Dependence of Coregonus albula embryogenesis rate on the incubation temperature

Eggs stripped from Coregonus albula were incubated at different constant temperatures. The duration of embryogenesis varied from 183 days at 1.1°C to 45 days at 9.9°C. We describe the course of embryogenesis using 16 easily recognizable developmental stages (DS j). Development rate (DR j) for any given stage (DS j) is expressed as the reciprocal of time (in days) from fertilization to attainment of a given developmental stage. The generalized equation relating rate of development to stages DS j with respect to temperature (x) is

The values of DR to the “eyed egg” stage and to 50% hatch, expressed as percentage per day of the total development period, were computed and tabulated for temperatures ranging from 0.1 to 9.9°C. To verify the derived regression model we observed the course of embryogenesis of C. albula eggs incubated in a commercial hatchery at fluctuating temperatures. The observed times of attainment of the successive developmental stages were compared to the predicted times based on mean daily water temperatures. The time observed agreed well with times predicted by the model; the only exception was the time of hatching, which was systematically overestimated (5 to 7 days) by the model. This was possibly due to the influence of dissolved oxygen on the time course of hatching processes, which was not considered in our regression model.     

A heuristic method of searching for interesting markers in terms of quantitative traits

Selection of parental lines is important in plant breeding programmes. Marker-assisted selection is an alternative to classical selection methods, which are expensive and time consuming. Marker-assisted selection aims to find molecular markers that are linked to genes that determine quantitative traits of interest. Classical statistical methods require particular assumptions to be fulfilled, which is difficult to check if the analyses are performed automatically. In this article, we present a heuristic method to find interesting markers for quantitative traits. This method includes various strategies that depend on what makes a genotype interesting to a plant breeder. This approach was applied to eighteen parental lines of winter oilseed rape F₁ CMS ogura hybrids with observation of 597 markers. The traits of interest were seed yield and alkenyl glucosinolate content. Fifty-seven markers were selected for further study. The most prominent marker was OPY 02~1830. Marker-assisted selection is the first step of analysis, which can then be followed up by a more formal statistical analysis for a smaller set of interesting markers.     

Impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and expression of gene encoding stress protein – metallothionein BnMT2 in the non‐host crop Brassica napus L.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are an important component of the soil biota in most agroecosystems, and their association can directly or indirectly affect the diversity of soil microorganisms, nutrient cycling, and growth of host plants. Since not all crops are symbiotic, we hypothesized that the presence of AM fungi can: (1) inhibit the growth of non‐host plants by resulting in biotic stress, or (2) promote their growth indirectly by increased nutrient mobilization. These hypotheses were tested in the present study on the non‐mycorrhizal crop canola (Brassica napus L.) in the presence and absence of other autochthonous soil microorganisms. The soil was inoculated with a mixture of AM fungi (Acaulospora longula, Glomus geosporum, G. mosseae, Scutellospora calospora) and as a control, a non‐inoculated soil was used. The impact of inoculation on plant growth (biomass production, nutrient concentrations) and expression of the stress protein metallothionein gene BnMT2 was investigated in the shoots. B. napus L. did not form mycorrhizal associations on its roots, but its growth was promoted after inoculation with AM fungi. In the soil with autochthonic microorganisms, growth inhibition after inoculation was observed compared to the control. The concentrations of N, P, K, and S in the shoot were always significantly increased after inoculation with AM fungi. However, this was partly combined with reduced growth and thereby decreased total uptake of nutrients. Expression of BnMT2 in the leaves was increased after inoculation with AM spores at the soil devoid of indigenous microorganisms, but decreased in their presence. The expression of stress proteins (BnMT2) significantly increased with increasing length and biomass of shoots. In conclusion, the inhibition of the non‐host plant B. napus L. following inoculation with AM fungi was confirmed, however, only in combination with autochthonous microorganisms. Growth promotion of B. napus L. in the presence of AM fungi in the absence of autochthonous soil microorganisms suggest that plant growth depression in the presence of AM fungi was based on interactive effects of AM fungi with the autochthonous microorganisms in the soil rather than on a direct impact of the AM fungi.