Crambe Maritima Research Articles

Salinity and nitrogen source affect productivity and nutritional value of edible halophytes.

Saline agriculture may contribute to food production in the face of the declining availability of fresh water and an expanding area of salinized soils worldwide. However, there is currently little known about the biomass and nutrient/antinutrient accumulation response of many edible halophytes to increasing levels of salinity and nitrogen source. To address this, two glass house experiments were carried out. The first to study the shoot biomass, and nutrient accumulation response, measured by ICP-MS analysis, of edible halophyte species, including Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (ice plant), Salsola komarovii (Land seaweed), Enchylaena tomentosa (Ruby Saltbush), Crithmum maritimum (Rock Samphire), Crambe maritima (Sea Kale) and Mertensia maritima (Oyster Plant), under increasing levels of salinity (0 to 800 mM). The second experiment studied the effects of nitrogen source combined with salinity, on levels of oxalate, measured by HPLC, in ice plant and ruby saltbush. Species differences for biomass and sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) accumulation were observed across the range of salt treatments (0 to 800mM). Shoot concentrations of the anti-nutrient oxalate decreased significantly in ice plant and ruby saltbush with an increase in the proportion of N provided as NH4+ (up to 100%), while shoot oxalate concentrations in ice plant and ruby saltbush grown in the absence of NaCl were not significantly different to oxalate concentrations in plants treated with 200 mM or 400 mM NaCl. However, the lower shoot oxalate concentrations observed with the increase in NH4+ came with concurrent reductions in shoot biomass. Results suggest that there will need to be a calculated tradeoff between oxalate levels and biomass when growing these plants for commercial purposes.

STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HALOPHYTIC SPECIES CRAMBE MARITIMA L. AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ITS INTRODUCTION INTO CULTURE IN THE SOUTHERN AREA OF ROMANIA’S OLTENIA REGION

Crambe maritima L. is a perennial plant from the Brasicaceae family that grows spontaneously in Romania on the beaches of the Black Sea. Its tolerance to salt also makes it tolerant to soil drought. Therefore, it was considered that the sandy and dry soil in the southern part of the Oltenia region could be favorable for the cultivation of this plant, known in the world for its food value. Studies show that the plant develops high values ​​of osmotic pressure and suction force on dry and salty soil and thus manages to absorb optimal amounts of water. Wax impregnation of the leaves reduces water losses and is thus another adaptive advantage. In conditions of moderate salinity or drought, the photosynthesis values ​​are maintained at fairly high values ​​and the net assimilation intensity also has values ​​that ensure a moderate productivity.

К синтаксономии псаммофитных сообществ побережий Чёрного и Азовского морей (Краснодарский край)

К синтаксономии псаммофитных сообществ побережий Чёрного и Азовского морей (Краснодарский край)

Agro-Morphological Characterization and Some Seed Characteristics of Wild Crambe (Brassicaceae) Species in Turkey

The seeds of wild Crambe species have potential to be used as a source of industrial oil and animal feed. In this study, 48 genotypes of three Crambe species collected from the flora of Turkey were grown under field conditions in Ankara/Turkey in 2014–2016. The seed protein ratio, plant height, number of branches per plant, number of seeds per plant, seed yield per plant, thousand seed weight and hulless/hulled seed ratio (H/H) were determined. The highest protein ratio was determined as 26.02% in the t18 accession of Crambe tataria species. Variations in the characteristics were analyzed using principal component analysis. In the factor analysis of Crambe maritima, Crambe orientalis, Crambe tataria and the mean of these three species, the first two principal components accounted for 100%, 58.06%, 59.93% and 100% of the total variations, respectively. There were positive correlations between the plant height and number of seeds per plant, seed yield per plant for C. orientalis, and number of branches per plant for C. tataria. Although seed yield per plant was high in C. tataria and C. orientalis, they are not suitable for conventional agriculture due to shell thickness, inhomogeneous plant emergence and shooting. Conventional cultivation of wild Crambe species can be made possible by eliminating these negative features with breeding and agronomic studies.

An annotated list of the rare and endangered species of the Nizhnedniprovsky sands

Пропонується список рідкісних видів судинних рослин Нижньодніпровських пісків (Херсонської та Миколаївської області), який включає 126 видів (14,3% від загального числа видів), що відносяться до 99 родів і 54 родин. Серед них в Європейському Червоному списку – 1 вид (Agropyron dasyanthum), в Червоному списку Міжнародного союзу охорони природи – 2 види (Salvinia natans), в Конвенції про міжнародну торгівлю видами дикої фауни і флори, що перебувають під загрозою зникнення – 10 видів (усі представники родини Orchidaceae), в списку Бернської конвенції про охорону дикої флори і фауни і природних середовищ існування в Європі – 7 видів (Ostericum palustre, Lindernia procumbens, Zostera marina – тільки в Bern), в Червоній книзі України – 34 види (з них: статус «Зникаючий» мають 4 види – Alyssum savranicum, Carex liparicarpos, Fimbristylis bisumbellata, Tephroseris palustris; «Вразливий» – 23 види; «Рідкісний» – 5 видів та «Неоцінений» – 6 видів), в Червоному списку Херсонської області – 41 вид, в Червоному списку Миколаївської області – 7 видів. До загального списку пропонується 42 нових види, які необхідно включити до Червоного списку Херсонської області – 39 видів та Червоного списку Миколаївської області – 14 видів (тільки до ЧСМО – Centaurea odessana, Centaurium spicatum, Moehringia trinervia). Дослідивши хорологію раритетів по аренам встановлено, що найбільший созологічний статус має Кінбурнська коса, яка налічує 72 види, з них – 29 видів судинних рослин, які більше ніде не представлені на Нижньодніпровських пісках (Crambe maritima, Eryngium maritimum, Astrodaucus littoralis, тощо). Друге місце по кількості рідкісних видів займає Іванівська арена – 51 вид, з них 12 видів притаманні тільки цій арені (Allium regelianum, Salicornia borysthenica, Tulipa gesneriana). Наступне місце за кількістю созофітів займає Чалбаська арена – 46 рідкісних види, з них – 6 видів унікальні для цієї території (Ostericum palustre, Dactylorhiza majalis, Eremogone rigidа тощо). На четвертому місці знаходиться Олешківська арена – 45 видів, 10 раритетів є притаманні тільки цій території (Carex atherodes, Epipactis palustris, Menyanthes trifoliata). П’яте місце займає Збур’ївська арена – 32 созофіти, з них 3 види є характерними тільки для неї, а саме: Athyrium felix-femina, Dryopteris filis-mas та Tephroseris palustris. Передостаннє місце займає Козачо-Лагерська арена – 26 рідкісних видів судинних рослин, 4 созофіти є характерними тільки для цієї території, а саме: Drosera rotundifolia, Nymphaea alna, N. candida та Schoenoplectus mucronatus. Останньою є Каховська арена – 15 видів і тільки 1 вид є ендемічним – Doronicum hungaricum, але його місцезнаходження не було встановлено автором.

Vulnerability assessment of coastal plant communities from flooding caused by unusual storms: A case study of Kabakum beach, Varna (Northeastern Bulgaria) for 2018 year

The present paper proposed a rapid method for vulnerability assessment of coastal plant communities from flooding caused by unusual storms over the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The model was tested and applied on Kabakum beach, Varna (Northeastern Bulgaria) for 2018 year. In order to create a dynamic GIS model, data from experimental results and detailed GIS mapping on the Kabakum beach (Varna) were incorporated. As a result of a simulated flooding experiment, Critical Decomposition Time (CDT) was obtained. Linking flood duration with CDT and altitudinal spreading of plants determines that Аrtemisia vulgaris L., Eryngium maritimum L. and Crambe maritima L. are vulnerable to storms. The plant communities in Kabakum beach are not threatened by complete destruction even during a storm with a return period of 100 years. Habitat recovery is likely within a season and does not require human intervention.

Крупномасштабная геоботаническая карта Тузлинской косы и острова Тузла (Керченский пролив)

During an ecological expertise the vegetation of Tuzla Spit and Tuzla Island, located in the middle part of the Kerch Strait (Fig. 1), was studied. This area is unique in terms of biological diversity and a presence of rare species (Ermolaeva et al., 2018). The study is based on 150 geobotanical relevés. Field data, topographic maps, and high-resolution satellite images were used in the vegetation mapping. The total area of the study is 383 hectares. There are the following hierarchical levels in the legend to the vegetation map: types of vegetation and classes of associations. A mapping unit is an association described according to the Braun-Blanquet system (Braun-Blanquet, 1964). The highest divisions of the legend are the types of vegetation: aquatic, coastal-aquatic, halophytic, psammophytic, steppe; they are given according to the ecological-phytocoenotic classification. Within the types of vegetation, classes of associations are given according to the ecological-floristic classification. 26 main numbers of the legend display the vegetation cover on the map. Geobotanical map reflects the state of vegetation in 2015 (Fig. 2). The vegetation of the island is heterogeneous. Plant communities as narrow stripes replace each other depending on the degree of moisture, salinity and orography. The sea currents have a great influence on the vegetation. In the southern part of the Taman Bay, suspension flows are directed from the South to the North and round the island, which leads to the “washing-up” of the southeastern part of the island represented by shallow waters and estuaries. It is occupied mainly by halophytic vegetation, the main dominants of plant communities are Juncus maritimus, Phragmites australis, Puccinellia distans, Bassia hirsuta, Salicornia pe­rennans, S. prostrata, Suaeda salsa, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Elytrigia elongata, Tripolium vulgare. The northwestern part of the strait is occupied by the area of jet streams of suspensions coming from the North to the South from the Sea of Azov. This caused the accumulation of sand-shell material in the northern and northwestern parts of the island forming raised areas co­vered by psammophytic and steppe communities. The main dominant species here are Crambe maritima var. pontica, Cakile euxina, Eryngium maritimum, Lactuca tatarica, Salsola tragus, Leymus sabulosus, Artemisia arenaria, Gypsophila perfoliata. As a result of the transport crossing construction, the vegetation cover was heavily transformed. The vegetation map of Tuzla Spit and Island for 2019 shows the changes that have occurred — the drainage of the territory and the reduction of the vegetated area (Fig. 3). Distribution of weed species, in particular Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is noted. The remained vegetation in the southern part of the Tuzla Spit and the southern part of the Tuzla Island has a great nature conservation value; there are unique plant communities and rare plant species listed in the Red books of different ranks (Red..., 2007, 2008, 2015): Cakile euxina, Crambe maritime, Glaucium flavum, Euphorbia paralias, E. peplis, Eryngium mari­timum, Astrodaucus littoralis, Asparagus maritimus, Centaurea arenaria, Argusia sibirica, Astragalus varius, Verbascum pinnatifidum, Leymus racemosus subsp. sabulosus, Secale sylvestre. There is an obvious need to organize a specially protected natural area in these areas.

Effects of trampling on beach plants at the Baltic Sea

In the last century, increases in human population and beach tourism have affected coastlines worldwide. Resulting pressures on beach ecological systems demand research concerning tolerance of beach plants to disturbance by humans. At three different Baltic Sea beaches, Atriplex prostrata, Honckenya peploides and Crambe maritima were planted and observed while subjected to trampling stress intensities of 0, 1 and 2 footsteps·m−2·d−1. Plant height, leaf growth, number of leaves, chlorophyll content of leaves and fitness of photosystem II were measured at monthly intervals. Survival of plants was documented until the following summer. Linear mixed effect models fit the effects of trampling intensity, time and species on growth, photosynthetic productivity and reproduction of plants. Survival was fitted using general linear mixed models for binomial data. The results indicated that the annual species A. prostrata showed an initial decrease in growth at the first trampling treatment, but no effects on seed weight due to trampling pressure. Honckenya peploides was not affected by trampling. Crambe maritima showed a reduction in growth and survival under any level of trampling pressure. Experimental trampling pressure was compared to observed trampling intensities at beaches with low visitor frequency, which was ascertained to be between 3 and 8 footsteps·m−2·d−1. Because of the greater potential of endangerment for C. maritima, we suggest that nature conservation focus on reducing human trampling on the upper beach area, e.g. by closing this area. This practice would allow tourists continued recreational access to the water as well as to the lower beach area.

ОХРАНЯЕМЫЕ И РЕДКИЕ ВИДЫ В УРБАНОФЛОРЕ ГЕНИЧЕСКА

<p>Urbanization is one of the most characteristic features of scientific and technological progress, which is associated with the rapid growth of cities and the urban population. It leads to irreversible processes of transformation of the natural environment. It anthropogenic transformation in connection with the development of the city and the subsequent rapid urbanization deals a devastating blow to the remnants of natural fractions urbanflora, which is preserved in the vicinity of Genichesk and would threaten the survival of a number of rare species of plants that grow here only in small areas with a small number of individuals.</p> <p>The article studies the protected and rare species of plants growing in the urban environment Genichesk. The study was conducted by routing way, with the implementation of standard procedures for drying, installation and post-processing of herbarium specimens. The research resulted in found new habitats of species listed in the Red Book, such as <em>Astragalus borysthenicus</em> Klokov, <em>Crambe maritima</em> L., <em>Tulipa gesneriana </em>L., <em>Astrodaucus littoralis</em> (M. Bieb.) Drude, <em>Stipa ucrainica</em> P. Smirn., <em>Tamarix gracillis </em>Willd. Also in the article provides a brief description of 11 species of vascular plants and their sozological value.</p> <p>Saving the plants, which listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, in the city Genichesk, is a difficult task. The main limiting factors are destruction of habitat, degradation of soil cover. As a result of anthropogenic activities, cultivation, creation of pastures and destruction of natural habitats are declining habitat and abundance of rare and endemic species. Collect flowers for bouquets also reduces the number of rare species. Every year in the spring on the outskirts of the city lit dry grass, which adversely affects the early-flowering plants, including rare, such as <em>Tulipa gesneriana </em>L.<em>, </em><em>Adonis vernalis </em>L.<em>, </em><em>Convallia majalis L</em>. Despite this, a significant number of these plants not only grows urboecotope but also successfully propagates in these conditions. Results of the study show that in the city of Genichesk currently stored favourable living conditions for some protected species, including seven species of Red Book and four species are protected at the level of regional lists. But due to human activity remains a risk of extinction of rare species of Red Book and that requires further monitoring and control of the state of their abundance and distribution in the city, as well as measures to protect their habitats.</p> <p><em>Key words: rare species, Red Book, urbanflora, Genichesk.</em></p><p><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7905/bbmspu.v5i1.966"><strong>http</strong><strong>://</strong><strong>dx</strong><strong>.</strong><strong>doi</strong><strong>.</strong><strong>org</strong><strong>/10.7905/</strong><strong>bbmspu</strong><strong>.</strong><strong>v</strong><strong>5</strong><strong>i</strong><strong>1.966</strong></a><strong></strong></p>

Biological Flora of the British Isles: Crambe maritima

Summary This account presents information on all aspects of the biology of Crambe maritima L. (Sea‐kale; Crambe pontica Stev. ex Rupr) that are relevant to understand its ecological characteristics and behaviour. The main topics are presented within the standard framework of the Biological Flora of the British Isles: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral and seed characters, herbivores and disease, history and conservation. Crambe maritima is found predominantly on southern and western coasts of Britain but also in Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere. It occurs primarily on neutral or slightly alkaline soils on shingle and sand beaches above the drift line, out of reach of average high tides. Equinoctial tides or storms can increase soil salinity, requiring it to be salt tolerant. Crambe maritima is a rosette plant with a fleshy taproot, which is the main perennating organ with a capacity for vegetative propagation. Flowering can take 5–8 years when grown from seeds. Reproduction is predominantly by seeds. Root and stem cuttings can be used for vegetative propagation. In winter, each branch ends at ground level in a leafless crimson bud, and in spring, it produces a succession of cabbage‐like leaves just above ground level, the first being purple and successive leaves becoming greener. Crambe maritima produces weakly protogynous hermaphrodite flowers. Self‐ and cross‐pollination occurs. Pollination is by insects, flies and bees. The plants usually produce 1000–10 000 seeds per year. In Britain, Crambe maritima has been reported to have declined in certain areas but increased in other areas and currently does not have rare or scarce status. There has been an expansion in range in Ireland since the 1960s as it has been recorded at new sites, and while the species has disappeared from some sites in France, it has also been identified in several new sites.

Influence of Temperature, Low Nutrient Supply, and Soil Composition on Germination and the Growth of Sea Kale (Crambe maritima L.)

Sea kale (Crambe maritima L.) is a wild edible plant with forgotten and undiscovered potential as a field vegetable. Its natural habitat is gravel beaches in northern Europe and the Black Sea. Three experiments were conducted to find the effect of temperature on seed germination and to determine plant growth response to organic fertilizer and soil types. Germination rates were estimated at three temperatures. Plant growth responses were conducted with application of two fertilizer concentrations [15 and 30 kg plant-available nitrogen (PAN)/ha] and by using four distinct soil types. Seeds sown at 20 and 15 °C reached a significantly greater germination rate after 32 days (48.0% and 40.4%, respectively) than seeds sown at 10 °C (16.6%). The number of days when 50% of the seeds that germinated during the experiment had germinated (T50) were 12.0, 11.8, and 16.8 days for 20, 15, and 10 °C, respectively. Application of 15 or 30 kg·ha−1 PAN did not result in any significant differences in plant size or biomass within 2 months of growth in sandy loam, but substantial plant heterogeneity was observed. Soil composition had a significant effect (P ≤ 0.05) on plant biomass. Plants grown in fine or loamy sand had the greatest growth and biomass. Sea kale seems to have a potential to become a field vegetable, because it grows well on other soil types than gravel. However, domestication processes of the species are required to obtain homogenous plants for future propagation.

Needs and gaps in the conservation of wild plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Romania

A list of 300 wild plant species for medicinal and food use, published in 1991 by Constantin Drăgulescu, is analysed to evaluate the needs for in situ conservation of endangered plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The study considers the survey of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, the Appendix of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the Annex I of the Plant Treaty, the data base of the Gene Bank Suceava, scientific publications (i.e. the Red List for vascular plants in Romania published in 2009 and The Romanian Flora published in 1977) and the current regulatory framework. Based on the results of this analysis it can be concluded that at least four PGRFA are not officially protected in the wild in Romania, such as: Barbarea lepuznica (critically endangered and confined to a single one protected area), Barbarea stricta (critically endangered, not protected in any of the current protected areas in Romania), Crambe maritima (endangered, identified in two protected areas) and Lepidium graminifolium (critically endangered, not protected in any of the current protected areas in Romania). The results of this study may be used for improving the conservation management of PGRFA based on an integrated approach when different political commitments regarding the biodiversity conservation are addressed.

Growth, sodium uptake and antioxidant responses of coastal plants differing in their ecological status under increasing salinity

AbstractIn the present study, we compared the response to salinity of three plants from Brittany coast with contrasted ecological status: Limonium latifolium (salt marshes), Matricaria maritima (beach tops and sand dunes) and Crambe maritima (fixed dunes). Under controlled glasshouse conditions, the growth of the three plants decreased with increasing external salinity. L. latifolium and C. maritima exhibited the highest and lowest resistance to severe salt stress (400 mM), respectively. M. maritima could be considered as an intermediate species, since it tolerated salinity up to 200 mM. The same observation could be made with sodium absorption and acuumulation in plant tissues, the most tolerant species (L. latifolium being the least Na accumulator. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA), commonly produced in conditions of stress, accumulated significantly in salt treated C. maritima and M. maritima while not in the tolerant L. latifolium. The latter used glutathione reductase to maintain constant H2O2 levels under salt stress while peroxidases were very low and ascorbate peroxidase did not respond to salinity stimulation. The medium tolerant halophyte M. maritima used peroxidases to protect from NaCl-induced H2O2, while the sensitive C. maritima failed to detoxify H2O2 despite a sharp increase in catalase activity. Results showed that the three coastal species differ in resistance to salinity. They also suggested that the level of plant resistance to salinity could be attributed to differing mechanisms to manage the accumulation of sodium and cope with the oxidative damages.

Ecophysiological response of Crambe maritima to airborne and soil-borne salinity

There is a need to evaluate the salt tolerance of plant species that can be cultivated as crops under saline conditions. Crambe maritima is a coastal plant, usually occurring on the driftline, with potential use as a vegetable crop. The aim of this experiment was to determine the growth response of Crambe maritima to various levels of airborne and soil-borne salinity and the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying these responses. In the greenhouse, plants were exposed to salt spray (400 mM NaCl) as well as to various levels of root-zone salinity (RZS) of 0, 50, 100, 200 and 300 mM NaCl during 40 d. The salt tolerance of Crambe maritima was assessed by the relative growth rate (RGR) and its components. To study possible salinity effects on the tissue and cellular level, the leaf succulence, tissue Na(+) concentrations, Na(+) : K(+) ratio, net K(+)/Na(+) selectivity, N, P, K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), proline, soluble sugar concentrations, osmotic potential, total phenolics and antioxidant capacity were measured. Salt spray did not affect the RGR of Crambe maritima. However, leaf thickness and leaf succulence increased with salt spray. Root zone salinities up to 100 mM NaCl did not affect growth. However, at 200 mM NaCl RZS the RGR was reduced by 41 % compared with the control and by 56 % at 300 mM NaCl RZS. The reduced RGR with increasing RZS was largely due to the reduced specific leaf area, which was caused by increased leaf succulence as well as by increased leaf dry matter content. No changes in unit leaf rate were observed but increased RZS resulted in increased Na(+) and proline concentrations, reduced K(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) concentrations, lower osmotic potential and increased antioxidant capacity. Proline concentrations of the leaves correlated strongly (r = 0.95) with RZS concentrations and not with plant growth. Based on its growth response, Crambe maritima can be classified as a salt spray tolerant plant that is sensitive to root zone salinities exceeding 100 mM NaCl.

The Potential of Biodiesel Production from Fatty Acid Methyl Esters of Some European/Mediterranean and Cosmopolitan Halophyte Seed Oils

Abstract Biodiesel fuel, mainly produced from edible vegetable oils, has been proposed as a renewable substitute for petroleum diesel. However, there is growing concern about its role in rising food prices, accelerating deforestation, and displacing existing agricultural production. Moreover, given the progressive shortages of freshwater resources and arable land, a major target of investigations is to evaluate the potential utilization of promising salt-tolerant halophytic non-food crops for the sustainable production of oil-rich biomass, which will be converted to fuel. In this paper, an attempt has been made to look into the potential of the exploitation of native halophytic plants in European and Mediterranean arid or semi-arid lands that can prosper in seawater or brackish waters for diesel production in Europe. Fatty acid (FA) profiles of seed oils of 37 European and Mediterranean halophytic plant species including some of cosmopolitan distribution were examined. The saponification number, iodine value (IV), cetane index (CI), and gross heat of combustion of FA methyl esters (FAMEs) of oils were calculated from reported FAMEs compositions, and they varied from 165.3 to 193.3, from 71.8 to 173.7, from 35.9 to 60.0, and from 39.86 to 40.41 MJ/kg, respectively. FA seed oil content and composition, IV, CI, linolenic acid ME, and polyunsaturated ME (with ≥4 double bonds) contents were used to predict the quality of FAME of oil for use as biodiesel, according to EN 14214 European standard. Crithmum maritimum and Crambe maritima, having more than 30 % fixed oil in their seeds, were found most suitable as alternative vegetable oil sources for the production of biodiesel.

Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (benyvirus)

<i>Beet necrotic yellow vein virus</i> (<i>benyvirus</i>)

Genetic diversity in Crambe maritima along the English Channel: the role of ocean currents in determining population structure

We utilised genetic markers (ISSR's) to investigate population structuring in Crambe maritima, a coastal perennial found in isolated populations on either side of the English Channel. Despite the expectation that smaller populations would contain lower levels of genetic diversity, we found no correlation with total population size or the number of flowering plants and genetic diversity. Although populations were genetically differentiated from each other, isolation by distance was not apparent in the whole data set or within the UK samples. Despite being sampled from a wide geographic range, the majority of diversity (71%) was contained within populations, with no unique genotype, or even allele, identifying any population. When genetic distances were plotted using MDS techniques, samples from each population had a tendency to cluster, but the spread of points was wide indicating high levels of gene flow. High levels of gene flow, through the dispersal of seeds, were verified by assignment testing, which showed that 8.7% of individuals were assigned to a population other than the one they were collected from. The pattern of genetic variation can be explained by examining the direction of currents in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay. Gene flow, via seed dispersal, is possible between UK and French populations on either side of the English Channel. In contrast, French populations on the Bay of Biscay coast are effectively isolated by the direction of currents and consequently show a greater degree of genetic differentiation.

Beet necrotic yellow vein benyvirus

Beet necrotic yellow vein benyvirus

Wild seakale ( Crambe maritima L.) diversity as investigated by morphological and RAPD markers

Seakale is a Brassicaceae, native to the coastal sands of Northwestern Europe. To bring this species closer to commercialisation and thereby enhance the diversification of vegetable crops, a breeding program was initiated in 1992. A systematic search for wild populations was undertaken in France, from Quiberon (south Brittany) to Dunkerque (north France near Belgium) to enlarge its genetic basis. Many sites previously described in the literature have disappeared, while five large sites, not previously described, were found. Morphological descriptors and molecular markers (RAPD) were used to study the phenotypic and phenetic variability of the collected plants. A great variability for leaf and leaf-stalk colour, limb, flowers and siliques sizes, was observed. Among the wild collected plants, molecular similarity varied from 25 to 85%. The mean distance from all the wild genotypes to the breeding material already in collection was large (50%). Even if no clear correlation was found between morphological assessment and molecular data except for the leaf-stalk descriptor, the collecting trip was a success. A real enlargement of the variability was obtained.

The Restoration of Coastal Shingle Vegetation: Effects of Substrate on the Establishment of Container Grown Plants

1. The use of container-grown plants in restoring shingle beach vegetation was investigated at Sizewell, Suffolk, UK, where the vegetation had been destroyed by the construction of a power station. Six species, Crambe maritima, Eryngium maritimum, Giaucium flavum, Honckenya peploides, Lathyrus japonicus and Rumex crispus, were selected to counter erosion and assist the development of a more complex and natural community. Plants were raised from stored seed, indigenous to the site, by horticultural techniques. 2. Shingle substrates are dry, nutrient-poor and heterogeneous in their physical composition. Field experiments investigated the efficacy of organic matter and fertilizer treatments as ameliorants, and examined the influence of position on the beach profile and substrate composition on the establishment of container-grown plants. 3. Neither organic matter nor fertilizer additions had any significant effect on mean plant size in any species after one field season. Planting location on the beach profile was the most important factor influencing establishment. Crambe maritima, G. flavum, H. peploides and R. crispus plants all grew significantly larger in the seaward plots, with more coarse shingle. Only G. flavum produced many reproductive plants during the first year, and these were more frequent and more fecund in the seaward plots. 4. The establishment of container-grown plants of four of the species was also compared at two sites at similar distances from the sea, but with sandy or shingle-dominated substrates, respectively. Again, greater growth on the coarser shingle substrate by three of the most characteristic shingle beach species reflected an apparent selective advantage. Thus, substrate physical composition was probably the primary determinant of differences in performance across the beach profile. 5. The use of container-grown plants to establish shingle vegetation resulted in low mortality, with rapid plant growth and establishment. Fertilizer and organic matter treatments were not generally cost-effective in establishing shingle beach vegetation from container-grown plants. The use of resources to recreate an appropriate substrate composition is of far greater importance.