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Aluminum ion (Al3+) toxicity is a major factor limiting plant production on acid soils. Species of zoysiagrass (Zoysia Willd.) are grown for lawn, turf, and soil conservation, especially in temperate zones. Herein, 46 zoysiagrass accessions obtained from eight provinces in China were evaluated for Al resistance using small-scale liquid culture. Each accession was grown in triplicate in nutrient solutions with 1500 μm AlCl3·6H2O (experimental) or without exposure to Al (control). The mean dry weights of the roots, shoots, and total bodies of the accessions relative to those of the nontreated controls were calculated after 60 days, and showed considerable diversity. Overall, the cv for the shoot, root, and total weights of the Al-treated accessions relative to the nontreated controls were 45.78%, 56.67%, and 42.84%, respectively. A cluster analysis based on Al resistance and subordinate function values revealed that 12 of the 46 zoysiagrass accessions (26.09%) were resistant to Al, 9 (19.57%) were moderately resistant, and 25 (54.35%) were sensitive to Al stress. These 46 zoysiagrass accessions from China have great potential for horticultural breeding and development, and for research into mechanisms that underlie Al resistance.
The aim of this study was to establish a regeneration system of watermelon. Watermelon W1 was selected as the experimental material using seedling shoots as a receptor. The effects of different concentrations of 6-Benzylaminopurine (6-BA) on the shoot-tip of watermelon seedlings were studied. Number of shoots at the stem tip were counted every other day until the new buds reached 2 cm. The new stem tip was cut, and the effect of different concentrations of Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium on the number of regenerated roots and root length of shoots were studied. The results showed that the differentiation rate was highest when the 6-BA concentration was 0.7 mg/mL to 0.8 mg/mL. The optimum concentration for root regeneration was 1/8 MS. At this concentration, the number rooted was the highest, and root length was also promoted.
Jinyan (Actinidia eriantha × A. chinensis) is one of the gold-fleshed kiwifruit cultivars currently being promoted in south China. However, its fruit dry matter is usually less than 16%, which seriously affects fruit quality including taste and flavor. This causes a financial loss to growers: not only are the prices paid for the fruit low because of their bad reputation for quality, but some orchards have been removed. Improvement of fruit quality is essential. In this study, a method is described for squeezing and twisting flowering shoots before flowering and removing the distal vegetative parts of flowering shoots after fruit set. The effects on fruit quality were determined. The dry matter of fruit was increased by 6.6%. Fruit size also increased as did the chlorophyll a content and the chlorophyll:carotenoid ratio. The significantly increased fruit dry matter, resulting in significant increases in fruit soluble solids concentrations (P < 0.01), thereby possibly improving fruit taste. Fruit weight, fruit length, and carotenoid and ascorbic acid concentrations were significantly enhanced in comparison with controls (P < 0.01), increasing by 20%, 7%, 12%, and 19%, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in soluble sugar concentrations, titratable acid concentrations, and the reduced chlorophyll b concentrations. This research provides a practical method to increase fruit dry matter, and hence a way to allow fruit quality to reach commercial requirements for cultivars such as Jinyan, which under previous management systems had significant shortcomings in fruit flavor and taste.