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Racemes of Big Bend bluebonnet (Lupinus havardii Wats.), a winter annual native to far west Texas with attractive blue flowers, are currently being produced commercially as a specialty cut-flower crop. Our studies indicated that the key determinants of postharvest longevity and performance are flower abscission and flower senescence, both of which can be influenced by ethylene. Therefore, this study was undertaken to evaluate the role of some ethylene biosynthesis inhibitors (aminooxy acetic acid = AOA; cobalt = CO++; salicylic acid = SA) and an ethylene action inhibitor (silver thiosulfate = STS) on flower abscission and flower senescence of bluebonnet racemes. Depending on the concentration used (10 μM - 1 mM), AOA and CO++ exhibited variable effects on flower abscission, flower senescence and vaselife. SA (10-100 μM) slightly delayed senescence but did not affect abscission, while higher levels of SA (500 μM - 2 mM) slightly promoted abscission and also significantly enhanced the senescence of flowers on cut racemes. The effects of SA were found to be pH-dependent. However, STS nearly eliminated flower abscission and enhanced vaselife. The results also demonstrated that the abscission of bluebonnet flowers, in particular, is highly sensitive to ethylene.
This report describes an efficient in vitro regeneration protocol for H. patens (firebush), a heat-tolerant ornamental shrub native to tropical and subtropical America. Shoot cultures were initially established using shoot tips placed on MS-revised medium containing 2.3 μM 2,4-D, 2.3 μM kinetin, and 0.25% polyvinylpyrrolidone. Other types of explants (nodal and internodal segments, leaf pieces, floral buds) did not regenerate shoots when placed on this medium. Two-month-old plantlets derived from the shoot tips were subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 μM thidiazuron (TDZ), and within 3 to 4 weeks, some callus was produced at the root–shoot junction. When this callus, with a small portion of the root and shoots, was placed on MS medium with 0.05 μM TDZ and 0.01 μM ABA, prolific shoot formation occurred within 3 to 4 weeks followed by root formation. By regular subculturing every 5 to 6 weeks, hundreds of plantlets have been obtained over the past 3 years with no apparent decline in regeneration potential. Addition of activated charcoal (0.5%) to the culture medium has greatly improved growth of the plantlets.
Relative water usage of four species of container-grown woody ornamental shrubs (Buxus japonica (Japenese boxwood), Leucophyllum frutescens (Texas sage), Ligustrum japonica (ligustrum) and Pittosporum tobira wheeleri (dwarf) pittosporurm)), normally used for home landscaping in south Texas, were evaluated by comparing water consumption and frequency of watering with growth rates and horticultural quality after six months growth in containers. Growth rates were determined by the difference in plant height and leaf area from the control unwatered plants and were used to characterize the suitability of ornamental shrubs for xeric landscapes. While frequency of watering had no significant effects on plant height, only ligustrum and dwarf pittosporum plants watered on weekly basis showed positive change in leaf area. There was considerable leaf regrowth in Texas sage plants after initial leaf loss. Of all the shrubs tested, dwarf pittosporum plants watered biweekly used less water to maintain their horticultural quality.
Abstract
Minnesota 101 is a monoecious, short intemode breeding line of muskmelon, Cucumis melo L. Its primary use is envisaged as that of a breeding line useful as a parent in the production of F1 hybrid cultivars, and as germplasm in the long term improvement of muskmelon.
Abstract
Bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cvs. Provider and Stringless Black Valentine) were exposed to 395 µg/m3 (0.08 ppm) peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) for 0.5 hr and subjected to drought stress following exposure. PAN influenced the plant water potential of ΡAN-sensitive ‘Provider’ resulting in visible wilting and reduced soil moisture content. There was no effect of PAN on the water relations of the PAN-tolerant ‘Stringless Black Valentine’.
Southernpeas are an important crop to Arkansas processors, market gardeners and home gardeners. While the bulk of the acreage produced in the state is pinkeye purple hull types, there is a demand for other horticultural types. At present some processors consider `White Acre' to be the standard of cream pea quality, but under Arkansas conditions, `White Acre' produces excessive vine growth, is very late to mature and is susceptible to bacterial blight. For these reasons, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station announces the release of `Early Acre'. `Early Acre' has been widely tested under the designation Arkansas 84-154 and produces a very compact bush plant that has seed similar in size and shape to `White Acre', but matures 8-10 days earlier under Arkansas conditions. Although the plant type is well suited to narrow row spacing, `Early Acre' has produced yields similar to `White Acre' when both are planted at conventional row spacings. Samples have been canned by the Dept. of Food Science at the University of Arkansas and the samples have been rated equal to `White Acre' in processed quality. “Early Acre' has exhibited high levels of resistance to bacterial blight in replicated yield trials under field epidemics in both Arkansas and Texas.
A vegetable production system using winter cover crops and N rates was evaluated for several years in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Snap bean, cucumber, tomato, potato, and sweetpotato crops were tested at different locations. Cover crop plots produced higher yields and better quality in all locations as seasons progressed over 4 years. Soil N levels in fallow, wheat, and clover plots were similar at initiation, but N gradually increased in clover plots in successive years. Yield and quality of root crops improved with Crimson clover without N applications compared to fallow plots with 60 kg N/ha. Effects on yield and tuber size are discussed. Nitrate and NH4-N in the soil profile from 15- to 150-cm depth were monitored at all locations. Nitrogen availability, depletion, and leaching below the root zone were determined. At low N rate, clover plots had slightly higher NO3 in the soil profile; however, at high N rate, N supply by clover was not as critical, and N leaching was detected at much lower depths than at low N rates.
Abstract
Resistance in Pisum sativum to Aphanomyces euteiches was evaluated in the laboratory by the number of oospores formed in excised root tips inoculated with zoospores of the pathogen. Significantly lower mean numbers of oospores formed in root tips of 3 moderately resistant breeding lines than in those of 3 susceptible cultivars. Results were reproduceable if test procedures were adequately controlled. A sample size of 40 root tips gave 95% confidence in detecting a 40 oospore/root tip difference between means of resistant and susceptible genotypes.
Lower mean numbers of oospores formed in excised root tips of genotypes which were resistant in greenhouse tests. Inoculum concentrations of 10 to 100 zoospores/plant caused severe disease in susceptible cv. New Era, while greater amounts of inoculum were needed to cause comparable disease in 2 resistant breeding lines.
Abstract
Artificial infestation with egg masses to simulate severe natural second brood European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), infestation caused less stalk and stalk-associated damage in the resistant field corn inbred ‘B52’ Zea mays L. than in susceptible sweet corn inbreds. Relatively severe damage, however, occurred on and around the region of the primary ear in both ‘B52’ and the sweet inbreds. Because direct kernel damage is of paramount economic importance in sweet corn as opposed to field corn, forms of second-brood resistance in addition to that found in ‘B52’ should be sought in sweet corn improvement. For stalk tunneling and number of sheath and collar lesions the resistance of F1 and F2 progenies was intermediate between the resistance of ‘B52’ and the sweet inbreds. Although there were no parental differences in damage to the ear, F1 and F2 means showed some indication of resistance.
Abstract
Minnesota 494-A11 is a unique source of common pea (Pisum sativum L.) germ-plasm. It has moderate to high resistance to common root rot caused by Aphanomyees euteiehes Drechs. (3, 6) and high resistance to fusarium wilt races 1, 2 and 6 caused by Fusarium oxysporum Linford f. sp. pisi Snyd. & Hans. It is intermediate in reaction to race 5 of that organism (7). It also has moderate tolerance to fusarium root rot caused by Fusarium solani and to root rot caused by Pythium ultimum. However, it does not have resistance to Rhizoctonia solani. No other genotype of P. sativum is known to have the above combination of resistanee/tolerance to so many soil-borne pathogens.