Shoot tips, cotyledonary nodes and hypocotyls of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) were grown on 3 media: plant induction medium (PIM), callus induction medium (CIM), and shoot induction medium (SIM). Maximum growth and differentiation was seen in PIM, whereas minimum was observed in CIM. Shoot tips which differentiated to multiple shoots evolved negligible amounts of ethylene. Maximum ethylene evolution was recorded by hypocotyls in PIM. Ethylene appears to have stimulatory effect on shoot bud differentiation in cotyledonary nodes. But in hypocotyls, increased ethylene inhibited growth and differentiation. Calli on media containing only auxin (PIM) evolved significantly more ethylene, whereas those on media with cytokinin (SIM) evolved more methane. Callus forming explants like cotyledonary nodes and hypocotyls evolve more ethylene than shoot tips.

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.

Wounding-induced extracellular pH shifts were characterized previously in excised segments of maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles. In the present study it is demonstrated that similar pH shifts also occur in Triticum aestivum L., Secale cereale L., Hordeum vulgare L., Avena sativa L., Sorghum durra (Forsk.) Stapf, and Setaria italica (L.) Beauv., with characteristic quantitative differences between the species. Indole-acetic acid induces pronounced drops of the medium pH in all species except Setaria italica.

A non-destructive method of total vertical projections for estimating the length of rigid root systems, not introduced yet in plant sciences, is described. It is demonstrated on measuring less and more dense root systems of seedlings of Zea mays grown at hypoxic or control conditions. Photographs of six vertical projections (30° apart) of each root system were taken and evaluated. The method being based on proved mathematical formula offers unbiased estimation of the length of a rigid root system, curved in three-dimensional space, by non-destructive means. Thus, it is applicable during ongoing experimentation on plants grown in a solution culture. It was shown that less than 120 intersections between the root projection and test lines in one photograph ensured sufficient precision of the method and that the observer subjectivity could be overcome by presented instructions.

Cadmium-treated pea plants exhibited PEPC and NADP-ME activities, titratable acidity, and malate concentration in the leaves similar to controls. The PEPC activity in the roots of Cd-treated plants decreased by about 40 %, and NADP-ME increased more than twice. The titratable acidity remained similar as in the leaves, but the malate content diminished by about 30 %. The application of 500 g(d.m.) m-3 biomin and a combination of biomin and algae suspensions to Cd-treated plants brought about an increase in the titratable acidity and in the malate concentrations in the leaves and the roots.

After an electrophoretic separation of proteins from Euglena gracilis and dry seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris in native conditions in polyacrylamide gels, gels were incubated in mixtures containing NAD+, Mg-ATP2-, glucose 6-phosphate, G6P dehydrogenase, and either phenazine ethosulfate and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (PES/MTT) or phenazine methosulfate and nitro blue tetrazolium (PMS/NBT) as coupled redox system for NAD+ kinase activity detection. In the presence of PES/MTT, 4 bands were revealed for E. gracilis, among which two corresponded to NAD+ kinase activity, the other corresponding to a NAD+ reductase activity due to alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). In the presence of PMS/NBT, only the bands of NAD+ kinase activity were revealed. With Phaseolus vulgaris, 3 bands of ADH were always revealed in both mixtures, and only the use of PMS/NBT allowed the detection of NAD+ kinase as a fourth band. With both materials, NAD+ reductase staining in gels was intensifed in the presence of GTP or ATP and even further with ADP or GDP. The results demonstrate that: 1) the NAD+ kinase and NAD+ reductase are two distinct enzymes; 2) the NAD+ reductase corresponds to ADH.

Tobacco and carnation plantlets were grown in vitro on Murashige and Skoog's medium with 2 % saccharose. Carnation plantlets were also grown fully photoautotrophically on a medium without saccharose. The ambient CO2 concentration was increased from 0.6 to 10 or 40 g m-3 during the last 3 weeks of in vitro cultivation or during the first 3 weeks of acclimation to ex vitro condition (plantlets transplanted to pots with sand and nutrient solution) or during both growth phases. CO2 enrichment during in vitro cultivation markedly stimulated growth of tobacco plantlets, and also of carnation plantlets, both with and without saccharose. CO2 enrichment during the acclimation period promoted plant growth more effectively in plantlets grown in vitro at a CO2 concentration of 0.6 g m-3 than in plantlets grown in either growth phase at higher CO2 concentrations.

Comparative study on SDS-protein profiles and isoenzyme composition of non-embryogenic and embryogenic calli in two callus lines of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) revealed the presence of abundant polypeptide fractions and an increased number of isoperoxidases in non-embryogenic calli. Non-specific esterase, on the other hand, exhibited an opposite tendency, while glutamate dehydrogenase was the only enzyme system consisting uniformly of one isoenzyme band in both types of calli investigated.

The response of pear fruit and leaf parameters to shade imposed during development was studied. Whole branches of mature trees of Pyrus communis L. cv. Bartlett growing in the High Valley area of Argentina were covered with a shade cloth (80 % reduction in irradiance) from 6 to 18 weeks after full bloom (WAFB) during the 1995-96 growing season. Fruit diameter was measured at two-weekly intervals; flesh firmness, soluble solids concentration, and leaf area were determined 18 WAFB. Prolonged shading significantly reduced fruiting spur specific leaf mass and consequently resulted in 20.79 % less final fruit fresh mass. However, flesh firmness was 8.07 % lower under full irradiance.

Plants were in vitro regenerated from leaf callus of Desmodium affine and D. uncinatum. Leaf explants were induced to form callus when aseptically cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 6 mg dm-3 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) in combination with 1 mg dm-3 naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Regeneration of shoots was induced when callus was cultured on MS medium supplemented with 6 mg dm-3 BAP and 0.01 mg dm-3 NAA. Roots regenerated in high frequency when differentiated shoots were subcultured on MS medium supplemented only with 0.01 mg dm-3 NAA. The regenerated plantlets were successfully grown in pots. Calli from D. incanum failed to regenerate shoots.

Growth of wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mehran-89), in hydroponic culture, was affected by abscisic acid (ABA). Using salinity stress and exogenous ABA application (10-6 M) to enhance endogenous ABA level, the growth of roots was more suppressed than the growth of shoots. On the other hand, norflurazon, which inhibits ABA biosynthesis, reduced only the growth of shoots.

Vicia faba seeds were treated with methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) and stored at 50 % water content for 0, 14 and 28 d. This water content prolongs the period between the mutagenic treatment and the onset of DNA synthesis. Storage of seeds after mutagen treatment at the selected water content led to a significant decrease in DNA damage, manifested as a reduction in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations.

Calli of soybean (Glycine max Merr.) cv. Maple Arrow grew better and accumulated more proline when cultured for 5 d on 70 mM NaCl under darkness than at light. This rapid proline accumulation in salinized soybean calli appeared to play a protective role rather than to be a cause of growth failure. Throughout a 28 d-culture cycle (in control and NaCl-treated calli exposed to light or darkness), we followed the possible relationships between the proline contents and the activities of enzymes of proline biosynthesis [ornithine transaminase; NAD(P)H-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase], of proline catabolism [NAD(P) proline dehydrogenase], and of NAD kinase responsible of variations in NADP(H) contents. Enzyme activities of proline metabolism and NAD kinase were clearly light- and NaCl-regulated; nevertheless, relationships between enzyme activities and proline content existed only in calli grown for short-term under darkness and in presence of NaCl. The ornithine transaminase route, which was particularly enhanced in these calli during the first days of salt application, seemed to be involved in the initial proline accumulation in soybean.

Photosynthetic parameters were compared in three types of transgenic tobacco plants: ipt-transgenic plants with slightly elevated endogenous cytokinin (CK) content, Pssu-ipt-transgenic plants with markedly increased CK content, and zmp-transgenic plants with slightly elevated CK content accompanied by elevated auxin content. Slightly increased CK content promoted net photosynthetic rate (P_N) in both ipt- and zmp-transgenic plants, and chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid contents in zmp-transgenic plants. Morphology, growth characteristics, stomatal conductance, and parameters of Chl a fluorescence kinetics were similar in control and transgenic plants with slightly higher CK content. No significant effect of increased level of endogenous auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) on development of zmp-transgenic plants and measured parameters was found. Pssu-ipt-transgenic plants with highly increased CK content revealed suppressed root development, wilting of plants, and depression of P_N and stomatal conductance; however, Chl content was slightly increased and parameters of Chl a fluorescence kinetics did not indicate damage to photosynthetic apparatus.

Tissue specific plant lectins were searched in the seeds of 44 tropical trees of Kerala, India. Seeds of only 12 plant species showed lectin activity. N-acetyl-D-galactosamine was the best inhibitor of lectin activity for the majority of the seeds. Lectin activity in the seeds of 4 species were not inhibited by any of the mono- or polysaccharides used.

Nutrient-encapsulation technique using in vitro grown nodal segments was developed as an alternative method for distribution of potato germplasm. The nodal cuttings of two potato genotypes, Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Lauvkar, were encapsulated in calcium-free Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium containing either 2 or 3 % sodium alginate and 0, 1, 2 or 3 % saccharose. The encapsulated segments were stored in tubes with or without semisolid MS medium, and incubated in the dark at 25 ± °C for 3 to 6 weeks. Presence of saccharose in the beads was found detrimental for regrowth of new shoots. In absence of saccharose, about 82 % and 53 % encapsulated segments initiated regrowth after 3 and 6 weeks of dark storage, respectively, in tubes containing MS medium. Storage in empty tubes deteriorated the encapsulated segments, and depressed shoot formation. For potato germplasm distribution, the encapsulated segments can be transported in small tubes containing semisolid MS medium.