This report describes the construction of integrated genetic maps in pearl millet involving certain purple phenotype and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. These maps provide a direct means of implementing DNA marker-assisted selection and of facilitating "map-based cloning" for engineering novel traits. The purple pigmentation of leaf sheath, midrib and leaf margin was inherited together 'e...

Uraria picta leaf-pair unrolling inside out is a remarkable feat. A leaf-pair was investigated to understand the mechanism of spontaneous reverse inside out act of the plant. The upper (adaxial) and lower (abaxial) surfaces of the leaf-pair were examined using scanning and light microscopy. The scan showed diversity of hairs varying in shape from straight, pointed, curve, and club to hook. Ther...

Withania somnifera (L) Dunal. and Solanum surattense Burm f., the two medicinally important members of family Solanaceae, were investigated for induction of hairy roots using soil borne bacterium, Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Explants like stem segments, hypocotyls and leaves with midrib were infected with the bacterium in vitro. In both plants, extensive hairy roots were induced from leaf explant...

This paper reports how water stress correlates with changes in hydraulic conductivity of stems, leaf midrib, and whole leaves of Prunus laurocerasus. Water stress caused cavitation-induced dysfunction in vessels of P. laurocerasus. Cavitation was detected acoustically by counts of ultrasonic acoustic emissions and by the loss of hydraulic conductivity measured by a vacuum chamber method. Stems ...

Deciphering how air enters the plant hydraulic transport tissues represents a major challenge to understanding plant drought responses. Using a non-invasive and cheap visualization technique applied to leaves, the spread of embolism is found to initiate in the midrib, increase with vein order, and is seemingly influenced by vein topology.

Brown midrib, a genetic mutation in several grassy species, reduces lignin content in the total plant parts. Lignin is mostly indigestible but also plays an important role in plant rigidity. During the past several years the brown midrib (bmr) trait has been incorporated into forage sorghum, sudangrass, and corn. The results have been significant for the most part. IVTD values for bmr sorghum h...

The brown-midrib mutants of maize have a reddish-brown pigmentation of the leaf midrib and stalk pith, associated with lignified tissues. These mutants progressively became models for lignification genetics and biochemical studies in maize and grasses. Comparisons at silage maturity of bm1, bm2, bm3, bm4 plants highlighted their reduced lignin, but also illustrated the biochemical specificities...

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is the primary vector of the phloem-limited bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (LAS) associated with huanglongbing (HLB, citrus greening), considered the world's most serious disease of citrus. Stylet morphometrics of ACP nymphs and adults were studied in relation to citrus vein structure and to their putative (hi...