Reduction of methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress tolerance in antisense transgenic tobacco seedlings through restricted expression of StAPX

Ascorbate peroxidases are directly involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging by reducing hydrogen peroxide to water. The tomato thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase gene (StAPX) was introduced into tobacco. RNA gel blot analysis confirmed that StAPX in tomato leaves was induced by methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress. The sense transgenic seedlings exhibited higher tAPX activity than that of the wild type (WT) plants under oxidative stress conditions, while the antisense seedlings exhibited lower tAPX activity. Lower APX activities of antisense transgenic seedlings caused higher malondialdehyde contents and relative electrical conductivity. The sense transgenic seedlings with higher tAPX activity maintained higher chlorophyll content and showed the importance of tAPX in maintaining the optimal chloroplast development under methylviologen stress conditions, whereas the antisense lines maintained lower chlorophyll content than WT seedlings. Results indicated that the over-expression of StAPX enhanced tolerance to methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress in sense transgenic to- bacco early seedlings, whereas the suppression of StAPX in antisense transgenic seedlings showed high sensitivity to oxidative stress.

Effect of Preparations of Bamboo Vinegar and Copper Sulfate on Green Algae and Tobacco Seedling Growth

To provide theoretical and technical basis for the application of preparations of bamboo vinegar and copper sulfate in the prevention of green algae in floating system for tobacco seeding,the soaking and spraying methods were employed to study the effect of different concentrations of preparations of bamboo vinegar and copper sulfate on green algae and tobacco seedling growth. The results showed that the preparations of bamboo vinegar and copper sulfate of different concentrations played a strong role in inhibiting green algae growth and had better effect than copper sulfate. Spraying 1∶ 200 preparations of bamboo vinegar and copper sulfate could significantly promote tobacco seedling growth,and the leaf fresh weight increased by 15. 80% compared with CK,with significant difference; spraying 1∶ 50 preparations was not conducive to tobacco seedling growth. It was recommended to spray 1∶ 200 preparations of bamboo vinegar and copper sulfate in floating system for tobacco seeding,which could promote tobacco seedling growth and reduce green algae to varying degrees.

Effect of Water Control before Transplanting and Rooting Powder Treatment on Tobacco Seedling Quality and Physiological Properties at Green Stage

Cultivating strong seedlings is an important guarantee for the production of high-quality flue-cured tobacco, while there are many disadvantages in tobacco floating system that is commonly adopted in China. To improve the tobacco floating system, with Xiangyan No.3 as experimental material, the effects of water control before transplanting and rooting powder treatment on tobacco seedling quality and physiological properties at green stage were investigated. The results showed that： （1） water control showed small influence on tobacco seedling quality, while rooting powder treatment and water control ＋ rooting powder treatment showed great influence on tobacco seedling quality, mainly represented by reduced plant height, thickened stem and increased dry matter accumulative amount; （2） water control before transplanting and rooting powder treatment all improved leaf chlorophyll content and root vigor of tobacco seedlings, and the effect of water control ＋ rooting powder treatment was best, followed by rooting powder treatment and water control; （3） all treatments increased the nitrate reductase and invertase activity, and reduced the MDA content of tobacco seedlings, and the effect of water control ＋ rooting powder treatment was best, followed by rooting powder treatment and water control. Mean- while, the treatment effect 10 d before the transplanting was better than that 5 d before the transplanting. In overall, the improvement effects of water control 10 d before transplanting ＋ rooting powder treatment on tobacco seedling quality and physiological properties at green stage were the best.

The Application of Seedling Nursing on Moist Trays and Fermentation Heating Using Farmyard Manure Methods in High-altitude Tobacco Areas of Fenggang County

To solve the problems of long seedling culture time and poor quality of tobacco seedlings bred by floating culture technique of seedlings in high-altitude tobacco areas, a comparative trial between seedling nursing on moist trays ＋ fermentation heating using farmyard manure and conventional floating culture of seedlings in Fenggang County was carried out in 2013. The results showed that seedling nursing on moist trays ＋ fermentation heating using farmyard manure can improve 4-5 ℃ of pool water temperature, shorten 8 d of seedling age, increase 4.45 cm of seedling height, thicken 0.46 cm of stem girth and make lateral root system developed. The method can shorten the time of floating breeding of flue-cured tobacco,improve the quality of tobacco seedlings, thus it was suitable to popularize in highaltitude tobacco areas of Fenggang County.

A Method for Mass-rearing Aphidius gifuensis(Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae)

[Objective] This study presents a method for mass rearing of Aphidius gifuensis, a dominant endoparasitoid of Myzus persicae on tobacco in Southwest China. [Method] The tobacco cultivar Honghuadajinyuan(Nicotiana tabacum) was used as the host plant and M. persicae was the host insect. In a greenhouse, tobacco seedlings were reared in plastic trays. The seedlings at three-true-leaf stage were inoculated with two to three aphids per plant using aphid source with a parasitism rate of 47% ±3.9%. [Result] By this inoculation method, the aphids and parasites were simultaneously inoculated on host plants. After approximately 25 d of rearing, we were able to produce 82.5±5.17 aphid mummies per tobacco seedling. A total of 445 500 aphid mummies were produced in one greenhouse(36 rearing trays per greenhouse) during an approximately 50-day rearing period. The emergence rate was 93.4% ±2.76%, and 54% of the mummies were females. [Conclusion] The demonstrated technological feasibility of using tobacco seedlings for the mass rearing of A. gifuensis increases the potential for the biological control of M. persicae.