Torenia is an annual plant of the family Scrophulariaceae that is used as an ornamental summer bedding plant. Torenia is also an experimental plant with several useful characteristics, i.e., ease of genetic transformation, ability to differentiate adventitious structures, protruding embryo sac, and capacity for in vitro flowering. Genetic transformation of torenia was first reported in 1995, an...

Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) was inoculated into two chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) cultivars, the CSVd-susceptible cultivar Piato and the CSVd-resistant cultivar Mari Kazaguruma. For CSVd inoculation, grafting and Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation were used. In grafting experiments, CSVd was detectable in Mari Kazaguruma after grafting onto infected Piato, but after removal of ...

Fungi in the genus Escovopsis are known only from the fungus gardens of attine ants. Previous work has established that these anamorphic fungi, allied with the Hypocreales, are specialized and potentially virulent parasites of the ancient mutualism between attine ants and their fungal cultivars. It is unclear whether the primary nutrient source for the pathogen is the mutualist fungal cultivar ...

Temperature and photoperiod can be used to simulate soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr) phenology because they serve as surrogates for complex biochemical pathways leading to the appearance of certain developmental stages at the whole plant level. We developed a soybean phenology model (SOYDEV) which utilizes non-linear temperature and photoperiod functions and separates floral induction and post-i...

The bioflavonoid quercetin occurs as a range of glycosides in foods, and the composition of these glycosides is species and cultivar specific. In humans, quercetin undergoes extensive phase II biotransformation, resulting in a complex mixture of metabolites. The bioactivity of the individual metabolites depends on the type and position of the conjugates formed during biotransformation. An Agile...

The effectiveness of 12 chemical compounds (azoxystrobin, carbendazim, chlorothalonil, fenarimol, folpet, mancozeb, myclobutanil + mancozeb, prochloraz + carbendazim, tebuconazole + triadimefon, tetraconazole + chlorothalonil, tiophanate-methyl, tridemorph + epoxiconazole) in the control of Puccinia horiana was tested on chrysanthemum cv. Fiji Yellow. Additionally, their influence on plant grow...

The properties of starches isolated from two squash cultivars (Cucurbita maxima) were studied and compared with those of two pumpkin cultivars (Cucurbita moschata) and one normal potato cultivar. The amylose content of pumpkin and squash starches ranged from 16.18% to 21.29%. The pumpkin and squash starches appeared as a mixture of spherical, polyhedral and dome shaped granules. The pumpkin and...

Mutualistic associations are shaped by the interplay of cooperation and conflict among the partners involved, and it is becoming increasingly clear that within many mutualisms multiple partners simultaneously engage in beneficial interactions. Consequently, a more complete understanding of the dynamics within multipartite mutualism communities is essential for understanding the origin, specific...

The beneficial effects of elevated CO2 on plants are expected to be compromised by the negative effects posed by other global changes. However, little is known about ozone (O3)-induced modulation of elevated CO2 response in plants with differential sensitivity to O3. An old (Triticum aestivum cv. Beijing 6, O3 tolerant) and a modern (T. aestivum cv. Zhongmai 9, O3 sensitive) winter wheat cultiv...

A field study was conducted to evaluate soybean cultivar sensitivity to Pratylenchus brachyurus and selected nonfumigant nematicides for control of this nematode. 'Essex', a tolerant cultivar, yielded more than 'Forrest' , a sensitive cultivar, in an infested field. Plots treated with aldicarb, carbofuran, and fenamiphos had fewer nematodes 40 days after planting than nontreated plots. Plots pl...