Two experiments were conducted to develop a protocol for rooting stem cuttings from 3-, 5-, and 7-year-old fraser fir [Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.] Christmas trees. The first experiment tested the effect of stumping treatments and tree age on shoot production and subsequent adventitious rooting. One auxin concentration [4 mm indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)] and a nonauxin control were tested. Stock plants were stumped to the first whorl (trees in the field 3 and 5 years) or the first, third, and fifth whorls (trees in the field 7 years). Intact (nonstumped) controls were also included for each age. The second experiment was designed to create a quantitative description of the effects that crown (foliage and above ground branches of a tree) position have on the rooting of stem cuttings collected from stumped and nonstumped trees. The exact position was determined by measuring the distance from the stem, height from the ground, and the degrees from north. Crown positions were recorded as cuttings were collected and then cuttings were tested for rooting response. The rooting traits assessed in both experiments included rooting percentage, percent mortality, number of primary roots, total root length, root symmetry, and root angle. In the first experiment, rooting percentage, primary root production, and total root length increased as the age of the stock plant decreased and the severity of the stumping treatment increased. Auxin treatment significantly increased rooting percentage, root production, root lengths, and root symmetry while decreasing mortality. Overall, the highest rooting percentages (51%) and the greatest number of primary roots (8.1) occurred when 3-year-old stock plants were stumped to the first whorl and treated the cuttings with 4 mm IBA. The greatest total root lengths (335 mm) occurred in cuttings from the 3-year-old stock plants. In the second experiment, rooting percentage was significantly affected by the position from which the cuttings were collected. Cuttings collected lower in the crown and closer to the main stem rooted more frequently than cuttings collected from the outer and upper crown.
Abstract
Rhizoctonia and Pythium crown and root rot of Euphorbia pulcherrima willd ex Kotzch cv. Annette Hegg Dark Red were suppressed in a composted hardwood bark medium amended with sphagnum peat. The suppression equalled that obtained in an aerated steam-treated peat medium drenched with fungicidies. Growth of ‘Annette Hegg Dark Red’ produced in the sphagnum peat-amended bark was improved over plants produced in a sterilized and fungicide drenched soil-peat-perlite medium. Addition of muck to composted hardwood bark negated the desirable growth effects.
Turfgrass growth regulators (TGRs) are an effective means of reducing vertical shoot growth and the production of clippings of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). Recently, using TGRs has been suggested as a way to acclimate or precondition turfgrass to stress conditions, possibly through total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) accumulations and altered TNC partitioning. The TNC may accumulate in response to growth suppression associated with the TGR application. The objective of this study on tall fescue was to determine the effect of a single trinexapac-ethyl (TE) application on tissue weight and on TNC concentration and weight in leaves, crowns, and roots when sampled 6 to 7 weeks following TE application. This sampling time was chosen to coincide with the 28- to 56-day callback schedule that professional lawn care personnel follow when working with tall fescue. In 1995, a high level of turfgrass maintenance was used, consisting of N applications at 49 kg·ha-1 per month and two mowings per week, while in 1996 a moderate level was used, consisting of N applications at 24 kg·ha-1 per month and one mowing per week. Though TE provided reasonable inhibition of clipping growth for a 4-week period during both years, we observed no increase in tissue weight or in TNC concentration or weight in leaves, crowns, and roots when sampled 6 to 7 weeks after treatment. Chemical name used: [4(cyclopropyl-α-hydroxy-methylene)-3,5-dioxocyclohexanecarboxylic acid ethyl ester] (trinexapac-ethyl).
This study set out to test the hypothesis that the development in the capacity for the maximal rate of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (VCmax) and the maximum regeneration rate of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (Jmax) per unit mass is proportional to the growth temperature under which the leaf develops and to investigate whether the capacity for photosynthetic acclimation to temperature varies genetically within a species by testing genotypes that originated from diverse thermal environments. Acer rubrum L. (red maple) genotypes were subjected to short-term and long-term temperature alteration to investigate the photosynthetic response. We minimized the variation of within-crown light gradients by growing trees in open grown field conditions and controlled temperature on a crown section basis. Thus, we singled out the temperature acclimation affects on the photosynthetic temperature optimum. In response to temperature acclimation, the genotype from the northern United States downregulated both VCmax and Jmax and had a 5 and 3 °C lower temperature optimum than the genotype native to the southern United States. The activation energy increased and was higher for Jmax than for VCmax in both genotypes. With respect to respiration, both genotypes downregulated about 0.5 μmol·m-2·s-1. Although respiration was lower, the increased energy of activation in response to growth temperature resulted in a decrease in maximum net photosynthetic rate (Amax) under saturating light and CO2. The results illustrate that the photosynthetic capacity adjusted in response to growth temperature but the temperature optimum was different among genotypes.
Host nutritional variables were evaluated for their effects on the severity of crown and root rot of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedlings (cv. Bonnie Best) were grown in a pathogen-infested, soilless rockwool system in the greenhouse and were fertilized with a nutrient solution that was amended with macro- and microelements at various rates. Disease was evaluated after 2 weeks using an index of 0 to 4, and plant fresh weight was measured. Regression analysis indicated that disease severity was significantly increased by ammonium-nitrogen [NH4Cl, (NH4)6Mo7O24, and (NH4)2SO4], NaH2PO4·H2O, Fe-EDDHA, MnSO4, MoO3, and ZnSO4·7H2O. Disease severity was reduced by nitrate-nitrogen [Ca(NO3)2·4H2O] and CuSO4·H2O. Low rates of NH4NO3 (39 to 79 mg·L-1 N) reduced disease, but rates above 100 mg·L-1 N increased it. Disease was not affected by MgSO4·7H2O. In all cases, plant growth was inversely related to disease severity. Mineral fertilizers had no effect on nutrient solution pH. This information sheds new light on environmental factors that influence plant-pathogen interactions, and may be applied to develop a management strategy for Fusarium crown and root rot based on host nutrition.
‘Mountain Crown’ is a fresh-market plum tomato F 1 hybrid ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) developed by crossing NC 30P × NC 1 Plum. It is resistant to verticillium wilt ( Verticillium dahliae Kleb) (race 1) ( Ve/Ve gene), fusarium wilt ( Fusarium
Trees of each of five rootstock genotypes (M.7a, M.9, M.26, MM.111, Mark,) were inoculated above and below ground with three strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. These were compared to controls that were uninoculated or inoculated with sterile deionized water. All rootstocks tested were quite susceptible to crown gall, but M.9 and Mark were consistantly among the most susceptible genotypes. Percent of inoculated sites forming galls above ground ranged from 43% in M.7a to 77% in M.9 and the mean size of galls that formed ranged from 3.7 mm in M.26 to 7.7 mm in M.9. All rootstocks except M.9 formed galls at a higher percentage of inoculated sites that were below ground. Percent of below ground inoculations forming galls ranged from 67% in MM.111 to 100% in Mark while mean size of galls underground ranged from 4.2 mm in MM.111 to 15.3 mm in M.9. The proportion of inoculated sites forming galls below ground in M.7a was twice as high as in above ground sites For rootstock × strain means, each measure of crown gall susceptibility above ground was significantly correlated with corresponding below ground data at the 0.01 level. to three rootstocks, some trees inoculated with sterile deionized water also produced apparent galls at sites below the soil line (100% in Mark, 60% in M.7a, 22% in M.26) although none of the above ground control inoculations produced galls. Uninoculated controls showed no gall formation.
Balancing vegetative growth with fruiting is a primary concern in strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) production. Where nursery plant selection and preconditioning are inadequate for runner control, additional approaches are needed. The gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor prohexadione-Ca (commercial formulation Apogee) was tested over two seasons for suppressing fall runners of `Chandler' plug plants in a cold-climate annual hill production system. Prohexadione-Ca was applied as a foliar spray at active ingredient concentrations ranging from 60 to 480 mg·L-1, either as a single application 1 week after planting, or repeated at 3-week intervals. The lowest rate resulted in inadequate runner control, with some runners producing malformed daughter plants. Higher rates resulted in 57% to 93% reductions in fall runner numbers, with a concomitant increase in fall branch crown formation. There were no effects of the prohexadione-Ca treatments on plant morphology the following spring, and no adverse effects on fruit characteristics or yield. Chemical names used: prohexadione-calcium, calcium 3-oxido-4-propionyl-5-oxo-3-cyclohexene-carboxylate.
Lycopersicon pennellii accession LA 1277 was crossed to tomato (L. esculentum) and the F1 was backcrossed to tomato. Self-pollinated seed was saved from backcross plants and seedlings derived were inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht f.sp. radicus-lycopersici Jarvis and Shoemaker, the causal agent of Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR). Seed was saved from resistant plants that were self-pollinated and screened until homozygous resistance was verified five generations after the backcross. Three homozygous lines were crossed to Fla. 7547, a tomato breeding line susceptible to FCRR but resistant to Fusarium wilt races 1, 2, and 3. Subsequently, backcrosses were made to each parent and F2 seed were obtained. The three homozygous FCRR-resistant lines were also crossed to Ohio 89-1, which has a dominant gene for FCRR resistance presently being used in breeding programs. F2 seed were obtained from these crosses. These generations were inoculated with the FCRR pathogen. The resistant parents, F1, and backcross to the resistant parents were all healthy. The backcross to the susceptible parent and the F2 segregated healthy to susceptible plants in 1:1 and 3:1 ratios, respectively. Thus, the resistance from LA 1277 was inherited as a single dominant gene. This gene was different than the gene from Ohio 89-1 because susceptible segregants were detected in the F2 generation derived from the two resistant sources.
table beet quality and yield is Rhizoctonia root and crown rot caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani Kühn (Abawi et al., 1986; Natti, 1953 ; Pethybridge et al., 2018 ), which renders table beet roots unmarketable. Currently, there are few chemical