Agriculture

  2009 JUN 25 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Quantitative variation in seed set following artificial self-pollination has been recently demonstrated in Lilium longiflorum," scientists writing in the Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University report.

  "Pollen tube behavior and seed set in self-pollination in the species were investigated to clarify whether the variation is caused by self-incompatibility or early-acting inbreeding depression. The self pollen tubes were arrested in the style of the individuals that failed to set selfed seeds, and total number of pollen tubes observed at the base of the style tended to correspond to that of obtained selfed seeds," wrote S. Sakazono and colleagues, Kyushu University ...read more

  2009 JUN 25 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to a study from Fukuoka, Japan, "Japanese knotweed, Fallopia japonica is an invasive alien weed causing serious environmental and economical problem in Europe and North America. During field surveys in Japan, a rust fungus was observed in summer/autumn causing severe damage to the weed."

  "This rust pathogen was identified as Puccinia polygoni-amphibii var. tovariae based on morphology. The rust was found from August to December in a field site at, Kyushu University, Fukuoka Pref., Japan. Urediniospores were observed between August and October and were associated with severe damage and defoliation of Japanese knotweed followed by teliospores were occurred in the field from November to December. The symptoms appeared 5 days after inoculation (dai) and inoculated leaves were defoliated 15 dai. It has not been confirmed if P.polygoni-amphibii var. tovariae is autoecious or heteroecious," wrote D. Kurose and colleagues, Kyushu University ...read more

  2009 JUN 25 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "TLC profiles of aminolipids extracted from phytopathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria with chloroform-methanol-0.3%NaCl (2:1:0.2, v/v/v) or 2-propanol are useful for discrimination of bacteria. For many bacteria, each TLC profile is genus or species specific and highly reproducible," investigators in Atsugi, Japan report.

  "For most gram-negative bacteria, the uppermost spot (Up) appeared at ca. R-f 0.7 on the chromatograms developed with chloroform-methanol-0.2% CaCl2 center dot 2H(2)O (55:35:8, v/v/v). This spot was absent on the chromatograms of grain-positive bacteria, Clavibacter michiganeasis. The profiles of Agrobacterium spp. and Rhizobium spp. were different from other gram-negative bacteria with the uppermost spots at ca. R-l 0.75. For the case of Agrobacterium spp., the chromatograms of the strains belonging to the same biovar were identical. Distinct differences were found among the profiles of Agrobacterium, biovar 1, A. biovar 2, A. biovar 3 and A. rubi. The profiles of Rhizobium. spp., except for R. tropici, and their relatives such as Bradyrhizobium, Mesorhizobium and Sinorhizobium spp. were quite simple and different from those of Agrobacterium spp. For the case of Burkholderia, species, except. for B. andropogonis, three spots (designated as S1, S2, S3) appeared under the uppermost spot (Up) and their profiles were species specific for several species such as B. plantarii and B. caryophylli. On the chromatogram of R. andropogonis, the S1 spot, (non-phosphorous) was absent and the S3 spot was faint. The profiles of 96 Ralstonia solanacearum. strains from various Sources were identical. For the case of Erwinia carotovora an intensive benchmark spot, appeared at. R, 0,64 but this spot was absent on the chromatograms of pathovars of E. chrysavthemi and F. herbirola. Clear diversity in profiles was observed between Xanthomonas campestris and X. oryzae. The profile of pathovars of Pseudomonas syringae were identical and simple," wrote N. Matsuyama and colleagues, Tokyo University ...read more