Evaluation of Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) by two species of terrestrial plants in some stations within Babylon Province, Iraq

This study deals with air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anatomical variation in leaves of two species of terrestrial plants Ficus sp. and Conocarpus sp. that have bee commonly the separated along roadsides in many stations within Babylon province. APTI values of both species were less than 10 during study period which represented sensitivity of these plants to air pollution. There are Anatomical responses to pollution in the leaves of both studied species. Main adaptations included increased thickness of parenchyma cell walls with clear dark deposits in sections of Ficus sp. from sections of stations 2 and 4 which represent polluted stations. Conocarpus sp. main adaptation included stomata increased in density and decreased in size with high tannin cells content in heavy polluted station.

Proteins present in tannin cenocyte mother cells in Sambucus racemosa L.

It has been demonstrated that protein content and concentration are higher in mononucleate tannin-cells than in the parenchyma cells of <i>Sambucus racemosa</i>. Cytoplasmic and nuclear free acid proteins markedly prevail here. It is believed that they may be enzymatic proteins. Increase of acid proteins content within the nucleus of tannin cells causes an increase of the nucleus size. The content of nuclear bound basic proteins in tannin cells, may be lower than in the neighbouring parenchymal cells.

Tannin vacuoles and starch in the development of Scots pine (Pinus sihestris) vegetative buds

Tannin cells occur throughout the bud except the distal and peripheral meristem zones of the apical meristem, and the youngest cataphyll primordia. Starch is absent in winter buds. The earliest structural manifestation of spring awakening in the bud are fragmentation of tannin vacuoles and synthesis of starch in the green cells of the bud. The tannins occurring in the vacuoles are hydrolysable giving a positive reaction for sugars (PAS). During their spring hydrolysis glucose is released. It is probably one of the sources of sugars for the synthesis of starch. During extension growth of the bud there occurs a degradation of tannin cells in the pith, which consist in the precipitation of tannins to a condensed form.

Morphology and ontogeny of tannin-producing structures in two tropical legume trees

Two legume trees largely known as tannin producers — Dimorphandra mollis Benth. (Caesalpinioideae) and Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville (Mimosoideae) — were used as models to elucidate the morphology and ontogeny of tannin cells. Vegetative parts of plants were processed for observation using light and electron microscopy (scanning and transmission). Idioblasts, found even in young plants of both species, and secretory trichomes, observed in vegetative buds of mature plants of S. adstringens, are responsible for tannin production. The tanniniferous idioblasts originate from protoderm and also from ground meristem cells. The ground meristem proved to be the best place to study the development of tanniniferous idioblasts at different stages of development, which allowed us to monitor the production and accumulation of tannins in the same tissue. Our data indicate that there is a relationship between the production of tannins and the process of vacuolation of tanniniferous cells. The results also indicate the probable performance of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and plastids in the production of tannins.

Segregations of Astringent Progenies in the F1 Populations Derived from Crosses between a Chinese Pollination-constant Nonastringent (PCNA) `Luo Tian Tian Shi', and Japanese PCNA and Pollination-constant Astringent (PCA) Cultivars of Japanese Origin

Pollination-constant and nonastringent (PCNA) is one of the most desirable traits in persimmons as this type of cultivar loses its astringency while still on the tree before harvest. Among Japanese PCNA cultivars, the trait is qualitatively inherited and recessive to pollination-constant, astringent (PCA), pollination-variant, nonastringent (PVNA), and pollination-variant, astringent (PVA) types. However, in a previous trial, both astringent and nonastringent types segregated in the F1 population that resulted from a cross between a Chinese PCNA `Luo Tian Tian Shi' and a Japanese PCNA cultivar. Because of the unusual segregation, in this study, we crossed another Japanese PCNA `Okugosho' with `Luo Tian Tian Shi' to confirm the segregation of astringent types by measuring the tannin cell size and tannin concentration at harvest. Previously, we found that astringent types have larger tannin cells than PCNA-type. The F1 hybrid progenies from the cross segregated into both PCNA and astringent-type individuals in approximately 1:1 ratio. Likewise, the F1 population from the astringent-type `Yotsumizo' and `Iwasedo' × `Luo Tian Tian Shi' were ascertained to contain both PCNA and astringent types, which indicates that the PCNA trait of `Luo Tian Tian Shi' was dominant. Thus, this Chinese cultivar has the potential to become an important parental material for future breeding of PCNA persimmons.

Segregation of Astringency in F1 Progenies Derived from Crosses between Pollination-constant, Nonastringent Persimmon Cultivars

Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) cultivars are classified into four types depending on the nature of astringency loss of the fruit. The pollination-constant, non-astringent (PCNA) persimmons lose their astringency on the tree as the fruits develop. This PCNA trait is qualitatively inherited and recessive to the other three types, pollination-constant, astringent (PCA), pollination-variant, nonastringent (PVNA), and pollination-variant, astringent (PVA). In fact, crosses among Japanese PCNA cultivars yield only PCNA type in F1 generation as shown in recent breeding programs at the National Institute of Fruit Tree Science. Despite these previous results, we demonstrated here that non-PCNA (PVNA, PVA, and PCA) type offspring were derived at relatively high rates in the F1 generation from a cross between `Luo Tian Tian Shi', a PCNA accession from China, and the Japanese PCNA cultivar, `Taishu', despite the fact that `Luo Tian Tian Shi' was confirmed to be a true PCNA type by measuring tannin cell size, a principal morphological characteristic to distinguish PCNA cultivars from non-PCNA ones. When segregations of tannin cell size and tannin content in three progenies of the breeding populations derived from Chinese PCNA `Luo Tian Tian Shi' × Japanese PCNA `Taishu', Japanese PCNA `Shinshu' × Japanese PCNA `Taishu', and Japanese PVNA (non-PCNA) `Kurokuma' × Japanese PCNA `Taishu' were investigated, all offspring between Japanese PCNA cultivars contained only small tannin cells and were PCNA types, and those between Japanese PVNA × PCNA cultivars contained only large tannin cells and were non-PCNA types. However, hybrids between `Luo Tian Tian Shi' and `Taishu' segregated into populations of small and large tannin cells, indicating that `Luo Tian Tian Shi' is likely heterozygous for astringency. Therefore, Chinese PCNA `Luo Tian Tian Shi' should be different from Japanese PCNA cultivars in genetic makeup.