Occurrence pattern and morphological polymorphism of Chinese weedy rice

Rice,the main food crop in China,has been sporadically reported to suffer from weedy rice infestation.However,the overall occurrence and distribution pattern of Chinese weedy rice remains unclear because a systematic survey has not been conducted.In order to reveal the infestation of Chinese weedy rice,a field survey was conducted in 999 sampling sites all over the rice-growing regions in China from 2009 to 2016 using seven-scale visual scoring of the level of weed infestation.Weedy rice was found 39%occurrence incidence in a total of 387 sites.The sampling sites with 50%or higher overall weedy rice infestation index mainly radiated from Jiangsu,Heilongjiang,Ningxia and Guangdong to the whole East China,Northeast China,Northwest China and South China.A total of 45 morphological characters from 287 populations(collected simultaneously with the field survey)out of those occurred sites were observed and analyzed using multivariate analysis in common gardens with the same cultivation conditions in 2017 and 2019.Canonical correlation analysis showed that 45 morphological characters were significantly related to the latitude,mean temperature,minimum temperature,precipitation and mean diurnal range factors.The 287 weedy rice populations were divided into three morphological groups with climate-dependent geographical differentiation:strong tiller type only in Jiangsu,large leaf type in South China and Central China and large grain type mainly in North China.Weedy rice seriously infested rice fields and had a geography,climate and cultivated rice type-dependent morphological and biotype differentiation in China.It is suggested to pay attention to the harmfulness of weedy rice and adopt comprehensive control strategies.

Evaluation of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Landraces for Drought Tolerance Using Morphological and Yield Characters under Rainfed Conditions of Sub Region Hagaz, Eritrea

Sorghum is an important food crop in Eritrea where it is widely grown in the mid and low lands,of semi-arid regions.Eritrea being the center of ori­gin of sorghum,a large variability exist in its landraces being grown by the farmers since generations.In order to improve the productivity of sorghum under moisture stress conditions,it is imperative to evaluate these landraces for drought tolerant characteristics and their use for further crop improve­ment programmes.Therefore,a field study was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications to estimate the extent of genetic variability of 20 sorghum genotypes for moisture stress tolerance using various morphological,phenological,yield and yield related parame­ters under rainfed conditions at Hagaz Research Station.Significant differ­ence was observed for almost all the characters in the individual analysis of variance suggesting that these sorghum accessions were highly variable.Accessions EG 537,EG 1257,EG 849,EG 791,EG 783 and EG 813 showed promising results for post flowering drought tolerance,grain yield and stay green traits.Higher PCV and GCV were also obtained in parame­ters like plant height,leaf area,biomass,peduncle exertion,panicle length,and grain yield and panicle weight.The genotypes also exhibited varying degrees of heritability estimates.Characters such as plant height,panicle length,days to flowering and maturity showed higher heritability.Cluster analysis revealed that sorghum landraces were grouped on the basis of their morphological traits and geographical sites.77.3%of the total variation of sorghum landraces was contributed by the first four principal components analysis having Eigen value>1.Overall,the current study confirmed that EG 537,EG 849,EG 1257,EG 791,and EG 813 are drought tolerant sor­ghum landraces during post flowering stage.

Identity and distribution of weedy Pedicularis kansuensis Maxim. (Orobanchaceae) in Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang：morphological, anatomical and molecular evidence

Weedy plants affect the biodiversity and ecosystem function as well as the crop and fodder plant production. However, adequate management requires detailed knowledge of the taxonomic identity of these plants. Here, we focused on a hemiparasitic Pedicularis species(Orobanchaceae), which occurs at high densities and results in significant biomass reductions in forage grasses in Bayanbulak Grassland of Xinjiang. The identity of this target species is not clear, with conflicting reports in publications and in herbarium collections. Hence, clear and management-relevant information on demography and reproductive ecology is difficult to be obtained from the literature. Therefore, we analyzed field and archival materials collected from Xinjiang in order to clarify the identity and distribution of the target species. Morphological analyses suggested that the populations at Bayanbulak Grassland should be Pedicularis kansuensis Maxim. rather than P. verticillata L. which has been accepted in the available literature. Phylogenetic analysis with a combination of three barcodes(mat K, rbc L and trn H-psb A) uniting a clade of P. kansuensis and individuals from Bayanbulak Grassland populations with 100% bootstrap support, confirmed the target species to be P. kansuensis. Anatomical investigations and field observations showed that the target species is an annual or biennial herb, which also fits with the life cycle as P. kansuensis. Based on archive material and field observations, we verified that the distribution of P. kansuensis is mainly concentrated in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang.

Morphological Variations,Distribution and Population Estimation of Indian Spiny Tailed Liza rd(Uromastyx hardwickii Gray,1827)from District Bahawalnagar,Punjab,Pakistan

This study was conducted in selected sites of District Bahawalnagar namely,Shaheed Chowk,Chak40/F,Chak 163/7 R and Fareedkot Tiba between March 2019 and August 2019.Sampling techniques included recording of burrows,flooding,burrow exaction,noose traps and pit fall traps were used to capture Uromast yx hardwickii.During this survey150 individuals were captured from study area for morphological measurement and population estimation.The average snout to vent length(SVL)of male,female and juveniles were(172.50±19.71)mm,(155.50±18.72)mm and(86.25±11.72)mm respectively.The average weight of male,female and juvenile was(93.06±8.56)g,(88.16±7.95)g and(40.16±4.30)g respectively.The relative abundance(Pi)of males,females and juveniles were 0.53,0.33 and 0.13.Indian spiny tailed lizard(U.hardwickii)has been listed in the IUCN Red list and CITES.Major threats to the species in the study area are increase in urbanization,habitat fragmentation,illegal hunting for meat and fat.In this regard strict implementation of the Wildlife act is needed to protect the wildlife of Punjab.Furthermore,comprehensive surveys are required in throughout Punjab to declare conservation status of U.hardwickii.

GC-MS analysis of volatile compounds of Perilla frutescens Britton var. Japonica accessions: morphological and seasonal variability

Objective: To investigate the composition of volatile compounds in the different accessions of Perilla frutescens(P. frutescens) collected from various habitats of China and Japan. Methods: In the present study, the essential oil from the leaves of P. frutescens cultivars from China and Japan was extracted by hydro-distillation and the chemical composition and concentration of the volatile components present in the oils were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry(GC–MS) analysis. Results: Among the volatile components, the major proportion was of perilla ketone, which was followed by elemicin and beta-caryophyllene in the Chinese Perilla cultivars. The main component in the oil extracted from the Japanese accessions was myristicin, which was followed by perilla ketone and beta-caryophyllene. We could distinguish seven chemotypes, namely the perilla ketone(PK) type, perilla ketone, myristicin(PM) type, perilla ketone, unknown(PU) type, perilla ketone, beta-caryophyllene, myristicine(PB) type, perilla ketone, myristicin, unknown(PMU) type, perilla ketone, elemicine, myristicin, beta-caryophyllene(PEMB) type, and the perilla ketone, limonene, betacryophyllene, myristicin(L) type. Most of the accessions possessed higher essential oil content before the flowering time than at the flowering stage. The average plant height, leaf length, leaf width of the Chinese accessions was higher than those of the Japanese accessions. Conclusion:The results revealed that the harvest time and geographical origin caused polymorphisms in the essential oil composition and morphological traits in the Perilla accessions originating from China and Japan. Therefore, these chemotypes with desirable characters might be useful for industrial exploitation and for determining the harvest time.

Correlation and Path Coefficient Analyses in Sugarcane Genotypes of Ethiopia

To study the relations of certain morphological and sugar quality characters with sugarcane yield, an experiment was conducted at Wonji and Metehara Sugar Estates, Ethiopia between March 2012 and October 2013. The experiment, comprising of 400 sugarcane genotypes of which 174 were local that were collected from different regional states of Ethiopia and 226 introduced, was laid out in partial balanced lattice design with two replications. Data was collected on cane yield and its components, sugar yield and sugar quality traits. ANOVA, correlation and path coefficient analysis were done. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P < 0.01) for all the characters studied. Cane yield showed strong positive and highly significant (P < 0.01) correlation with millable cane number (r = 0.832), single cane weight (r = 0.528), stalk height (r = 0.517) and sugar yield (r = 0.987). There was also positive significant (P = 0.05) correlation of tiller count and cane diameter with cane yield. Path analysis revealed the highest positive direct effect of millable cane number (0.812) on cane yield followed by single cane weight (0.682) and pol percent (0.550). However, stalk diameter and brix percent had considerable negative direct effects and indirect positive effects through single cane weight on cane yield. Therefore, in view of their significant positive association with cane yield, indirect effects of stalk diameter and brix percent via single cane weight should be considered during selection. Genotypes should be selected on the basis of millable cane number, single cane weight and pol percent for getting higher cane and sugar yield.

Taxonomic Studies on Some Members of the Genus <i>Abutilon</i>Mill. (Malvaceae)

The relationship between six Abutilon species was examined using different taxonomic investigation tools. The investigation was carried out using morphological and numerical studies. Fresh materials of Abutilon species were collected from different localities in Saudi Arabia during 2018 and 2019. Numerical analysis was based on the Principle Coordinates, the Principle Component and the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Algorithm Clustering. The results indicated that there were significant differences based on the morphological characters especially in the leaves, fruits and flowers features. Morphometric studies revealed that the six species of Abutilon clearly separated in all different analysis.

Medicinal and Edible Plant——Physalis alkekengi L.and Its Cultivation Techniques

Botanical morphological characteristics of Physalis alkekengi L.is first introduced,and its medicinal and edible value is elaborated.Cultivation techniques of P.alkekengi L.are mainly introduced.The research aims to provide a certain basis for the better development and application of P.alkekengi L.

Molecular phylogenetic analyses redefine seven major clades and reveal 22 new generic clades in the fungal family Boletaceae

Mushrooms in the basidiomycete family Boletaceae are ecologically and economically very important.However,due to the morphological complexity and the limited phylogenetic information on the various species and genera of this fungal family,our understanding of its systematics and evolution remains rudimentary.In this study,DNA sequences of four genes(nrLSU,tef1-α,rpb1,and rpb2)were newly obtained from ca.200 representative specimens of Boletaceae.Our phylogenetic analyses revealed seven major clades at the subfamily level,namely Austroboletoideae,Boletoideae,Chalciporoideae,Leccinoideae,Xerocomoideae,Zangioideae,and the Pulveroboletus Group.In addition,59 genus-level clades were identified,of which 22 were uncovered for the first time.These 22 clades were mainly placed in Boletoideae and the Pulveroboletus Group.The results further indicated that the characters frequently used in the morphology-based taxonomy of Boletaceae,such as basidiospore ornamentation,the form of the basidioma,and the stuffed pores each had multiple origins within the family,suggesting that the use of such features for high-level classification of Boletaceae should be de-emphasized and combined with other characters.