Mirassón¹ HR, ML Faraldo¹, MN Fioretti², M Miravalles², RE Brevedan²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 183-187, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.183

Abstract Tillage system is an important management decision that has to be taken in the central, semiarid, temperate region of Argentina for dryland wheat production. A 2-year study was conducted on an Entic Haplustoll soil with a sandy loam texture to determine the effects of three tillage systems (conventional, vertical and notillage) on leaf water status and chlorophyll content. Measurements were made at the Z65 growth stage with a SPAD-502; leaf water potential measurements were simultaneously taken. There was a positive relationship between leaf water potential and leaf greenness in both years. Tillage systems were significantly different in 2007; both variables… More >

Sadia^1,3 B, PC Josekutty², SD Potlakayala², P Patel², S Goldman³, SV Rudrabhatla²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 177-181, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.177

Abstract A robust protocol for culturing meristems of Sorghum is required to assist with rapid genetic improvement of the genus. Through meristem culture, an efficient method for rapid micropropagation was developed for Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. hybrids, namely NC+262, NC+6C21 and NC+6B50. Complete plants were regenerated directly from shoot meristems without an intervening callus phase. Regeneration frequencies varied between the studied genotypes and according to the growth regulator combinations present in the medium. The combination of BAP and TDZ showed a synergistic effect on shoot multiplication. The highest number of shoots per meristem (68 ± 2) was recorded for the genotype… More >

Peláez¹ DV, HD Giorgetti², OA Montenegro², OR Elia³, GD Rodríguez², RM Bóo^1,*, MD Mayor^4,*,*, CA Busso³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 169-176, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.169

Abstract Fire is a major ecological process within most terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, understanding the vegetation response to fire is essential to its management. Our objective was to study the effect of a controlled fire, conducted at the end of summer season, on cover and density of the most common woody and herbaceous species in Phytogeographical Province of the Monte, Argentina. In general, after the control fire, the woody species mean percentage cover was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the fire treatment than in the control (no controlled fire). This effect was persistent during the study period. No significant differences (p>0.05) were detected… More >

Feng¹ RJ, LF Lu², KH Yuan³, P Cheng³, LL Zhang³, JF Qi³, Y Ren⁴, XL Xu⁵, XB Zhang³, LY Zhou³, YD Zhang³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 163-168, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.163

Abstract A banana (Musa AAA, Cavendish subgroup cv. Brazil) cDNA encoding a putative rubredoxin-like protein (MaRd1) was obtained from total RNA isolated from cold-treated banana leaves using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique. MaRd1 cDNA contained 597 nucleotides encoding 198 amino acids in the open reading frame. MaRd1 protein showed 56% amino acid identity with that of Pyrococcus furiosus rubredoxin (P24297). A chloroplast transit peptide and a transmembrane region were detected at the N-terminus and the C-terminus, respectively, of the deduced amino acid sequence of MaRd1 gene. Southern blotting revealed the occurrence of at least two copies of MaRd1 in… More >

Franchini¹ MC, LF Hernández², LI Lindström³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 153-161, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.153

Abstract Wax in the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) pericarp is an important morphological feature that interferes with oil quality and varies with crop management and environmental conditions. We studied the effect of a moderate water deficit (MWD) generated from early to late anthesis on quantitative development of the cuticle, and qualitative and quantitative development of the cuticular waxes (CW) of the pericarp in two hybrids grown under field conditions. The experiment was repeated during two consecutive seasons (Exp-I and Exp-II). At harvest maturity (HM), plants grown under a MWD showed higher CW content (31 to 47%) and thicker cuticles (13%) in… More >

Cerna¹ E, Y Ochoa², R Mendoza¹, MH Badii³, G Gallegos¹, J Landeros¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 147-152, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.147

Abstract Protein assays were conducted on Tetranychus urticae Koch, as potential resistance detection tools to plaguicides. This is a phytophagous mite that feeds on a large variety of plants. Experiments were carried out using a pesticide susceptible and three field crop strains of T. urticae. Protein was measured by colorimetric assays, using Kit-II from Bio-Rad, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as standard. Homogenates were prepared using 10, 30, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 800 mites, with 30 replicates each. Linearity was obtained for the standard curve of the different methods, and r² values ranged from 0.877 to 0.985. The Bradford method… More >

Tizón¹ FR, DV Peláez^1,2,3, OR Elía^1,2

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 141-146, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.141

Abstract Fire plays a fundamental role in the structure of vegetation communities in the Caldenal. However, this effect has decreased considerably since the introduction of domestic cattle, which reduces the amount of fine combustible material. Objectives of this study were (1) to analyze the diversity and composition of a typical vegetation community in the south of the Caldenal after exposure to different fire frequencies, and (2) to show the convenience of using controlled fire for reversing the processes of scrub formation to states with more diverse and productive grassland communities. Forty-five herbaceous and woody species were recorded. Treatment C (control) showed… More >

Hernández-León R, I Velázquez-Sepúlveda, MC Orozco-Mosqueda, G Santoyo

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 133-139, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.133

Abstract Soil is a complex system that includes a great number and diversity of microorganisms. Until recently, only a small percentage of the bioma was known and could be studied. Currently, it is possible to have a deeper knowledge of all that unknown genomic material with the development of new tools, like metagenomics. New molecules have been discovered with various biotechnological applications, and knowledge of the diverse microbiological interactions in several environments, some of them with extreme life conditions, is much higher. We analyze the most recent literature in the field of metagenomics in this study, especially that related with the… More >

Abrameto MA, CM Pozzo Ardizzi, MI Gil, LM Molina

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 123-132, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.123

Abstract Costly investments in storage and transport of onion bulbs makes it increasingly important to identify cultivars with the best chance of long-term storage. This paper discusses our own and other researchers’ results and laboratory procedures on onion’s pungency, soluble solids, dry matter, respiration rate, carbohydrates and catabolism-related enzymes under different storage conditions. The variability in parameters such as carbohydrate composition, pungency, soluble solids and soluble uronic acid concentration in water is growth dependent, and defines the quality of onion bulbs at harvest time. During storage, these parameters can be modified by environmental conditions, presence of pathogens or termination of dormancy.… More >

Yan PM¹, HF Zhang¹, Q Wang¹, XY Yan¹, Y Sun²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 117-121, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.117

Abstract Isozymes of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), esterase (EST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were analyzed on transgenic maize (with external chitinase gene) and its parent by vertical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). This study was made using shoots at the fourth leaf stage. Results showed that: POD and EST were detected in 6 bands. POD-2 and POD-3 were present at the bud and seedling stages. POD-1, POD-4, POD-5 and POD-6 were only present at the seedling stage. POD-6 expressed stronger in the transgenic maize with chitinase than in its parent. EST-2 was present only at the bud stage, and its expression in… More >