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Secondary metabolite production by plant cell culture has been become of interest because of its commercial value in use. However, cultured plant cells usually yield lower levels of secondary metabolites than those of intact plants. In order to improve the anthocyanin productivity in hairy root culture of Daucus carota, fungal elicitors from 8 species of Fungi were examined. Through the studies of fungal elicitors in this work, it was turned out that fungal elicitors were very effective to improve the yield of anthocyanin. Despite of its low yield of anthocyanin, high density culture of hairy roots is achieved in fluidized-bed bioreactor, Anthocyanin production in fluidized-bed bioreactor with fungal elicitor treatment was increased greatly. We are currently researching more detailed aeration effects and scale-up in air-lift bioreactors. And these studies could provide important data to establish mass production system for secondary metabolites.
New cultivars, `SKK 1' and `SKK 2', of Korean mountain ash (Sorbus alnifolia) that had superior morphological features as woody landscape plants were selected from 5000 seedlings of Sorbus alnifolia. Two clones with genetic variation were selected from 1983 to 1994 as landscape plants with large leaf and unique tree form: `SKK 1', which had large leaf and flower, and `SKK 2', with semi-weeping tree form. New selected cultivars of S. alnifolia were successfully grafted and inherited their mother characteristics. Sorbus alnifolia was difficult to propagate by cutting. Therefore, in vitro propagation methods might be used to propagate the superior cultivars. Shoots with apical and axillary buds were excised from 1-year-old seedlings. The explants were cultured on WPM supplemented with 0.5 mg/L BA. Shoots formed from initial cultures were subcultured at ≈4-week intervals onto the same media. To know the best hormone concentration in shoot multiplication, 0.1–3.0 mg/L of BA and 0.1–1.0 mg/L of zeatin were added to each WPM and MS media. The best shoot proliferation and elongation were obtained on MS medium with 1.0 mg/L BA from the whole shoot with the callus-like tissue, whereas the worst results were obtained from shoot tip. A 13-fold proliferation rate was achieved every 4 weeks.
Our objective was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for seed weight, length, and height segregating in a recombinant inbred line population derived from the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cross `PC-50' × XAN-159. The parents and progeny were grown in two separate greenhouse experiments in Nebraska, and in field plots in the Dominican Republic and Wisconsin. Data analysis was done for individual environments separately and on the mean over all environments. A simple linear regression analysis of all data indicated that most QTL appeared to be detected in the mean environment. Based on these results, composite interval mapping (CIM) analysis was applied to the means over environments. For seed weight, strong evidence was indicated for five QTL on common bean linkage groups (LGs) 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) indicated that these QTL explained 44% of the phenotypic variation for the trait. Weaker evidence was found for three additional candidate QTL on bean LGs 4, 5, and 8. All eight markers associated with these QTL were significant in a MRA where the full model explained 63% of the variation among seed weight means. For seed length, CIM results indicated strong evidence for three QTL on LG 8 and one on LG 2. Three additional putative QTL were detected on LGs 3, 4, and 11. The markers associated with the three seed length QTL on LG 8, and the QTL on LGs 2 and 11 were significant in a MRA with the full model explaining 48% of the variation among seed length means. For seed height, three QTL on LGs 4, 6, and 11 explained 36% of the phenotypic variation for trait means. Four of the seven QTL for seed length and two of three QTL for seed height also appeared to correspond to QTL for seed weight. Four QTL for common bacterial blight resistance [Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Smith Dye)] and for smaller seed size were associated on LGs 6, 7, and 8. The implications of these findings for breeders is discussed.