Chlorophyllase (Chlase) catalyzes the initial step of chlorophyll (Chl)-degradation, but the physiological significance of this reaction is still ambiguous. Common understanding of its role is that Chlase is involved in de-greening processes such as fruit ripening, leaf senescence, and flowering. But there is a possibility that Chlase is also involved in turnover and homeostasis of Chls. Among ...

During the past decades, agro-biodiversity has markedly declined and some species are close to extinction in large parts of Europe. Reintroduction of rare arable plant species in suitable habitats could counteract this negative trend. The study investigates optimal sowing rates of three endangered species (Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix, Consolida regalis Gray, and Lithospermum arvense L....

Peanut or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) sown in early spring often has poor seed germination and seedling development. The influence of soil temperature on seedling emergence and early growth of six peanut cultivars (Florida MDR98, Southern Runner, Georgia Green, SunOleic 97R, Florunner and C-99R) was studied in natural field soil profiles in temperature-gradient greenhouses. We evaluated the...

A novel, 10 kb RNA virus—tentatively named ‘Abisko virus’—was discovered in the transcriptome data of a diseased autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) larva, as part of a search for the possible causes of the cyclical nature and mortality associated with geometrid moth dynamics and outbreaks in northern Fennoscandia. Abisko virus has a genome organization similar to that of the insect-infecting ne...

Outbreaking populations of the autumnal moth, Epirrita autumnata, are regularly facing a shortage of food and starvation. We found that starvation led to a prolonged larval development and a marked reduction in pupal weights. A decrease in female pupal weight caused a 50% decrease in the realized fecundity. Due to starvation the melanotic encapsulation rate decreased but the activity of PO — a ...

The experiment was conducted involving 35 rabi sorghum genotypes sown at six different dates of sowing (from Sept I week to October IV week) during 2006-07 to assess the stability for pollen fertility (%), seed setting (%) and other productivity traits viz., plant height, days to 50% flowering, number of leaves, length of panicle, panicle weight, panicle diameter, number of primaries/panicle an...

European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) pose a major threat to agricultural production and conservation values in several countries. In New Zealand, population control via poisoning is a frontline method for limiting rabbit damage, with large areas commonly treated using the metabolic toxin sodium fluoroacetate ('1080') delivered in bait via aerial dispersal. However, this method is expensive ...