Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), although native to Brazil, is still underutilized, especially when it comes to using its aerial part. In order to study the potential of the cassava plant for use as animal feed, the present work evaluated the characteristics of the aerial part of cassava when submitted to the processes of ensiling and haymaking. Treatments consisted of: aerial part of the pl...

The attractiveness of a plant to pollinators is dependent on both the number of flowers produced and the size of the petals. However, limiting resources often result in a size/number trade-off, whereby the plant can make either more flowers or larger flowers, but not both. If developmental genes underlying sepal and petal identity (some of which overlap) also influence size, then this shared ge...

To investigate sepal/petal/lip formation in Oncidium Gower Ramsey, three paleoAPETALA3 genes, O. Gower Ramsey MADS box gene5 (OMADS5; clade 1), OMADS3 (clade 2), and OMADS9 (clade 3), and one PISTILLATA gene, OMADS8, were characterized. The OMADS8 and OMADS3 mRNAs were expressed in all four floral organs as well as in vegetative leaves. The OMADS9 mRNA was only strongly detected in petals and l...

Flowers are vital for attracting pollinators to plants and in horticulture for humans. Petal morphogenesis is a central process of floral development. Petal development can be divided into three main processes: the establishment of organ identity in a concentric pattern, primordia initiation at fixed positions within a whorl, and morphogenesis, which includes petal elongation through the narrow...

This research is about the problem solving activities of novice programmers as they learn to create recursive LISP programs. Their problem solving not only includes the issue of mental models, but also how to use these mental models in conjunction with other problem solving techniques. In fact, at various stages of their learning, learners seem to use different packages of problem solving metho...

nitric oxide (no) is a highly reactive signaling molecule and plays a variety of physiological roles in plants. the research on the application of no to postharvest preservation of flowers and fruits shows great promise in recent years. however, the physiological mechanism of exogenous no to affect cut flowers is not very clear, and no donor treatment protected plants from damage by increasing ...

gerbera (gerbereajamesonii) cut flower has magnificent economical value in international cut flower industry. due to sensitivityto ethylene and to gray mold, it has a short postharvest life. in this research, the effects of pulsing treatments with salicylic acid (100 and 200 mg/l) and methyl jasmonate (25 and 50 mg/l) for 24h on quality and vase-life of gerbera cut flower were assessed. distill...

Flowering plants bear beautiful flowers to attract pollinators. Petals are the most variable organs in flowering plants, with their color, fragrance, and shape. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), petal primordia arise at a similar time to stamen primordia and elongate at later stages through the narrow space between anthers and sepals. Although many of the genes involved in regulating petal...

MADS-box genes are crucial regulators of floral development, yet how their functions have evolved to control different aspects of floral patterning is unclear. To understand the extent to which MADS-box gene functions are conserved or have diversified in different angiosperm lineages, we have exploited the capability for functional analyses in a new model system, Papaver somniferum (opium poppy...

Petals of animal-pollinated angiosperms have adapted to attract pollinators. Factors influencing pollinator attention include colour and overall size of flowers. Colour is determined by the nature of the pigments, their environment and by the morphology of the petal epidermal cells. Most angiosperms have conical epidermal cells, which enhance the colour intensity and brightness of petal surface...