Response of Three Greek Populations of Aegilops triuncialis (Crop Wild Relative) to Serpentine Soil

A common garden experiment was established to investigate the effects of serpentine soil on the photosynthetic and biochemical traits of plants from three Greek populations of Aegilops triuncialis. We measured photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, proline content, and nutrient uptake of the above plants growing in serpentine and non-serpentine soil. The photochemical activity of PSII was inhibited in plants growing in the serpentine soil regardless of the population; however, this inhibition was lower in the Aetolia-Acarnania population. The uptake and the allocation of Ni, as well as that of some other essential nutrient elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn), to upper parts were decreased with the lower decrease recorded in the Aetolia-Acarnania population. Our results showed that excess Ni significantly increased the synthesis of proline, an antioxidant compound that plays an important role in the protection against oxidative stress. We conclude that the reduction in the photosynthetic performance is most probably due to reduced nutrient supply to the upper plant parts. Moreover, nickel accumulation in the roots recorded in plants from all three populations seems to be a mechanism to alleviate the detrimental effects of the serpentine soil stress. In addition, our data suggest that the population from Aetolia-Acarnania could be categorized among the nickel excluders.

Integration of grazing and herbicide application improves management of barb goatgrass and medusahead in pasture and rangelands

The invasive annual grasses barb goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialis L.) and medusahead (Elymus caput-medusae L.) are widespread in western states and present management challenges on grasslands. To develop an integrated management strategy for these species, we treated sites in five pastures in Mendocino County, comparing combinations of intensive sheep grazing, glyphosate herbicide (low and high), and application timings (tillering, boot and heading stage). We found that grazing alone reduced barb goatgrass spikelet densities by 68% and the number of seeds per spikelet by 35%. Both rates of glyphosate application without grazing had similar effects on seed production. High and low glyphosate application at tillering resulted in almost complete control of both target species. Boot- and heading-stage applications reduced barb goatgrass density by 39% and 32%, respectively. Application at the boot stage also resulted in an 82% reduction in number of seeds per barb goatgrass spikelet. Our results suggest that intensive grazing may be a useful management strategy to reduce barb goatgrass and medusahead spikelet densities and barb goatgrass seed numbers, especially when integrated with a boot- or heading-stage glyphosate application.

New records and noteworthy data of plants, algae and fungi in SE Europe and adjacent regions, 3

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: parasitic fungus Antherospora hortensis, saprotrophic fungi Loweomyces fractipes and Pholiota henningsii, stonewort Chara canescens, mosses Grimmia caespiticia and Rhodobryum ontariense, fern Woodsia alpina, monocots Aegilops triuncialis, Epipactis purpurata, Galanthus elwesii and Typha shuttleworthii and dicot Umbilicus luteus.

STUDY OF STRESS RESISTANCE OF WINTER WHEAT LINES OBTAINED WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF FOREIGN GENETIC MATERIAL AT THE EARLY STAGES OF ORGANOGENESIS FOR THE SELECTION OF ADAPTIVE FORMS

The paper presents experimental data on the assessment of the adaptability of winter wheat lines obtained using foreign genetic material of species Triticum migushchovae, Triticum kiharae, Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops triuncialis, Secale cereale and varieties of Don semi-dwarf (Aegilops squrrossa).

Адаптивность линий яровой мягкой пшеницы с устойчивостью к стеблевой ржавчине на фонах искусственно создаваемых абиотических стрессов

Оценены адаптивные свойства интрогрессивных линий мягкой яровой пшеницы с чужеродным генетическим материалом на фонах искусственно создаваемых стрессовых факторов. Показана реакция растений как на каждый из изучаемых стрессов, так и на их комплекс. Объектом изучения являлись 12 селекционных линий яровой пшеницы из питомника испытания потомств 2-го года, полученные в результате сложных ступенчатых и беккроссных скрещиваний новых доноров устойчивости к стеблевой ржавчине: линий озимой пшеницы GT 96/90 (Болгария) с генетическим материалом вида Triticum migushovae, 119/4-06rw — видов Aegilops speltoides и Secale cereale; линии яровой пшеницы 113/00i-4 с использованием вида Aegilops triuncialis; ярового образца 145/00i, устойчивого к бурой ржавчине, с генетическим материалом вида Aegilops speltoides. Стрессоустойчивость линий изучали в лабораторных условиях на ранних этапах онтогенеза, используя засоление NaCl и длительное затопление семян в воде (анаэробный стресс). Показатели по солеустойчивости варьировали от 40 до 62 %, по устойчивости к затоплению дифференциация по прорастаемости составила от 8 до 82 %. По суммарному показателю устойчивости самым широким диапазоном адаптивности к токсическому действию обоих стресс-факторов характеризовались линии 37-16i, 33-16i и 32-16i, 3-16i и 9-16i. Полученные данные свидетельствуют о сходной направленности адаптивных процессов при воздействии стрессовых ситуаций и сочетании в 1 генотипе (или почти полная сопряженность результатов) устойчивости одновременно к 2 стресс-факторам — солевому и анаэробному. Повышенный уровень адаптации протестированного материала мягкой пшеницы связываем с наличием чужеродных транслокаций у исходных родительских форм, участвовавших в происхождении линий.