ALBERT

Notes: Perennial ryegrass tillers were collected from intensively used set-stocked and zero-grazed leys and from an old permanent pasture, grown on and compared at 30 cm spacing. All swards except the permanent pasture had been sown with cv. S23 and were of known age, ranging from 6 months to 11 years from sowing.Each genotype was scored for date of inflorescence emergence, and subsequently in vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD), D-value of green leaf and the ratio of leaf dry weight: stem dry weight were determined.Both DMD and D-value declined significantly in green leaf samples of populations from the older zero-grazed swards but no significant changes were detected in populations from set-stocked swards. In set-stocked populations there was a shift towards later flowering.In zero-grazed populations there was a consistent increase in the amount of leaf relative to stem with the age of the sward from which the plants were sampled. The survivor plants were more prostrate and leafier and it is suggested that under zero grazing, where cutting was to a uniform height, plants of this form were less severely defoliated and thus at a selective advantage.

Notes: Inheritance of resistance to simazine was investigated in reciprocal pair crosses of resistant and susceptible genotypes of Senecio vulgaris. The simazine resistant genotypes had been selected in a screening experiment and were unaffected by 2.8 kg ha−1˜’a.i. simazine. Reciprocal differences for resistance and susceptibility to simazine in F2 families showed that resistance is maternally inherited. The practical implication of maternal inheritance is that a resistant field population will build up very rapidly from a very low initial frequency of the resistant genotype.

Notes: Fruits were collected from populations of S. vulgaris growing on commercial fruit farms and progenies were tested for susceptibility to simazine. The five least susceptible populations, which originated from sites where simazine had been applied annually for periods ranging from six to ten years, were subjected to two generations of artificial selection for simazine resistance. Two control populations which originated from unsprayed sites were treated similarly.One population originating from Malpas, Cheshire showed a significant response to selection. The simazine resistance of the other six populations was not improved by artificial selection. Selected progenies of the Malpas population were completely unaffected by simazine at 2.8 kg ha−1.The potential for evolution of resistance to simazine in S. vulgaris is discussed and the effects of ecological and genetic factors on the rate of evolution are assessed.

Notes: Cultivars of soyabean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] resistant to the herbicide imazethapyr were identified by suspending the roots of 5-day-old seedlings in nutrient culture containing 2.5 mg a.i. L–1 imazethapyr and then comparing the inhibitory effect on root length and shoot dry weight. The four most resistant cultivars were subsequently screened as regenerating tissue cultures in a medium containing 2.0 mg a.i. L–l imazethapyr to select somaclonal cells with increased resistance. Surviving portions of cultures were regenerated to give shoots, the plants isolated, allowed to flower and seed. These progeny were then used for further seed multiplication and seedlings from this latter generation were exposed to imazethapyr in vivo and callus and cell suspension cultures derived from these seedlings were exposed to imazethapyr in vitro. A reduction in the inhibitory effect of the imazethapyr was noted in the somaclone seedlings and tissue cultures. However, measurement of acetolactate synthase (ALS) activity showed no differences among the parent cultivars and in the selected somaclones in this trait.

Notes: Surface sterile excised embryos in barley var. Midas were used to establish whether the embryos could provide a screening procedure for increasing the levels of resistance to asulam in this variety. The embryos incubated in 1–5 mg 1−1 asulam were susceptible to the lowest concentration, but showed a linear response of increasing percentage mortality with increase in log dose of asulam in the same way as intact glasshouse grown seedlings sprayed with a range of 1–5 × 103 mg 1−1 asulam. There was a 100% mortality of the embryo-derived seedlings in the 2–5 mg 1−1 asulam 25 days after the start of the incubation. During this time growth was recorded as percentage greening, leaf number and shoot length which all showed a marked decline with concentrations of asulam up to 5.0 mg 1−1. The inhibitory effect of asulam on growth was decreased by the addition of folic acid or 4-aminobenzoic acid to the medium, suggesting that the mode of action of asulam as an inhibitor of folic acid synthesis was the same in the excised embryos as in intact plants. In order to screen for asulam resistance using the excised culture method, 1500 excised embryos were incubated on 5.0 mg 1−1 asulam. The resistance was measured by selecting those individuals which showed 75% or more growth compared with the untreated control. The selected individuals set self-pollinated seed (S1), then excised embryos from the S1 seed were screened again for resistance to asulam and set seed again to produce further progeny (S2). A comparison of excised embryos from S1 and S2 seed with the parental stock showed enhanced resistance in both S1 and S2 where percentage greening and leaf number were used as the growth parameter, but no difference was recorded for shoot length between parent and selected progeny. Améelioration de la résistance de l'orge à l'asulame Des excisats embryonnaires stériles d'orge, variété Midas, ont servi àétudier si les embryons pouvaient fournir une méthode de sélection pour améliorer les niveaux de résistance à l'asulame chez cette variété. Les embryons placés en incubation dans des solutions de l à 5 mg 1−1 d'asulame étaient sensibles dès la concentration la plus basse, mais il y avait une réponse linéaire de l'augmentation de pourcentage de mortalité avec l'augmentation du logarithme de la dose d'asulame, de la même façon que sous serre avec des semis traités avec des doses de l à 5 g 1−1 d'asulame. Il y a eu une mortalité de 100% des semis issus des embryons 25 jours après le début de l'incubation avec 2 à 5 mg 1−1 d'asulame. Pendant ce temps, le développement était noté: % de surface verte, nombre de feuilles, longueur de tige diminuaient tous avec les concentrations d'asulame jusqu'à 5 mg 1−1. L'effet inhibiteur de l'asulam sur la croissance était réduit de moitié par l'adjonction d'acide folique ou d'acide 4 amino benzoïque, ce qui donne à penser que le mode d'action de l'asulame en tant qu'inhibiteur de la synthèse de l'acide folique est le même chez l'embryon excisé et chez la plante entière. En vue de faire une sélection pour la résistance à l'asulame à l'aide de la méthode de culture excisée, 1500 embryons excisés ont été incubés sur une solution à 5 mg 1−1 d'asulame. La résistance était estimée en sélectionnant les plantes qui avaient une croissance d'au moins 70% par rapport au témoin non traité. Les individus sélectionnés donnaient des semences par autofécondation (S1); puis les embryons excisés à partir de S1étaient de nouveau triés pour la résistance à l'asulame et donnaient de nouvelles semences pour produire la future lignée (S2). La comparaison des embryons excisés à partir des semences S1 et S2 avec le stock parental montraient une amélioration tant pour S1 et S2 au niveau du pourcentage de surface verte et du nombre de feuilles; en revanche, aucune différence n'a été enregistrée entre les parents et la lignée sélectionnée sur la longueur des tiges.Erhöhung der Resistenz gegen Asulam bei GersteMittels isolierten, oberflächen-sterilisierten Embryonen von Gerste (Sorte Midas) wurde versucht, eine Screeningmethode aufzubauen, mit dem Ziel, bei dieser Art die Erhöhung der Resistenz gegen Asulam zu prüfen. Isolierte Embryonen, die 1–5 mg 1−1 Asulam exponiert worden waren, erwiesen sich schon gegen die niedrigste Dosierung als empfindlich, zeigten aber eine lineare Beziehung zwischen zunehmender Mortalität in % und steigender log. Dosierung von Asulam. In gleicher Wise reagierten intakte, im Gewächshaus gezogene Keimpflanzen, die mit 1–5 × 103mg 1−1 Asulam besprüht worden waren. Die aus den in 2–5 mg 1−1 Asulam kultivierten Embryonen herangewachsenen Jungpflanzen starben 25 Tage nach Behandlungsbeginn zu loo % ab. Während dieser Periode wurde das Wachstum in %, beurteilt nach‘Grün-Zustand,’Blattzahl und Sprosslänge registriert; alle Kriterien zeigten eine markante Abnahme bei Asulamkonzentrationen bis 5,0 mg l−1. Der wachstumshemmende Effekt von Asulam wurde durch Zugabe von Folsäure oder 4-Aminoben-zoesäure zum Kulturmedium verringert. Dies lässt vermuten, dass sowohl in den isolierten Embryonen als auch in intakten Pflanzen Asulam in gleicher Weise als Inhibitor der Folsäuresyn-these wirkt.Zur Prüfung der Resistenz gegen Asulam wurden 1500 isolierte Embryonen auf einem 5,0 mg 1−1 Asulam enthaltenden Medium kultiviert. Als erhöht resistent wurden diejenigen Individuen betrachtet, welche 75 und mehr % Wachstum (verglichen mit Kontrollen ohne Asulam (aufwiesen. Diese Exemplare wurden selektioniert und bis zur Blühreife weiterkulliviert. Durch Selbstbestäubung entstand eine erste Samengeneration (S1), aus der wiederum Embryonen isoliert und auf ihren Resistenzgrad getestet wurden. Nach dem gleichen Auswahlverfahren erfolgte die Gewinnung einer zweiten Samengeneration (S2). Ein Vergleich der aus S1 und S2 isolierten Embryonen mit der Elterngeneration ergab, dass sowohl S1 als auch S2 eine erhöhte Resistenz aufwiesen, wenn ‘Grün-Zustand’ und Blattzahl als Parameter für das Wachstum eingesetzt wurden; es zeigte sich jedoch keine Differenzzwischen Eltern und Nachkommenschaft bezüglich Sprosslänge.

Notes: Summary Thirty five individuals from each of nine perennial ryegrass populations were sampled from set-stocked and zero-grazed swards and from an old permanent pasture. The swards were 6, 18, 30 months and 11 years old when sampled. The permanent pasture was at least 40 years old. Dry matter digestibility (DMD) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) were determined for green leaf material harvested 4 days after ear emergence. Significant differences were found between the populations, but genotypic differences were found only for OMD. The largest proportion of the total variation was due to differences between blocks. In the zero-grazed populations, DMD and OMD declined significantly with increasing sward age. This was not found for the set-stocked swards. Two sets of pair crosses, from which mid-parent, progeny regressions could be determined, were carried out. The regressions of offspring on mid-parent for set-stocked and zero-grazed swards were used to assess the presence of additive genetic variation and to estimate narrow sense heritability of DMD. The coefficients of correlation, 0.122 and 0.226 respectively, were non-significant, indicating an absence of additive genetic variation.

Notes: Abstract The worldwide expansion of the metalliferous mining industry has caused increased attention to be directed at the reclamation of mine wastes. Until recently the majority of reclamation procedures were based on substrate amelioration with innocuous covering materials, the application of fertilisers and the sowing of non-indigenous species. Reinstatement of the native flora and fauna was rarely attempted. However, in several countries the mining legislation now requires reinstatement of at least the native vegetation as a reclamation objective. Many mines are located in natural ecosystems such as tropical and temperate forest, and arctic and alpine tundra where faithful reinstatement of the native flora and, if possible, the fauna is the prime objective. Despite the adverse physical and chemical properties of metal mine wastes, the requirements for the restoration of native floras and faunas are not impossible to meet. This paper reviews procedures for the restoration of native vegetation on land disturbed by metalliferous mining, and assesses the success of the procedures where appropriate evidence is available. Using these methods it has often been possible to create a permanent, self-perpetuating and relatively maintenance-free native vegetation which provides a diverse mosaic of habitats for native fauna to colonise. However, the development of methods for reinstatement of native biological communities on metalliferous mine wastes is in its infancy. Proper criteria have not yet been established for the assessment of the success of reinstatement and there is a paucity of published qualitative information on the success of restoration of native plant communities, particularly information covering a sufficient period of time to be ecologically meaningful.