Biologia plantarum, 1996 (vol. 38), issue 4

Original Papers

Cytokinins in the hemiparasiteMelampyrum arvense L. before and after attachment to the host

Z. Lechowski, J. Bialczyk

Biologia plantarum 38:481, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890592

Concentration of cytokinins (CKs) of zeatin-type (Z) and isopentyladenine-type (iP) were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique in xylem sap and bulk leaf extract of the hemiparasiteMelampyrum arvense before and after attachment to the host (Capsella bursa pastoris). In all the samples Z-type were dominant, though the iP-type was also frequent. The results also demonstrate that in comparison with the unattached hemiparasite after attachment to the host the concentration of Z-type in xylem sap increased about 92 and 182 times in the light and dark phase, respectively, and that of the iP-type about 34 times...

Abscisic acid content in the root hemiparasiteMelampyrum arvense L. before and after attachment to the host plant

Z. Lechowski

Biologia plantarum 38:489, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890593

The content of abscisic acid (ABA) in abaxial leaf epidermis of the host (Capsella bursa pastoris) and the unattached hemiparasiteMelampyrum arvense showed diurnal changes. ABA content increased during the light period and declined rapidly upon the darkening of leaves. In an attached hemiparasite the content of ABA in the epidermis was maintained at an almost constant level irrespective of the diurnal cycle. As compared with the maximum level in the host, at the end of the light phase the content of ABA in abaxial epidermis constituted about 70 % and 164 % in the unattached and attached hemiparasite, respectively. No significant changes...

Electrogenic K⁺H⁺ exchange in excised wheat roots

V. Pakhomova

Biologia plantarum 38:495, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890594

Root excision fromTriticum vulgare L. var.muticum seedlings induced a membrane potential drop, homeostasis disturbances, and loss of absorbing capacity in roots. During subsequent 3 - 4 h incubation the initial physiological properties of the roots were restored. At that period K⁺absorption could be blocked by tetraethylammonium (TEA) without changing pH of the incubation medium. After 5 - 6 h of incubation the membrane hyperpolarization and the enhancement of the absorbing capacity were observed. At that period K⁺ influx, at presence or absence of valinomycin in incubation medium, was coupled with acidification...

Effect of short-term heat treatment of rice seedlings on sensitivity of thylakoid membranes to photoinhibition

B. Vani, P. Pardha Saradhi, Prasanna Mohanty

Biologia plantarum 38:501, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890596

The after-effects of 24 h high temperature (35 or 45 °C) treatment on the photochemical activities and photooxidative lipid peroxidation, subsequent to their irradiation were studied in 7-d-old etiolated rice (Oryza sativa) seedlings. Photosystem (PS) 1 and PS 2 mediated photoreactions of thylakoids isolated from the seedlings exposed to high temperature did not differ significantly from the thylakoids isolated from control seedlings (25 °C). Hence, all kinds of tested thylakoids were equally efficient in capturing and utilizing radiant energy. The high irradiance induced loss in PS 2 activity and lipid peroxidation measured in terms of malondialdehyde...

Seasonal changes in sugar beet photosynthesis as affected by exogenous cytokinin N⁶-(m- hydroxybenzyl)adenosine

J. Čatský, J. Pospíšilová, M. Kamínek, A. Gaudinová, J. Pulkrábek, J. Zahradníček

Biologia plantarum 38:511, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890598

Foliar sprays with N ⁶-(m-hydroxybenzytyadenosine, (mOH)-[9R]BAP, one of the synthetic cytokinins, were applied to field-grown sugar beet twice during the vegetation period: before full canopy closing (I), 6 weeks before harvest (II) or both. Application of (mOH)[9R]BAP retained high cytokinin content that usually declines prior to harvest. The total content of isoprenoid cytokinins at harvest was 2.6-fold higher in (mOH)[9R]BAP-treated plants as compared to the controls. Treatment I had no significant effect on contents of chlorophylls (Chl)a andb and carotenoids, nor on the rates of net...

Soil salinity effects on transpiration and net photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance and Na⁺ and Cl^- contents in durum wheat

S. K. Sharma

Biologia plantarum 38:519, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890599

Leaf gas exchange, plant growth and leaf ion content were measured in wheat (Triticum durum L. cv. HD 4502) exposed to steady- state salinities (1.6, 12.0 and 16.0 dS nr^-1) for 8 weeks. Salinity reduced leaf area and number of tillers, and increased Na⁺ and Cl^- concentrations in leaves. Leaf- to- leaf gradients of these ions were observed. The oldest leaf contained 6 to 8 times more Na⁺ and Cl^- than the flag leaf. Net photosynthetic rate (P_N), transpiration rate (E) and stomatal conductance (g_S) were the highest in flag leaf, declined in the middle and fully expanded...

Effect of sodium and calcium chlorides, abscisic acid and proline on callus cultures ofArachis hypogaea L.

A. Gupta, G. S. Singhal

Biologia plantarum 38:525, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890601

Callus cultures ofArachis hypogaea L. cv. JL-24 adapted to 200 mM NaCl (otherwise lethal to cells) were used for the study. Calli grew slowly when transferred to 250 mM NaCl, but the growth was enhanced when ABA was included in the medium. ABA induced increase in growth of callus was not accompanied by corresponding increase in internal free proline levels. 0.5 mM of CaCl₂ ameliorated the negative effect of NaCl indicating that cells require a specific Ca²⁺/Na⁺ ratio for their growth. Proline content also increased at this ratio thereby suggesting that increase in growth at 0.5 mM Ca²⁺ may be due to...

Growth and proline accumulation in mungbean seedlings as affected by sodium chloride

A. N. Misra, B. Murmu, P. Singh, M. Misra

Biologia plantarum 38:531, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890603

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek cv. Sujata and cv. K851) seedlings were grown in paper towelins in dark under 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 % (m/v) NaCl salinity. Germination percentage, shoot and root length, fresh mass of both cultivars decreased with salinity. Total soluble saccharides and proline accumulated in the root and shoot of salt stressed seedlings. The proline accumulation in the root was four to five times higher than that of the shoot of NaCl treated etiolated mungbean seedlings.

Growth, nodulation and nitrogen fixation in soybean as affected by air humidity and root temperature

J. Stoyanova

Biologia plantarum 38:537, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890604

Growth, nodulation and N₂ fixation inGlycine max L. Merr., cv. Biison as affected by the relative humidity of air (RH) during the dark period (95 or 50 - 65 %) and day/night root temperature (T_r) (28/28, 25/25, 18/18, 22/28, 22/18 °C) were studied. The growth parameters (plant fresh and dry mass, yield), nodulation (nodule number and fresh mass) and N₂ fixation abilities (total nitrogen content, nitrogenase activity) increased significantly with the increasing T_r. In addition, at the same T_r during the day all studied parameters were increased at the higher T_r during the dark...

Natural and dark-induced nodule senescence in chickpea: nodule functioning and H₂O₂ scavenging enzymes

S. Sheokand, K. Swaraj

Biologia plantarum 38:545-554, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890605

An investigation was carried out on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cv. C-235 inoculated withRhizobium sp.Cicer strain cv 4 Az^r. Nodule functioning was monitored at 15 d intervals starting from 45 days after sowing (DAS) and inoculation in order to study nodule development and senescence under natural and stress conditions (dark treatments of 18 and 66 h). Maximum rate of N₂-fixation was observed between 50 - 60 DAS. After this acetylene reducing activity (ARA) fell and it was negligible 75 DAS. This decline in ARA with ageing of plants and nodules was accompanied by a decline in leghemoglobin content and greening...

Induction of sister chromatid exchanges by heavy metal salts in root meristem cells ofAllium cepa L.

K. K. Panda, J. Patra, B. B. Panda

Biologia plantarum 38:555, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890606

Four heavy metal salts, nickel sulphate, mercuric chloride, cadmium sulphate and zinc sulphate, were tested for induction of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in root meristem cells ofAllium cepa. A simple modified Feulgen staining procedure was employed for SCE-analysis. Maleic hydrazide and paraquat were included for comparison. An evaluation of genotoxicity of the above test chemicals made on the basis of SCE-assay was found positive for all the test chemicals with exception of zinc sulphate which gave a weak positive result.

Effect of pH, irradiance and population size on the toxicity of Furadan to two species of Anabaena

B Rath, S. P. Adhikary

Biologia plantarum 38:563-570, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890608

In two selected nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial speciesAnabaena fertilissima andAnabaena variabilis pH, irradiance and different inocula sizes considerably modified the toxic effect of 50 % effective concentration (EC 50) dose of the pesticideFuradan (carbofuran 75 DB). Maximum growth and chlorophyll (Chl)a content ofA. fertilissima was observed in the pH range of 8 - 9 and that ofA. variabilis at pH 7-8, while at acidic pH (5 - 6) and at pH above 9 these parameters were considerably retarded. Toxicity of the EC 50 dose ofFuradan was increased further at pH 5-6, whereas reduction in the toxicity to the...

Distribution of the stress-related anionic peroxidases in different cucumber organs

V. Repka, I. Fischerová

Biologia plantarum 38:571, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890609

The distribution of the stress-related anionic peroxidase (srPRX) activity was investigated in various organs of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Laura) during their development by activity staining and immunoblotting. In shoots, including cotyledon, leaf, stem and tendril, three stress-related peroxidase isoenzymes were present, particularly in old ones. The PRX1 was the only srPRX isoenzyme found in both young and old roots. As fruits became mature, srPRX activity increased dramatically and was particularly enriched in the external parts of the fruit. The PRX1 isoenzyme was highly accumulated in the course of seed germination, while the absence...

Expression of cucumber stress-related anionic peroxidases during flower development or a cryptic infective process

V. Repka, I. Fischerová, K. Čanigová

Biologia plantarum 38:585, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890611

The striking diversity in the expression pattern of the stress-related anionic peroxidase was observed during development of female cucumber flower. While the isoenzyme Prx3 was accumulated constitutively in the course of flower development, the expression patterns of other two isoenzymes (Prx1 and Prx2) were restricted to the period after flower opening. The virus infection was simulated by careful opening of the intact female flower buds 3 d before anthesis followed by exposition to the glasshouse environment for 3 d. The results obtained in this experiment revealed a marked accumulation of the isoenzyme Prx1 and Prx2 at anthesis. Under normal flower...

Brief Communications

The level of proteins and leakage of solutes in germinating fresh and stored seeds ofCicer arietinum L.

S. Hayat, A. Ahmad

Biologia plantarum 38:597, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890612

One-year-old seeds of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. cv. C-235) lost about 23 % germinability and leaked larger quantities of N, P, K, saccharides and proteins into the soaking medium in the first 48 h, as compared with fresh seeds. The protein content in stored seeds decreased more than in fresh seeds, as the soaking progressed.

Effect of gibberellic acid and nitrogen on carbonic anhydrase activity and mustard biomass

N. A. Khan, H. R. Ansari, M. Mobin

Biologia plantarum 38:601-603, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890614

In mustard(Brassica juncea L.) addition of 20 mM nitrogen (in the form of NaNO₃) inhibited after 50 d the activities of carbonic anhydrase and nitrate reductase and net photosynthetic rate. However, when nitrogen was applied in association with the foliar spray of gibberellic acid, the inhibition was reversed and the above parameters and also leaf area index and dry mass were enhanced.

Hardening by abscisic acid of tobacco plantlets grownin vitro

J. Pospíšilová

Biologia plantarum 38:605-609, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890616

Tobacco plantlets were grownin vitro on Murashige and Skoog's medium with2 % of saccharose. Addition of 0.01 mM abscisic acid (ABA) into the medium decreased stomatal conductance of the adaxial epidermis and especially the abaxial epidermis without negative effects on growth parameters. As a result the rate of water loss from ABA-treated plantlets taken out of cultivation vessels was slower than that of control plantlets. This could help their acclimation after transplantation toex vitro conditions.

Soil salinity effect on soluble saccharides, phenol, fatty acid and mineral contents, and respiration rate of garlic cultivars

S. Siddiqui, K. Gupta, A. Yadav, J. L. Mangal

Biologia plantarum 38:611-615, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890618

The effect of salinity on contents of water, soluble saccharides, phenols, minerals and on respiration rate in bulbs of five garlic (Allium sativum L.) cultivars differing in salinity tolerance was determined. Cultivar HG-6 was found to be the most tolerant followed by cvs. G-l and G-42, and cv. Aru the least tolerant to salinity. The cultivars which were tolerant showed lesser reduction in water content of the bulbs by salinity. Initial contents of phenolic compounds and sulphur were comparatively low in salinity tolerant cultivars but they increased under high salinity levels whereas reverse was found in salt sensitive cultivars. The fatty...

Endogenous indole-3-acetic acid during adventitious root formation inPopulus £canadensis Moench.

T. Doleželová, V. Psota, Z. Feiglová

Biologia plantarum 38:617, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890620

Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), phenylacetic acid (PAA) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were applied at a concentration of 10^-4 mol dm^-3 to stem cutting bases ofPopulus x canadensis Moench. During adventitious root formation, the content of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in cutting bases was estimated using the fluorimetric method. In the control variant, a rapid increase in endogenous IAA appeared after 24-h cultivation followed by gradual decrease during the following days. In contrast, the variants treated with IBA, PAA, and especially NAA exhibited firstly a decrease in endogenous IAA content and only afterwards an increase,...

Chlorophylls and carotenoids in calli of sugar beet genotypes

B. Krstić, S. Mezei, L. Kovačev, S. Pajević

Biologia plantarum 38:621, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890622

Chlorophyll (Ch1) and carotenoid (Car) contents in calli (hypocotyl, cotyledon, egg cell) showed statistically significant differences between sugar beet genotypes. Absorption spectra of extracts from green calli did not differ from those obtained from green leaves, while in "brown" calli the differences were caused by relatively high Car contents. Pigment contents in calli were significantly lower than in leaves.

Chlorophyll fluorescence and anthocyanin content in chilled maize plants after return to a non- chilling temperature under various irradiances

T. Janda, G. Szalai, E. Páldi

Biologia plantarum 38:625-627, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890623

The effect of irradiance on the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence (F_v/F_m) and on the anthocyanin content of chilled (0.5 °C) young maize plants was investigated after returning the plants to a non-chilling temperature (25 °C). Compared to control plants grown throughout at 25 °C in the light, the F_v/F_m hardly changed during chilling or when returned to a non-chilling temperature in the dark, but there was a decrease in this parameter if the plants were shifted to the light after the cold treatment. Similarly, compared to the control plants there was no change in the anthocyanin content either at low...

Water relations and nitrogen fixation in potassium fedVigna radiata nodules

A. S. Nandwal, B. S. Kundu, A. Hooda, M. S. Kuhad

Biologia plantarum 38:629, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890624

Drought created by withholding the irrigation at 30 and 45 d after sowing significantly decreased relative water content (RWC) and osmotic potential (ψ_s) ofVigna radiata (L.) Wilczek cv. MH-83-30 nodules. Potassium fed plants showed higher RWC, whereas ψ_s was further declined irrespective of soil moisture levels. The nitrogenase activity and leghemoglobin content of nodules markedly decreased under drought and nodules of potassium fed plants showed better recovery after rehydration. The proline content significantly increased under drought but declined upon reirrigation. Also, the C, N and K contents of nodules...

Protein and chlorophyll contents in autotrophically and heterotrophically cultivated tobacco mesophyll protoplasts

M. Šindelářová, L. Burketová, L. Šindelář

Biologia plantarum 38:633, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890625

Changes in the number of protoplasts, viability, protein and chlorophyll content were studied in tobacco mesophyll protoplasts cultivated either autotrophically in CPW medium with mannitol (MCPW) in the light or heterotrophically in CPW medium with glucose (GCPW) in the dark. The number and viability of protoplasts in the both cultivation media were unchanged. In MCPW in the light, the protein and chlorophyll content strongly decreased already after 12 h of cultivation, at 72 h of cultivation, values dropped to 23.6 % (proteins) and to 3.5 % (chlorophyll) in comparison with the initial content. In GCPW in the dark, the protein and chlorophyll contents...

Effect of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde fixation on the immunochemical reactivity of potato virus A with monoclonal antibodies

T. Moravec, N. Cěřovská

Biologia plantarum 38:637-640, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890626

Potato virus A (PVA) was treated with different glutaraldehyde concentrations at a range of different pH values, and its immunochemical reactivity and integrity was tested in various types of ELISA using a panel of six monoclonal antibodies. Glutaraldehyde fixation was compared with formaldehyde fixation, and there was no significant difference in reactivity between PVA non-treated and treated with formaldehyde, but almost the entire immunochemical activity was lost after treating with glutaraldehyde.

Book Review

Somatic Embryogenesis in Woody Plants. Volume 2 - Angisperms.

L. Havel

Biologia plantarum 38:500, 1996 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02890595

Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules. (6th European Conference on the Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules, 3-8 September 1995, Villeneuve d'Àscq, France)