling the growth, development and yield of Triticum durum Desf. under the climatic conditions of north-eastern Poland. The model implements 13 non-measurable parameters, including climate conditions, agronomic factors, physiological processes, biophysical parameters, yield components and biological yield (latent variables), which are described by 33 measurable predictors as well as grain and straw yield (manifest variables). The agronomic factors latent variable was correlated with nitrogen fertilization and sowing density, and biological yield was correlated with grain yield and straw yield. An analysis of the model parameters revealed that a one unit increase in agronomic factors increased biological yield by 0.575. In turn, biological yield was most effectively determined by climate conditions (score of 60–62) and biophysical parameters (score of 60–67) in the 2nd node detectable stage and at the end of heading. The modeled configuration of latent and manifest variables was responsible for less than 70% of potential biological yield, which indicates that the growth and development of durum wheat in north-eastern Europe can be further optimized to achieve high and stable yields. The proposed model accounts for local climate conditions and physiological processes in plants, and it can be implemented to optimize agronomic practices in the cultivation of durum wheat and, consequently, to expand the area under T. durum to regions with a temperate climate.

Premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: association of clinical factors with form of atherosclerosis onset

Abstract Background The cardiovascular death rate significantly declined last decades. But premature atherosclerosis burden remains an unresolved problem. Purpose The study aimed to assess the association of clinical factors with types of premature atherosclerosis onset. Methods Date of 702 patients (pts) (523 men and 179 women) with premature atherosclerosis (men ≤55 (48.6±6.2), women ≤60 (52.7±7.0) years of age) were analyzed with decision tree method using SPSS 23.0 program with the Python GUI module. Clinical and instrumental variables (n=109) were used. The test sample was formed by the cross-validation method. Results Myocardial infarction at the onset of atherosclerosis (n=542, 77.2%) was associated with the presence of peripheral atherosclerosis (1st order node, p<0.0001, F=93.174). The 2nd order node was a uric acid level (p<0.0001, F=26.493) in pts without peripheral atherosclerosis. In pts with uric acid level, less than 225 mmol/L-the left ventricle posterior wall thickness more than 10 mm was a 3d order node (p<0.0001, F=30.143). Area under the ROC-curve 0.916, p=0.011. Multivessel lesion according to coronary angiography data (102 patients) was associated with family history of cardiovascular disease (p=0.001, F=13.238), the area under the ROC-curve was 0.667, p=0.041. For pts. with peripheral atherosclerosis (n=66, 9,4%) the aortic root diameter obtained by an echo was the 1st order node (p<0.0001, F=36.057). In pts with aortic root diameter over 27 mm, a 2nd order node was creatinine level above 90 mmol/L (p=0.036, F=9.945) and in pts with a smaller diameter of aortic root was the history of hypertension emergency (p=0.001, F=13.897). Area under the ROC-curve 0.676, p=0.02. For pts. with ischemic stroke (n=26, 3,7%) as atherosclerosis onset 1st order node was brachiocephalic atherosclerosis lesion (p<0.0001, F=30.259). Among them, untarget BP level was 2nd order node (p=0.033, F=4.958). For pts without atherosclerosis age over 46.7 yrs was a 2nd order node (p<0.0001, F=24.515), and for pts younger than 46.7 yrs admission glucose higher than 11.06 mmol/L was a 3rd order node (p=0.026, F=12.382). This model had high predictive accuracy (area under the ROC-curve 0.963, p<0.0001). Conclusion Thus multiple clinical variants of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease onset appeal to develop an individualized approach to early diagnosis and management of this kind of patient. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

AdaMM: Adaptive Object Movement and Motion Tracking in Hierarchical Edge Computing System.

This paper presents a novel adaptive object movement and motion tracking (AdaMM) framework in a hierarchical edge computing system for achieving GPU memory footprint reduction of deep learning (DL)-based video surveillance services. DL-based object movement and motion tracking requires a significant amount of resources, such as (1) GPU processing power for the inference phase and (2) GPU memory for model loading. Despite the absence of an object in the video, if the DL model is loaded, the GPU memory must be kept allocated for the loaded model. Moreover, in several cases, video surveillance tries to capture events that rarely occur (e.g., abnormal object behaviors); therefore, such standby GPU memory might be easily wasted. To alleviate this problem, the proposed AdaMM framework categorizes the tasks used for the object movement and motion tracking procedure in an increasing order of the required processing and memory resources as task (1) frame difference calculation, task (2) object detection, and task (3) object motion and movement tracking. The proposed framework aims to adaptively release the unnecessary standby object motion and movement tracking model to save GPU memory by utilizing light tasks, such as frame difference calculation and object detection in a hierarchical manner. Consequently, object movement and motion tracking are adaptively triggered if the object is detected within the specified threshold time; otherwise, the GPU memory for the model of task (3) can be released. Moreover, object detection is also adaptively performed if the frame difference over time is greater than the specified threshold. We implemented the proposed AdaMM framework using commercial edge devices by considering a three-tier system, such as the 1st edge node for both tasks (1) and (2), the 2nd edge node for task (3), and the cloud for sending a push alarm. A measurement-based experiment reveals that the proposed framework achieves a maximum GPU memory reduction of 76.8% compared to the baseline system, while requiring a 2680 ms delay for loading the model for object movement and motion tracking.

Tonoplast-Localized OsMOT1;2 Participates in Interorgan Molybdate Distribution in Rice

Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential element for plant growth and is utilized by several key enzymes in biological redox processes. Rice assimilates molybdate ions via OsMOT1;1, a transporter with a high affinity for molybdate. However, other systems involved in the molecular transport of molybdate in rice remain unclear. Here, we characterized OsMOT1;2, which shares amino acid sequence similarity with AtMOT1;2 and functions in vacuolar molybdate export. We isolated a rice mutant harboring a complete deletion of OsMOT1;2. This mutant exhibited a significantly lower grain Mo concentration than the wild type (WT), but its growth was not inhibited. The Mo concentration in grains was restored by the introduction of WT OsMOT1;2. The OsMOT1;2-GFP protein was localized to the vacuolar membrane when transiently expressed in rice protoplasts. At the reproductive growth stage of the WT plant, OsMOT1;2 was highly expressed in the 2nd and lower leaf blades and nodes. The deletion of OsMOT1;2 impaired interorgan Mo allocation in aerial parts: relative to the WT, the mutant exhibited decreased Mo levels in the 1st and 2nd leaf blades and grains but increased Mo levels in the 2nd and lower leaf sheaths, nodes and internodes. When the seedlings were exposed to a solution with a high KNO3 concentration in the absence of Mo, the mutant exhibited significantly lower nitrate reductase activity in the shoots than the WT. Our results suggest that OsMOT1;2 plays an essential role in interorgan Mo distribution and molybdoenzyme activity in rice.

Effects of Node Position and Electric Conductivity of Nutrient Solution on Adventitious Rooting of Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.) Cuttings

Nasturtium is a popular herbal plant, widely cultivated as culinary and medicinal plants all over the world. However, the seed propagation of nasturtium is inefficient, and in-vitro propagation is sophisticated and high-cost. In this study, the cutting propagation method was employed to produce nasturtium seedlings. We aimed to determine the optimal conditions for cutting propagation of nasturtium seedlings by investigating the effects of node position and electric conductivity (EC) of nutrient solution on the root formation of the cuttings. Cuttings from five node positions (apical bud, 2nd node, 3rd node, 4th node, and 5th node) were subjected to water and five EC (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 dS m−1) treatments with a hydroponic cultivation system in a plant factory. Results showed that all cuttings rooted successfully within two weeks. The cuttings from the apical bud position rooted earliest and produced the most roots regardless of EC level. Cuttings from other node positions produced longer roots and heavier root fresh and dry weights than those from the apical bud position. The cuttings under EC of 1.0 dS m−1 had the greatest root number, the longest root length, and the heaviest root fresh and dry weights regardless of node positions. The EC of 1.0 dS m−1 is considered the best condition for nasturtium cuttings for the range of EC tested in this study, and the cuttings from all the five node positions can be used as seedling materials.

Changes in colour during leaf development of

Leaf development is affected by different amounts of light, leading to structural and physiological gradients. Young leaves are normally more sensitive to high light levels, which may trigger different strategies for light protection. On this basis, the objective of the current study was to determine strategies used by young (1st node, red), in transition (2nd node, starting to become green, and 4th node, almost all green) and mature (6th node, green) leaves of Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) to deal with light. Young leaves showed less structural protection from light, which improved after the 2nd node. The reddish colour of young E. uniflora leaves is mainly due the greater production of photoprotective pigments, mainly anthocyanins, although the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio showed some contribution by the carotenoids. Reactive oxygen species were homogeneously distributed in the young leaves, turning to malondialdehyde only in older leaves. The lower structural protection from light and physiological immaturity of young E. uniflora leaves lead to photoinhibition and reduced quantum yield during at times of highest light intensity of the day, causing lower efficiency in electron transport. The E. uniflora case clarifies the occurrence of different defence strategies against light exposure according to leaf developmental stages.

Brassinosteroid signaling may regulate the germination of axillary buds in ratoon rice

BackgroundRice ratooning has traditionally been an important component of the rice cropping system in China. However, compared with the rice of the first harvest, few studies on factors effecting ratoon rice yield have been conducted. Because ratoon rice is a one-season rice cultivated using axillary buds that germinate on rice stakes and generate panicles after the first crop’s harvest, its production is mainly affected by the growth of axillary buds. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the sprouting mechanism of axillary buds to improve the ratoon rice yield.ResultsFirst, we observed the differentiation and growth dynamics of axillary buds at different nodes of Shanyou 63, and found that they differentiated from bottom to top before the heading of the mother stem, and that they developed very slowly. After heading they differentiated from top to bottom, and the ones on the top, especially the top 2nd node, developed much faster than those at the other nodes. The average length and dry weight of the axillary buds were significantly greater than those at other nodes by the yellow ripe stage, and they differentiated into pistils and stamens by 6 d after the yellow ripe stage. The morphology of vegetative organs from regenerated tillers of Shanyou 63 also suggested the superior growth of the upper buds, which was regulated by hormones, in ratoon rice. Furthermore, a comprehensive proteome map of the rice axillary buds at the top 2nd node before and after the yellow ripe stage was established, and some proteins involved in steroid biosynthesis were significantly increased. Of these, four took part in brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis. Thus, BR signaling may play a role in the germination of axillary buds of ratoon rice.ConclusionsThe data provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying BR signaling, and may allow researchers to explore further the biological functions of endogenous BRs in the germination of axillary buds of ratoon rice.

Anatomia foliar de Verbena litoralis Kunth. (Verbenaceae)

Verbena litoralis, conhecida por gervãozinho-do-campo, dentre outras denominações, é utilizada na medicina popular contra diarreias, desordens gastrointestinais e febres. Recentemente, suas atividades antimicrobiana e antioxidante foram comprovadas. Para auxiliar na sua identificação, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi descrever características anatômicas foliares de V. litoralis. Folhas adultas e expandidas foram coletadas no município de Taubaté-SP. Amostras coletadas do 2º e 3º nós foram fixadas e as secções obtidas à mão livre, com auxílio de lâmina de barbear e isopor foram obtidas no sentido transversal e paradérmico. As lâminas foram preparadas segundo técnicas usuais de anatomia vegetal. As folhas apresentam, em vista frontal da face adaxial, células sinuosas com estômatos anisocíticos, enquanto, na abaxial, estômatos anomocíticos. Tricomas glandulares e tectores unicelulares foram observados em ambas as faces. A nervura central é biconvexa com feixe vascular colateral, o mesofilo dorsiventral com parênquima paliçádico e lacunoso. A região basal do limbo, em vista transversal, apresenta inúmeros tricomas glandulares peltado e subssésis, além de tectores unicelulares, abaixo da epiderme ocorre colênquima angular, o sistema vascular é constituído por um feixe colateral e dois a quatro acessórios. Comparando com dados da literatura, a espécie em estudo se destaca pelas características dos tricomas glandulares.

The Role Of Organic Fertilizer And Plant Material In The Growth Of Pepper Seeds for Sustainable Agriculture

Pepper (Piper ningrum L.) is one of Indonesia’s most important spice commodities with high economic value. Pepper plants are propagated by vegetative methods using cuttings. Factors The origin of planting material and the application organic fertilizer can support the development of technology to provide good pepper propagation material. This study used Completely Randomized Group Design with two factors: the origin of planting material and organic fertilizers. The origin of planting materials was 2nd (S2), 3rd (S3), 4th (S4) and 5th (S5) node cuttings, while organic fertilizer used were fulvic acid (P1) and biological fertilizer. The results showed that organic fertilizers did not affect all observed parameters, while the origin of plant material affected the percentage of life cuttings, seed height, number of leaves, number of internodes and nodes, and number of branching plants. The origin of plant material that had the best results was the 3rd node cuttings (S3), while the best interaction of fertilizers and cuttings showed by combination of fulvic acid and 3rd node cuttings (P1S3). Further research was needed on the dose and frequency application of organic fertilizer.

Karaerik Üzüm Çeşidinin Kış Gözlerindeki Soğuk Zararının Tarla ve Laboratuvar Koşullarında Belirlenmesi

This study was conducted to detect cold damage in dormant buds of grapevine under field (by shooting test) and laboratory (by sectioning method) conditions. In the determination of the low temperature damage, it has been investigated whether there is a difference between the method of sectioning in laboratory conditions and the real shooting level in the field conditions . The study was carried out in the vineyard which was established with the Karaerik ( V. vinifera L. ) grape cultivar in the Uzümlü district of Erzincan in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Samples of an old grapevine cuttings from the vineyard was transported to the laboratory on the same day and sections were taken in order to determine the damage level. Cold damage was assessed based on 1-4 bud averages. In addition, cold damage was evaluated separately in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th nodes. The mortality rates of primary and secondary buds for the first 1-4 buds average were determined and the vitality rates of tertiary buds were determined in order to determine the ultimate vitality. At the second stage of study, the mortality rates (%) of primary and secondary buds and the viability rates (%) of tertiary buds were determined by counting in spring the shoots come from the primary, secondary, and tertiary buds of the first 4 buds that were left in pruning in vineyard. Secondary and tertiary buds were also considered alive if the primary buds have sprouted in vineyard. In the study that determined the level of damage of the buds, it was found that the difference between the sectioning method and the shooting test was 7.9% in primary buds, 14.56% in secondary buds, and 0.1% in tertiary buds . The mortality rates of primary buds and the viability rates of tertiary buds were found statistically insignificant differences between the methods, but the mortality rates of the secondary buds were found statistically significant differences between the methods.

Effect of Spacing and Topping on the Performance of Hydroponically Grown Tomato Under Tropical Conditions

Production of tomato in the tropics especially in Ghana is beset with lots of setbacks thereby causing low yields per hectare. Greenhouse cultivation systems are promising yet yields of tropical tomato cultivars are hampered by adverse temperature conditions. In order to mitigate this, an experiment was conducted during the extreme summer temperature conditions in the greenhouse at Kashiwanoha Campus of Chiba University, Japan. The study was conducted between May 23, 2018 and September20, 2018. The low substrate volume production system of 500mL in closed recirculated hydroponics (sub-irrigation) method was employed. Three tropical tomato cultivars (Jaguar, Lebombo and Lindo) were evaluated for yields. Plants were spaced at 20cm (4.2 plants m-2) and 30cm (2.8 plants m-2). At 7 and 9WAT, plants were topped at 2nd and 4th nodes respectively. The 3x2x2 factorial in Randomised Complete Block design in three replications was adopted. Some parameter collected were; 1. Morphometrics such as plant height, girth, leaf number and chlorophyll content, days to 50% flowering and fruit set 2. Yield components and fruit quality such as fruit number, marketable yield, yield per area, yield per hectare, percent blossom end rot, fruit TSS, TA, TSS/TA ratio and 3. Dry matter partitioning at last harvest, 11WAT. Results showed that blossom end rot reduced the yields of Jaguar and Lindo almost by 50% while Lebombo recorded less than 1%. Lebombo produced significantly the highest plant dry mass of 125g of which 57.7% was converted to vegetative growth compared to the Jaguar. For Jaguar however, 53.7% of total plant dry mass was allocated to fruits. This in effect was translated to the highest yield of 93tons ha-1 year-1 for Jaguar plants that were pinched at 4th truss in high density planting of 4.2 plant m-2.