Average Internode Length Research Articles

The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment.

Plant height plays an important role in crop yield, product quality, and cultivation management. However, the physiological mechanisms that regulate the establishment of plant height in alfalfa plants remain unclear. Herein, we measured plant height traits, leaf characteristics, photosynthetic physiology, cell wall composition, and endogenous hormone contents of tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials at different reproductive periods. We analyzed the physiology responsible for differences in plant height. The results demonstrated that the number of internodes in tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials tended to converge with the advancement of the fertility period. Meanwhile, the average internode length (IL) of tall-stalked materials was significantly higher than that of short-stalked materials at different fertility periods, with internode length identified as the main trait determining the differences in alfalfa plant height. Leaf characteristics, which are closely related to photosynthetic capacity, are crucial energy sources supporting the expression of plant height traits, and we found that an increase in the number of leaves contributed to a proportional increase in plant height. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between plant height and leaf dry weight per plant during the branching and early flowering stages of alfalfa. The leaves of alfalfa affect plant height through photosynthesis, with the budding stage identified as the key period for efficient light energy utilization. Plant height at the budding stage showed a significant positive correlation with soluble sugar (SS) content and a significant negative correlation with intercellular CO2 concentration. Moreover, we found that alfalfa plant height was significantly correlated with the contents of indole-3-acetic acid in stem tips (SIAA), gibberellin A3 in leaves (LGA3), zeatin in stem tips (SZT), and abscisic acid in leaves (LABA). Further investigation revealed that SS, SIAA, and LGA3 contents were important physiological indicators affecting alfalfa plant height. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the formation of alfalfa plant height traits and for genetic improvement studies.

Effects of Enclosure Succession on the Morphological Characteristics and Nutrient Content of a Bamboo Whip System in a Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) Forest on Wuyi Mountain, China

To investigate the morphological characteristics and nutrient content of bamboo whip systems in the Wuyi Mountain Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) forest in response to enclosure succession. The mixed Moso bamboo forests in the Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve with 0, 4, 6, 11, 16, and 41 enclosure years were taken as the object of investigation. All the bamboo whips in the 2 m × 2 m sample plots were excavated layer-by-layer according to the soil layers of 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm, and a total of 54 plots were dug. The morphological characteristics and nutrient contents of the Moso bamboo whips in the different soil layers were analyzed and evaluated. Enclosure management measures can not only effectively improve vegetation coverage, biodiversity, and biomass, but also improve soil moisture and nutrient status, indirectly affecting the vegetation, which is of great significance for preventing soil erosion. The results showed that the whip number, whip diameter, flagella number, whip length, and whip weight in the 0–20 cm soil layer were significantly increased by 169.2%, 11.0%, 197.5%, 113.7%, and 109.0% (p < 0.05), respectively, compared with CK after 41 years of enclosure. The average internode length was significantly decreased by 27.9% (p < 0.05) compared to CK after 41 years of enclosure. In the 20–40 cm soil layer, the whip diameter increased by 9.7% after 41 years of enclosure compared with CK, but the whip number, flagella number, whip length, and whip weight were significantly reduced after 16 and 41 years of enclosure compared to CK (p < 0.05). In the 40–60 cm soil layer, the whip number, number of flagella, and whip length increased significantly after 6 and 11 years of enclosure compared with CK (p < 0.05). In the 0–20 cm soil layer, the contents of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium in CK were higher than those in other enclosure years, and the soluble sugar content in CK was significantly higher than that in the enclosures of 4, 6, 11, and 41 years by 39.8%, 37.9%, 34.4%, and 34.0% (p < 0.05). The organic carbon content was significantly increased by 14.8%, 12.7%, 7.2%, and 7.1% (p < 0.05) after 4, 6, 11, and 41 years of enclosure compared with CK, respectively. The starch content was significantly increased by 34.1%, 23.0%, and 62.7% (p < 0.05) after 6, 16, and 41 years of enclosure compared with CK, respectively. In the 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm soil layers, the total nitrogen content and soluble sugar content in CK were significantly lower than that in the enclosures of 4 years (p < 0.05), the total phosphorus and total potassium content in CK were significantly higher than that in the enclosures of 41 years (p < 0.05), and the organic carbon content and starch content in CK were significantly higher than that in the enclosures of 6 years (p < 0.05). In summary, enclosure measures were implemented for Moso bamboo forests in the Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve, which promote the growth of Moso bamboo whips and optimize the structure of bamboo whips.

Analysis of Phenotypic and Physiological Characteristics of Plant Height Difference in Alfalfa

Cultivating new alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) varieties with high yield and quality is of great significance for improving alfalfa yield and promoting the development of the grass and livestock industry. Plant height is an important indicator of alfalfa yield and is closely related to photosynthetic capacity, harvest index and yield. However, the underlying cause of the variation in height among alfalfa plants is not clear. In this paper, we measured the phenotypic traits, photosynthetic physiology and endogenous hormone content of tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials and analyzed the important external and internal factors that caused the difference in plant height of alfalfa. We found that the phenotypic traits of tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials showed significant differences, and dwarf alfalfa showed significant shortening of the main stem internode length. There were also some differences in light and physiological indicators and endogenous hormone contents between tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials. Through correlation analysis, we found that the phenotypic traits and physiological indicators significantly correlated with alfalfa plant height were the number of internodes, stem diameter, average internode length, leaf–stem ratio, leaf area, Pn (net photosynthetic rate), Tr (transpiration rate), upper leaf SP (soluble protein), Suc (sucrose) content, middle stem Sta (starch) content, middle stem ZT (zeatin) and IAA (indole-3-acetic acid). Further analysis showed that Tr, IAA and LA played a direct role in plant height, with Tr contributing the most to plant height, followed by IAA. Finally, we found that the starch content of the middle stem had a significant impact on plant height through principal component analysis. These results provide new insights into the formation and genetic improvement of plant height traits in leguminous forages such as alfalfa.

Genome-wide analysis of the GRAS transcription factor gene family in peach (Prunus persica) and ectopic expression of PpeDELLA1 and PpeDELLA2 in Arabidopsis result in dwarf phenotypes

The GRAS gene family contains plant-specific transcription factors that play crucial roles in plant growth. In this study, 48 PpeGRAS genes were identified throughout the whole peach genome. They appeared randomly distributed on eight chromosomes. A dispersed gene duplication (DSD, 26 of 48) event was responsible for the GRAS gene family duplication in peach. Phylogenetic analysis among peach, rice, Arabidopsis and poplar showed that the PpeGRAS family was divided into 13 subfamilies. The majority of the PpeGRAS genes did not contain any introns (41, 85.4%), while the remaining seven PpeGRAS genes had one (6, 12.5%) or two (1, 2.1%) introns. Motif analysis indicated that the putative PpeGRAS proteins clustering in the same subgroup share similar motifs. Gene expression analysis in the stem apex of the normal cultivar ‘Qiumihong’ (QMH) and the dwarf cultivar ‘Fenhuashouxingtao’ (FHSXT) revealed potential roles of different PpeGRAS genes in peach growth. Two PpeDELLA genes, PpeDELLA1 and PpeDELLA2, were selected for further functional analysis. The dwarf phenotype was due to shorter average internode length and was also observed in transgenic Arabidopsis lines overexpressing PpeDELLA1 or PpeDELLA2. These findings provide insights into understanding the function of PpeGRAS genes and their potential use in the genetic improvement of peach.

滴施缩节胺与氮肥对棉花生长发育及产量的影响

<p id="C3">In order to explore the effects of DPC (1,1-dimethyl-piperidinium chloride) and nitrogen fertilizer on agronomic traits and clarify the interaction effect of DPC and nitrogen fertilizer through drip irrigation in cotton, we performed a two-factor randomized block design with three nitrogen levels (pure N, N1: 150 kg hm ^-2, N2: 300 kg hm ^-2, and N3: 450 kg hm ^-2) and three DPC levels (D1: 525 g hm ^-2, D2: 1050 g hm ^-2, and D3: 2100 g hm ^-2). These groups interacted with each other and formed nine treatments. The effects of different groups on agronomic traits, the spatial and temporal distribution of boll, the accumulation and distribution of dry matter, yield, and fiber quality were investigated in cotton. The results showed that the interaction between DPC and nitrogen fertilizer had a significant impact on the agronomic traits of cotton; The retarding effect of DPC on cotton growth was weakened or even disappeared under the low nitrogen condition. Under N1 treatment, compared to D1 treatment, plant height, initial node height of fruit branch, length of fourth, and seventh fruit branch of D3 treatment increased by 12.07, 1.54, 1.28, and 1.20 cm, respectively. Under normal or high nitrogen conditions, DPC had a certain retarded effect on cotton growth, but the control effect did not increase with the increasing DPC doses. Under N3 treatment, compared with D1 treatment, the plant height, first fruit branch length, and the average internode length of the second fruit of D3 treatment decreased by 1.05, 1.68, and 1.52 cm, respectively. Plant height, stem diameter, and fruit branch number of cottons increased with the increase of nitrogen application rate. Compared with N1 treatment, N3 treatment increased 3.30 cm, 0.75 mm and 0.29 sets, respectively. There were no significant differences in the length of fruit branch and internode among the different nitrogen application rates. The drip application of D2 treatment was beneficial for dry matter accumulation and translocation to reproductive organs. It promoted pre-ambient and ambient peaches growth, but there was not significant effect on cotton yield and fiber quality. The total dry matter accumulation was 13.14%-44.50% higher in N1 than that in other treatments. The percentage of reproductive organs increased by 2.05%-6.30% compared with N3 treatment. When applying 2100 g hm ^-2 DPC and 150 kg hm ^-2 nitrogen fertilizer with water drop, the cotton fiber quality, seed cotton yield, boll number per plant, and boll weight per plant were the highest; and the effect of yield increase was better. In conclusion, we recommended to apply 1050-2100 g hm ^-2DPC and 150 kg hm ^-2 nitrogen fertilizer with drip irrigation in the cotton area of northern Xinjiang.

Evaluating The Morphological Responses of Ricinus Communis to Enhanced UV-B Radiation

UV-B radiation (280-320 nm) is an important environmental stress to plants which poses detrimental impact on their growth and development. The present investigation studied the impact of enhanced UV-B on castor oil plant (Ricinus communis L.). The present study was carried out for a time of 20 weeks in the premises of H.N.B. Garhwal University (S.R.T. campus), Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. The plant samples were grown in two different setups i.e., ambient solar radiation and enhanced UV-B. The authors have weekly examined 9 different plant growth parameters, viz. shoot length, stem base circumference, no. of branches, no. of nodes, internodal length, no. of leaves, no. of veins, leaf mid-vein length and inflorescence development in 5 random samples in both experiments. Compared to the ambient solar set-up, plants exposed to elevated UV-B showed decrease in plant height and average internodal length, whereas increase in no. of nodes, no. of branches, no. of leaves, leaf mid-vein length and stem base circumference. The inflorescence development was delayed but the development of veins was seen earlier in the enhanced UV-B experiment.

Genetic variability of conilon coffee population from cultivar ‘ES8152’ based on morphoagronomic variables

This study aimed to analyze the genetic variability of Coffea canephora population with 190 genotypes from cultivar ‘ES8152’, based on morphoagronomic characteristics and vegetation index, to identify the most important characteristics for genetic divergence and compare them with commercial clones. The experiment was installed, in 2019, at the Bananal do Norte Experimental Farm/INCAPER, Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, ES, Brazil. The experiment was carried out in Federer’s augmented block design with three blocks, four common treatments (commercial clones A1, LB1, V8 and V12) and 190 regular treatments, genotypes from the seed production field of the conilon coffee cultivar ‘ES8152’. At 24 months of age 14 morphoagronomic characteristics and vegetation index were evaluated. Descriptive analysis of the data, the estimation of the Standardized Euclidean Distance (ED) followed by the grouping by the methods of Tocher, UPGMA and principal coordinates, in addition to the relative importance of the characters estimated by the Singh methodology were performed. The most distant genotypes were 62 and 83 (ED=2.620) and the closest were 42 and 160 (ED=0.208). Genotype 83 stood out as the most distant among the others. The optimization and hierarchical groupings allowed the identification of genotypes 15, 81, 107 and 184 as similar to commercial clones. The discard analysis of variables recommended the elimination of the vegetation index and average internode length of the next diversity analysis. Principal coordinate analysis found phenotypic similarity of the genotypes 30, 81, 115, 141 and 163 with the clone V12, of the genotype 119 with the clone A1 and genotype 17 with clone LB1. The study, of morphoagronomic characters, allowed to detection the genetic diversity existing in the materials evaluated, indicating those with phenotypic similarity with the commercial clones, being possible the early identification of promisinggenotypes, agronomically superior, to start a breeding program for clonal selection, recurrent selection and controlled crosses to maximize heterosis. Key words: Coffea canephora; pre-breeding; genetic diversity; clusters.

Effects of Prohexadione-Calcium on ‘Monroe/GF 677’ Peach Vegetative Shoot Growth, Fruit Yield and Quality

Prohexadione-calcium (Pro-Ca) is a recently developed plant growth retardant used in some fruit trees. However, it is important that the reduction of vegetative shoot growth dose not decrease yield and fruit quality. In this study, the effects of Pro-Ca applications on the vegetative growth and some fruit quality of the Monroe peach, growing on vigor rootstock (GF 677) were investigated. For this reason, trees were sprayed twice with 0 (water + surfactant), 62.5, 125, 250 g 100 L-1 water Pro-Ca in the annual shoots reached 5 cm within a three week interval in the spring of 2018 and 2019 years. Shoot length was decreased by 28-32% for shoots treated with Pro-Ca. The average internode length were significantly reduced for Pro-Ca-treated shoots. The lowest average internode length on the shoot was obtained with 125 and 250 g 100 L-1. The effects on fruit quality were positive in this study. Application of Pro-Ca (125 and 250 g 100 L-1) increased the fruit size and fruit mass of cv. Monroe’ peach. 250 g 100 L-1 Pro-Ca concentration led to firmer fruit relative to the other applications and control fruits. Two application 125 or 250 g 100 L-1 Pro-Ca applications were found more effective considering the criteria investigated. The Pro-Ca applications were found to be effective in controlling the vegetative shoot growth and fruit quality in cv. Monroe/GF-677 peach.

Experimental validation of the soil fertility hypothesis in a natural Mediterranean tri‐trophic system

AbstractHost plant resources are a major issue in gall‐insect ecology. Soil fertilization may affect both plant quality and indirect defenses, as well as the prey quality of herbivores for predators. The soil fertility hypothesis (SFH) claims that gall‐inducing insects infest more plants growing on poor than on fertile soils. Until now this was studied and supported only by observations in natural tropical biomes. We tested its validity in a field experiment in a Mediterranean region, using four aphid species (Hemiptera: Aphididae, Eriosomatinae) that induce galls in wild Pistacia atlantica Desf. (Anacardiaceae) trees, and their main enemies. The impact of fertilization was examined in control trees that were not fertilized (‘poor soil’) and others that were fertilized with NPK for either one or two consecutive growing seasons. Average internode length in apical shoots of fertilized trees was longer than in control trees, following SFH expectations. We did not detect a different number of aphid species in each tree, contrary to SFH predictions. Fertilization lowered the number of galls, the gall survival, and the mean number of aphids inside the galls, as expected by the SFH. All the galls suffered increased attacks by enemies in fertilized trees, as expected by the SFH. In conclusion, following this field experiment, the SFH should not be rejected as a possible framework in research on galling‐insect ecology.

Environmental and genetic regulation of plant height in soybean

BackgroundShoot architecture is fundamentally crucial to crop growth and productivity. As a key component of shoot architecture, plant height is known to be controlled by both genetic and environmental factors, though specific details remain scarce.ResultsIn this study, 308 representative soybean lines from a core collection and 168 F9 soybean progeny were planted at distinct field sites. The results demonstrated the presence of significant genotype × environment interaction (G × E) effects on traits associated with plant height in a natural soybean population. In total, 19 loci containing 51 QTLs (quantitative trait locus) for plant height were identified across four environments, with 23, 13 and 15 being QTLs for SH (shoot height), SNN (stem node number) and AIL (average internode length), respectively. Significant LOD ranging from 2.50 to 16.46 explained 2.80–26.10% of phenotypic variation. Intriguingly, only two loci, Loc11 and Loc19–1, containing 20 QTLs, were simultaneously detected across all environments. Results from Pearson correlation analysis and PCA (principal component analysis) revealed that each of the five agro-meteorological factors and four soil properties significantly affected soybean plant height traits, and that the corresponding QTLs had additive effects. Among significant environmental factors, AD (average day-length), AMaT (average maximum temperature), pH, and AN (available nitrogen) had the largest impacts on soybean plant height. Therefore, in spite of uncontrollable agro-meteorological factors, soybean shoot architecture might be remolded through combined efforts to produce superior soybean genetic materials while also optimizing soil properties.ConclusionsOverall, the comprehensive set of relationships outlined herein among environment factors, soybean genotypes and QTLs in effects on plant height opens new avenues to explore in work aiming to increase soybean yield through improvements in shoot architecture.

Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis in Coffee (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Coffea arabica &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;L.) Germplasm Accessions in Ethiopia

Sufficient information on the nature and magnitude of traits association will facilitate effective selection and hybridization to develop high yielding coffee progenies. The study was conducted at Metu Agricultural Research Sub Center to determine the extent of association among yield and yield related traits of coffee. Sixty four Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) germplasm including two standard check varieties (74110 and 74112) were used for this study. The field experiment was superimposed during 2018 cropping seasons on six years old coffee trees, which was laid down in 8x8 simple lattice design. The orchard was managed as per the coffee agronomic production practices. Data on 19 quantitative traits were recorded from four representative trees per row for each accession. Yield per tree exhibited significant (P<0.05) and positive phenotypic and genotypic association with fruit width (r_ph=0.19; r_g=0.19) and fruit thickness (r_ph=0.18; r_g=0.15). On the other hand, number of primary branches showed positive and significant (P<0.05) phenotypic and genotypic correlations with fruit width (r_ph=0.23; r_g=0.12) and fruit thickness (r_ph=0.21; r_g=0.07). Hence, indirect selection in favor of this trait can improve yield in coffee. Coffee berry disease mainly attacks fruits and beans, however, the disease showed negative phenotypic and genotypic correlation with fruit and bean quantitative traits. Average inter-node length of main stem, number of nodes on primary branches, Number of primary branches, fruit width and thickness, bean width and thickness and hundred beans weight exerted positive direct effect and also had positive genotypic association with yield per tree, while the other traits affected yield indirectly, mainly through average inter-node length of primary branches production. Therefore, these traits could be used as a reliable indicator in indirect selection for higher tree yield.

Identification of wheat dwarf mutants and analysis on association between the mutant traits of the dwarf plants

<p indent=0mm>Dwarf mutant is an important gene resource in wheat breeding and plant height genetic research. In this paper, EMS (ethyl methyl sulfonate) was used to mutate the mature seeds of ‘Yunmai 53’, and 33 candidate dwarf mutants of M₃ generation were finally obtained by self-bred. Twenty-six dwarf mutants were selected by analyzing differences between the mutant parent in two years and that of M₂ and M₃ generation candidate plants, and the variation range of their plant height was from (13.61 ± <sc>0.11) cm</sc> to (44.08 ± <sc>1.73) cm.</sc> Twenty-six dwarf mutants with at least 2 mutant sites were verified based on 12 specific markers of 8 dwarf genes. In addition to plant height, 26 dwarf mutants also carried four mutational traits, spike length, spikelet density, internode number, and average internode length. The 26 dwarf mutants could be clustered into 5 subgroups. Among them, the first subgroup was the least in spikelets and florets, the second subgroup was the shortest in plant height, spike length and average internode length, and the highest spikelet density, while the third subgroup was the least in internode number. Plant height was significantly correlated with average internode length and internode number with partial correlation coefficients of 0.94 and 0.58, respectively, but not correlated with spike length, spikelet number and spikelet density. The plant height was genetically associated with internode length and internode number in 26 dwarf mutants. The mutants carried different combinations of the mutant gene, and can be useful in wheat dwarf breeding and the studies on genetic mechanism of the traits, such as plant height, spike length and spikelet density.

Nutritional Evaluation of Sugarcane Cultivars for Ruminants

The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality of twenty-nine cultivars of sugarcane. The design was completely randomized, with twenty-nine treatments (cultivars) and three replicates. The evaluations were performed at 540 days after planting during the phenological stage of maturation of sugar cane. Stalk length, number of nodes per plant, internodes length and stalk diameter were evaluated. The stalk samples were crushed, pre-dried and ground for achievement of chemical analysis, carbohydrate fractionation and in vitro digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and posteriorly submitted to Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. Regarding biometric measurements the cultivars differed (P&lt;0.05) for the stalk length, but there was no difference (P&gt;0.05) in the number of nodes as well as in the average internode length and stalk diameter. The content of DM, OM, protein, ether extract, NDF and acid detergent fiber showed differences between the cultivars evaluated (P&lt;0.05). Carbohydrate fractionation also differed between cultivars (P &lt;0.05), being that cultivars RB86 7515, RB92 806 and RB03 6091 presented high fraction of rapidly degradable carbohydrates. The highest values of in vitro digestibility of DM and OM occurred for cultivars RB86 7515, RB92 579 and RB03 6091 (P&lt;0.05). Considering the variables analyzed, the cultivars RB03 6091, RB92 579 and RB86 7515 showed greater concentration of rapidly degradable carbohydrates and greater in vitro digestibility of DM and OM demonstrating potential for use in ruminant feeding.

Morphological assessment of water stressed sugarcane: A comparison of waterlogged and drought affected crop.

Abiotic stress is recurrent occurring problem for sugarcane crop in terms of hindrance in achieving good and high production. In India, drought coverage is 2.97 lakh ha while 2.5 lakh ha under coverage of waterlogging which is one of the reasons behind low cane production and productivity due to alteration in metabolism, growth and development of the plant either in direct or indirect way. Therefore, we investigated the comparison of morphological losses in drought and waterlogging sugarcanes. Morphological parameters assessed were leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, stalk diameter, cane height, cane weight, internodes number and average internodal length. Also, total root weight, dry matter production of stalk, leaves and roots were observed. Results showed that leaf length was marginally increased in drought canes but it was not so in case of waterlogged canes. Besides, there was decrease in total root weight of sugarcane affected by drought by 16.99% while there was increase by 10.06% in waterlogging affected canes in comparison to normal grown canes. In cane height and stalk diameter, decrease by 18.28%, 7.52%, respectively, in drought and 11.41%, marginal decrease, respectively, in waterlogged affected canes as compared to normally grown canes. Average internodal length was also found to increase in both drought as well as waterlogged canes by 39.02% and 36.60%, respectively, in comparison to normal grown canes. Number of internodes was decreased more in drought affected canes than in waterlogged canes. This study concluded that there are higher morphological losses in sugarcane in drought condition than in waterlogging conditions with respect to normal grown canes.

Maize ZmRPH1 encodes a microtubule-associated protein that controls plant and ear height.

Maize ZmRPH1 encodes a microtubule-associated protein that controls plant and ear height.

Ectopic expression of the AaFUL1 gene identified in Anthurium andraeanum affected floral organ development and seed fertility in tobacco

Anthurium andraeanum is a high-grade potted flower that enjoys global popularity. Its floral organs have been substantially modified, and its ornamental value is based on its petaloid bracts. MADS-box gene products are important transcription factors that control plant development. In particular, the APETALA1 (AP1)/FRUITFULL (FUL) family of MADS-box genes plays a key role in flowering transitions and out-whorl floral organ identity specification. In this report, one FUL-like gene was cloned from Anthurium andraeanum and named AaFUL1 after bioinformatics identification. Subsequent subcellular localization experiments confirmed that the AaFUL1 protein was located in the nucleus, and data obtained from an expression analysis indicated that the relative expression level of AaFUL1 was the highest in bracts and inflorescences, while its expression was relatively low in stems and roots. Next, an AaFUL1 overexpression vector was constructed and ectopically expressed in tobacco. The transformants did not show any early flowering phenotype, but the average internode length of the inflorescence branch was significantly higher than that observed in the control, and its petal color had substantially faded. The morphology of the petal and pistil was clearly changed, the fruit was deformed, and the seed was largely aborted. These data indicate that even though the sequence of AaFUL1 is relatively conserved, its function differs from that of other orthologs, and the FUL subfamily of MADS-box transcription factors may have taken on new functions during the evolution processes. The results of this experiment enrich our knowledge of FUL transcription factors in monocotyledon plants.

Broad-sense heritability and inter-trait relationships in young macadamia architecture, flowering and yield

Macadamia in the orchard environment is relatively unaltered from its natural form, and there is considerable scope to change vegetative and reproductive architecture for improving yield and related traits through breeding. An understanding of genetic and environmental control mechanisms and the dynamics between vegetative and reproductive characteristics are useful to identify the most important traits for improvement. In breeding programs, considerations of the heritability of vegetative traits are usually limited to tree scale measurements such as canopy volume. Here we studied the broad-sense heritability (H) of characteristics that constitute the macadamia canopy and yield at multiple architectural scales, and also documented relationships between vegetative and reproductive traits. Cutting-grown clones of 15 macadamia genotypes were subsampled from a breeding trial planted in 2011 in South East Queensland, Australia. At the tree scale, canopy volume had very low H (0), suggesting a strong environmental influence. Detailed measurements of individual canopy components give insight to more complex interactions within the canopy. Some vegetative architectural characteristics, such as branch number, average internode length and growth unit (GU) length had medium H (0.31-0.39), and node number per GU had high H (0.57). Other canopy components such as length of primary branch axes and primary branch cross-sectional area (BCA) displayed very low heritability (0-0.05), and are likely to be mainly controlled by environmental conditions. H values were low for yield and nut counts (0.16-0.21), except nuts per raceme (0.43). Heritability was medium to high for other reproductive characteristics (0.34-0.70) that may indirectly relate to yield. Understanding the relationships within and between vegetative and yield traits at different architectural scales informs the choice of multiple useful traits, and will aid the breeding of future elite macadamia cultivars. Genetic correlations and principal component analysis provided an insight to genetic relationships between limb angle and nodes per GU; nodes per GU and GU length; GU length and yield traits; and raceme length and yield.

Quantitative trait loci associated with short inter-node length in soybean.

Manipulating the genetic control of plant height is essential in soybean breeding to increase yield through the enlargement of the plant size while preventing lodging. A Japanese soybean germplasm, Y2, has distinctively shorter inter-node lengths than those of recently developed Japanese cultivars and is expected to provide new variation to prevent lodging. A quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for plant height-related traits was conducted using F2 individuals derived from a cross between the elite Japanese cultivar Fukuyutaka and Y2. A major QTL for average inter-node length (AIL) and plant height was identified on chromosome 13 and named qSI13-1 (QTL for short inter-node on chromosome 13). The Y2 allele of qSI13-1 was partially dominant for plant height. qSI13-1 exhibited no effect on either days to flowering or number of main stem nodes. The AILs and plant heights of the near-isogenic lines containing the Y2 allele of qSI13-1 in the genetic background of Fukuyutaka were significantly less than those of Fukuyutaka. No significant differences between the near-isogenic lines and Fukuyutaka were observed for seed yield and flowering date, indicating that qSI13-1 will be useful in developing cultivars with short plant heights without having negative effects on yield potential and days to flowering.

Effect of boron and zinc application on growth, seed yield and seed quality of water spinach (Ipomoea reptans Poir.) under terai region of West Bengal

The field experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, West Bengal to study the effect of boron and zinc application on growth, seed yield and its quality of water spinach (Ipomoea reptans Poir.). The study consisted of borax @ 0 (B0), 25 kg/ha through soil (B1) and 1.5 g/litre twice through foliar sprays at 15 days interval (B2) and ZnSO4 @ 0 (Zn0), 15 kg/ha through soil (Zn1) and 1.5 g/litre twice foliar sprays at 15 days interval (Zn2) and their nine treatment combinations (viz. B0 Zn0, B1 Zn0, B2 Zn0, B0Zn1, B1 Zn1, B2 Zn1, B0Zn2, B1 Zn2 and B2 Zn2. The results revealed that application of boron and zinc at all rates alone and as combinations markedly influenced all growth, seed yield and its quality parameters as compared with the control. Soil application of borax @ 25 kg/ha and ZnSO4 @ 15 kg/ha alone and as combination recorded maximum number of flowers/hill (282.6, 275.1 &amp; 311.5), number of capsules/hill (238.2, 220.7 &amp; 257.8), seed yield (1.22 t/ha, 1.21 t/ha &amp; 1.32 t/ha), shelling percentage (67.14%, 67.06% &amp; 68.76%), 1000 seed weight (38.05 g, 38.25 g &amp; 41.16 g), germination percentage (86.6%, 86.3% &amp; 90.0%), seedling vigour index (6.20, 6.26 &amp; 6.63) and seedling growth rate (0.123, 0.123 and 0.127 g/plant/day), respectively over control. Maximum vine length, number of nodes per plant, average internode length and chlorophyll content of leaf were found in twice foliar sprays of bo-rax @ 1.5 g/litre (B2) and twice foliar sprays of ZnSO4 @ 1.5 g/litre (Zn2) individually as well as their combination (B2Zn2). Considering the benefit : cost ratio (B: C ratio), combination of both soil application of borax @ 25 kg/ha and ZnSO4 @ 15 kg/ha (B1Zn1) was found most economical (2.60).

Physiologic response of six plant species grown in two contrasting soils and irrigated with brackish groundwater and RO concentrate

ABSTRACTWith declining availability of fresh surface water, brackish groundwater is increasingly used for irrigation in the arid and semi-arid southwestern United States. Brackish water can be desalinated by reverse osmosis (RO) but RO results in a highly saline concentrate. Disposal of concentrate is a major problem hindering augmentation of inland desalination in arid areas. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of texture and saline water irrigation on the physiology of six species (Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt., Hordeum vulgare L., Lepidium alyssoides A. Gray, Distichlis stricta (L.) Greene, Panicum virgatum L., and ×Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus [Secale × Triticum]). All species were grown in two contrasting soils and irrigated with the same volume of control water (EC 0.9 dS/m), brackish groundwater (4.1 dS/m), RO concentrate (EC 8.0 dS/m). Several plant physiological measurements were made during the growing season including height, number of stem nodes, average internodal length, number of leaves, leaf length, photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance rates, transpiration rates, leaf temperatures, stem water potential, and osmotic potential. P. virgatum was the only species that showed significant decrease in plant height and growth with texture and irrigation water salinity. Except for A. canescens and L. alyssoides, number and length of leaves decreased with increasing salinity for all species. No significant differences were observed for photosynthetic, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rates by soil texture or irrigation water salinity. Stem water potential and osmotic potential did show some significant influence by soil texture and irrigation water salinity. Based on the results, RO concentrate can be reused to grow all six species in sand; however, growth of all species showed some limitations in clay. Local reuse of RO concentrate along desert margins with regular soil and environmental quality monitoring can accelerate implementation of inland desalination for sustaining food security.