Annals of Botany 2008 101(7):NP; doi:10.1093/aob/mcn059
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Coping mechanisms for crop plants in drought-prone environments (Invited Review)
Drought severely
limits plant productivity. After introducing engineering solutions
that can increase water availability for crop irrigation,
Neumann (pp. 901–907) considers key regulatory mechanisms integrating plant growth
responses to water deficits at whole-organism, cell and genomic
levels. Their relevance to breeding crops with improved drought
resistant is assessed.
Karyotype evolution in Hypochaeris
Based on 35S rDNA
loci number and chromosomal localization of 35S rDNA loci in
the context of an AFLP-based phylogenetic network,
Weiss-Schneeweiss et al. (pp. 909–918) propose that early evolution of the genus in South America was
characterized by karyotype differentiation resulting from independent
derivations from an ancestral karyotype.
Genomic origin and organization of a Primula allopolyploid
Guggisberg et al. (pp. 919–927) verify the hypothesized allotetraploid origin of
P. egaliksensis.
They confirm its hybrid origin from the diploids
P. mistassinica and
P. nutans and reveal small-scale rearrangements at the ribosomal
loci inherited from the maternal progenitor. No major intergenomic
rearrangements are found between the parental genomes.
Optimal procedures make coffee hairy roots efficient for functional genomics
Variation amongst
clones complicates utilization of coffee hairy roots.
Kutschera (pp. 615–621) describe proliferation conditions for
Coffea arabica hairy roots
and characterize 62 long-term clones at the morphological and
molecular levels with low variability. Cataloguing morphological
variables allows rare phenotypically altered clones to be discarded
easily.
Hydatellaceae provide clues to the origin of the angiosperm embryo sac
A highly conserved
feature of angiosperms is the eight-nucleate (
Polygonum-type)
embryo sac.
Rudall et al. (pp. 941–956) compare the four-nucleate
embryo sac of the ‘new’ basal angiosperm family
Hydatellaceae with that of other waterlilies to examine the
evolutionary origin of the
Polygonum-type embryo sac.
Meta-analysis of strategies for controlling invasive bracken
Multi-site analysis
by
Stewart et al. (pp. 957–970) reveals large variation
in the effectiveness of different control strategies for
Pteridium aquilinum (bracken) such as timing of cutting back or herbicide
application. Results from single sites alone are shown to be
misleading and indicate that national weed-control programmes
require multi-site studies using appropriate meta-analytical
techniques.
Impact of lanthanum and cerium on maize and mungbean
Diatloff et al. (pp. 971–982) use flowing nutrient solutions to show that lanthanum and cerium
do not promote growth at or above 0·2 µ
M,
inhibit uptake of mineral nutrients, accumulate more in roots
than shoots and slow growth at lower concentrations in mung
bean (0·9 µ
M) than in maize (5 µ
M).
Cellular ultrastructure and crystal development in Amorphophallus (Araceae)
Distribution and
development of raphides and druses during leaf growth are reported
by
Prychid et al. (pp. 983–995). Grooved raphide needles
are peculiar to Araceae and may be explained by an unusual crystal
chamber morphology.
Point mutation renders Medicago spp. herbicide tolerant
Sulfonylurea herbicide
residues persisting in soil can damage legumes such as annual
medics (
Medicago spp.). A herbicide-resistant strand medic ‘Angel’
has been developed by chemical mutagenesis.
Oldach et al. (997–1005) identify the gene and mutation responsible for this phenotype
via genetic analysis utilizing sequenced
Medicago genome information
and a candidate gene approach.
Re-growth of apparently fully expanded leaves
The usual hypothesis
is that leaf growth ceases when expansion becomes limited by
irreversible cell-wall tightening.
Lechner et al. (pp. 1007–1015) show that fully expanded leaves of two dicotyledonous species
resume growth after reversing water stress. This indicates that
leaf cells retain an ability to expand for several days after
‘initial’ growth cessation.
Heterodichogamy in Acer
Gleiser et al. (pp. 1017–1026) investigate whether the different morphs in
Acer opalus, a species
in which males co-exist with heterodichogamous hermaphrodites,
differ in various components of male in fitness.
Homeosis and floral development of Philodendron
Barabé et al. (pp. 1027–1034) show that the number of appendages in female flowers constrains
the number of carpels and staminodes. However, the average number
of different types of floral appendages on an atypical bisexual
flower and the number of carpels that are replaced by a staminode
are found to be independent phenomena in
Philodendron.
Multifaceted analysis of anti-herbivore epidermal appendages
Kobayashi et al. (pp. 1035–1047) provide a comprehensive characterization of epidermal appendages
in
Paulownia tomentosa. They identify and describe three types
of small structure (bowl-shaped organs, glandular hairs and
dendritic trichomes) in terms of morphology, distribution, chemical
composition and changes during development. The ecological functions
of these small structures are discussed.
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