Winter dormancy has been extensively studied in many plants, while much less information is available for summer dormancy. Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis is characterized by a prolonged period of summer dormancy during the annual cycle. In the present study, we characterized the nature of dormancy in the controlled growth conditions and investigated the effects of temperature and ethylene on ...

A gene encoding a RING zinc finger ankyrin repeat protein (MjXB3), a putative E3 ubiquitin ligase, is highly expressed in petals of senescing four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa) flowers, increasing >40,000-fold during the onset of visible senescence. The gene has homologues in many other species, and the Petunia homologue is strongly up-regulated in senescing Petunia corollas. Silencing the express...

rosa hybrida l. is an important commercial cut flower. salicylic acid (sa) and calcium chloride (cacl2) act as endogenous signal molecules responsible for growth parameters in plants. the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of preharvest sa and cacl2 treatments in extending the vase life of cut rose flowers. therefore, a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with ...

BACKGROUND Research on the potentially adverse effects of occupational pesticide exposure on risk of spontaneous abortion (SAB) is limited, particularly among female agricultural workers residing in developing countries. METHODS Reproductive histories were obtained from 217 Ecuadorian mothers participating in a study focusing on occupational pesticide exposure and children's neurobehavioral d...

Here we analysed the role played by breeding systems and pollinators in the evolution of heterostyly by testing whether evolution towards heterostyly is associated with style polymorphism and changes in pollinator proficiency or breeding system variation (Darwinian hypothesis). We studied pollinators, pollen-transfer efficiency, and incompatibility systems in all seven species of Narcissus sect...

Gods and heroes of Greek myths have been of interest to psychoanalysts, who find them as symbols of human intrapsychic life, evolution, and conflicts. Many of these gods and heroes, like Oedipus, Electra, Eros, and Narcissus, have had their names given to psychological situations, conflicts, and diseases. Freud picked the myth of Narcissus as a symbol of a self-absorbed person whose libido is i...