Phenological growth and development stages of the native Patagonian fruit species Berberis buxifolia Lam

This work studied the phenological growth and development stages of Berberis buxifolia, a native Patagonian species, whose purple berries are of economic value. Data were recorded from a population of B. buxifolia adult plants, growing naturally near Ushuaia city, 54º 48´SL, 68º 19´WL (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina). The BBCH-scale has been adopted in this study, and the phenological stages were coded using two digits. Nine principal growth and development stages were recognized for the phenological description of B. buxifolia, starting with vegetative and mixed bud development (stage 0). The following four of them were assigned to the vegetative growth, which described leaf development on shoots (stage 1), shoot elongation (stage 3), development of plant propagation organs (stage 4) and partial senescence, beginning of dormancy (stage 9). The last four principal growth stages describe flower emergence (stage 5), flowering (stage 6), fruit development (stage 7) and maturity of fruit (stage 8).Fil: Arena, Miriam Elisabet. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Giordani, Edgardo. Universita Degli Studi Di Firenze; ItaliaFil: Radice, Silvia. Universidad de Moron. Facultad de Agronomia y Ciencias Agroalimentarias. Laboratorio de Investigaciones En Fisiologia Vegetal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Flower development and pollen vitality of Moringa oleifera Lam. grown in a humid temperate climatic condition

Moringa oleifera is a tropical tree cultivated in many countries. This species has acquired a great importance in human nutrition and it was recently indicated as a “novel food” by the European Commission. Recently, moringa plants have been introduced in humid temperate climatic areas, among which Moreno (Buenos Aires Province - Argentina). In such area, the cultivation is possible for the production of leaves, but plants need protection during winter time in order to overcome damages due to low temperatures and hence to produce capsules and seeds. The main objective of this research was to study flower morphology and anatomy of M. oleifera, as well as microsporogenesis and viability of pollen grains of plants cultivated in Moreno in comparison with those produced in a humid sub-tropical climatic area of Argentina (San Miguel de Tucumán). Flowers grown in the temperate environment resulted similar for morphological parameters to those observed in the sub-tropical environment. Nevertheless, pollen grain fertility depended directly on air temperature and it was negatively affected by the lower temperatures registered in the temperate site. According to the observed results, pollen viability increases with mean monthly temperatures above 16°C