This paper describes the morphology and behavior of the immature stages of Oleria baizana (Haensch) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from northeastern Ecuador. Brugmansia aurea Lagerh. (Solanales: Solanaceae) is the larval food plant. Eggs are laid singly, off of the host plant in the leaf litter. During the night, larvae climb a food plant seedling and sever a leaf petiole, parachuting with the leaf...

A new socially-parasitic species, Myrmica latra sp. n. is described based on a queen and male from Indian Himalaya. Its queen differs from other species by the distinctly narrower petiole and postpetiole, blunt and non-divergent propodeal spines, and a darker body colour. The taxonomic position of the three known Himalayan socially-parasitic Myrmica species is discussed, and Myrmica ereptrix Bo...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS It is widely accepted that fruit-set in plants is related to source-sink ratio. Despite its critical importance to yield, prediction of fruit-set remains an ongoing problem in crop models. Functional-structural plant models are potentially able to simulate organ-level plasticity of plants. To predict fruit-set, the quantitative link between source-sink ratio and fruit-set pr...

Two new species of Solanum section Crinitum are described here. Solanum falciforme Farruggia, sp. nov., closely resembles Solanum crinitum and Solanum lycocarpum, but differs by the presence of falcate trichomes on the young growth. It is endemic to the cerrado and adjacent woodlands of Distrito Federal, Bahia, Goiás and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The other species, Solanum pseudosycophanta Farruggi...

Recent advances in metabolic scaling theory have highlighted the importance of exchange surfaces and vascular network geometry in understanding the integration and scaling of whole-plant form and function. Additional work on leaf form and function has also highlighted general scaling relationships for many leaf traits. However, it is unclear if a common theoretical framework can reveal the gene...

a new species from iran is described and illustrated here as kickxia iranica (plantaginaceae). kickxia iranica is morphologically similar to k. commutata, a species native to mediterranean region, however it can be distinguished from the latter by leaf shape, color of corolla, habit, stem branching and length of leaf, petiole, pedicel and corolla. notes on its distribution, ecology and phenolog...

In present report effects of explants type, basal media and plant growth regulators (PGRs) were tested for induction of indirect somatic embryogenesis in medicinally important plant Silybum marianum L. Leaf, petiole and root explants were exploited in vitro on B5 (Gamborg), SH (Schenk and Hildebrandt) and MS (Murashige and Skoog) media for induction of embryogenic callus followed by somatic emb...

A 1670 bp 5'-flanking region of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) gene was isolated from red Swiss chard, a betalain-producing plant. This region, named promoter BvcPPOP, and its 5'-truncated versions were fused with the GUS gene and introduced into Arabidopsis, an anthocyanins-producing plant. GUS histochemical staining and quantitative analysis of transgenic plants at the vegetative and reproducti...

The characteristics of the pectic enzyme polygalacturonase (PG) of Phytophthora meadii isolates from petioles of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) genotypes were compared in relation to (i) aggressiveness (virulence) in infecting detached petioles of a susceptible rubber genotype (PB86) or (ii) in relation to the availability of purified rubber petiole cell walls (obtained from a Phytophthora-resista...

Ginsenosides, the major compounds present in ginseng, are known to have numerous physiological and pharmacological effects. The physiological processes, enzymes and genes involved in ginsenoside synthesis in P. ginseng have been well characterized. However, relatively little information is known about the dynamic metabolic changes that occur during ginsenoside accumulation in ginseng. To explor...