Association mapping through linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis is a powerful tool for the dissection of complex agronomic traits and for the identifi cation of alleles that can contribute to the enhancement of a target trait. With the developments of high throughput genotyping techniques and advanced statistical approaches as well as the assembling and characterization of multiple association...

Heichel and Musgrave (4, 5) reported photosynthetic rates of maize genotypes ranging from 21 to 85 mg CO2 dmhr-' which were inversely associated with similar large differences in CO2 compensation concentration of from 9 to 25 plll. Since genotypic differences of the magnitude reported by Heichel and Musgrave would be of great value in breeding for increased photosynthetic efficiency, we conduct...

In most developing parts of the world, the rapid expansion of industrial areas leading to uncontrolled processing and utilization of industrial products, agricultural inputs, vehicular emissions and improper disposal of liquid and solid wastes may cause soil to become contaminated with chemical hazards such as heavy metals. Heavy metal contamination of soil may pose risks to humans and the ecos...

The sulphated pentapeptide phytosulphokine (PSK) was identified as a substance that promotes cell division in low-density suspension cultures and has been implicated in various aspects of tissue differentiation in plants. The peptide is derived from PSK precursor proteins that are encoded by small gene families. The physiological roles of PSK are still not clearly defined and little is known ab...

UNLABELLED Because the bulk of the maize (Zea mays L.) genome consists of repetitive sequences, sequencing efforts are being targeted to its 'gene-rich' fraction. Traditional assembly programs are inadequate for this approach because they are optimized for a uniform sampling of the genome and inherently lack the ability to differentiate highly similar paralogs. RESULTS We report the developme...

Aluminum toxicity is one of the most deleterious factors for plant growth in acidic soils because over 50% of the world’s potentially arable lands are acidic. In recent years, considerable research has been conducted to understand the mechanisms of Al toxicity and tolerance in plants. This paper reviews the effects of different concentration of Al on plant shoot, root physiological parameters s...

The light doses just above the threshold energy value for inducing the geotropic responsiveness in the roots of Zea mays L., cv. Golden Cross Bantam 70, caused a drastic rise in the NADPH level and a drop in the NADP level in 2-millimeter root tips. Some reducing agents lowered the threshold energy value up to about one-third of the control. From these results, we deduce that light may exert tw...