Iron oxyhydroxide effect on rooting of cuttings of Ribes nigrum and Ribes rubrum

This work was aimed at studying the effect of a preparation containing nanoparticles of iron oxyhydroxide on rooting and development of the root system of cuttings of the two plant species sensitive to iron deficiency: Ribes nigrum and Ribes rubrum (Grossulariaceae). Research has shown that the iron oxyhydroxide has an inhibitory effect on the growth and development of the root system of cuttings of black and red currant. When concentration increases from 0.001% to 0.1%, rooting of cuttings decreases, and the Spearman rank correlation shows strong negative dependence of the number of roots and their length on the concentration of the preparation (Rs = -0.83 -0.94...) – the number of roots on cuttings decreases, while in case of the maximum concentration, root length significantly reduces. In the studied concentration, the preparation containing iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles cannot be used as a stimulant of root formation for rooting of cuttings of black and red currant

The influence of light spectrum on morphogenesis of orchid germs in vitro

The aim of the study is to reveal growth and developments specificities of orchid (Cymbidium hybridum F1) germinant in vitro cultured early in the ontogenesis in relation to various light spectra. Chromatic and achromatic luminous tubes (Philips, TLD 18 W) were used as lighting sources. 4 light patterns were tested: control group - colorless (white) light WL; group 1 - WL with addition of red WL+RL, group 2 - WL and blue WL+BL, group 3 - WL and green WL+GL. The authors showed that during C. hybridum F1cultivation in type breeding ground, morphometric growth indexes of root and leaf and wet weight of germs raised with the increase of red light part in PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) flux, thought stem length was twice bigger under the mix of colorless and green light, and also blue light addition to achromatic emission aided the reduction of germ parameters, in contrast with control group. Growth characteristics of plants, cultivated under photoculture conditions, can be adjusted by light with varied spectral content

Ecological and morphological features of Rhodiola rosea L. in natural populations in the Altai Mountains

The paper presents the results of the comprehensive study of Rhodiola rosea L. in natural populations in the Altai Mountains. The phytocoenotic confinement, demographic structure, and morphological characters of 9 coenopopulations of Rh. rosea were studied in different ecological and coenotic conditions in the Chemal and Kosh-Agach regions of the Republic of Altai. Correlation between the morphometric parameters and their calculated values for the shoot and sex of the studied individuals, as well as environmental factors, was revealed. Rhodiola rosea L. is a valuable medicinal plant used for functional diseases of the central nervous system. At present, the natural reserves and areas of natural growth of the golden root have decreased significantly. The species is included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation (2008) and many regional Red Data Books of Siberia. In the Altai Mountains, Rh. rosea is widespread throughout the highlands, where it has occupied a wide range of habitats. The study showed that the highest values of ecological and effective density are characteristic of coenopopulations which are part of various hygrophytic variants of alpine and subalpine miscellaneous herbs with a high total projective cover of the herbaceous layer (CP 1, 2, 3, 4). The lowest values were found for coenopopulations growing in communities with a scarce herbaceous layer or dense shrub layer, and on steep gravelly slopes with crumbling soil and nonuniform moisture distribution (CP 5, 6, 8, 9). The studied coenopopulations are normal, full-membered, or incomplete-membered (some of them lack postgenerative individuals). In terms of the ontogenetic spectra, they are mainly left-sided, with a predominance of young generative individuals (CP 4, 5, 7) or bimodal, with an additional peak for old generative individuals (CP 2, 3, 6, 8). Male and female individuals Rh. rosea differ in many morphometric characters of the generative shoots. In some coenopopulations (CP 2, 3, 6, 9), male and female individuals show multidirectional deviation of characters compared to the totality, which indicates that in different environmental conditions these characters are not only genetically determined but can also be related to the sex of individuals

Pollen quality and pollen productivity of blue honeysuckle species and varieties

Studies to assess the pollen quality and pollen productivity of blue honeysuckle were conducted on the ecosystem dendrological territory of the Siberian Botanical garden of TSU (Tomsk). Objects of research: 8 varieties and 4 species of blue honeysuckle – ‘Velvet’, ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Ogneny Opal’, ‘Selena’, ‘Tomichka’, Lonicera altaica, L. edulis, L. kamtschatica, L. turczaninovii. It was found that the ‘Ogneny Opal’ and ‘Velvet’ varieties have low fertility, and the ‘Berel’ and L. edulis have an average fertility. Other varieties and species of honeysuckle have high pollen fertility. The viability of pollen with high values is more than 60 % – ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Lazurnaya’, L. turczaninovii, L. kamtschatica, with average values from 40% to 60 % – ‘Selena’, ‘Tomichka’ and L. altaica, with low values – less than 40 % – ‘Velvet’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Ogneny Opal’ and L. edulis. High pollen productivity – more than 20,000 pollen grains per flower – ‘Tomichka’, L. kamtschatica, L. turczaninovii and L. edulis, average productivity - from 10,000 to 20,000 pollen grains – ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Selena’ and L. altaica, low productivity – less than 10,000 pollen grains per flower – ‘Velvet’, ‘Ogneny Opal’. It is recommended to use at least 10% of varieties with high pollen viability and pollen productivity as pollinators when creating industrial honeysuckle plantations: ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, and ‘Berel’

The influence of different lighting sources on growth and development of tomato plants

Comparative study was conducted on morphofunctional parameters of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under diverse supplementary lighting conditions - electrodeless lamps (EL), high-pressure mercury arc lamps (HPM) and high-pressure sodium arc lamps (HPS). The work showed, that plants, cultivated under 5,000 lux EL lighting, had higher morphometric parameters, their leaves contained more chlorophyll, and they were outgrown, in comparison to plants, growth in HPS and HPM lighting conditions. These results demonstrate the profitableness of EL light flux, which contains constant PAR spectrum, for tomato plants growth and development

The influence of the LED lighting on structural-functional parameters of lettuce plants

Comparative studies were conducted on morphofunctional parameters of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) plants cultivated with the use of supplementary lighting from different light sources - LED lamps, high-pressure mercury arc lamp (HPM) and high-pressure sodium arc lamp (HPS). The work showed that morphofunctional parameters of lettuce were significantly higher with LED lighting, in comparison to plants cultivated with HPM illumination, and main parameters of leaves grown under LED were barely discernible from the samples grown under HPS lighting. We observed accelerated transfer into reproductive period during HPM lighting, what can lead to quality degradation of the product. Considering the approximate values of leaf character range in experiments with HPS and LED lighting and greater energy efficiency of LED, light emitting diodes are obviously more promising for supplementary illumination in protected ground conditions

Witches' brooms in Siberian stone pine as somatic mutations and initial genetic material for breeding of nut-bearing and ornamental cultivars

<p>For the raising of the Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) nut-bearing and ornamental cultivars, the most important traits are a<br />dense crown, slow growth and precocity. Generative mutations of this kind are eliminated by natural selection, therefore, somatic mutation<br />rsearch is important. Among somatic mutations, the most promising one is the so-called 'witches' brooms' (WB) where crown fragments demonstrate slowed growth and intensive branching. WB occasionally occurs in native populations. According to phytopathology textbooks, WB are caused by various pathogen species (viruses, mycoplasmas, fungi). The WB of this kind are characterized by a sickly look, full suppression of reproductive functions, a short life and a nidus pattern<br />of distribution. There are also WB of different types: with a high vitality and fertility, a long life and sporadic distribution. They occur very rarely<br />(about 1 per 10 000 trees) across the species' range. We investigated 18 trees with WB of this type. The size of WB ranged from 0.3 to 30 m, age varied from 30 to 300 years. Male cones were absent in<br />all WB. Female cone initiation was normal if the WB was located in the top part of a crown. Scions from WB and a normal crown (NC) of the same tree were grafted on identical rootstocks. On average,<br />the height of 7-year-old WB grafts (WBG) was 2 times lower, and the stem diameter was 2 times higher than in the NC grafts (NCG). It was<br />achieved due to the fundamental differences in the shoot system morphogenesis. Here are three principal differences in decreasing order of importance: (i) WBGs were characterized by the absence or near absence of apical dominance. The NCG had no more than 3 orders of branching, and the length of the 1st order axis was on average 5<br />times larger than the axis of the 3rd order. The WBG had 6-7 orders of branching, and the length of shoots of 5-6th orders averaged 80-90% of the length of the first orders. (ii) At an identical shoot length, the number of lateral buds in the WBG was 3-4 times more. This superiority was achieved in several ways: a greater shoot number per node, the<br />presence of one or even two additional nodes (summer shoot) on many annual shoots, the formation of lateral long shoots outside any nodes<br />(instead of short shoots). (iii) The number of stem units, their length, and annual shoot length in the WBG were 1.5-2 times less compared with the NCG. The first seed cones were initiated in both variants in the year of grafting. However, by the end of 5-7 year period of supervision, the WBG surpassed the NCG in the number of cones by 5-10 times. WB and NC have also been tested on seed progeny (WBP and NCP). In the WBP halfsib families, a clear tendency of splitting into two<br />classes was observed: (1) normal seedlings, statistically indistinguishable from the homogenous NCPs and (2) seedlings with growth essentially slowed down and very intensive branching. The ratio of the two classes was about 1:1. Therefore, the studied WB are a dominant somatic mutation. The principles of using of these mutations in breeding programs are discussed.</p

Reproductive biology of a rare species Begonia ludwigii in greenhouse conditions of the Siberian Botanical Garden of Tomsk State University

The paper presents the results of a reproductive biology study and the Begonia ludwigii seasonal development rhythm - a species classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a rarity category EN (endangered species). The studies have shown that when cultivated in the Tomsk State University Siberian Botanical Garden greenhouse conditions, this species has high potential seed productivity (about 75,000 ovules per inflorescence), high fertility and pollen viability, but at the same time low true seed productivity (seed rate not more than 27%). It was established that the Begonia ludwigii seeds, in the greenhouse conditions, are tied to heterogamous pollination due to the absence of pollinating insects. The use of xenogamous artificial pollination increased the coefficient of seed productivity by almost 3 times. The paper also describes the full seasonal development rhythm, flowering biology, biomorphological features of pollen and seeds