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Two New Species Of Cirsium (Asteraceae) And Notes On Allies From Turkey, Bayram Yildiz, Turan Arabaci, Tuncay Di̇rmenci̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, 2 new species of Cirsium Mill. sect. Epitrachys DC., Cirsium balikesirense Yıldız, Arabacı & Dirmenci and C. nerimaniae Yıldız, Dirmenci & Arabacı from Turkey, are described and illustrated. The differences between the new species and their allies are discussed. Ecological habit, localities, key of allied species, and a distribution map of the species are given.

Karyological Studies Of 10 Cirsium Sect. Epitrachys (Asteraceae) Species From Turkey, Eda Yüksel, Yaşar Kiran, Ahmet Şahi̇n, Bayram Yildiz, Turan Arabaci

Turkish Journal of Botany

Detailed karyotype properties were established for 10 Cirsium Mill. sect. Epitrachys DC. species distributed in Turkey. The species Cirsium ligulare Boiss., C. sintenisii Freyn, C. boluënse P.H.Davis & Parris, C. eriophorum (L.) Scop., C. steirolepis Petr., C. baytopae P.H.Davis & Parris, C. poluninii P.H.Davis & Parris, C. ciliatum (Murray) Moench subsp. szovitsii (K.Koch) Petr., C. ellenbergii Bornm., and C. vulgare (Savi) Ten. have the somatic chromosome number 2n = 2x = 34, whereas C. sintenisii and C. vulgare showed 2n = 4x = 68. The chromosome numbers of C. sintenisii, C. boluënse, C. baytopae, C. poluninii, and C. ellenbergii are …

Classification Of Camellia Species From 3 Sections Using Leaf Anatomical Data With Back-Propagation Neural Networks And Support Vector Machines, Wu Jiang, Bi̇llur Barshan Özaktaş, Nitin Mantri, Zhengming Tao, Hongfei Lu

Turkish Journal of Botany

Leaf characteristics provide many useful clues for taxonomy. We used a back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) and C-support vector machines (C-SVMs) to classify 47 species from 3 sections of genus Camellia (16 from sect. Chrysanthae, 16 from sect. Tuberculata, and 15 from sect. Paracamellia). The classification model was constructed based on 7 leaf anatomy attributes including, area of adaxial epidermal cell, thickness of adaxial epidermal cell, thickness of palisade parenchyma, thickness of total leaf, thickness of spongy parenchyma, thickness of abaxial epidermal cell, and area of abaxial epidermal cell. Model parameters of C-SVM, comprising regularization parameter (C) and kernel parameter …

Cellular And Molecular Aspects Of The Interaction Betwen Maize And The Anthracnose Pathogen Colletotrichum Graminicola, Maria F. Torres

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Maize anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum graminicola, is an economically important species contributing to major yield losses. C. graminicola is a hemibiotroph; initially it invades its host while it is alive, and then it switches to destructive necrotrophic growth and the host is killed. Establishment of compatible interactions by biotrophic pathogens is usually associated with suppression of host defenses and cell death, while necrotrophic pathogens typically secrete phytotoxic compounds and induce cell death. To understand the relationship of hemibiotrophy in C. graminicola to biotrophy and necrotrophy, I compared a compatible and an incompatible interaction, utilizing a non-pathogenic …

Overexpression/Silencing Of Selected Soybean Genes Alters Resistance To Pathogens, Mohamed H. El-Habbak

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Plant diseases remain a major obstruction to meeting the world’s increased demand for soybean oil and protein. Reducing the losses caused by diseases in order to improve crop production is a high priority for agricultural research. The need for novel strategies for plant disease control cannot be overstated. In the present study, selected defense-related genes were silenced and/or overexpressed in soybean using a virus-based vector and the resultant plants were tested for their responses to pathogens. The first part of the study focused on Rps1k (Resistance to Phytophthora sojae) gene. The two conserved domains encoding ‘P-Loop NTPase’ and ‘PLN03210’ …

Confirmation Of Allelopathic Chemicals From Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris Arundinacea L.) Roots, Alexander Richard Tomes

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) is an invasive species and a major threat to grasslands and natural wetlands on nearly every landmass (Morrison and Molofsky 1998). Methanol extracts of whole and macerated Reed Canarygrass roots have been found to reduce the germination and growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa), radish (Raphanus sativus), and the aquatic plant, Reed Mannagrass (Glyceria maxima) (Veit and Proctor 2009). Linoleic, linolenic and palmitic acids were identified in the methanol extracts of both the whole and macerated Reed Canarygrass roots (Proctor 2011). The purpose of this research was to determine if these chemicals individually and in combination would …

Influence Of Salicylic Acid On Phytochelatin Synthesis In Zea Mays During Cd Stress, Gabriella Szalai, Alexander Krantev, Rusina Yordanova, Losanka Petrova Popova, Tibor Janda

Turkish Journal of Botany

Presoaking maize (Zea mays) seeds in salicylic acid (SA) reduces damage caused by cadmium. In the present work the possible role of phytochelatins (PCs) in SA-mediated protection against Cd toxicity was investigated. Seeds were presoaked in 0.5 mM SA, and seedlings were grown in hydroponic solution containing 0, 0.01, 0.015, or 0.025 mM Cd. Treatment with Cd increased the PC levels in maize roots, but only slight changes were observed in the leaves. Long-term exposure to Cd decreased the phytochelatin synthase (PCS) activity in the roots and led to an increase in PCS and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in maize …

A Study Of The Genes Tfl1 And Lfy As Agents In The Divergent Evolution Of The Plant Species Arabidopsis Thaliana And Carica Papaya, Ryan Lockard

Honors Program Theses

The long term goals of this study are to: (1) To determine if the genes TFLI and LFY perform any role in the divergent evolution and development of these two plant species; (2) If so, begin to assess whether the homologs' functional divergence is a result of gene regulation, protein function, both, or some different genetic mechanism altogether. These goals will be accomplished by genetically transforming Arabidopsis thaliana plants containing TFLI and LFY knockout mutations (those genes removed) with the homologous genes from Carica papaya in order to compare differences in development between the plants resulting from the influence of …

Potential Roles Of Wrky Transcription Factors In Resistance To Aspergillus Flavus Colonization Of Immature Maize Kernels, Jake Clayton Fountain

LSU Master's Theses

The infection and colonization of maize (Zea mays L.) by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Aspergillus flavus results in contamination of kernel tissues with carcinogenic mycotoxins known as aflatoxins, resulting in severe economic losses as well as negative effects on human and animal health. Resistance to A. flavus is mediated by both inducible and constitutively expressed defense proteins; however the mechanism regulating the expression of these defenses is poorly understood. This study examined the potential roles of six maize WRKY transcription factors, ZmWRKY19, ZmWRKY21, ZmWRKY53, ZmWRKY53.1, ZmWRKY67, and ZmWRKY68, in regulating defense responses against …

Barrow Island Ute Guide - Non-Indigenous Invertebrates, Frogs, Reptiles & Weeds, Mike Grimm, Kristofer Collett, Jessica Harrison, Peter Davis, Marc Widmer, Andras Szito, Rob Emery, Peter Mangano, John Botha, David Robinson, Brad Maryan

Biosecurity published reports

Barrow Island, the second largest island in Western Australia, is a Class A Nature Reserve and home to a variety of rare and endangered fauna and flora, some of which occur nowhere else. To protect fauna and flora it is essential workers and visitors to the island are aware of the risks that a non-indigenous species (NIS) poses to the ecological balance of Barrow Island.

Workers and visitors to Barrow Island need to be aware and keep their eyes open for any unusual fauna and flora that might be in accommodation units, recreation areas or the work place. Reports from …

Erratum To: Identification And Characterization Of Four Missense Mutations In Brown Midrib12 (Bmr12), The Caffeic Acid O-Methyltranferase (Comt) Of Sorghum, Scott E. Sattler, Nathan A. Palmer, Ana Saballos, Ann M. Greene, Zhanguo Xin, Gautam Sarath, Wilfred Vermerris, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The original version of this article unfortunately contained some mistakes. The name of the enzyme “Caffeic O-methyltransferase” should be read as “Caffeic acid O-Methyltranferase” throughout the paper, including the title.

On Table 2, the fifth column should have been captured as part of the sub-heading “Unpretreated”. The corrected version is shown on the next page.

Table 2 Variation in Klason lignin content and glucose yields obtained after enzymatic saccharification at 50 °C at 60 FPU/ g cellulase of native (unpretreated) stover after 4, 20, and 96 h, and of pretreated stover after 24 h

Mapping Soybean Aphid Resistance Genes In Pi 567598b, Carmille Bales, Guorong Zhang, Menghan Liu, Clarice Mensah, Cuihua Gu, Qijian Song, D. L. Hyten, P. B. Cregan, Dechun Wang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) has been a major pest of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in North America since it was first reported in 2000. Our previous study revealed that the strong aphid resistance of plant introduction (PI) 567598B was controlled by two recessive genes. The objective of this study was to locate these two genes on the soybean genetic linkage map using molecular markers. A mapping population of 282 F_4:5 lines derived from IA2070 X E06902 was evaluated for aphid resistance in a field trial in 2009 and a greenhouse trial in 2010. Two …

Unleashing The Potential Of The Root Hair Cell As A Single Plant Cell Type Model In Root Systems Biology, Zhenzhen Qiao, Marc Libault

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Plant root is an organ composed of multiple cell types with different functions.This multicellular complexity limits our understanding of root biology because -omics studies performed at the level of the entire root reflect the average responses of all cells composing the organ. To overcome this difficulty and allow a more comprehensive understanding of root cell biology, an approach is needed that would focus on one single cell type in the plant root. Because of its biological functions (i.e., uptake of water and various nutrients; primary site of infection by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legumes), the root hair cell is an attractive …

Sensitivity And Resistance Of Cercospora Kikuchii, Causal Agent Of Cercospora Leaf Blight And Purple Seed Stain Of Soybean, To Selected Fungicides, Paul Patrick Price, Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Isolates of Cercospora kikuchii, the causal agent of Cercospora leaf blight (CLB) and purple seed stain (PSS), were used to determine baseline sensitivities to selected quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) and demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides by conducting radial growth assays on fungicide-amended media. The effective concentration to inhibit 50% radial growth (EC50) for each isolate was calculated by linear interpolation of the dose-response relationship. All baseline distributions were non-normal with outliers towards the less sensitive ends of the spectra, and median EC50 values for azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, trifloxystrobin, flutriafol, propiconazole, and tetraconazole were 0.081, 0.013, 0.012, 0.273, 0.143, 1.47 µg/ml, respectively. …

A Genetic Study On The Virulence Mechanism Of Burkholderia Glumae And, Rice Resistance To Bacterial Panicle Blight And Sheath Blight, Hari Sharan Karki

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Burkholderia glumae is a rice pathogenic bacterium that causes bacterial panicle blight. Some strains of this pathogen produce dark brown pigments when grown on the casamino-acid peptone glucose (CPG) agar medium. A pigment-positive and highly virulent strain of B. glumae, 411gr-6, was randomly mutagenized with mini-Tn5gus, and the resulting mini-Tn5gus derivatives showing altered pigmentation phenotypes were screened on CPG agar plates to identify the genetic elements governing the pigmentation of B. glumae. In this study, several positive and negative regulators, for the pigmentation of B. glumae were identified. During this study, a novel two-component regulatory system (TCRS) composed of the …

Experiments To Measure The Effects Of Timber Harvesting Equipment On Surface Lithic Scatters, Douglas J. Baughman

All Master's Theses

The importance of cultural resource preservation cannot be overstated; however local economies are at least as important. Due to conservative archaeological site protection practices in Region 5 of the United States Forest Service, the economy of Northeastern California is being adversely affected. In an attempt to help the Forest Service make more informed management decisions and improve the Northeastern California economy, I undertook experiments on the effects of timber harvesting on lithic scatters on Modoc National Forest. The experiments involved placement of 225 glass tiles (proxy lithics) in each of three plots subject to vehicle traffic and log dragging by …

Uses Of Phage Display In Agriculture: A Review Of Food-Related Protein-Protein Interactions Discovered By Biopanning Over Diverse Baits, Rekha Kushwaha, Christina M. Payne, A. Bruce Downie

Horticulture Faculty Publications

This review highlights discoveries made using phage display that impact the use of agricultural products. The contribution phage display made to our fundamental understanding of how various protective molecules serve to safeguard plants and seeds from herbivores and microbes is discussed. The utility of phage display for directed evolution of enzymes with enhanced capacities to degrade the complex polymers of the cell wall into molecules useful for biofuel production is surveyed. Food allergies are often directed against components of seeds; this review emphasizes how phage display has been employed to determine the seed component(s) contributing most to the allergenic reaction …

Seed Coat Ultrastructure Of Hard-Seeded And Soft-Seeded Varieties Of Vicia Sativa, Hati̇ce Nurhan Büyükkartal, Hati̇ce Çölgeçen, Nur Münevver Pinar, Nesli̇han Erdoğan

Turkish Journal of Botany

The mature seed coat structure in hard-seeded and soft-seeded varieties of Vicia sativa L. was examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy to investigate differentiation in cytological and morphological features between these varieties. The outer layer of the seed coats was composed of macrosclereid (Malpighian) cells in the hard-seeded and soft-seeded varieties of Vicia sativa. The walls of the macrosclereid cells were thickened, and the cell vacuoles were filled with tannin. The cytoplasm of the macrosclereids contained small- and large-sized vacuoles and ribosomes, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum. Under this layer there was a hypodermal layer composed of osteosclereids separated by …

Exploring The Potential Of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract (Mle) As A Seed Priming Agent In Improving Wheat Performance, Azra Yasmeen, Shahzad Maqsood Ahmed Basra, Abdul Wahid, Wasif Nouman, Hafeez Ur Rehman

Turkish Journal of Botany

Seed priming with plant extracts and chemicals has been used as an important growth enhancement tool in crop plants; however, the mechanisms of their action are not fully explored. In this research, an attempt was made to understand the mechanism of various seed priming treatments in greenhouse-grown wheat. The seed priming treatments used were hydropriming, on-farm priming, moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaf extract (MLE) priming, and CaCl_2 priming. Results showed that all the seed priming treatments were effective in improving germination and seedling growth attributes of wheat over the control. However, MLE followed by CaCl_2 emerged as the most effective …

Morphological And Genetic Variation Within And Among Four Quercus Petraea And Q. Robur Natural Populations, Cengi̇z Yücedağ, Oliver Gailing

Turkish Journal of Botany

Numeric-taxonomical and molecular techniques [nuclear simple sequence repeats (nSSRs), expressed sequence tag (EST) SSRs, and chloroplast SSRs] were used to estimate morphological and genetic differentiation within and among 4 Quercus petraea and Q. robur natural populations in Turkey. Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that 3 out of 15 studied leaf morphological characters (clustered hairs, number of intercalary veins, petiole length) mainly accounted for the discrimination between species. In accordance with earlier observations, the mean genetic differentiation between Q. petraea and Q. robur at 8 microsatellite loci (F_{ST} = 0.030) and at chloroplast microsatellites (G_{ST} = …

Sexual Phenotype Of Capparis Herbacea (Capparaceae), Nana Shakarishvili, Liana Osishvili

Turkish Journal of Botany

Floral morphology coupled with the morphometry of androecium revealed that Capparis herbacea Willd. has an andromonoecious sexual system, producing both male and perfect flowers on the same plant. Functionally male flowers develop more stamens with larger anthers than bisexual ones (63.6 ± 0.6 and 4.1 ± 0.01 mm; 58.1 ± 0.7 and 3.6 ± 0.02 mm, respectively). The ratio of male to perfect flowers ranges from 0.5 to 2.6 during the flowering season. The development of dense trichomes on the adaxial surface of the cavity made by variegated connate petals is presumably adaptive and serves to protect nectary exudate from …

Molecular Phylogeny Of Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) Of Anatolia Inferred From Multiple Nuclear And Chloroplast Dna Regions, Ni̇vart Taşci Margoz, İbrahi̇m Sirri Yüzbaşioğlu, Zeynep Çelen, Tuna Eki̇m, Ayşe Neşe Bi̇lgi̇n

Turkish Journal of Botany

Anatolia hosts 14 of the 22 taxa of genus Galanthus L. The phylogenetic relationships of Galanthus species were explored using DNA sequence data from both nuclear and chloroplast DNA of 70 specimens covering all subdivisions of Galanthus present in Turkey. Our data showed that species of the same geography clustered together phylogenetically, in contrast to the presently recognized taxonomy based on morphological characters. The 5.8S rRNA sequence data by itself is sufficiently informative for constructing phylogenetic trees. Our data confirm the identity of Galanthus koenenianus as a new taxon, well separated from G. alpinus; both are clustered within subseries Viridifolii, …

Leaf Traits Within Communities: Context May Affect The Mapping Of Traits To Function, Jennifer L. Funk, William K. Cornwell

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The leaf economics spectrum (LES) has revolutionized the way many ecologists think about quantifying plant ecological trade-offs. In particular, the LES has connected a clear functional trade-off (long-lived leaves with slow carbon capture vs. short-lived leaves with fast carbon capture) to a handful of easily measured leaf traits. Building on this work, community ecologists are now able to quickly assess species carbon-capture strategies, which may have implications for community-level patterns such as competition or succession. However, there are a number of steps in this logic that require careful examination, and a potential danger arises when interpreting leaf-trait variation among species …

Carbon Farming In Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Regional Development And Lands, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Fact sheets:

1. Applying biochar to improve soil quality and crop productivity

2. Reducing methane emissions from cattle using feed additives

3. Cattle breeding for lower greenhouse gas emissions

4. Managing genetic codes to reduce methane emissions from cattle

5. Managing pastures and stocking rate to reduce methane emissions from cattle

6. Claying as a method of increasing soil carbon content

7. Green and brown manuring as part of carbon farming

8. Permanent environmental plantings to earn carbon credits

9. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils

10. Sheep genetics in methane reduction

11. Managing sheep pastures to reduce methane production …

The Clubroot Pathogen (Plasmodiophora Brassicae) Influences Auxin Signaling To Regulate Auxin Homeostasis In Arabidopsis, Linda Jahn, Stefanie Mucha, Sabine Bergmann, Cornelia Horn, Paul E. Staswick, Bianka Steffens, Johannes Siemens, Jutta Ludwig-Müller

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The clubroot disease, caused by the obligate biotrophic protist Plasmodiophora brassicae, affects cruciferous crops worldwide. It is characterized by root swellings as symptoms, which are dependent on the alteration of auxin and cytokinin metabolism. Here, we describe that two different classes of auxin receptors, the TIR family and the auxin binding protein 1 (ABP1) in Arabidopsis thaliana are transcriptionally upregulated upon gall formation. Mutations in the TIR family resulted in more susceptible reactions to the root pathogen. As target genes for the different pathways we have investigated the transcriptional regulation of selected transcriptional repressors (Aux/IAA) and transcription …

The Physiology Of Invasive Plants In Low-Resource Environments, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

While invasive plant species primarily occur in disturbed, high-resource environments, many species have invaded ecosystems characterized by low nutrient, water, and light availability. Species adapted to low-resource systems often display traits associated with resource conservation, such as slow growth, high tissue longevity, and resource-use efficiency. This contrasts with our general understanding of invasive species physiology derived primarily from studies in high-resource environments. These studies suggest that invasive species succeed through high resource acquisition. This review examines physiological and morphological traits of native and invasive species in low-resource environments. Existing data support the idea that species invading low-resource environments possess traits …

Managing Soil Microbial Communities With Organic Amendments To Promote Soil Aggregate Formation And Plant Health, Shawn T. Lucas

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The effects of managing soil with organic amendments were examined with respect to soil microbial community dynamics, macroaggregate formation, and plant physio-genetic responses. The objective was to examine the possibility of managing soil microbial communities via soil management, such that the microbial community would provide agronomic benefits. In part one of this research, effects of three amendments (hairy vetch residue, manure, compost) on soil chemical and microbial properties were examined relative to formation of large macroaggregates in three different soils. Vetch and manure promoted fungal proliferation (measured via two biomarkers: fatty acid methyl ester 18:2ω6c and ergosterol) and also stimulated …

Transformations, Bioavailability And Toxicity Of Manufactured Zno Nanomaterials In Wastewter, Sewwandi Rathnayake

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

In order to properly evaluate the ecological and human health risks of ZnO Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) released to the environment, it is critical to understand the likely transformation products in the wastewater treatment process and in soils receiving biosolids. To address this critical knowledge gap, we examined the transformation reactions of 30 nm ZnO MNMs in single component and multi-component systems, with phosphate and natural organic matter (NOM). We also assessed the influence of nano ZnO transformation on the bioavailability, and toxicity of ZnO transformation products to Triticum aestivum. The data revealed that ZnO MNMs react with phosphate at …

The Role Of Polyadenylation In Seed Germination, Liuyin Ma

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Seed germination has many impacts on the uses of seeds, and is an important subject for study. Seed germination is regulated at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Therefore, it is important to study how polyadenylation regulates gene expression during seed germination. To this end, a modified Illumina GAIIx sequencing protocol (described in Chapter Two) was developed that allows deep coverage of poly(A) site position and distribution.

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) regulates gene expression by choosing one potential poly(A) site on a precursor RNA consequentially shortening/lengthening the mRNA relative to other possible sites. To further explore this phenomenon, genes affected by APA …

Effects Of Excess And Deficient Boron And Niacin On The Ultrastructure Of Root Cells In Daucus Carota Cv. Nantes, Hati̇ce Demi̇ray, Ayli̇n Eşi̇z Dereboylu

Turkish Journal of Botany

The effects of excess and deficient boron and niacin on vascular tissues of carrot roots (Daucus carota L. cv. Nantes) were investigated in plants grown in medium both rich and poor in boron and also boron with niacin. Five media were investigated: control (MS medium), boron-deficient MS medium, MS medium with excess boron, niacin-deficient MS medium, MS medium with niacin excess, and MS medium with excess boron and niacin. In anatomical cross sections, lignification was seen in middle lamellar pectins in the tracheary cells of boron deficit grown carrot roots, while in the other applications including excess boron lignification was …