Study of clonal variation of 'Bidaneh Ghermez' grapevine cultivar in Iran

ArticleGrapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a well - known plant including different cultivars and clones. In spite of the extensive works at the cultivar level, identification and determination of clonal genetic variation has remained as a challenge. To assess the genetic variation between clones of grapevine cv. 'Bidaneh Ghermez', 20 selected clones were analyzed for cluster weight (CW), cluster length (CL), cluster width (CWI), berry weight (BW), berry length (BL), berry width (BWI) and total soluble solids (TSS) in randomized complete block design with three replications. Analysis of variance reveale d considerable genetic variation for all measured traits (except cluster width) among clones. Cluster analysis, discriminant function analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) showed same results and all clones assigned in 2 groups. First group was including 9 clones and second group was including 11 clones. Overall, our results indicated C7, C10, C12 and C14 clones were best clones and have potential to introduce promising clones for stablishing new vineyard with high yield

Comparison of copper concentrations in liver and muscle of Squalius cephalus and Capoeta capoeta gracilis (Pisces: Teleostei) in Tajan River, Iran

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the concentration of copper (Cu) in liver and muscle of two fish species Squalius cephalus and Capoeta capoeta gracilis. The fish were caught in four sampling sites along Tajan River, Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. The concentration of Cu was determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. There were significant differences (P<0.05) between the sampling sites with regard to Cu concentration in both muscle and liver of fish species.Significant differences were also found (P<0.05) between S. cephalus and C. c. gracilis regarding Cu content in liver and muscle tissues. The content of Cu in the liver was greater (P<0.05) than that in the muscle in both species. Also, Cu content of liver in both species was higher than the standard limits declared by WHO. This study reports high loads of Cu in Tajan River and a high content of Cu in the muscle and liver of S. cephalus and C. c. gracilis

Polymorphism of Pro12Ala in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor 2 gene in Iranian diabetic and obese subjects

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor 2 (PPAR2) is a nuclear receptor that regulates adipocyte differentiation, lipid metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the Pro12Ala single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the PPAR2 gene and type II diabetes (T2DM) and obesity in an Iranian population. Methods: The genomic DNA of the 312 subjects included four groups: (1) nonobese with type II diabetes, (2) obese without type II diabetes, (3) obese with type II diabetes, and (4) nondiabetic nonobese controls. The Pro12Ala polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Results: Frequencies of the Ala allele in obese subjects were significantly different from those control subjects (odds ratio [OR], 2.358; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.101-5.05) (P = 0.025). In contrast, no significant association was detected between the Pro12Ala polymorphism and type II diabetes (OR, 0.652; 95% CI, 0.261-1.628). In all subjects, the Ala carriers had a higher body mass index (BMI) compared with the common allele. Conclusions: Our results showed that the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the PPAR2 gene is associated with obesity in Iranian subjects and the presence of the Ala allele could predict higher BMI. © 2009 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc

Toxicity and side effects of three insecticides on adult Chrysoperla carnea (Neu.: Chrysopidae) under laboratory conditions

Green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens), is an important predator of arthropod pests such as aphids, psyllids, thrips and whiteflies. Toxicity of endosulfan, imidacloprid and indoxacarb was assessed on male and female C. carnea in the laboratory. Contact bioassays were carried out in glass Petri dishes. The LC50 values for indoxacarb, imidacloprid and endosulfan were 0.011, 0.053, and 0.343 g AI/L for males, and 0.019, 0.098 and 0.398 g AI/L for females, respectively. Males were more sensitive than females to all three insecticides. To assess the sublethal effects, using IOBC (International Organization for Biological Control) method, adults were treated with LC25 of each insecticide. Analysis of variance did not show significant differences among treatments regarding the developmental time of the first, second and third instars, pupae and sex ratio. Differences between treatments and control were significant regarding pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition periods, fecundity, fertility, longevity of male and female. Mean longevity for control, imidacloprid, endosulfan and indoxacarb were 30 ± 2.3, 24.3 ± 3.3, 21.3 ± 2.4 and 19.7 ± 1.4 days for males, and 36.9 ± 2.5, 31.8 ± 2.9, 27.7 ± 1.7 and 26.7 ± 2.6 days for females, respectively. The highest and the lowest rates of fecundity were 540 ± 49 and 206 ± 42 in control and indoxacarb, respectively. Based on the IOBC classification method, imidacloprid, endosulfan and indoxacarb were slightly harmful (%30 < Total Effect Index < %79) against adults. The adult stage was very sensitive to indoxacarb, imidacloprid and endosulfan. Hence, these insecticides should not be applied when the density of adults is high in the field

The Viable but Non-culturable State in Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri is a Reversible State Induced by Low Nutrient Availability and Copper Stress Conditions

Xcc (Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri) causes citrus bacterial canker, a leaf, stem and fruit spotting disease that affects most commercial citrus species and cultivars. Copper compounds, widely used for management of this pathogen, have been reported as inducers of a VBNC (viable but non-culturable state) in plant pathogenic bacteria. VBNC may be considered as a state preceding bacterial death or as a survival mechanism under adverse conditions. Several experiments were performed to characterize the reversibility and persistence of the VBNC state in Xcc. VBNC was induced in low nutrient medium or with amendment of copper at concentrations used for field disease control. The VBNC condition was demonstrated to persist up to 150 days after copper treatment and was reversed after the addition of culture media without copper or amendment with citrus leaf extract. Xcc viability was evaluated by recovery of colonies on culture media, confirmed by membrane integrity, respiratory activity and by real-time RT-PCR targeting a sequence from the gumD gene. Besides, the colonies recovered were pathogenic on citrus leaves. These results confirm that the VBNC state in Xcc is inducible and reversible and therefore may occur in the phyllosphere when Xcc is under copper stress or starvation

Lethal and sublethal effects of dinotefuran and thiamethoxam on the population growth parameters of the green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (Neu.: Chrysopidae), under laboratory conditions

The green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens), is a common natural enemy of various agricultural pestsand widely used as a biocontrol agent in integrated pest management (IPM) programs. The lethal and sublethal effects of the insecticides dinotefuran and thiamethoxam on the first instar larvae of C. carnea was assessed in the laboratory conditions at 25 ± 1°C, 60 ± 5% RH and a photoperiod of 16: 8 (L: D). The LC50 values for dinotefuran and thiamethoxam were 19.382 and 9.880 mg ai/l, respectively, that showed the high toxicity of thiamethoxam on the first instar larvae of C. carnea. To assess the sublethal effects, the first instar larvae were treated with the LC30 for dinotefuran and thiamethoxam at 3.532 and 1.692 mg ai/l, respectively. The estimated rm values in the control, dinotefuran and thiamethoxam were 0.185, 0.186 and 0.143 day-1, respectively. Finite rate of increase (λ) in the control, dinotefuran and thiamethoxam were 1.204, 1.204 and 1.154 day-1. Generation time and doubling time values in the control, dinotefuran and thiamethoxam were 30.77, 30.46 and 35.14 as well as 3.73, 3.72 and 4.82 days, respectively. The gross and net reproductive rates in the control, dinotefuran and thiamethoxam were 459.89, 439.08 and 309.42, and also 298.01, 278.45 and 155.03 (female/female/generation), respectively. Dinotefuran caused no significant adverse effects on the population growth parameters of C. carnea. If similar results are obtained for dinotefuran in the field, it might be an insecticide with low toxicity to C. carnea by using the reduced doses of the insecticide in IPM context. Studies under the laboratory conditions can help us to select some insecticides for additional studies under more natural conditions and for application of suitable insecticides along with natural enemies in pest management

Purification of immature neuronal cells from neural stem cell progeny

Large-scale proliferation and multi-lineage differentiation capabilities make neural stem cells (NSCs) a promising renewable source of cells for therapeutic applications. However, the practical application for neuronal cell replacement is limited by heterogeneity of NSC progeny, relatively low yield of neurons, predominance of astrocytes, poor survival of donor cells following transplantation and the potential for uncontrolled proliferation of precursor cells. To address these impediments, we have developed a method for the generation of highly enriched immature neurons from murine NSC progeny. Adaptation of the standard differentiation procedure in concert with flow cytometry selection, using scattered light and positive fluorescent light selection based on cell surface antibody binding, provided a near pure (97%) immature neuron population. Using the purified neurons, we screened a panel of growth factors and found that bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) demonstrated a strong survival effect on the cells in vitro, and enhanced their functional maturity. This effect was maintained following transplantation into the adult mouse striatum where we observed a 2-fold increase in the survival of the implanted cells and a 3-fold increase in NeuN expression. Additionally, based on the neural-colony forming cell assay (N-CFCA), we noted a 64 fold reduction of the bona fide NSC frequency in neuronal cell population and that implanted donor cells showed no signs of excessive or uncontrolled proliferation. The ability to provide defined neural cell populations from renewable sources such as NSC may find application for cell replacement therapies in the central nervous system

Toolkit for exploring ethical aspects of digital social and affective touch interactions

In this hands-on demonstration, people are invited to use a newly developed toolkit to scrutinize their attitude and preferences towards digital social and affective touch interactions