Determining the Optimum Night Length for Flower Development in a Modern Poinsettia Cultivar

The effect of night length (NL) on the flower development of poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch) ‘Prestige Red’ was evaluated. Flower initiation occurred by subjecting plants to a 14-hour NL for 10 or 17 days, termed short-day (SD) treatments, and then transferring the plants to each of four NL treatments (11, 12, 13, or 14 hours) to observe the effects of NL on flower development. The plants grown continuously with the 14-h NL treatment were the control group. The timing of first color, visible bud, and anthesis were recorded during flower development, and bract and leaf data were collected at anthesis. Leaf number was unaffected by the SD or NL treatments, suggesting that flower initiation occurred during the 10-day SD treatment before the start of NL treatments; thus, the NL treatments only affected flower development. The timing of first color and visible bud were significantly delayed with the 10-day SD × 11-hour NL treatment relative to the 14-hour NL control; however, first color and visible bud were not delayed with the 17-day SD × 11-hour NL treatment. The 11-hour NL treatment resulted in fewer plants reaching anthesis, and these plants had fewer stem bracts and less bract color development compared with the 12-hour, 13-hour, and 14-hour NL treatments. Therefore, an 11-hour NL is suboptimal for flower development; nonetheless, significant development did occur. The 12-hour NL resulted in less color development than the 13-hour and 14-hour NL treatments in the lowest stem bract positions, but the plants had a commercially acceptable appearance. These results demonstrate that minimal differences in flower development occur with NL ≥12 hours, but that optimal development required NL ≥13 hours.

Application of abscisic acid (S-ABA) at different stages of ripening on color development of ‘Rubi’ table grape

The color of the berries is an important aspect of the quality of table grapes and crucial for marketing. The ‘Rubi’ table grapes grown in the subtropical climate generally lack color intensity due to the inhibition of anthocyanins by high temperatures during ripening. The exogenous application of abscisic acid (S-ABA) can be used to overcome this problem as the accumulation of anthocyanins in the berry skin is regulated by this plant growth regulator. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the exogenous application of S-ABA at different stages of ripening on color development in ‘Rubi’ table grapes using the soluble solids (SS) content as a marker of ripening. The study was conducted during two seasons in commercial vineyards. The first trial was conducted in Marialva, Parana, Brazil, during the 2019 summer season crop (harvest in December). S-ABA (400 mg L-1) was exogenously applied at different stages of ripening of ‘Rubi’ table grapes (determined by the SS content of the berries): control (without application); SS = 8-9 ºBrix; SS = 10-11 ºBrix; SS = 8-9 ºBrix (two applications; the second one applied 10 days after the first); and SS = 10-11 ºBrix (two applications; the second one applied 10 days after the first). The second trial was conducted in Cambira, Parana, Brazil, during the 2020 off-season crop (harvest in May). S-ABA (400 mg L-1) was exogenously applied at different stages of ripening of ‘Rubi’ grapes: control (without application); SS = 6-7 ºBrix; SS = 7-8 ºBrix; SS = 9-10 ºBrix; SS = 6-7 ºBrix (two applications; the second one applied 14 days after the first); SS = 7-8 ºBrix (two applications; the second one applied 14 days after the first); and SS = 9-10 ºBrix (two applications; the second one applied 14 days after the first). A randomized block design was used as the statistical model with four replications, and each plot consisted of one vine. The variables analyzed were total anthocyanin contents, color index (CIRG), and color attributes (L*, C*, h°, and ΔE) of berry skin. The total anthocyanin accumulation and color attributes of the berries were evaluated every 10 and 7 days after the first application of S-ABA until harvest in the first and second trials, respectively, and the other variables were evaluated at harvest. In the summer-season crop, when the SS content was 8-11 ºBrix, the application of S-ABA increased the concentration of the total anthocyanins 4 times compared to that in the control, improving berry color development. Furthermore, in the off-season crop, when the SS content was 6-10 ºBrix, the application of S-ABA increased the concentration of total anthocyanins 2-3 times compared to that in the control, improving the color attributes of berries. In both crops, a single application of the plant growth regulator was sufficient to intensify the color of the berries.

Analysis of yellow mutant rainbow trout transcriptomes at different developmental stages reveals dynamic regulation of skin pigmentation genes

Yellow mutant rainbow trout (YR), an economically important aquaculture species, is popular among consumers due to its excellent meat quality and attractive appearance. Skin color is a key economic trait for YR, but little is known about the molecular mechanism of skin color development. In this study, YR skin transcriptomes were analyzed to explore temporal expression patterns of pigmentation-related genes in three different stages of skin color development. In total, 16,590, 16,682, and 5619 genes were differentially expressed between fish at 1 day post-hatching (YR1d) and YR45d, YR1d and YR90d, and YR45d and YR90d. Numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with pigmentation were identified, and almost all of them involved in pteridine and carotenoid synthesis were significantly upregulated in YR45d and YR90d compared to YR1d, including GCH1, PTS, QDPR, CSFIR1, SLC2A11, SCARB1, DGAT2, PNPLA2, APOD, and BCO2. Interestingly, many DEGs enriched in melanin synthesis pathways were also significantly upregulated, including melanogenesis (MITF, MC1R, SLC45A2, OCA2, and GPR143), tyrosine metabolism (TYR, TYRP1, and DCT), and MAPK signaling (KITA) pathways. Using short time-series expression miner, we identified eight differential gene expression pattern profiles, and DEGs in profile 7 were associated with skin pigmentation. Protein–protein interaction network analysis showed that two modules were related to xanthophores and melanophores. In addition, 1,812,329 simple sequence repeats and 2,011,334 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were discovered. The results enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying skin pigmentation in YR, and could accelerate the molecular breeding of fish species with valuable skin color traits and will likely be highly informative for developing new therapeutic approaches to treat pigmentation disorders and melanoma.

Comprehensive Transcriptome and Metabolic Profiling of Petal Color Development in Lycoris sprengeri

Lycoris sprengeri (L. sprengeri) is an important ornamental bulbous plant, and its numerous varieties in different color forms are widely planted. Multiple color types of petals in L. sprengeri provide us with possibilities to delineate the complicated metabolic networks underlying the biochemical traits behind color formation in this plant species, especially petal color. In this study, we sequenced and annotated a reference transcriptome of pink and white petals of L. sprengeri and analyzed the metabolic role of anthocyanin biosynthesis in regulating color pigment metabolism. Briefly, white and pink petal samples were sequenced with an Illumina platform, to obtain the reads that could be assembled into 100,778 unique sequences. Sequences expressed differentially between white vs. pink petals were further annotated with the terms of Gene Ontology (GO), Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and eggNOG. Gene expression analyses revealed the repression of anthocyanin and steroid biosynthesis enzymes and R2R3 MYB transcription factor (TF) genes in white petals compared to pink petals. Furthermore, the targeted metabolic profiling of anthocyanins revealed that color-related delphinidin (Del) and cyanidin (Cy) pigments are lower in white petals, which correlate well with the reduced gene expression levels of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. Taken together, it is hypothesized that anthocyanin biosynthesis, steroid biosynthesis, and R2R3 MYB TFs may play vital regulatory roles in petal color development in L. sprengeri. This work provides a valuable genomic resource for flower breeding and metabolic engineering in horticulture and markers for studying the flower trait evolution of L. sprengeri.

Study on Scientific Analysis about Red Pigment And Binder - The Korean Ancient Red Pottery -

From the collection of the National Kimhae Museum, qualitative analyses using microscopic observation, SEM-EDS, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy, and GC-MS were conducted on three burnished red potteries—Jeoksaekmaoyeonwa burnished red pottery (Neolithic age red pottery), Dandomaoyeonwan burnished red pottery(Bronze age red pottery) and Jeoksaekmaoyeongajimun burnished red pottery(Bronze age red pottery)—to investigate the components of the red pigments and the binder. After the layers of the primer were separated from the red surface, crystals of red pigment particles and minerals were found on the red surface. Through SEM-EDS, Raman estimates that the red pigment is Among soil pigments with iron oxide(Fe2O3) as the main color development source, Red Ocher(Fe2O3). A band characteristic of the Urushiol polymer was detected in the FTIR-ATRspectra(4000∼600cm-1), GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of the benzenemethanol-2-prophenyl, 4-heptylphenol, 1-tetracecanol, heptafluorobutyric texidecane, all of which are the ingredients of the directional structure of the lacquer present in the red layer. Therefore, it seemed that the three burnished red pottery: Jeoksaekmaoyeonwan pottery(Neolithic age burnished red pottery), Dandomaoyeonwan pottery(bronze age burnished red pottery) and the Jeoksaekmaoyeongajimun pottery(bronze age burnished red pottery) made by mixing minerals and Red Ocher(Fe2O3), with lacquer.

Functional analysis of a dihydroflavonol 4-reductase gene in Ophiorrhiza japonica (OjDFR1) reveals its role in the regulation of anthocyanin

Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), a key regulatory enzyme, participated in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and other flavonoids that essential for plant survival and human health. However, the role of this enzyme in Ophiorrhiza japonica is still unknown. Here, three putative DFR-like genes were firstly isolated from O. japonica. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that OjDFR1 was classified into DFR subgroup, while the rest two were clustered into other NADPH-dependent reductases. Then, functions of the three genes were further characterized. Expression analysis showed that OjDFR1 transcripts had strong correlations with the accumulation pattern of anthocyanin during the flower developmental, whereas other two were not, this suggested the potential roles of OjDFR1 in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Subsequently, all three clones were functionally expressed in Escherichia coli, but confirming that only OjDFR1 encode active DFR proteins that catalyzed the reduction of dihydroflavonols to leucoanthocyanidin. Consistant with the biochemical assay results, overexpressing OjDFR1 in Arabidopsis tt3-1 mutant successfully restored the deficiency of anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin, hinting its function as DFR in planta. Additionally, heterologous expression of OjDFR1 in transgenic tobacco contributed to darker flower color via up-regulating the expressions of endogenous NtANS and NtUFGT, which suggested that OjDFR1 was involved in flower color development. In summary, this study validates the functions of OjDFR1 and expands our understanding of anthocyanin biosynthesis in O. japonica.

Spectrophotometric determination of iron (III) catalyst in organic compound chlorinations

In the science or industrial practice of chemical processes, iron (III) is sometimes used as a catalyst in organic compound chlorinations due to its effectiveness and low cost. Thus, a fast and easy method of determination in the system is useful especially when metallic iron is used as a precursor which is readily converted into iron (III) chloride by the gaseous chlorine used in the chlorination reactor. In the latter case, the determination of the produced catalytically effective iron (III) is a prerequisite for controlling the kinetic progress of chlorination. In this work, a method for the spectrophotometric determination of iron (III) chloride in organic media after complexation with methyl ethyl ketone is investigated. The formation of a strong o-complex of iron (III) with methyl ethyl ketone allows direct determination of iron at 360 nm.Beer’s law is valid up to absorbance 2.42, where the iron (III) concentration is 20.7 mg·L-1, with molar absorptivity (e) equal to 6.532×103 L·mol-1·cm-1 and Sandell’s sensitivity 8.5×10-3 ug·cm- 2. Standing time for color development is of the order of a few seconds and stability of color measurements exceeds 12 months. The method may be used among other applications in organic compounds chlorinations catalyzed by iron. These systems are complicated due to the coexistence of various complexes. Nevertheless, the method proposed being simple, fast, and not depending on the composition of the chlorination mixture and the amount of methyl ethyl ketone added was found to be suitable.