Morfologia de gemas dormentes com um ano e dois anos cultivadas em regiões com anos de insuficiência de frio hibernal

The aim of this study was to characterize the internal and the external morphology of dormantbuds of one and two year old twigs of apple trees cultivar Imperial Gala during Autumn and Winter in a region of insufficient chilling. Twigs carrying dormant buds were collected in seven distinct dates throughout the year of 2000 (April 19 th, May 10th, May 31 st, June 21st, July 12 th, August 2nd and August 23 th) and taken to the laboratory foranalysis. Part of the twigs was submitted to the biological test of single node cuttings in order to monitor the intensity of dormancy in each collection date. Despite the differences in dormancy intensity in each period, no internal or external morphological differences among buds were detected for the different collection dates. This indicates that, from April to August, no visible changes occurred. There were morphological differences betweenone and two year old buds due to the formation of a cauline primordium in the interior of the two year old buds, perfectly connected to the stem tissue were the bud was inserted. Two year old buds have the potential to burst and to originate new shoots if favourable conditions are provided through plant management.O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar a morfologia interna e externa de gemas dormentes em ramos de um ano e dois anos em macieiras cultivar Imperial Gala durante o outono e inverno, cultivadas em localidade de baixa ocorrência de frio. Os ramos com gemas dormentes foram coletados em sete datas distintas no ano de 2000 (19/4, 10/5, 31/5, 21/6, 12/7, 2/8 e 23/8) e levados ao laboratório para análise. Um grupo de ramos foi submetido ao teste biológico de estacas de nós isolados para monitoramento da intensidade de dormência nas gemas em cada data de coleta. Apesar de existirem diferenças na intensidade de dormência em cada período, não foram detectadas diferenças morfológicas internas e externas nas gemas entre as datas de coleta. Há diferenças na morfologia entre gemas de um ano e dois anos devido à formação de um primórdio caulinar no interior das gemas de dois anos, perfeitamente ligado ao ramo no qual a gema está inserida. Gemas de dois anos têmpotencial de brotação e formação de novos ramos na planta se as condições favoráveis lhes são propiciadas por meio do manejo das plantas

Growth and quality of Brazilian pine tree seedlings as affected by container type and volume

Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Kuntze (Araucariaceae), commonly known as araucaria and Brazilian pine tree, can be grown for their edible pine nuts (pinhões), medicinal properties, and ornamental purposes. The aim was to assess the shoot and root growth and the overall quality of A. angustifolia seedlings grown in containers with different sizes, shapes and composition. Seeds were sowed in five containers: I – 126cm³ polypropylene cone-tainers (small cone-tainers); II – 290cm³ cone-tainers (large cone-tainers); III – 879cm³ polyethylene black bags; IV- 275 cm³ nonwoven fabric (TNT) containers (small TNT container) and; 493 cm³ nonwoven fabric (TNT) containers (large TNT container). Seedlings were evaluated 210 days after sowing, regarding the following variables: aboveground height (cm), root collar diameter (mm), shoot dry mass (g), roots dry mass (g), total dry mass (g), leaf area (cm²), roots area (cm²), roots volume (cm³), sturdiness quotient, root-shoot ratio and Dickson quality index. Height was superior for seedlings grown in the plastic bags (27.6 cm) and the large TNT containers (27.02 cm) when compared to the small and large cone-tainers (21.75 and 21.78 cm, respectively). Plastic bags also presented greater values of root-collar diameter, shoots, roots and total biomass and Dickson Quality index. Small and large TNT containers promoted lower root area and volume when compared to large polyethylene cone-tainers, but allowed for the same or better aboveground growth. Taking all results analyzed together, the polyethylene black bag promoted better growth and quality of Brazilian pine tree seedlings in comparison to the other containers

Rooting of yellow native Passionfruit by semi-hardwood cuttings

The objective of this estudy was to evaluate the influence of cuttings related to their position in the branch (basal, middle and apical) and presence of leaves on rooting native yellow passionfruit (Passiflora actinia). Cuttings with two nodes were prepared 80-10 cm long, and his was planted inplastic pots containing vermiculite, maintained in a greenhouse under intermittent mist for 90 days. We evaluated the percentage of rooted cuttings, number of roots, dry weight and length of roots. The statistical design was randomized blocks with 6 treatments, each treatment consisted of four replications with 12 cuttings each. We performed analysis of variance and Tukey’s test to the data interpretation. It was concluded that the presence of leaves on the basal cuttings showed the highest rooting percentage, the greater number of roots higher dry weight and greater length of roots

Enraizamento de miniestacas de espinheira-santa (Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek) em diferentes substratos Rooting of espinheira-santa (Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek) minicuttings on different substrates

Pertencente à família Celastraceae, a espinheira-santa (Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek) é uma espécie medicinal nativa da região sul do Brasil, utilizadas no tratamento de gastrite e úlceras gástricas. Estudos sobre a produção de mudas por meio de estaquia demonstraram que esta espécie é considerada de difícil enraizamento. Objetivou-se, no presente trabalho, avaliar os efeitos de diferentes substratos no enraizamento de miniestacas de espinheira-santa. Miniestacas apicais foram coletadas a partir das brotações das minicepas de 10 meses de idade, mantidas em casa-de-vegetação e confeccionadas com 3 a 4cm de comprimento, mantendo-se duas folhas com a superfície reduzida à metade. O plantio foi realizado em caixas contendo areia e tubetes contendo casca de arroz carbonizada, Plantmax HT® ou vermiculita de granulometria fina como substrato. As miniestacas foram mantidas em casa-de-vegetação com nebulização intermitente e 90 dias após o plantio, foram avaliadas as características: porcentagem de estacas enraizadas, número e comprimento médio de raízes, porcentagem de estacas com calos, sobrevivência e mortalidade. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com 4 tratamentos e 4 repetições de 22 estacas por parcela. A análise estatística revelou que os substratos areia (92,04%), casca de arroz carbonizada (88,66%) e Plantmax HT® (94,31%) apresentaram índices de enraizamento significativamente superiores à vermiculita (78,41%), além de menores taxas de mortalidade, sendo que a propagação vegetativa de espinheira-santa por meio de miniestaquia é viável.Espinheira-santa (Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek), which belongs to the Celastraceae family, is a medicinal species native to the south region of Brazil, used in gastritis and gastric ulcer treatment. Studies about plant production by cutting have shown that this species is considered difficult to root. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the influence of different substrates on the rooting capacity of espinheira-santa minicuttings. Apical minicuttings with 3-4cm and two half-cut leaves were collected from 10-month-old ministump sprouts kept in a greenhouse and planted on sand boxes and polypropylene tubes filled with carbonized rice hull, Plantmax HT®or fine granulated vermiculite. The minicuttings were kept in a greenhouse under intermittent mist. After 90 days, the following variables were evaluated: percentage of rooted cuttings, number and average length of roots per cutting, percentage of cuttings presenting calluses, survival and mortality rate. A completely randomized design of four treatments with 22 minicuttings per experimental unit and four replications was used. Statistical analysis revealed that sand (92.04%), carbonized rice hulls (88.66%) and Plantmax HT®(94.31%) presented significantly higher rooting capacity and lower mortality than vermiculite (78.41%). Vegetative propagation of espinheira-santa by using minicuttings is viable

A Transcript Finishing Initiative for Closing Gaps in the Human Transcriptome

We report the results of a transcript finishing initiative, undertaken for the purpose of identifying and characterizing novel human transcripts, in which RT-PCR was used to bridge gaps between paired EST clusters, mapped against the genomic sequence. Each pair of EST clusters selected for experimental validation was designated a transcript finishing unit (TFU). A total of 489 TFUs were selected for validation, and an overall efficiency of 43.1% was achieved. We generated a total of 59,975 bp of transcribed sequences organized into 432 exons, contributing to the definition of the structure of 211 human transcripts. The structure of several transcripts reported here was confirmed during the course of this project, through the generation of their corresponding full-length cDNA sequences. Nevertheless, for 21% of the validated TFUs, a full-length cDNA sequence is not yet available in public databases, and the structure of 69.2% of these TFUs was not correctly predicted by computer programs. The TF strategy provides a significant contribution to the definition of the complete catalog of human genes and transcripts, because it appears to be particularly useful for identification of low abundance transcripts expressed in a restricted set of tissues as well as for the delineation of gene boundaries and alternatively spliced isoforms