Fructan biosynthesis in Lolium perenne : tissue, cultivar and temperature effects on gene expression and protein accumulation profiles : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Plant Biology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Cultivars of Lolium perenne with high concentrations of water soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) offer opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions (nitrous oxides) from grazed pastures and improve meat and milk production in livestock. Our previous studies demonstrated that fructan accumulation in the blades of high W SC grasses involves a strong gene x environment interaction. To identify the temperature effects on the expression of high sugar trait in the high sugar cultivars. we conducted a pot trial in climate chambers with temperature regimes set at10/10, 20/10 and 20/20°C (day/night), respectively. Water soluble carbohydrate concentrations, the expression of the key genes and proteins: l-SST (sucrose: sucrose l-fructosyltransferase), l-FFT (fructan: fructan l-fruclosyltransferase), 6G-FFT (fructan: fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase) and l-FEH l-fructan exohydrolases) involved in the fructan biosynthetic pathway of L. perenne were compared in blades and sheaths of three selected high sugar cultivars (P, A and H) and a common cultivar (F) grown under the three temperature regimes. We found that amongst the selected 3 high sugar cultivars, high molecular weight (HMW) WSC content was significantly higher in P and A cultivars, regardless of the temperature regimes. As expected, sheaths contained significantly higher concentrations of HMW WSCs (fructans) compared to leaf blades. The highest WSC contents in both leaf and sheath tissues accumulated at 10/10°C while the lowest accumulated at 20/20°C. Gene expression profiles demonstrated that all four genes studied were more significantly expressed in sheaths compared to blades, and the expression levels were highly correlated with fructan accumulation in this tissue. Low temperature resulted in significant up-regulation of l-SST in sheaths, but not in blades. l-FFT was highly expressed in blades of A and P cultivars. Unexpectedly. 6G-FFT was expressed more significantly in the control F cultivar. but not in the high sugar cultivar P. Protein expression profiles showed that l -SST protein accumulated to high levels in sheaths, whereas protein levels of l-FFT and l-FEH were higher in blades. l-SST protein levels in both blades and sheaths generally increased in plants grown at low temperatures, whereas l-FFT protein was not affected by low temperatures in blades and sheaths, furthermore, in both tissues there was no consistent effect observed between the different cultivars and temperature regimes on l-FEH protein levels

Leaf area expansion and dry matter accumulation during establishment of broad bean and sorghum at different temperatures and soil water contents in two types of soil in mediterranean Portugal

Crop establishment is a major factor determining crop productivity in the field and is strongly controlled by soil temperature and soil moisture. Fast leaf expansion and dry matter accumulation during crop establishment are required for an adequate establishment. Leaf area expansion and accumulation of dry matter during the establishment of broad bean (Vicia faba L.) and sorghum (Sorghum vulgare L.) were studied at different soil temperatures and soil moisture contents in a Vertisol (Lisboa) and a Luvisol (Évora) from November 1993 to November 1996. Soil temperature was measured at 2 and 4 cm depth with thermocouples, air temperature was measured with a ventilated psychrometer and soil moisture was measured using the gravimetric method. Leaf area was estimated non-destructively. Above ground seedling dry matter was weighed after oven drying at 65ºC. Data analysis was based on the thermal time concept. For each crop no significant differences were found on leaf area at establishment in both soils under favourable water conditions, but significant differences were found on seedling dry matter. In moist soils, leaf area of both species increased linearly with accumulated temperature and dry matter increased exponentially with accumulated temperature. Low soil water during establishment reduced leaf expansion and dry matter accumulation of both crops, mainly if it occurred before seedling emergence. In mediterranean type climates meteorological extremes of low rainfall associated to high temperatures are expected to be more frequent on the wake of global climate change, reducing crop establishment and productivity

Red clover grown in a mixture with grasses: yield, persistence and dynamics of quality characteristics

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) was grown in mixtures with timothy and meadow fescue in field experiments at four sites in Finland to broaden knowledge on its potential as a forage crop. The effects of cutting frequency, nitrogen fertilization in the spring and sward density were investigated. Forage yield quality was analyzed using standard methods. Red clover produced well in all swards during the two first seasons. In the third summer the proportion of red clover was greatly diminished except on sandy soil at the northernmost locality (64°40'N) where it remained productive. Linear regression adequately described the dependence of crude fibre content and crude protein content in dry matter of the primary growth and regrowth, both of red clover and grass, on accumulated temperature sum. The contents of P, K, Ca and Mg in clover and grass are given as a function of accumulated temperature to describe their changes during crop growth. The results give new knowledge about possibilities to grow red clover in the northern livestock region of Finland. They proved that soil type is more important for good persistence of red clover than latitude

Sub-daily simulation of mountain flood processes based on the modified soil water assessment tool (SWAT) model

Floods not only provide a large amount of water resources, but they also cause serious disasters. Although there have been numerous hydrological studies on flood processes, most of these investigations were based on rainfall-type floods in plain areas. Few studies have examined high temporal resolution snowmelt floods in high-altitude mountainous areas. The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is a typical semi-distributed, hydrological model widely used in runoff and water quality simulations. The degree-day factor method used in SWAT utilizes only the average daily temperature as the criterion of snow melting and ignores the influence of accumulated temperature. Therefore, the influence of accumulated temperature on snowmelt was added by increasing the discriminating conditions of rain and snow, making that more suitable for the simulation of snowmelt processes in high-altitude mountainous areas. On the basis of the daily scale, the simulation of the flood process was modeled on an hourly scale. This research compared the results before and after the modification and revealed that the peak error decreased by 77% and the time error was reduced from +/- 11 h to +/- 1 h. This study provides an important reference for flood simulation and forecasting in mountainous areas

The screwworm eradication data system archives

The archives accumulated during 1 year of operation of the Satellite Temperature-Monitoring System during development of the Screwworm Eradication Data System are reported. Brief descriptions of all the kinds of tapes, as well as their potential uses, are presented. Reference is made to other documents that explain the generation of these data

TiO2-based nanocoating with self-cleaning and anti-reflective properties: effects on PV performance

Photovoltaic modules operating in field conditions exhibit a significant reduction in their power output due to dust accumulated on their surface. Depending on the amount of dust accumulated the reduction in peak power has been reported in the range of 5-15%. The accumulated dust is linked to meteorological and environmental parameters such as humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, ambient temperature, dusty winds, air pollution, etc., but also to the location and surroundings of the installation and the period for which the PV modules have been left without cleaning. To reduce the effect of dust, research has been recently focused on coatings with self-cleaning properties that may be applied on PV glass surface. Also, coatings with spectral selective properties have been investigated to enhance PV performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a nanocoating with self-cleaning and anti-reflective properties on the performance of a PV module when applied on its glass surface. Particular interest is given to its anti-reflective properties which are assessed for angles-of-incidence of solar radiation greater than 40o, where reflectance is generally higher. The performance of two same PV modules one with and one without the coating is compared