Baltic Botanic Gardens in 2013-2014

This periodical issue presents information of botanic gardens in three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during period 2013-2014. The Association of Baltic Botanic Gardens, informal organization of botanic gardens in three countries on south coast of Baltic Sea, is producing this publication every two years since 1992. This publication continues the tradition to introduce the situation, activities, achievements, plant collections, significant results of research work of every one member (garden) of the Association. Except of general statistical information (reflecting financial situation, quantity of plant collections, staff, main events, publications of every one garden) each member decides what kind of information or articles should be provided for this publication additionally. This publication except of main reports of 10 members includes 9 articles providing information of gardens history, scientific or other activities, representing plant collections etc

Graduate School: Course Decriptions, 1972-73

Official publication of Cornell University V.64 1972/7

Plant Genetic Resources Network in East Asia: Proceedings of the meeting for the Regional Network for Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources in East Asia, 13-16 August 2001, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Regional Network for Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources in East Asia (EA-PGR) was established in 1991 and has provided an effective mechanism for sharing and exchanging information, discussing and identifying common interests, and initiating and developing collaborative activities among member countries including China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Mongolia. IPGRI East Asia Office services as interim secretariat of the network and works closely with the national coordinators for implementing collaborative programmes initiated by the network involving several member countries. Examples of such collaborative activities are the studies on adzuki bean genetic diversity and collecting and characterization of millet genetic resources. These have played a critical role in enhancing sharing of resources, information and technologies for implementing the Global Plan of Action (GPA) among member countries of the network through joint activities on research, training and germplasm exchange. The current proceedings is the result of the meeting of the Regional Network for Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources in East Asia held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 13- 16 August 2001. The meeting aimed to exchange views on current status of the conservation and use of plant genetic resources (PGR) in each country and improve mutual understanding, review the progress of joint activities in the region, and identify priority areas for future collaboration

Vitis vinifera and drought stress: physiological and anatomical responses

Climate change represents a threat to natural ecosystems as well as to agricultural production, due to the increase in the frequency and intensity of drought. Like many other crops, the grapevine, despite being considered a drought tolerant crop, is threatened by climate change which can lead to a reduction in yields and grape quality and to the modification of the geographical distribution of the wine-growing areas. Multiple mechanisms and responses to counteract the negative effects of the water deficit are put in place by grapevine. Stomatal regulation, osmoregulation, reduction of growth and modification of xylem architecture are some of these acclimations. To support the adoption of strategies and actions in vineyard to face drought, the study of these mechanisms and responses is crucial. The purpose of this thesis fits into this context. In particular, it aims to contribute to the understanding and verifying any involvement of structural anatomical characters of the xylem or of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) in the response to the water deficit, in different Vitis vinifera cultivars. To this end, this thesis envisaged the design and implementation of experiments in which modulation of the NSCs content and the eventual relationship of this with other variables (i.e., xylem anatomy, degree of embolism, growth) were investigated by imposition of water deficit with variable intensity and duration. What emerged from this work is that in young potted plants of Vitis vinifera, there is a NSCs-mediated response to short and severe drought stress, although there are slight differences between cultivars with different hydraulic behaviors (i.e., isohydric and anisohydric). The accumulation of low molecular sugars in the period of stress could represent an acclimation strategy carried out by the grapevine with a potential role of osmoregulation, and / or refilling and / or energetic support, consistently with what proposed by other authors. The response to drought stress in anisohydric cultivars would also involve short-term anatomical modifications at the xylem level (i.e., reduction of the lumen of the newly produced tracheary elements) and a recovery mechanism of embolized vessels that could be driven by a possible thickening of the wall due to the adhesion of hygroscopic aqueous gels mediated by maltose-maltodextrin accumulation. The involvement of NSCs as osmo-compatible solutes has been blurred in the case of less intense and more lasting drought stress, where decrease of plant growth appears to be the key adaptive mechanism

Sugar and Polyphenolic Diversity in Floral Nectar of Cherry

Cherries (Prunus avium L. and Prunus cerasus L.) are economically important fruit species in the temperate region. Both are entomophilous fruit species, thus need pollinators to give high yields. Since cherry’s flower is easy-to-reach, bees and other pollinators can smoothly collect nectar as a reward for doing transfer of pollen to receptive stigma. Nectar in cherry is usually attractive for insects, especially to honey bee (Apis mellifera) who is the most common pollinator. Nectar is predominantly an aqueous solution of sugars, proteins, and free amino acids among which sugars are the most dominant. Trace amounts of lipids, organic acids, iridoid glycosides, minerals, vitamins, alkaloids, plant hormones, non-protein amino, terpenoids, glucosinolates, and cardenolides can be found in nectar too. Cherry flower may secrete nectar for 2–4 days and, depending on the cultivar, produces up to 10 mg nectar with sugar concentration from 28% to 55%. Detailed chemical analysis of cherry nectar described in this chapter is focused on sugar and phenolic profile in sour cherry. The most abounded sugars in cherry nectar was fructose, glucose, and sucrose, while arabinose, rhamnose, maltose, isomaltose, trehalose, gentiobiose, turanose, panose, melezitose, maltotriose, isomaltotriose, as well as the sugar alcohols glycerol, erythritol, arabitol, galactitol, and mannitol are present as minor constituents. Regarding polyphenolics, rutin was the most abundant phenolic compound followed by naringenin and chrysin. Cherry cultivars showed different chemical composition of nectar which implies that its content is cultivar dependent

Description of Courses, 1979-80

Official publication of Cornell University V.71 1979/8

Development of probabilistic models for quantitative pathway analysis of plant pest introduction for the EU territory

This report demonstrates a probabilistic quantitative pathway analysis model that can be used in risk assessment for plant pest introduction into EU territory on a range of edible commodities (apples, oranges, stone fruits and wheat). Two types of model were developed: a general commodity model that simulates distribution of an imported infested/infected commodity to and within the EU from source countries by month; and a consignment model that simulates the movement and distribution of individual consignments from source countries to destinations in the EU. The general pathway model has two modules. Module 1 is a trade pathway model, with a Eurostat database of five years of monthly trade volumes for each specific commodity into the EU28 from all source countries and territories. Infestation levels based on interception records, commercial quality standards or other information determine volume of infested commodity entering and transhipped within the EU. Module 2 allocates commodity volumes to processing, retail use and waste streams and overlays the distribution onto EU NUTS2 regions based on population densities and processing unit locations. Transfer potential to domestic host crops is a function of distribution of imported infested product and area of domestic production in NUTS2 regions, pest dispersal potential, and phenology of susceptibility in domestic crops. The consignment model covers the several routes on supply chains for processing and retail use. The output of the general pathway model is a distribution of estimated volumes of infested produce by NUTS2 region across the EU28, by month or annually; this is then related to the accessible susceptible domestic crop. Risk is expressed as a potential volume of infested fruit in potential contact with an area of susceptible domestic host crop. The output of the consignment model is a volume of infested produce retained at each stage along the specific consignment trade chain

Prunus genetics and applications after de novo genome sequencing: achievements and prospects

Prior to the availability of whole-genome sequences, our understanding of the structural and functional aspects of Prunus tree genomes was limited mostly to molecular genetic mapping of important traits and development of EST resources. With public release of the peach genome and others that followed, significant advances in our knowledge of Prunus genomes and the genetic underpinnings of important traits ensued. In this review, we highlight key achievements in Prunus genetics and breeding driven by the availability of these whole-genome sequences. Within the structural and evolutionary contexts, we summarize: (1) the current status of Prunus whole-genome sequences; (2) preliminary and ongoing work on the sequence structure and diversity of the genomes; (3) the analyses of Prunus genome evolution driven by natural and man-made selection; and (4) provide insight into haploblocking genomes as a means to define genome-scale patterns of evolution that can be leveraged for trait selection in pedigree-based Prunus tree breeding programs worldwide. Functionally, we summarize recent and ongoing work that leverages whole-genome sequences to identify and characterize genes controlling 22 agronomically important Prunus traits. These include phenology, fruit quality, allergens, disease resistance, tree architecture, and self-incompatibility. Translationally, we explore the application of sequence-based marker-assisted breeding technologies and other sequence-guided biotechnological approaches for Prunus crop improvement. Finally, we present the current status of publically available Prunus genomics and genetics data housed mainly in the Genome Database for Rosaceae (GDR) and its updated functionalities for future bioinformatics-based Prunus genetics and genomics inquiry.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Feasibility study for a safety back-up cryopreservation facility. Independent expert report: July 2017

This study was commissioned by Bioversity International, the International Potato Center (CIP) and the Global Crop Diversity Trust with financial support from Australia, Germany and Switzerland to investigate the feasibility of establishing a safety back-up facility for cryopreserved collections of crops that are vegetatively propagated or have recalcitrant seeds. The independent Expert Group investigated the state of crop cryopreservation in 26 institutes and collated information on field and in vitro collections around the world. The Study highlights the advantages of cryopreservation for conservation of clonal/recalcitrant seed crop collections and recommends that a major global effort is done to facilitate its wide-scale implementation and to overcome major practical constraints. In addition, a safety back-up is required to accommodate 5,000-10,000 accessions arising from on-going cryopreservation activities