In order to obtain a salt-tolerant perennial alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), we transferred the halophyte Salicornia europaea L. Na(+)/H(+) antiporter gene, SeNHX1, to alfalfa by using the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. The transformants were confirmed by both PCR and RT-PCR analyses. Of 197 plants that were obtained after transformation, 36 were positive by PCR analysis using 2 pr...

Salicornia brachiata is an extreme halophyte that grows luxuriantly in coastal marshes. Previously, we have reported isolation and characterization of ESTs from Salicornia with large number of novel/unknown salt-responsive gene sequences. In this study, we have selected a novel salt-inducible gene SbSI-2 (Salicornia brachiata salt-inducible-2) for functional characterization. Bioinformatics ana...

The germination of three cerrado herbaceous species: Bidens gardneri, Vernonia herbacea (Asteraceae) and Psychotria barbiflora (Rubiaceae) was studied using seeds stored in cerrado soil and in refrigerator at 4°C. The field experiment was carried out at a preserved area of cerrado, the Reserva Biológica e Estação Experimental de Mogi-Guaçu, State of São Paulo, Brazil. The soil was collected in ...

The electrophysiology of root cells of the marine halophyte, Salicornia bigelovii Torr., has been investigated. Cellular concentrations of K(+), Cl(-), and Na(+) and resulting cell membrane potentials were determined as functions of time and exposure to dilutions of artificial seawater. Treatment of these data by the Nernst criterion suggests that Cl(-) is actively transported into these root c...

Congracilaria babae was first reported as a red alga parasitic on the thallus of Gracilaria salicornia based on Japanese materials. It was circumscribed to have deep spermatangial cavities, coloration similar to its host and the absence of rhizoids. We observed a parasitic red alga with morphological and anatomical features suggestive of C. babae on a Hydropuntia species collected from Sabah, E...