Gemma morphology, histology and ultrastructure before and after germination in vitro were studied in Drosera pygmaea. The histology of the gemma is similar to that of a seed, being characterized by an embryo-like structure and storage tissue, although no seed coat is formed. One embryo-like structure within the gemma, which gives origin to a new plant, expresses polar organisation with distinct meristematic regions. Storage tissue surrounding the embryo-like structure resembles endosperm and it is built of parenchyma cells possessing plastids with starch grains and dense material within vacuoles. The regeneration from the gemma may provide useful system to study plant morphogenesis under stress conditions including in vitro culture.

Expression of esterase isoenzymes in 1272 seeds was used to estimate hybridity of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Individual seeds (440) of the parental cultivars taken from different experimental stations in Bulgaria were also analysed. The banding patterns were obtained by means of vertical block electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels. It was established that quantitative variation of locus Est-1 can be applied to prove hybridity of F₁ tomato seeds. This marker is related to the genetic nature of tomatoes and is not the result of the environmental influence. The reason for this conclusion is the fact that the isoenzymes of the Est-1 locus are indicative for hybridity determination of all examined seeds taken from different regions in Bulgaria. Use of this locus is to be recommended for both its universality and the fact that the reagents for esterase isoenzymes staining are not expensive.

Nodulation was inhibited in plants of green gram (Vigna radiata, cvs. ADT-1 and CO-5) exposed to different levels of simulated acid rain using a mixture of H2SO4, HNO3 and HCl (6:3:1) of pH 2.5, 4.0 and 5.5 in comparison with control (pH 7.0). Protein content of leaves increased in cv. CO-5 but decreased in cv. ADT-1 whereas the nitrate content of leaves increased in cv. ADT-1 but lowered in cv. CO-5. Nitrate reductase activity was increased in the nodular roots of cv. ADT-1 but was decreased in leaves. In cv. CO-5 it was increased in leaves but was insignificantly reduced in the nodules at pH 2.5. The nodule nitrogenase activity increased at pH 4.0 and 2.5 in cv. ADT-1.

The specificity of a monoclonal antibody IgG1, raised against trans-zeatin riboside-keyhole limpet hemocyanin conjugate, was investigated by means of inhibition experiments with soluble competing antigens. A competitive enzyme immunoassay was set up, with immobilized antigen. The analysis of the cross reaction profile enabled a study of the specificity of the antigen-antibody interaction. The antibody was able to distinguish the trans form of zeatin riboside from the cis form (cross reaction index = 1 %); cross reactions with ribose, adenine, adenosine and other related heterologous antigens were not detectable over the range of concetration tested. The recognition centres for the antibody seem to be the purine ring and the R substituent, especially in its hydroxymethyl group. Employment of this monoclonal antibody to localize cytokinins in control and shedding affected fruits of Malus domestica Borkh. evidenced high content of trans-zeatin riboside in developing seeds, differences in its content in embryo and endosperm, and a strong reduction of its content in the tissues of drop fruits. This decrease may be an important component responsible for early fruit abscission.

Gerbera jamesonii plants were subjected to a drying and rewatering for 10 d under greenhouse conditions. Transpiration rate and leaf water potential decreased with the application of stress and recovered to a level similar to that observed in the control plants. Leaf abscisic acid concentration increased while ethylene production decreased under stress. After rewatering, each of the parameters recovered, to similar levels, as in the control.

An attempt to reduce the production cost on tissue cultured plants, photoautotrophic culture of a high value orchid Dendrobium was established under CO2-enriched conditions. The shoot length and the number of leaves were almost equal in plantlets grown on medium with 2 % sucrose or without sucrose and under normal or enhanced (40 g m-3) CO2 concentration, whereas the fresh and dry masses were higher in cultures grown in sucrose containing media or under CO2 enrichment. Development of roots was observed only on media without sucrose, but CO2 enrichment did not have significant effects on in vitro rootings.

The inhibitory effect was investigated of 16 different 3-formylchromone derivatives, the condensation products of 6-R¹-3-formylchromone with 4-aminosalicylic acid and of the adducts of 6-R¹-3-formylchromone withn-alcohols and aminosalicylic acids or some other derivatives of aniline, on the photochemical activity of spinach chloroplasts. The inhibitory activity of the compounds studied correlated with the lipophilicity of the R¹ and R² (alkoxy) substituents. Using fluorescence study it was found that the site of action of the studied effectors is photosystem (PS) 2. By EPR spectroscopy it was confirmed that the studied effectors interact with the intermediates Z⁺/Y⁺ which are situated in D 1 and D 2 proteins on the donor side of PS 2 which is reflected in a partial decrease in the photosynthetic electron flow through PS 2 to PS 1. It was found that the core of PS 2 is not damaged.

Growth and Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^-, proteins, sugars and proline concentrations were measured in three triticale genotypes M2A, DF99 and Asseret grown on nutrient solution with or without 75 mM NaCl. In saline conditions, leaf area of the three triticales was reduced by 50 % and dry to fresh mass ratio increased. Total protein concentration was diminished by 10 %. K⁺ concentration decreased whereas Na⁺ and Cl^- accumulated in roots and shoots of salt-stressed plants. This ion accumulation was greater in roots of Asseret than in roots of the other triticales. Soluble sugar concentration increased in M2A and Asseret and decreased in DF99. Proline concentration increased in M2A and DF99 and decreased in Asseret. Osmotic adjustment was essentially realized by Na⁺ and Cl^- uptake. Non-reducing sugars and proline contributed too, but to a lesser extent.

The effect of 2 mM AlCl3 on NAD+ kinase (E.C. 2.7.1.23) activity was studied using Euglena gracilis strain Z grown heterotrophically in darkness at pH 3.5 in the presence of lactate as sole carbon source. The Al-treatment slowed down the culture growth and suppressed the peak of NAD+ kinase activity, which characterizes the beginning of the exponential phase of growth of the control cell cultures. There are two possible explanations of the Al effect: it 1) either prevents the enzyme activation by the Ca-calmodulin (CaM) complex; or 2) suppresses the CaM-dependent NAD+ kinase form. In Euglena cells, a part of the NAD+ kinase activity is enhanced by EGTA and lowered by Ca2+: this peculiar NAD+ kinase activity is unaffected by the Al treatment.

This paper describes the hitherto unreported aspects of orchid mycorrhizae. The host cells harbour upto 4 generations of fungal pelotons which are formed after each peloton is digested. There are two types of hyphae in a host cell, one forming the pelotons, and the other which lies close to the host cell wall and separated from the former by a callosic wall. The later, called non-pelotonic hyphae form the fresh peloton when the former is digested. Consequently, there are also cytochemical differences between these two types of hyphae.

Two wheat cultivars, Hesheng 2 with large grain yield potential, and Shannong 505 with small grain yield potential, were used for investigating the responses of postanthesis photosynthesis, dry matter accumulation and allocation, and grain growth to source/sink changes. At the initial grain filling stage, Hesheng 2 was sensitive to source reduction leading to an increase of net photosynthetic rate (P_N) by 10 %; however, little effect of sink reduction was observed. In Shannong 505, P_N was obviously decreased by sink reduction, and changed a little after source reduction. At the rapid grain filling stage, Hesheng 2 was sensitive to both source and sink reduction resulting in the increase or decrease of P_N, respectively. However, the response of P_N in Shannong 505 to source/sink changes was similar to that in previous stage. The dry matter (DM) accumulation after anthesis was affected by source/sink changes. In Hesheng 2, the decrease in DM was higher than that in Shannong 505 after the same source or sink reduction. Source reduction caused a decrease in the allocation of DM to the sheath and stem, and promoted the reserve photosynthates to be reallocated to grain. The effect of sink reduction was contrary. The grain mass of Hesheng 2 was more easily regulated by source/sink changes than that of Shannong 505. The effect source/sink changes on grain mass was in order upper > basal > middle spikelets on spike. As for a spikelet, the effect was found mainly in the grain mass at the positions 3 and 4 from base of the spikelet.

A novel approach for simultaneous localization of two DNA sequences on plant chromosomes is described. The approach is based on a combined use of primed in situ DNA labelling (PRINS) with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Traditionally, this has been done using FISH with two probes labelled by two different marker molecules. Compared to this method, the combined PRINS-FISH procedure is faster. Furthermore, because one of the DNA sequences is localized by PRINS with specific primers, only one labelled probe is needed.

The role of plant antioxidant systems in stress tolerance was studied in leaves of three contrasting wheat genotypes. Drought imposed at two different stages after anthesis resulted in an increase in H2O2 accumulation and lipid peroxidation and decrease in ascorbic acid content. Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase significantly increased under water stress. Drought tolerant genotype C 306 which had highest ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activity and ascorbic acid content also showed lowest H2O2 accumulation and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde content) under water stress in comparison to susceptible genotype HD 2329 which showed lowest antioxidant enzyme activity and ascorbic acid content and highest H2O2 content and lipid peroxidation. HD 2285 which is tolerant to high temperature during grain filling period showed intermediate behaviour. Superoxide dismutase activity, however, did not show significant differences among the genotypes under irrigated as well as water stress condition. It seems that H2O2 scavenging systems as represented by ascorbate peroxidase and catalase are more important in imparting tolerance against drought induced oxidative stress than superoxide dismutase alone.

Acetylsalicylic acid, which applied to cotyledons of the short day plant Pharbitis nil prior to an inductive 16-h dark period inhibits flowering by 90 %, is converted to salicylic acid and to a lesser extent to gentisic acid in the cotyledons during this 16-h dark period. Our results confirmed that salicylic acid and gentisic acid are responsible for the inhibition of flowering. They also inhibit prostaglandin biosynthesis.

Structural adaptations to increased transport activities were investigated in the cells of vascular parenchyma at the site of the lateral root junction, in non-stressed plant roots. Typical transfer cells were differentiated in dicotyledonousHelianthus tuberosus and in two different genotypes ofH. annuus, the cv. IBH166 and a decorative form. In the representatives of monocotyledonous, no structural adaptations occurred in the roots ofHordeum vulgare but small and rare cell wall protuberances were found in xylem and phloem ofZea mays inbred line VIR17. Some degree of cell wall labyrinth differentiation was seen in xylem and typical transfer cells were found in phloem of the roots of the maize hybrid CE380. The capability of vascular parenchyma to differentiate transfer cells did not depend on species, genotype, or on the growing conditions withHelianthus. On the other hand, the development of the structural adaptations in monocotyledonous representatives depended on both the species and the genotype. This capability may be linked with the taxonomic and evolutionary position of plant species.

In date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) leaves, the main compounds of the phenolic pool were quercetin and isorhamnetin heterosides, (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin. Although previously observed only in date palm fruits, 5-caffeoylshikimic acid (dactylifric acid) and its positional isomers (3-caffeoylshikimic acid and 4-caffeoylshikimic acid) were detected also in the leaves and roots. Quantitative, but not qualitative, differences between cultivars resistant and susceptible toFusarium oxysporum f. sp.albedinis during growth period were observed

Habituated sugar beet calli have been characterized as having a deficiency in some tetrapyrrole containing compounds. However, peroxidases might be dissociated from the other tetrapyrrole containing compounds. When light-cultured normal and habituated calli were transferred to darkness their peroxidase activity reduced and increased, respectively, indicating that habituation could not strictly be characterized by a deficiency in peroxidase content but rather by a different regulation of its activity. This regulation could be mediated through soluble effectors which act as potential peroxidase inhibitors and/or by a differential expression of the peroxidase isoenzyme patterns which were present in these tissues in both light and darkness. The different peroxidase activity and the nature of acidic and basic peroxidase isoenzymes in normal and habituated tissues could explain the different features of both types of cultures.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings were grown under NaCl stress. The leaf growth of resistant cv. Damodar was less affected than that of the susceptible cv. Jaya. The leaf protein content showed no distinct cultivar or age dependent differences under NaCl salinity. There was a significant increase in chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid (Car) contents of 25-d-oldseedlings of both cv. Jaya and cv. Damodar. However, Chl and Car content of 15-d-old seedlings of cv. Jaya decreased and that of cv. Damodar increased, under NaCl stress.

Excised embrya and subsequently divided embrya of Podophyllum peltatum were cultured on the Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with different growth regulators, because traditional methods of breaking seed dormancy failed. The growth of excised embrya was stimulated by 1 or 0.1 mg dm-3gibberellic acid (GA3), 0.1 mg dm-3 GA3 + 0.2 mg dm-3 kinetin (kin), or 0.2mg dm-3 kin. GA3 (1 mg dm-3) showed the best effect; after 5 weeks the plantlets had 1.5 - 2 cm long cotyledons, 5 - 6 cm long roots, 88 % of embrya germinated and developed further. The addition of 0.5 mg dm-3 zeatin + 0.2 mg dm-3 naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA), 0.2 mg dm-3 NAA, and 1 mg dm-3 kinetin inhibited the growth of embrya. 1 mg dm-3 kinetin + 0.1 mg dm-3 NAA, 0.1 mg dm-3 zeatin and 0.2 mg dm-3 6-benzylaminopurine resulted in a compact appearance of plantlets and a lower germination rate. Divided embryo cultures produced plantlets via somatic embryogenesis which occurred only on the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid containing media. The maturation of somatic embrya was observed on media without any auxin.

Changes in growth and anatomical structure of vascular tissues in stem, root and leaf of safflower plants grown in NaCl and CaCl2 solutions having different osmotic potentials (ΨS from 0 to -0.9 MPa) with addition of 0, 10 and 20 mg dm-3 zinc were studied. Shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry masses and fresh/dry mass ratio were lower in salt-stressed plants compared to unstressed plants. Salinity induced structural changes in stem, root and leaf tissues; few xylem vessels with smaller size were noticed in stressed plants. The higher concentration of Zn improved growth especially in roots and enhanced xylem formation in comparison to stressed plants grown at the same osmotic potential without Zn. Zn also protected xylem distructure by salinity in leaves.

We present a simple and rapid technique for the double staining of plant peroxidase and other proteins in the same polyacrylamide gel using the principle of iodide oxidation followed by Coomassie Blue counterstain. The colored bands of peroxidase isozymes and proteins are easily distinguishable. An additional benefit of the method is the use of the low cost chemicals, as well as it eliminates the need for a potentially hazardous reagents frequently used in the detection of peroxidase isozymes.

Electrophoretic seed protein patterns of 18 samples belonging to 14 species and 4 sections of Lathyrus are treated by principle component analysis (PCA). The morphological ground and karyological structure data of these samples are also discussed in the light of sectional and groups delimitation. The species under study of section Cicercula are separated into 3 groups and L. hirsutus referred to the most primitive species within Lathyrus species. This agrees with their previous grouping delimination based on morphological characters and with chromosomal features such as karyotype structure. L. aphaca referred to the most advanced species in this genus, which agrees with the modification of this morphological characteristics and reduction in chromosome criteria. Section Nissolia hasan intermediate position between section Cicercula and section Aphaca.

Protocols were developed for plant regeneration from callus induced in mature embryos of rice. Somaclonal variation was scored by genome mutation, chromosome mutation and plasmon mutation in R₀, R₁ and R₂ plant progenies. The frequency of haploids and diploids appeared in the ratio of 20:33. Variation in the chromosome number in callus cells was found to be high and age dependent. Different types of chlorophyll deficient mutants including albinos appeared in R₂ plant progeny where gene mutation frequency was the highest (52.4 %). The results revealed that a high frequency of somaclonal variation is possible to generate by tissue culture techniques.