Enhancement of Tainan 9 Peanut Seed Storability and Germination under Low Temperature

Low temperature condition during December to January can limit seed emergence and seedling establishment for peanut production in Thailand. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of peanut seed priming on seed germination and vigor under optimal and low temperature conditions before and after 9 months of storage. Tainan 9 peanut seeds were primed with salicylic acid (SA), ascorbate (ASA), CaCl2, or chitosan and tested for germination at 25°C (optimal temperature) and 15°C (low temperature) before and after a 9-month storage period. Seed priming with 50 mg·L−1 SA and 50 mg·L−1 ASA for 12 hours before germinating improved germination at 15°C when compared to untreated seeds both before and after 9-month storage. The high seed quality, illustrated by high germination percentage, high seed vigor, and low mean germination time related to the low autoxidation substrates: lipoxygenase (LOX), malondialdehyde (MDA), and high antioxidants: superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). It suggests that peanut seed priming with salicylic acid and/or ascorbate can improve seedling emergence and growth under low temperature conditions

Whole-genome sequencing and intensive analysis of the undomesticated soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. and Zucc.) genome

The genome of soybean (Glycine max), a commercially important crop, has recently been sequenced and is one of six crop species to have been sequenced. Here we report the genome sequence of G. soja, the undomesticated ancestor of G. max (in particular, G. soja var. IT182932). The 48.8-Gb Illumina Genome Analyzer (Illumina-GA) short DNA reads were aligned to the G. max reference genome and a consensus was determined for G. soja. This consensus sequence spanned 915.4 Mb, representing a coverage of 97.65% of the G. max published genome sequence and an average mapping depth of 43-fold. The nucleotide sequence of the G. soja genome, which contains 2.5 Mb of substituted bases and 406 kb of small insertions/deletions relative to G. max, is ∼0.31% different from that of G. max. In addition to the mapped 915.4-Mb consensus sequence, 32.4 Mb of large deletions and 8.3 Mb of novel sequence contigs in the G. soja genome were also detected. Nucleotide variants of G. soja versus G. max confirmed by Roche Genome Sequencer FLX sequencing showed a 99.99% concordance in single-nucleotide polymorphism and a 98.82% agreement in insertion/deletion calls on Illumina-GA reads. Data presented in this study suggest that the G. soja/G. max complex may be at least 0.27 million y old, appearing before the relatively recent event of domestication (6,000∼9,000 y ago). This suggests that soybean domestication is complicated and that more in-depth study of population genetics is needed. In any case, genome comparison of domesticated and undomesticated forms of soybean can facilitate its improvement

Spatiotemporal distribution and fluctuation of radiocesium in Tokyo Bay in the five years following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident - Fig 7

<p><b>Temporal changes in activity (a) and inventory and flux (b) of</b>^{<b>134+137</b>}<b>Cs at Point D.</b> Contaminated layer is defined as the layer including the detectable ¹³⁴Cs. The ^134+137Cs activity in the contaminated layer is estimated by the vertical distribution in the layer. Flux was calculated by dividing the inventory by elapsed time since the FDNPP accident.</p