Determination of physiological responses on hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) plant exposed to different salt concentrations

Plant growth is restricted by many environmental factors. Soil salinity is considered as an important agricultural problem for dry and semi-dry fields in many regions around the world. It is known that salinity is an important stress factor restricting water and nutrient intake of plants. In this study, the physiological responses of hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) exposed to different salt concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mM) were investigated. The stomata status, osmotic potential, proline content, chlorophyll and caretonoid contents and protein variances were examined in the plants exposed to salt. The physiological responses of the hyacinth varied depending on the salt concentration. Stress was kept under control at concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mM; however, bulbs were decayed and necrosis was formed on the leaves at concentration of 400 mM. This study on hyacinth will help us to learn about tolerance mechanisms raised by plants with bulb against salt stress. It was seen in this study that the stomata size decreased when the salt concentration was increased and the chlorophyll and caretonoid contents also decreased. A significant decrease was seen in proline content and it increased at 400 mM and some protein bands which existed in control group disappeared in electrophoresis study.Key words: Salt, stress, hyacinth

The genetic basis of composite spike form in barley and "Miracle-Wheat"

Inflorescences of the tribe Triticeae, which includes wheat (Triticum sp. L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) are characterized by sessile spikelets directly borne on the main axis, thus forming a branchless spike. "Compositum-Barley" and tetraploid "Miracle-Wheat" (T. turgidum convar. compositum (L.f.) Filat.) display non-canonical spike-branching in which spikelets are replaced by lateral branch-like structures resembling small-sized secondary spikes. As a result of this branch formation "Miracle-Wheat" produces significantly more grains per spike, leading to higher spike yield. In this study, we first isolated the gene underlying spike-branching in "Compositum-Barley", i.e. compositum 2 (com2). Moreover, we found that COM2 is orthologous to the branched head(t) (bh(t)) locus regulating spike-branching in tetraploid "Miracle-Wheat". Both genes possess orthologs with similar functions in maize BRANCHED SILKLESS 1 (BD1) and rice FRIZZY PANICLE/BRANCHED FLORETLESS 1 (FZP/BFL1) encoding AP2/ERF transcription factors. Sequence analysis of the bh(t) locus in a collection of mutant and wild type tetraploid wheat accessions revealed that a single amino acid substitution in the DNA-binding domain gave rise to the domestication of "Miracle-Wheat". mRNA in situ hybridization, microarray experiments, and independent qRT-PCR validation analyses revealed that the branch repression pathway in barley is governed through the spike architecture gene Six-rowed spike 4 regulating COM2 expression, while HvIDS1 (barley ortholog of maize INDETERMINATE SPIKELET 1) is a putative down-stream target of COM2. These findings presented here provide new insights into the genetic basis of spike architecture in Triticeae, and have disclosed new targets for genetic manipulations aiming at boosting wheat's yield potential

Contribution to the taxonomy of Poecilimon bosphoricus species group (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae): two new species from its core range

Chobanov, Dragan P., Kaya, Sarp, Çiplak, Battal (2015): Contribution to the taxonomy of Poecilimon bosphoricus species group (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae): two new species from its core range. Zootaxa 3964 (1): 63-76, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3964.1.