Mixed cropping is practised widely in developing countries and is gaining increasing interest for sustainable agriculture in developed countries. Plants in intercrops grow differently from plants in single crops, due to interspecific plant interactions, but adaptive plant morphological responses to competition in mixed stands have not been studied in detail. Here the maize (Zea mays) response t...

In view of the growing interest in Phyllanthus niruri, it was felt necessary to undertake a study of the growth cycle of the herb along with qualitative phytochemical observation in terms of active principle, its distribution in different parts of the plant and effect of storage and the active principle. The main purpose of the study was to develop guidelines for cultivation of the plant, rich ...

Cytosine methylation patterns in higher eukaryotes are important in gene regulation. Along with 5-methylcytosine (5-mC), a newly discovered constituent of mammalian DNA, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), is the other modified base in higher organisms. In this study we detected 5-hmC in plant protoplast DNA and demonstrated its increasing content during the first 72 hrs. of protoplast cultivation...

Cynara cardunculus.L exhibits an important adaptability to arid and semi-arid regions where high salinity is frequently present. Aiming to introduce its cultivation in the Mediterranean environment especially in Tunisia, it seemed interesting to study seed germination of eight populations of cardoon in four concentrations of NaCl: 0g/L, 2g/L, 4g/L, and 8g/L. Our results showed a good variabilit...

place a cutting had been sent in 1867. On inquiry about the present state of the cultivation, Mr. Clarke, now acting for Dr. Anderson, has kindly placed the following information at our disposal, which we give in his own "Words:?" When I took charge of the Gardens in May 1869, there were seven plants?three here, four at the Bungbee, a narrow tropical valley, 2,000 feet above the sea, 15 miles f...

Multidisciplinary investigations at Kuk Swamp in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea show that agriculture arose independently in New Guinea by at least 6950 to 6440 calibrated years before the present (cal yr B.P.). Plant exploitation and some cultivation occurred on the wetland margin at 10,220 to 9910 cal yr B.P. (phase 1), mounding cultivation began by 6950 to 6440 cal yr B.P. (phase 2), and ...

Consumption of herbal medicines is widespread and increasing. Harvesting from the wild, the main source of raw material, is causing loss of genetic diversity and habitat destruction. Domestic cultivation is a viable alternative and offers the opportunity to overcome the problems that are inherent in herbal extracts: misidentification, genetic and phenotypic variability, extract variability and ...

Soldier fly, Inopus rubriceps (Macquart), larvae suck nutrients from the roots of ryegrass, ‘reducing root growth, tiller and foliage production, and probably plant survival. Accurate placement of insecticide with the seed killed larvae, and en’hanced establsishment of the seedlings. The use of minimum cultivation, paraquat, and fertilizer sown with the seed, ‘all made larvae move on to the row...

Prehistoric cultivation of wild wheat in the Fertile Crescent led to the selection of mutants with indehiscent (nonshattering) ears, which evolved into modern domestic wheat. Previous estimates suggested that this transformation was rapid, but our analyses of archaeological plant remains demonstrate that indehiscent domesticates were slow to appear, emerging approximately 9500 years before the ...

Microorganisms interact with plants because plants offer a wide diversity of habitats including the phyllosphere (aerial plant part), the rhizosphere (zone of influence of the root system), and the endosphere (internal transport system) [3, 5]. Interactions of epiphytes, rhizophytes or endophytes may be detrimental or beneficial for either the microorganism or the plant and may be classified as...