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Wild Plants (wild + plant)
Selected AbstractsPathogen fitness components and genotypes differ in their sensitivity to nutrient and temperature variation in a wild plant,pathogen associationJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2007A.-L. LAINE Abstract Understanding processes maintaining variation in pathogen life-history stages affecting infectivity and reproduction is a key challenge in evolutionary ecology. Models of host,parasite coevolution are based on the assumption that genetic variation for host,parasite interactions is a significant cause of variation in infection, and that variation in environmental conditions does not overwhelm the genetic basis. However, surprisingly little is known about the stability of genotype,genotype interactions under variable environmental conditions. Here, using a naturally occurring plant,pathogen interaction, I tested whether the two distinct aspects of the infection process , infectivity and transmission potential , vary over realistic nutrient and temperature gradients. I show that the initial pathogen infectivity and host resistance responses are robust over the environmental gradients. However, for compatible responses there were striking differences in how different pathogen life-history stages and host and pathogen genotypes responded to environmental variation. For some pathogen genotypes even slight changes in temperature arrested spore production, rendering the developing infection ineffectual. The response of pathogen genotypes to environmental gradients varied in magnitude and even direction, so that their rankings changed across the abiotic gradients. Hence, the variable environment of spatially structured host,parasite interactions may strongly influence the maintenance of polymorphism in pathogen life-history stages governing transmission, whereas evolutionary trajectories of infectivity may be unaffected by the surrounding environment. [source] CHRACTERIZATION AND 1,1-DIPHENYL-2-PICRYLHYDRAZYL RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF METHANOL AND SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE EXTRACTS FROM LEAVES OF ADINANDRA NITIDAJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2008BENGUO LIU ABSTRACT Leaves of Adinandra nitida are consumed in southern China as health tea (Shiyacha) and as herbal medicine. In this study, the methanol and supercritical fluid extracts from leaves of A. nitida were obtained by traditional solvent extraction and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, respectively. Both the extracts showed high 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. By using ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV), infrared spectrometry (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography-ESI/MS, the main bioactive constituents in the methanol extract (ME) were identified as camellianin A, camellianin B, apigenin. By analysis of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a total of 16 compounds accounting for 98.79% of the supercritical fluid extract (SFE) were identified as ,-sitosterol, vitamin E, ,-tocopherol and so on. These compounds found in ME and SFE could contribute to the DPPH radical scavenging performance of the extracts in this study. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Adinandra nitida is a kind of particular wild plant in South China. Few reports have been published about it in the world. In this study, the methanol and supercritical fluid extracts from leaves of A. nitida were respectively obtained by two kinds of industrially significant methods, traditional solvent extraction and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction. By using ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV), infrared spectrometry (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography-ESI/MS, gas chromatography-MS, the main bioactive constituents in the two extracts were identified as flavonoids and plant sterols. Both the extracts showed high 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and this activity of the flavonoid-rich methanol extract was 10 times more than that of butylated hydroxytoluene. These results showed that leaves of A. nitida is a new kind of natural antioxidant-rich, flavonoid-rich plant source with great commercial interest in the food and phytopharmaceutical market. [source] Leaf fungi of two wild plants in Assiut, EgyptFEDDES REPERTORIUM, Issue 7-8 2004S. K. Hemida Leaves of two wild species of the flora of Egypt: Calotropis procera (Ait.) Ait., Asclepiadaceae and Chrozophora plicata (Vahl) A.Juss. ex Spreng., Euphorbiaceae have been studied morphologically and mycologically, in addtion to air borne fungi. Fifty five species and two varieties belonging to 26 genera of phyllosphere and phylloplane fungi were isolated from both plant species on glucose- and cellulose-agar media. Mycological analysis was done monthly over six months (July to December, 2003). Alternariaalternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus and A. niger were the basic fungal species found on leaf surfaces. Phylloplane of C. plicata caught specifically Chaetomiumglobosum, C.,spirale, Cochliobolus lunatus, Drechslera halodes, Fusarium incarnatum, F. oxysporum, Memnoniella echinata and Papulaspora sepedonioides. The total counts of phyllosphere fungi of C.,plicata were nearly twice as much as those of C.,procera regardless medium's type. Forty species and one variety belonging to 22 genera of air borne fungi were recovered all over the experimental period (six months). Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium were the most frequently isolated species. The presented results revealed that, leaf shape and density (hair density and type) may be the most important factors of the biodiversity of the fungal species on the studied taxa. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) Die Blätter zweier Wildarten aus der Flora Ägyptens: Calotropis procera (Ait.) Ait., Asclepiadeceae, und Chrozophora plicata(Vahl) A.Juss. ex Spreng., Euphorbiaceae, wurden in Bezug auf ihre Morphologie und Mykologie untersucht sowie zusätzlich auf ihre "luftgeborenen" Pilze. Auf beiden Arten wurden auf einem Glukose- bzw. Cellulose-Medium insgesamt 55 Arten und zwei Varietäten aus 26 Gattungen phyllosphärer und phylloplaner Pilze nachgewiesen. Die mykologischen Analysen wurden über einen Zeitraum von sechs Monaten (Juli bis Dezember 2003) durchgeführt. Alternariaalternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus und A. niger waren die Basis-Pilzarten, die auf den Blattoberflächen ermittelt wurden. Auf C. plicata waren Chaetomiumglobosum, C. spirale, Cochliobolus lunatus, Drechslera halodes, Fusarium incarnatum, F. oxysporum, Memnoniella echinata und Papulaspora sepedonioides die häufigsten phylloplanen Arten. Ungeachtet des Mediumtyps war die Anzahl phyllosphärischer Pilze auf C. plicata etwa zweimal so hoch wie auf C. procera. Über die gesamte Versuchszeit von sechs Monaten wurden 40 Arten und eine Varietät aus 22 Gattungen "luftgeborener" Pilze beobachtet. Mit Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium und Penicillium fanden sich die am häufigsten isolierten Arten. Aus den erzielten Ergebnissen kann man ableiten, dass Blattform und Haare (Dichte und Typ) die wichtigsten Faktoren für die Biodiversität der untersuchten Pilzarten sind. [source] Volatile constituents of the cold desert plant Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth. ,FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2005U. Mahmood Abstract The essential oil of Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth. (Lamiaceae) from wild and cultivated plants was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC and GC,MS techniques. Twelve constituents, accounting for 96.8% of the total oil from wild plants, and nineteen constituents, accounting for 99.9% of the total oil from cultivated plants, were identified. Citronellol was identified as one of the major constituents, attaining 74.9% in the wild and 54.3% in the cultivated population, respectively. This plant was found to be a new source of citronellol and rose oxides, which are mostly used in the essential oil and perfumery industry. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Studies in Urban Ecology: the First Wave of Biological Invasion by Pistacia chinensis in Armidale, New South Wales, AustraliaGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2000J. M. B. Smith Biological invasions by deliberately introduced organisms seriously compromise the integrity of ecosystems, but their early stages have seldom been documented, especially in urban contexts. Since the 1940s, the small Asian tree Pistacia chinensis has been widely planted in streets and gardens in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, where it makes a major contribution to the autumn colours that are exploited to promote the city. Numerous wild plants are now becoming established in and near Armidale. This ongoing biological invasion may have been accelerated by the large size of the initial (planted) population, and by the presence of efficient avian seed dispersers. It is now at the stage of the first wild generation reaching reproductive maturity. While it is probably still possible to halt the invasion, various human factors appear to make this an unlikely prospect. [source] Gender and Biodiversity: A New Approach to Linking Environment and DevelopmentGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007Janet Henshall Momsen The 1992 Convention on Biological Conservation and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (1996) reflect the growing importance of biodiversity for environmental conservation and as a way of maintaining the genetic variety needed for plant breeding and providing new sources of medicines. More recently, agrobiodiversity has been seen as vital for food security in developing countries. This article considers the need to understand decision-making for biodiversity at the grassroots. To achieve this, gender roles, as influenced by gender divisions of labour in food production and the gendered use of different environmental spaces, have to be considered. Women's roles in seed selection and seed saving and use of wild plants for food and medicines play a major role in biodiversity conservation, but these roles are not unchanging and are increasingly influenced by global trade networks and geographical context. [source] Valuation of biodiversity effects from reduced pesticide useINTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006Jesper S. Schou Abstract This study deals with the effects on biodiversity of pesticide-free buffer zones along field margins. Using choice modeling, the majority of respondents to a survey on pesticide use in the environment are willing to accept an increase in the price of bread if the survival of partridge chicks and the number of wild plants increase. The study identifies the need for further empirical work with respect to methodological validation, price estimation, and the use of survey results in policy analysis. In particular, the environmental effects of pesticide use are complex and, therefore, present difficult challenges when presenting information to lay people. Forty-one percent of respondents changed their responses regarding willingness to pay more for bread when references to pesticide use were introduced in the questionnaire. This indicates that scenarios depicting changes in pesticide use can be difficult to present to lay people in an economically rational and well-defined context. Thus, in the study of valuation related to changes in pesticide use, much attention should be devoted to the design and definition of the context. Furthermore, the effects of providing different background information, e.g., with or without the mention of pesticides, should be tested. [source] Transgenic weed beets: possible, probable, avoidable?JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Benoît Desplanque Summary 1Weed beets pose a serious problem for sugar beet Beta vulgaris crops. Traditionally, the only efficient method of weed control has been manual removal, but the introduction of transgenic herbicide-tolerant sugar beets may provide an alternative solution because non-tolerant weed beets can be destroyed by herbicide. We evaluated the possibility that new, transgenic, weed beets may arise by gene flow between wild and crop plants. 2In a study area in northern France, weed beets were present in variable densities in sugar beet fields of up to 80 weed beet plants m,2. Weed beets arise from a long-lived seed bank, with seeds germinating from depths of 5 cm or less. In addition, diploid F1 crop,wild hybrids and triploid variety bolters (individuals with a low vernalization requirement) were present in low densities in virtually all sugar beet fields. We found gene flow to be possible between all forms, illustrated by both overlapping flowering periods in the field and successful controlled cross-pollinations. 3The F1 crop,wild hybrids result from pollination in the seed-production region by wild plants possessing the dominant bolting allele B for flowering without experiencing a period of cold. In the case of a transgene for herbicide tolerance incorporated into male-sterile seed-bearer plants, such hybrids will contain both the herbicide-tolerance and the bolting allele. Contamination of the fields by transgenic weed beets will be the result unless bolters are removed manually. The same will apply in the case of a cytoplasmically inherited transgene. 4Incorporation of the transgene into the pollinator plants will prevent the immediate formation of transgenic weed beets. However, in sugar beet fields, variety bolters may successfully cross-pollinate with weed beets in neighbouring fields. The use of diploid pollinator plants instead of tetraploids will considerably enhance gene flow towards wild beets, and is not, therefore, an attractive option. 5In conclusion, the appearance of transgenic weed beets is possible but can best be retarded if the transgene for herbicide tolerance is incorporated into the tetraploid pollinator breeding line. [source] Releasing genetically modified organisms: will any harm outweigh any advantage?,JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2000John E. Beringer Summary 1. ,The public debate about genetically modified organisms has concentrated largely on concerns about food safety and potential risks to the environment. In both cases there appears to be an assumption that existing crops and animals are safe. I discuss the experience we have to date from traditional methods and conclude that most concerns about environmental harm are more relevant to existing crops. 2. ,The flow of genes among species, and even within different genera, is discussed with due attention being paid to the need for inherited genes to confer a selective advantage on hosts. 3. ,A reason why so many people are critical of intensive agriculture and biotechnology is that virtually all changes in agricultural practice have an adverse impact on wildlife, particularly when such change leads to increased intensification. The problem of deciding how to manage agriculture to ensure that we maintain or enhance species diversity of wild plants and animals is discussed against the background that most of the UK environment is the result of human intervention. 4. ,Nature and dense human populations cannot coexist without the former suffering. Our objective should be to develop and exploit our understanding of ecology to provide the information required to enable us to develop a far more enlightened future for agriculture and wildlife. [source] Effects of patch size and density on flower visitation and seed set of wild plants: a pan-European approachJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Jens Dauber Summary 1.,Habitat fragmentation can affect pollinator and plant population structure in terms of species composition, abundance, area covered and density of flowering plants. This, in turn, may affect pollinator visitation frequency, pollen deposition, seed set and plant fitness. 2.,A reduction in the quantity of flower visits can be coupled with a reduction in the quality of pollination service and hence the plants' overall reproductive success and long-term survival. Understanding the relationship between plant population size and/or isolation and pollination limitation is of fundamental importance for plant conservation. 3.,We examined flower visitation and seed set of 10 different plant species from five European countries to investigate the general effects of plant populations size and density, both within (patch level) and between populations (population level), on seed set and pollination limitation. 4.,We found evidence that the effects of area and density of flowering plant assemblages were generally more pronounced at the patch level than at the population level. We also found that patch and population level together influenced flower visitation and seed set, and the latter increased with increasing patch area and density, but this effect was only apparent in small populations. 5.,Synthesis. By using an extensive pan-European data set on flower visitation and seed set we have identified a general pattern in the interplay between the attractiveness of flowering plant patches for pollinators and density dependence of flower visitation, and also a strong plant species-specific response to habitat fragmentation effects. This can guide efforts to conserve plant,pollinator interactions, ecosystem functioning and plant fitness in fragmented habitats. [source] Trade-offs between direct and indirect defences of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus)JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Daniel J. Ballhorn Summary 1Plant defence theory predicts trade-offs among defence traits as a result of resource limitation or pleiotropic effects. Although theoretically widely accepted, empirical demonstrations of such trade-offs are surprisingly scarce and mechanistic explanations are usually lacking. 2We quantified cyanogenesis (the release of hydrogen cyanide (HCN)) as a direct defence and the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as an indirect defence against herbivores. To elucidate whether the trade-offs occur at the genetic or phenotypic level we investigated cultivated and wild-type accessions of lima bean (Fabaceae: Phaseolus lunatus L.) and compared different leaf developmental stages. Genetic relationships among the accessions were studied using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. 3Cyanogenesis and the release of VOCs differed significantly among the accessions and were negatively correlated: high cyanogenic accessions released low amounts of VOCs and vice versa. The same remained true for the ontogenetic stages, since primary leaves of all accessions hardly ever produced HCN at all, yet regularly showed high release rates of VOCs. 4Low and high cyanogenic accessions of lima bean formed distinct clades in an AFLP-based dendrogram, while wild-types and cultivars did not separate. The first pattern indicates that the underlying defensive syndromes are genetically conserved, while the latter is likely to be caused by a multiple origin of cultivated lima beans or an extensive gene flow among cultivated and wild plants. 5Synthesis. Trade-offs between cynogenesis and VOC release were obvious both between accessions and at the ontogenetic level, and thus cannot be explained by pleiotropy. We contend that allocation restrictions and/or adaptations to different enemy pressures are most likely to explain why lima bean can invest into cyanogenesis or VOCs, but not both. [source] LIPOXYGENASE ACTIVITY IN PRICKLY PEAR FRUIT (OPUNTIA FICUS INDICA [L.] MILL.JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2010CACTACEAE) ABSTRACT Prickly pear LOX activity was detected in the membrane fractions of the fruit extracts at various stages of ripening. LOX specific activity was very low in the fruit of wild plants at the green stage (0.49 ± 0.04) and increased with fruit ripening, more than doubling in the ripened fruit (1.22 ± 0.06). Moreover, it was not influenced by the cultivar, whereas it was considerably increased (13.3 ± 1.4) by agronomic processes to which prickly pear plants are submitted to improve the organoleptic properties of fruits. The apparent molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 96 kDa. The enzyme had an optimum pH value of 5.5 and a clear specificity for linolenic acid, which was oxidized at a rate one and a half times that of linoleic acid, under the same reaction conditions. The involvement of prickly pear LOX in the flavor biosynthesis of the fruit is supposed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Over the last decade in particular, prickly pear fruits have been widely used as food, not only the whole fruit but also processed to make juices, jams and liquors popular the world over. Prickly pear production has therefore risen considerably and consequently both the labor force employed and revenues generated have increased. For those engaged in this sector it is therefore a prime objective to maximise the profile and thereby profitability of the fruit. It is here that our research into lipoxygenase activity can play a part, as it is known that this enzyme is responsible for the organoleptic properties of fruits and vegetables. The results are presented below. The relationship between lipoxygenase specific activity and specific agronomic processes utilized to improve the fruit quality is also addressed. [source] Land-use and cover changes (1988,2002) around budongo forest reserve, NW Uganda: implications for forest and woodland sustainabilityLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2008E. N. Mwavu Abstract Land-use and cover changes around Budongo Forest Reserve (BFR) were analysed from multi-temporal LandSat images (1988 and 2002) and associated field-based studies in 2003,2004. Three major land-use and cover classes: forest/woodland, sugarcane plantations and grassland/shifting-cultivation/settlements were clearly discriminated. The area under sugarcane cultivation increased over 17-fold, from 690,ha in 1988 to 12729,ha in 2002, with a concomitant loss of about 4680,ha (8·2 per cent) of forest/woodland, mainly on the southern boundary of BFR. Land-use and cover changes were a result of (a) agricultural expansion, (b) increasing human population, exacerbated by large influxes of refugees, (c) conflicts of interest and political interference in the management of BFR and (d) unclear land tenure. Agriculture is the main land-use practice and source of income to local people, with commercial sugarcane and tobacco as the primary cash crops. Individual smallholder sugarcane plantations covered distances ranging from 30 to 1440,m along the BFR edge, with no buffer zone, resulting in direct conflicts between farmers and forest wild animals. There is an ever-increasing need for more land for agricultural expansion, resulting in continued loss of forest/woodland on private/communal lands and encroachment into BFR. This unsustainable agricultural expansion and the local people's perception of BFR as an obstacle to agriculture, threatens the conservation of its threatened wild plants (e.g. Raphia farinifera) and the endangered chimpanzees. Therefore, their sustainable management for both development and conservation will require strong and incorruptible institutions that will seek a balance between resource exploitation and conservation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Relatedness of Macrophomina phaseolina isolates from tallgrass prairie, maize, soybean and sorghumMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010A. A. SALEH Abstract Agricultural and wild ecosystems may interact through shared pathogens such as Macrophomina phaseolina, a generalist clonal fungus with more than 284 plant hosts that is likely to become more important under climate change scenarios of increased heat and drought stress. To evaluate the degree of subdivision in populations of M. phaseolina in Kansas agriculture and wildlands, we compared 143 isolates from maize fields adjacent to tallgrass prairie, nearby sorghum fields, widely dispersed soybean fields and isolates from eight plant species in tallgrass prairie. Isolate growth phenotypes were evaluated on a medium containing chlorate. Genetic characteristics were analysed based on amplified fragment length polymorphisms and the sequence of the rDNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The average genetic similarity was 58% among isolates in the tallgrass prairie, 71% in the maize fields, 75% in the sorghum fields and 80% in the dispersed soybean fields. The isolates were divided into four clusters: one containing most of the isolates from maize and soybean, two others containing isolates from wild plants and sorghum, and a fourth containing a single isolate recovered from Solidago canadensis in the tallgrass prairie. Most of the sorghum isolates had the dense phenotype on media containing chlorate, while those from other hosts had either feathery or restricted phenotypes. These results suggest that the tallgrass prairie supports a more diverse population of M. phaseolina per area than do any of the crop species. Subpopulations show incomplete specialization by host. These results also suggest that inoculum produced in agriculture may influence tallgrass prairie communities, and conversely that different pathogen subpopulations in tallgrass prairie can interact there to generate ,hybrids' with novel genetic profiles and pathogenic capabilities. [source] Comparative analysis of the chemical profile of wild and cultivated populations of Corydalis saxicola by high-performance liquid chromatographyPHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 5 2007Hui-liang Li Abstract Studies on the simultaneous determination and chemical fingerprinting of alkaloids in Corydalis saxicola Bunting. (Yanhuanglian) were performed for authentication purposes. Ninety samples prepared from different parts of C. saxicola, including whole plants, roots, stems, leaves and flowers, from wild and cultivated populations, were submitted to quantitative determination and fingerprint analysis. Five major alkaloids, namely, tetradehydroscoulerine, dehydroapocavidine, dehydroisoapocavidine, coptisine and dehydrocavidine, were quantitatively analysed by reversed-phase HPLC with acceptable recoveries (>98.2%). Chemical fingerprinting of C. saxicola was established and involved 11 markers. The results indicated that there were no obvious differences between the chemical profiles of wild and of cultivated C. saxicola populations, and that the mean alkaloid contents of the five marker compounds in cultivated populations were significantly higher than those of the wild plants. The highest content of total alkaloids (up to 28.8 mg/g) was found in roots of C. saxicola. The total alkaloids of the leaves were approximately 50% of those of roots, suggesting that the leaves may be employed as an alternative source of alkaloids. Chemical fingerprints and quantitative HPLC analysis will have a positive impact on the conservation and cultivation of this medicinal plant. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Wild grapevine: silvestris, hybrids or cultivars that escaped from vineyards?PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Molecular evidence in Sardinia Abstract Vitis vinifera ssp. silvestris, the spontaneous subspecies of V. vinifera L., is believed to be the ancestor of present grapevine cultivars. In this work, polymorphism at 13 SSR loci was investigated to answer the following key question: are wild plants (i) true silvestris, (ii) hybrids between wild and cultivated plants or (iii) or ,escapes' from vineyards? In particular, the objective of the present study was to identify truly wild individuals and to search for possible hybridization events. The study was performed in Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, which is characterized by a large and well-described number of both grape cultivars and wild populations. This region was ideal for the study because of its spatial isolation and, consequently, limited contamination from outside material. The results of this study show that domesticated and wild grapevine germplasms are genetically divergent and thus are real silvestris. Pure lineages (both domesticated and wild) show very high average posterior probabilities of assignment to their own clusters, with a low level of introgression. [source] Inactivation of the CTD phosphatase-like gene OsCPL1 enhances the development of the abscission layer and seed shattering in riceTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Hyeonso Ji Summary Although susceptibility to seed shattering causes severe yield loss during cereal crop harvest, it is an adaptive trait for seed dispersal in wild plants. We previously identified a recessive shattering locus, sh-h, from the rice shattering mutant line Hsh that carries an enhanced abscission layer. Here, we further mapped sh-h to a 34-kb region on chromosome 7 by analyzing 240 F2 plants and five F3 lines from the cross between Hsh and Blue&Gundil. Hsh had a point mutation at the 3, splice site of the seventh intron within LOC_Os07g10690, causing a 15-bp deletion of its mRNA as a result of altered splicing. Two transferred DNA (T-DNA) insertion mutants and one point mutant exhibited the enhanced shattering phenotype, confirming that LOC_Os07g10690 is indeed the sh-h gene. RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic lines with suppressed expression of this gene exhibited greater shattering. This gene, which encodes a protein containing a conserved carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) phosphatase domain, was named Oryza sativa CTD phosphatase-like 1 (OsCPL1). Subcellular localization and biochemical analysis revealed that the OsCPL1 protein is a nuclear phosphatase, a common characteristic of metazoan CTD phosphatases involved in cell differentiation. These results demonstrate that OsCPL1 represses differentiation of the abscission layer during panicle development. [source] Terpenoid profiles of in vitro regenerated Artemisia petrosa subsp. eriantha (Apennines' genepì),ANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Loretta Pace Artemisia petrosa subsp. eriantha is a protected species whose essential oil is of great interest mainly for liqueur industry; it was micropropagated by in vitro culture technique followed by transfer to field. The content and the characteristics of the essential oils from regenerated plants collected after 1 and 2 years of field growing and from regenerated plants grown ,in situ' were assessed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and compared with those of wild plants. Results indicate that in vitro propagated plants produce oils rich in sesquiterpenes. Forty seven compounds were identified, the main constituents being , - and , -thujone, whose content increased with the plant age. Quantitative, but not qualitative variations were observed both in wild and in micropropagated plants in relation with plant age and environmental factors. Thus, micropropagation provides plants suitable for the industrial exploitation of this species. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||