It has been proposed that recognition can form the basis of simple but ecologically rational decision strategies (Gigerenzer & Goldstein, 1996). Borges, Goldstein, Ortmann, & Gigerenzer (1999) found that constructing share portfolios based on simple name recognition alone often yielded better returns than the market index. We describe four studies with seven samples of participants from three c...

Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I recall that late winter’s delight in spotting a purple crocus piercing through desiccated gray snow, a harbinger for warmer days ahead. The eruption of the crocus, the bloom of the magnolia, and the flowering of winter wheat are all examples of plant processes that are not simply delayed by winter, but indeed require a sustained period of cold to proceed. Toda...

Two genetic loci control the vernalization response in winter cereals; VRN1, which encodes an AP1-like MADS-box transcription factor, and VRN2, which has been mapped to a chromosome region containing ZCCT zinc finger transcription factor genes. We examined whether daylength regulates expression of HvVRN1 and HvVRN2. In a vernalization-responsive winter barley (Hordeum vulgare), expression of Hv...

Economic and social pressures are spurring the study of alternate weed management strategies such as development competitive crop cultivars, capable being used under an integrated plan. The primary objective this research was to determine whether western Canadian spring wheat ( Triticum spp.) cultivars differ in their ability compete against model weeds those differences were expressed when cha...

The phenological development of cereal crops from emergence through flowering to maturity is largely controlled by temperature, but also affected by day length and potential physiological stresses. Responses may vary between species and varieties. Climate change will affect the timing of cereal crop development, but exact changes will also depend on changes in varieties as affected by plant bre...

Timing of flowering is key to the reproductive success of many plants. In temperate climates, flowering is often coordinated with seasonal environmental cues such as temperature and photoperiod. Vernalization, the process by which a prolonged exposure to the cold of winter results in competence to flower during the following spring, is an example of the influence of temperature on the timing of...

Flowering of many plant species is coordinated with seasonal environmental cues such as temperature and photoperiod. Vernalization provides competence to flower after prolonged cold exposure, and a vernalization requirement prevents flowering from occurring prior to winter. In winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), three genes VRN1, VRN2, and FT form a regulatory loop th...

ABSTRACT- Seed germination and early seedling growth are critical stages for plants establishment and production, particularly under salinity conditions. Exogenous application of silicon (Si) can enhance germination as well as seedling growth. In this experiment, the effect of priming with Si (0, 0.75, 1.5 and 2.25 mM sodium silicate) on seed germination and seedling growth under NaCl (0, 100 a...

Temperate cereals, such as wheat (Triticum spp.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), respond to prolonged cold by becoming more tolerant of freezing (cold acclimation) and by becoming competent to flower (vernalization). These responses occur concomitantly during winter, but vernalization continues to influence development during spring. Previous studies identified VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) as a master r...