64 research outputs found
Associations between plant density and yield components using different sowing times in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
The yield potential of wheat depends not only on genetic Ă environmental interactions, but also on various agronomic factors such as sowing date or the seed rate used for sowing. The main aim of this work was to determine possible correlations between the effects of different sowing dates and plant densities on the yield components of a collection of 48 wheat genotypes. Two-way analysis of variance on the data revealed that both sowing date and plant density, as main components, only had a minor effect on the yield component patterns. Correlation analysis, however, indicated that the sowing date had a greater effect on the yield components, while plant density was in closer correlation with the heading time (r = 0.90). The patterns determined for individual yield components at two different sowing dates and plant densities showed significant differences for spike length, spike fertility, grain number in the main spike, number of productive tillers, grain number on side tillers, mean grain number and grain weight. Genotypes that carry the winter (recessive) alleles of genes regulating vernalisation processes (VRN-A1, VRN-B1, VRN-D1) and the sensitive (recessive) alleles of the two genes responsible for photoperiod sensitivity (PPD-B1, PPD-D1) may have better tillering and consequently higher grain yield, though this may depend greatly on the year
Effect of additional water supply during grain filling on protein composition and epitope characteristics of winter oats
Pure oats in gluten-free diets (GFD) represent important nutritional benefits for people suffering from celiac disease (CD). However, oat cultivars do not contain the typical CD-related wheat gliadin analog polypeptides. Emerging evidence suggests that oat cultivars containing gluten-like epitopes in avenin sequences may pose potential health risks for celiac patients in rare cases, depending on the individualâs susceptibility. Consequently, it is necessary to screen oats in terms of protein and epitope composition, to be able to select safe varieties for gluten-free applications. The overall aim of our study is to investigate the variation of oat protein composition directly related to health-related and techno-functional properties and to examine how the protein compositional parameters change due to irrigation during the grain-filling period as compared to the natural rain-fed grown, in a large winter oat population of different geographic origin.
Elements of an oat sample population representing 164 winter oat varieties from 8 countries and the protein composition of resulting samples have been characterized. Size distribution of the total protein extracts has been analyzed by SE-HPLC, while the 70% ethanol extracted proteins were analyzed by RP-HPLC. Protein extracts are separated into 3 main groups of fractions on the SE-HPLC column; polymeric, avenin, and non-avenin monomeric protein groups, representing 59.17â80.87%, 12.89â31.03%, and 3.40â9.41% of total protein content, respectively. The ratio of polymeric to monomeric proteins varied between 1.71 and 6.07. 91 RP-HPLC-separated peaks have been differentiated from the ethanol extractable proteins of the entire population.
The various parameters identified a lot of variation, confirming the significance of genotypic variation. In addition, it was also established that the additional water supply during grain filling significantly affected the various quantitative parameters of protein content, but not its qualitative structure. This environmental effect, however, was strongly genotype-dependent. Winter oat genotypes with low levels of epitope content were identified and it was proven that these characteristics were independent of the environmental factor of water availability. These genotypes are appropriate for initiating a specific breeding program to yield oat cultivars suitable for CD patients
Cold hardening protects cereals from oxidative stress and necrotrophic fungal pathogenesis
The effects of cold hardening of cereals on their
cross-tolerance to treatments leading to oxidative stress
were investigated. Long-term exposure to low non-freezing
temperatures provided partial protection to wheat and
barley plants from the damage caused by paraquat and
hydrogen peroxide treatments. It also conferred resistance
in two barley cultivars to the necrotic symptoms and
growth of the fungal phytopathogen
Pyrenophora
teres
f.
teres
. Pathogen-induced oxidative burst was also reduced
in cold hardened plants. The possible roles of host-derived
redox factors and other signaling components in the
observed forms of cereal cross-tolerance are discussed
Next Generation Driver for Attosecond and Laser-plasma Physics
The observation and manipulation of electron dynamics in matter call for attosecond light pulses, routinely available from high-order harmonic generation driven by few-femtosecond lasers. However, the energy limitation of these lasers supports only weak sources and correspondingly linear attosecond studies. Here we report on an optical parametric synthesizer designed for nonlinear attosecond optics and relativistic laser-plasma physics. This synthesizer uniquely combines ultra-relativistic focused intensities of about 10(20)W/cm(2) with a pulse duration of sub-two carrier-wave cycles. The coherent combination of two sequentially amplified and complementary spectral ranges yields sub-5-fs pulses with multi-TW peak power. The application of this source allows the generation of a broad spectral continuum at 100-eV photon energy in gases as well as high-order harmonics in relativistic plasmas. Unprecedented spatio-temporal confinement of light now permits the investigation of electric-field-driven electron phenomena in the relativistic regime and ultimately the rise of next-generation intense isolated attosecond sources
Effects of photo and thermo cycles on flowering time in barley: a genetical phenomics approach
The effects of synchronous photo (16 h daylength) and thermo (2 °C daily fluctuation) cycles on flowering time were compared with constant light and temperature treatments using two barley mapping populations derived from the facultative cultivar âDicktooâ. The âDicktooâĂâMorexâ (spring) population (DM) segregates for functional differences in alleles of candidate genes for VRN-H1, VRN-H3, PPD-H1, and PPD-H2. The first two loci are associated with the vernalization response and the latter two with photoperiod sensitivity. The âDicktooâĂâKompolti koraiâ (winter) population (DK) has a known functional polymorphism only at VRN-H2, a locus associated with vernalization sensitivity. Flowering time in both populations was accelerated when there was no fluctuating factor in the environment and was delayed to the greatest extent with the application of synchronous photo and thermo cycles. Alleles at VRN-H1, VRN-H2, PPD-H1, and PPD-H2âand their interactionsâwere found to be significant determinants of the increase/decrease in days to flower. Under synchronous photo and thermo cycles, plants with the Dicktoo (recessive) VRN-H1 allele flowered significantly later than those with the Kompolti korai (recessive) or Morex (dominant) VRN-H1 alleles. The Dicktoo VRN-H1 allele, together with the late-flowering allele at PPD-H1 and PPD-H2, led to the greatest delay. The application of synchronous photo and thermo cycles changed the epistatic interaction between VRN-H2 and VRN-H1: plants with Dicktoo type VRN-H1 flowered late, regardless of the allele phase at VRN-H2. Our results are novel in demonstrating the large effects of minor variations in environmental signals on flowering time: for example, a 2 °C thermo cycle caused a delay in flowering time of 70 d as compared to a constant temperature
Response of Wheat Fungal Diseases to Elevated Atmospheric CO2 Level
Infection with fungal pathogens on wheat varieties with different levels of resistance was
tested at ambient (NC, 390 ppm) and elevated (EC, 750 ppm) atmospheric CO2 levels in the
phytotron. EC was found to affect many aspects of the plant-pathogen interaction. Infection
with most fungal diseases was usually found to be promoted by elevated CO2 level in susceptible
varieties. Powdery mildew, leaf rust and stem rust produced more severe symptoms on
plants of susceptible varieties, while resistant varieties were not infected even at EC. The penetration
of Fusarium head blight (FHB) into the spike was delayed by EC in Mv Mambo, while
it was unaffected in Mv Regiment and stimulated in Mv Emma. EC increased the propagation
of FHB in Mv Mambo and Mv Emma. Enhanced resistance to the spread of Fusarium within
the plant was only found in Mv Regiment, which has good resistance to penetration but poor
resistance to the spread of FHB at NC. FHB infection was more severe at EC in two varieties,
while the plants of Mv Regiment, which has the best field resistance at NC, did not exhibit a
higher infection level at EC.
The above results suggest that breeding for new resistant varieties will remain a useful
means of preventing more severe infection in a future with higher atmospheric CO2 levels
Hv-CBF2A overexpression in barley accelerates COR gene transcript accumulation and acquisition of freezing tolerance during cold acclimation
Abstract C-Repeat Binding Factors (CBFs) are DNAbinding
transcriptional activators of gene pathways imparting
freezing tolerance. Poaceae contain three CBF subfamilies,
two of which, HvCBF3/CBFIII and HvCBF4/CBFIV,
are unique to this taxon. To gain mechanistic insight into
HvCBF4/CBFIV CBFs we overexpressed Hv-CBF2A in
spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivar âGolden Promiseâ.
The Hv-CBF2A overexpressing lines exhibited stunted
growth, poor yield, and greater freezing tolerance compared
to non-transformed âGolden Promiseâ. Differences in
freezing tolerance were apparent only upon cold acclimation.
During cold acclimation freezing tolerance of the
Hv-CBF2A overexpressing lines increased more rapidly
than that of âGolden Promiseâ and paralleled the freezing
tolerance of the winter hardy barley âDicktooâ. Transcript
levels of candidate CBF target genes, COR14B and DHN5
were increased in the overexpressor lines at warm temperatures,
and at cold temperatures they accumulated to much
higher levels in the Hv-CBF2A overexpressors than in
âGolden Promiseâ. Hv-CBF2A overexpression also
increased transcript levels of other CBF genes at FROST
RESISTANCE-H2-H2 (FR-H2) possessing CRT/DRE sites
in their upstream regions, the most notable of which was
CBF12. CBF12 transcript levels exhibited a relatively constant
incremental increase above levels in âGolden Promiseâ
both at warm and cold. These data indicate that Hv-CBF2A
activates target genes at warm temperatures and that transcript
accumulation for some of these targets is greatly
enhanced by cold temperatures
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