Effect of seed soaked with urea solution on the cold tolerance of rice seedlings

In the Yangtze river aera,the first crop of indi-ca rice is sown in late Mar to early Apr andtransplanted in early May.Usually,seedlingsperish when abnormal low temperature of 6-10℃ lasted for 3 d or longer.The effect ofsocking seed with urea solution on increasingthe cold tolerance at the seedling stage was

Branching and growth of plantings in fifth year of a seedling seed orchard of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.)

The features of branching and growth studied included height, diameter at breast height (DBH), total number of branches, annual height growth, annual branch elongation in the year of elongating, annual branch number for four consecutive years, diameter of branches of different ages, and diameter of stem where branch-whorl originates. For features of total growth and overall branching, no significant differences were found between families, except for DBH. For annual features, no significant differences were found in annual stem height growth, annual branch elongation in the year of elongation and diameter of branches. In the last four years, differences in number of branches were not significant in the first two years but were significant in the last two year; differences in stem diameter where branch-whorls grow were significant for the four consecutive years. Trend of annual growth and branching features of families can be divided into three types as increasing type, stable type and fluctuating type. Most of families have an increasing type with respect of annual height growth and annual branch elongation, while most families belong to a fluctuating type with annual branch number. The results indicated that in the fifth year after planted in seedling seed orchard, differences between families were mostly insignificant. This result may have two main explanations: one is the growth rhyme in early ages of Masson pine, the other one is the complex paternal components to form the open-pollinated families. Family selection seemed to be not useful based on the result. It is suggested to select some of families in the nursery instead of to use all the families when establishing seedling seed orchards with open-pollinated families from plus-trees.

Effects of imidacloprid and thiamethoxam as seed treatments on the early seedling characteristics and aphid-resistance of oilseed rape

Seed treatments with the neonicotinoid insecticides imidacloprid and thiamethoxam were evaluated to determine whether the chemicals at effective concentrations for aphid control would influence the germination and early growth of oilseed rape,Brassica napus.Treatment with imidacloprid or thiamethoxam did not affect the cumulative germination rate,but significantly inhibited establishment potential by suppressing root system development in the cotyledon stage.However,these alterations in seedling development in the thiamethoxam-treated seeds appeared not to be detrimental as leaves developed;in contrast,for the seedlings with imidacloprid as seed treatment agent,a significantly decreased shoot/root ratio was still evident at the late two-leaf stage.After two leaves developed,chlorophyll content per leaf in the thiamethoxam treatment was significantly higher than that of the control,while chlorophyll content per leaf in the imidacloprid treatment remained close to that in the control.Most other parameters,i.e.,height,leaf area,weight of stem,leaf or root,and other growth indexes,between the treatments and the control showed no significant difference.Additionally,it was found that storage time of the treated seeds had a significant effect on cumulative germination rate.Treatment 30 d before planting significantly reduced germination relative to that of the control.All of the plants treated with neonicotinoids were shown to have significant anti-aphid characteristics that persisted until the end of the trial.

Artificial seed germination and seedling production of Zostera marina L.by salinity manipulation

Vast declines in Zostera marina seagrass beds demand effective methods of rehabilitation. In this study, we developed a practical method by reducing salinity to induce seed germination followed with recovering salinity to facilitate seedling production of Z. marina. The results showed that Z. marina seeds collected from natural seawater（salinity 30） were induced to germinate at reduced salinities. Percent germination（GR） was higher and mean-time-to-germinate（MTG） was shorter at lower salinities. The highest GR and shortest MTG occurred at salinity 0（deionized freshwater）. After germination in freshwater, seeds could develop into seedlings at salinities5–30 and continue the growth. Viability or development of germinated seeds was not significantly different during the 40 d of post-germination incubation at salinities 5–15 after 1–20 d of germination in freshwater. However,during the process of translating germinated seeds from salinity 0 and 5 to salinity 30, reducing the gradients of post-germination acclimation facilitated more seeds forming seedlings in less time. On average, after 60 d of static incubation, including 20 d in freshwater for germination followed with immediate shift to salinity 5 and increasing to salinity 30 at increment of 5 every two days until cultivation at constant salinity 30, 33% of Z. marina seeds produced healthy seedlings. The results indicate that the salinity-manipulation based method of artificial germination and seedling production is practical and effective in supporting rehabilitation of Z. marina bed.

Key Techniques of Stereoscopic and Efficient Cultivation of Strawberry in Southern Xinjiang

Strawberry is rich in nutrition,which is the only fresh fruit in winter in southern Xinjiang,with good prospect of stereoscopic cultivation.In this paper,the key techniques such as stereoscopic cultivation pattern,the combination of different modes,the substrate of strawberry cultivation,the drip irrigation system,the formula of nutrient solution,the selection of varieties,the propagation of seed and seedling,the induction of flower buds,the planting and management of plants,and the green control of diseases and insect pests are introduced,and greenhouse space and solar energy are fully used to maximize the economic and social benefits of strawberry farming combined with tourism.The results will further promote the quality and efficiency of strawberry industry in southern Xinjiang,and provide a reference for strawberry growers.