Effects of Sunflower Artificial Aging on Seed Vigor and Physiological Characteristics

[Objective]The aim was to study the effects of sunflower artificial aging on seed vigor and physiological characteristics.[Method] The varieties of seed germination capacity,vigor of germination,germination index,vigor index,peroxidase（POD） activity,superoxide dismutase（SOD） activity and malondialdehyde（MDA） content for four sunflower germplasms such as＇SunM20＇,＇Deep Purple Minle＇,＇Da San Kui Hua 4＇and＇Ji Kui 24＇were studied under high temperature and high humidity conditions（100% RH,45 ℃） for different days（0 d,2 d,4 d,6 d,8 d,10 d）.[Result]The result showed that the germination capacity,vigor of germination,germination index,vigor index,POD activity,SOD activity declined gradually with the increase of seed aging days,whereas MDA content enhanced by degrees;The diggerences of resistance to artifical aging existed among the four accessions,＇SunM20＇was the most resistant one,and exhibited the strongest seed vigor,highest activities of two protective enzyme（POD,SOD） and lowest content of MDA at the uniform condition,moreover,the seed vigor and protective enzyme activities of＇SunM20＇changed slowest among the four materials during the aging process.[Conclusion]The distinct reduction of POD,SOD activities maybe the main reasons for the decrease of sunflower seed vigor at the artificial aging,and the gradual accumulation of a few MDA accelerated seeds aging.

Indication of Genetic Linkage Map for Sunflower(Helianthus annuus L.) by SSR Markers

In order to investigate the possibility and efficiency of exogenous gene spread in nature and potential ecological risk of transgenic rice, as well as analyze the effect of exogenous Bt gene insertion on ecological fitness of transgenic rice plants, a experiment was carried out with three insect-resistant Bt transgenic rice cultivars Bt63, R1 and R2 and one conventional rice line 11-838 as experimental materials, the insect-resistant transgenic and non-transgenic rice plants were inter- cropped pair-wisely under high and low insect-infestation pressures, and the vegeta- tive growth, seed-setting and the resistance to rice stem borers were compared be- tween transgenic and non-transgenic lines. According to the experimental results, both the tiller number and fresh weight of Bt transgenic rice plants under low insect- infestation pressure showed no significant differences compared with the control, but the plant height, spike length and spike weight were all lower than those of non- transgenic rice plant, and Bt63 and R2 were significantly different compared with the control. On the contrary, under high insect-infestation pressure, the tiller number, spike length and spike weight of three Bt transgenic rice cultivars were significantly higher than those of the control, while the plant height showed different fitness ef- fects among various transgenic rice cultivars, which might be related to the charac- teristics of the receptive cultivars. The individual filled grain number and 1 000-grain weight of three transgenic rice cultivars showed no significant difference compared with the control under two different insect-infestation pressures, suggesting that the effect of exogenous Bt gene on seed setting was not significant. Under insect-infes- tation pressure, the resistance of three Bt transgenic rice cultivars against rice stem borer was significantly superior to non-transgenic rice, indicating that the effect of exogenous Bt gene on insect resistance of receptive plants was distinctly. Further- more, experimental results showed that the fitness cost of Bt transgenic rice was rel- atively low, which implied that exogenous Bt gene in insect-resistant transgenic rice might escape under certain environmental conditions, but this risk was very low.

Optimization of Multiplex PCR and Multiplex Gel Electrophoresis in Sunflower SSR Analysis Using Infrared Fluorescence and Tailed Primers

In an effort to simplify the procedure and to reduce the cost of fluorescence SSR analysis, the conditions of the multiplex PCR and the multiplex gel electrophoresis were optimized in the genetic analysis of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) inbred lines. Results indicated that factors for a successful multiplex PCR assay were related to the cycling touchdown annealing temperature, the balance of primer concentration at the various loci, the concentration of PCR buffer and the Taq DNA polymerase. Based on the optimization, a tailed primer strategy was outlined, and the effective ways were proposed to overcome the troubleshootings commonly encountered in the multiplex PCR and the multiplex gel electrophoresis.

Effect of NO_3^--N Enrichment on Seawater Stress Tolerance of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

A hydroponic experiment with six treatments, i.e., 0% seawater （control）, 10% seawater, 25% seawater, 0% seawater ＋ N （7.5 mmol L-1 NaNO3）, 10% seawater ＋ N （7.5 mmol L-1 NaO3）, and 25% seawater ＋ N （7.5 mmol L-1 NaNO3）, was carried out to study the effect of nitrogen addition on the growth and physiological and biochemical characteristics of Jerusalem artichoke （Helianthus tuberosus） seedlings under seawater stress. The 10% seawater stress treatment had the least effect on plant growth while at 25% seawater growth was significantly inhibited. The malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage in leaves under 10% seawater were similar to those of the control, but significantly higher under the 25% seawater stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase in the leaves increased concomitantly with increasing seawater concentration and time. Proline and soluble-sugars in the leaves and Na^＋, K^＋, and Cl- contents in shoots and roots increased significantly with the concentration of seawater increasing. Nitrogen addition resulted in increasing fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots compared with seawater treatment without N. Nitrogen supplementation also significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes in leaves. Addition of N to seawater enhanced the contents of proline and soluble-sugars in the leaves and K^＋ and total-N in the aerial parts and roots of H. tuberosus, but it resulted in declined concentrations of Na^＋ and Cl- in the aerial parts and roots. Nitrogen addition ameliorated the toxicity of seawater by improving the antioxidative enzymes, accumulating of proiine and soluble-sugars, and altering the distribution of inorganic ions in H. tuberosus.

Comparison of Genetic Diversity of the Germplasm Resources of Confectionary Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in China Based on RAPDs and AFLPs

RAPDs and AFLPs were used to determine the genetic relationships among 23 elite cultivars of confectionary sunflowers (Helianthas annuus) from different districts in China. Both approaches uniquely fingerprint each of the accessions. Twenty-six RAPD primers resulted in a total of 192 strong DNA fragments, ranging from 0.26 kb to 1.98 kb, among which 165 (86.12%) were polymorphic. The average number of DNA band produced by each primer was 7.38. A total of 576 AFLP markers were produced with 8 primer combinations, ranging from 100 bp to 500 bp, and 341 polymorphic bands (59.20%) were revealed. The polymorphism rate was 76.00% and the average bands amplified by per primer combination were 72. Effective number of alleles per locus of RAPD marker (1.76) was larger than that of the AFLP marker (1.65). The mean PIC value of AFLP markers (0.38) was lower than that of the RAPD markers (0.41), but AFLP marker had much higher Ai value (38.52) than RAPD marker (6.38). Genetic similarities from RAPD data ranged from 47.84% to 82.06% and the average Nei's coefficient was 0.649 5; the Nei's coefficient of similarity from AFLP data ranged from 54.15% to 83.52%, and the average Nei's coefficient was 0.688 4. However, standard deviation (SD) of RAPDs was 0.13 but the SD of AFLPs was 0.08. In general, the RAPD data gave lower similarity values and higher SD values than those based on the AFLP analysis. The correlation coefficient between the two genetic similarity matrices was 0.51, revealing the estimations of genetic relationship provided by the two marker systems were only moderate. However, cluster analyses of RAPD or AFLP data divided the 23 sunflower genotypes into identical 3 groups.

Effect of Boron Foliar Application on Yield and Quality of Some Sunflower （Helianthus annuus L.） Cultivars

This study was carried out in the greenhouse of the National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt, in order to investigate the effect of foliar application of boron （0, 300 and 600 ppm B） as boric acid （H3BO3, 17% B） on the yield and yield components and also the seed quality of two sunflower cultivars （Sakha-53 and Giza-102）. B application at a rate of 600 ppm produced the highest values of seed yield/plant （g）, head diameter （cm）, number of seeds/head, weight of 1,000 seed （g）, percentage of oil （%） and oil yield/plant （g） of both cultivars. Seed yield/plant increased by 26.85% and 34.81% with increasing B concentration from 300 ppm and 600 ppm as compared to control plants, respectively. The results indicated that application of 300 ppm B resulted in an increase of palmitic, stearic and oleic acids as compared to the treatment with 600 ppm B and control plants. However, the linoleic acid increased gradually with increasing B up to 600 ppm. Such increases were estimated by 8.72% and 7.19% over the control plants or the treatment sprayed with 300 ppm B, respectively. The highest oleic and linoleic acids percentages （52.71% and 36.05%, respectively） were obtained from Sakha-53 cultivar with 300 ppm B foliar application, while the lowest lenolenic acid percentage （2.01%） was obtained at 600 ppm B. The highest content of gluatmine, isoleucine and arginine （9.61, 3.97 and 3.97 mg/100 g dry weight） was obtained from Sakha-53 cultivar, followed by Giza-102 at a rate of 600 ppm foliar application of B. It can be concluded that B plays a vital role for increasing the productivity and quality of sunflower plants, especially when grown under B deficient soil.

Confectionery Hybrid Sunflower Breeding in Russia

Confectionery sunflower hybrid breeding program started at VNIIMK in 1999. Aim of our study was to evaluate sunflower lines and hybrids, developed in this program. Best restorer lines were crossed with two lines with cytoplasmic male sterility （CMS-lines） used as testers. Hybrids were tested for seed yield, husk content and 1,000 seeds weight. Two-year hybrid trial allows us to define the most prominent hybrid combination （VK-905 A ~ K-4） and parental lines （CMS-line VK-905 A and restorer lines K-4, K-3 and K-I） for the future sunflower breeding work. It was further showed that confectionery hybrids with CMS-line VK-905 A do not show decrease in seed size with the increase in plant density.

Mechanical Properties of Sunflower Seed and Its Kernel, Azargol Variety as a Case Study, under Compressive Loading

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of moisture content, size and loading orientation on mechanical properties such as force, deformation and energy absorbed per unit volume for fracturing Iranian sunflower seed and its kernel （Azargol as a case study） under quasi-static loading. Sunflower seeds and their kernels were quasi-statically loaded in horizontal and vertical orientations with moisture content in three levels： 3%, 7% and 14%, and size category in three levels： small, medium and large. The obtained results showed that rupture force for both sunflower seed and its kernel decreased with increasing moisture content while the absorbed energy and deformation at rupture point increased for all size categories in both horizontal and vertical loading orientations. Also, seeds in the vertical orientation developed hull cracks at a higher level of force than those loaded in the horizontal orientation. However, for the kernels it was the opposite. In addition, the average forces required to cause kernel rupture were lower （11.64-39.9 N） than those required to rupture the seed （30.06-117.46 N） in both orientations. Seeds loaded in a vertical orientation absorbed more energy （87.67 mJ） prior to rupture than those loaded in the horizontal （46.60 mJ） orientation. However, for the kernels it was the opposite.

Variation on Wild Sunflower （Helianthus ruderalis L.） for Quantitative and Qualitative Parameters

Our expedition have identified location in the central part of Kosovo where were collected a samples （accessions） at coordinates; Sub-Locality SL-1 （N42°34′36″, E21°07′45″）, altitude 574 m, SL-2 （N42°34′29″, E 21°07′45″altitude 591 m and SL-3 （N42°34′30″, E21°07′46″） on altitude 565 m. The aim of present investigation was carried out to study genetic variability of quantitative and qualitative parameters. The populations from SL-2 were characterized of higher significance on seed oil （23.74%） and protein content （16.74%）. The estimation average value of seed protein and oil content was 15.52% and 23.48% respectively. The variability of plant height ranged from 182.33 cm to as much as 200.89 cm, while distinction＇s between them were ＋ 18.56 cm which was a significant higher at P〈0.05 probability level. The SL-3 showed the higher value of HWK （34.6 g）, head per plant （39.33） and head diameter （9.5 cm） but, was characterized significantly lowest on seed protein content （13.99%）. The all traits included in our investigations showed a higher genetic variability with majority of extreme values. The sunflower populations differed significantly in several parameters measured, they have a different genetic and morphological backgrounds. Results from wild sunflower form indicated notable differences in dispersion of important genes for different traits and showed the potential for using in future for breeding program.

Research on the Breeding Technology of Three Generations for One Year in Sunflower Inbred Line

An experiment was performed in a sunflower field based on sunflower characters and relevant researches available to explore multiple-generation cultiva- tions in Hainan in order to establish a cultivation method of sunflower inbred line with three generations per year and reduce breeding process of inbred lines. The results showed that the cultivation site is chosen as per relevant standards that ef- fective accumulative temperature （≥5 ℃） is equal to or higher than 1 900 ~C within 110 d from sowing date. It is notable that a good choice of planting site is a guar- antee of the technology and to establish the method cultivating sunflowers with three generations per year is of great significance in terms of reducing breeding process of inbred lines and breeding costs. In addition to that, it provides refer- ences for rapid cultivation of multi-generation sunflowers and improving breeding effi- ciency.

Phosphorus Use Efficiency of Safflower （Carthamus tinctorius L.） and Sunflower （Helianthus annuus L.） Studied in Nutrient Solution

Safflower represents an important oil crop internationally and may have a production potential under low input conditions, but its putatively high phosphorous use efficiency is not sustained. This study aims to directly compare safflower with sunflower in terms of phosphorus use efficiency in nutrient solution under controlled conditions. Growth of both species responded strongly to increasing P supply. Safflower recovers less proportion of added P than sunflower. External P requirement （（g P supply （100 g dry matter （DM） produced）~） was higher in safflower than sunflower. The efficiency of the crops for DM production based on accumulated P （mg P potl, efficiency ratio）, and P concentration in DM （（mg P （g DM）＇I）, utilization index） were interpreted using Michaelis-Menten kinetics as growth response curves. Accordingly, Km constant was lower in sunflower compared to safflower in terms of utilization index, but both were similar in terms of efficiency ratio. High Km constant in safflower in terms of utilization index indicates the high P concentration in tissues to produce 50% of potential maximum DM, consequently less efficient crop. Utilization efficiency contributed more than uptake efficiency in overall PUE in the efficient cultivar and could be the cause of its superiority in PUE. It can be concluded that safflower has a high requirement for P with respect to growth, sunflower is more efficient in terms of uptake and utilization of P at optimal and sub-optimal P supplies indicating that safflower can not be considered a low nutrient input crop compared to sunflower with respect to phosphorus.

Possibilities for Increasing Sunflower Resistance to Broomrape （ Orobanche cumana Wallr.）

Broomrape causes economic damage in sunflower production in many countries worldwide, but especially in Central and Eastern Europe, Spain, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Kazakhstan, and China. Sunflower selection for broomrape resistance uses different methods for testing breeding materials, looks for resistance sources in certain wild species of the genus Helianthus, and has so far produced significant results. Dominant genes for resistance to races A, B, C, D, E and F have been found and incorporated into cultivated sunflower genotypes. In the last two to three years, new broomrape populations have been discovered in several countries. None of the existing commercial hybrids resistant to races A, B, C, D, E and F have proven resistant to these new populations. Greenhouse testing conducted by the Fundulea Institute in Romania in 2009 has managed to identify two restorer lines that are resistant to all the new populations and can be used directly in developing hybrids. Sunflower breeders and geneticists have achieved significant results in the use of molecular markers for identifying new broomrape races. Marker-assisted selection should be used even more in the future search for Orobanche resistance. Broomrape can also be managed by the development of IMl-resistant hybrids or by using biological control.

Production of Lipase Using Cassava Peel and Sunflower Oil in Solid-State Fermentation： Preliminary Study

Full use of residues from industrial processes is a fundamental necessity of contemporary society, since it avoids impacts to the environment by using residues as inputs for other products of high economic and social importance. In this study, lipase production of the crude enzymatic extracts obtained by Aspergillus niger using cassava peel as substrate and sunflower oil as an inductor was investigated. The optimized cultivation temperature and concentration of inductor were determined using the response surface methodology. The two variables studied exercised influence in the production of lipase in the 95% level of confidence. The response surface obtained indicated that the conditions that maximize lipase activity production were 30.5 ~C and initial concentration of sunflower oil was 2.5% （w/w）. Through this analysis, it is evident that extremes in temperature and concentration of inductor tend to decrease lipase production, since low temperatures decrease metabolism and high temperatures may inactivate the lipase. Optimum lipase yield was 59.8 U/g of dry peel which was fermented for 60 h. Lipase production presents a peak of 61.3 U/g, at 72 h of fermentation. However, this value is statistically equal （p 〉 0.05） of the value of lipase activity obtained for 60 h and 84 h of fermentation.

The Influence of Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field （LF EMF） on the Agricultural Crops Seeds Germination

This research is about changing rate of seeds germination by low frequencies electromagnetic field. The method of resonant frequencies to increase seeds germination were developed and patented by authors of this research. The idea of the means is to research a technique to changing a capacitor component of full resistance for extracts of wheat and sunflower seeds under the influence of low frequency electromagnetic field （LF EMF）. After the green sprouting experimentin cups of Petri, it was found that most frequencies found by this method are good, and the best results increasing germination of wheat of a grade Krasnodar 99 were after treatment with 31 Hz, for sunflower of a grade Buzuluk 16 Hz.

Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression in Sunflower

Information on heterosis and inbreeding depression for yield and agronomic characters is essential for sunflower （Helianthus annuus L.） breeding programs. This research was conducted to evaluate heterosis and inbreeding depression for yield and agronomic characters of hybrids involving eight sunflower inbred lines. These inbred lines were crossed in 8×8 half diallel to obtain 28 F The 28 hybrids were self-pollinated to produce the F2 generation. The 8 parents, 28 F1 hybrids and 28 F2 populations hybrids were evaluated using a randomized complete block design with three replications at two locations in Nakhon Ratchasima （SUT Farm and National Corn and Sorghum Research Center） in 2009. Mid-parent heterosis and inbreeding depression were estimated for yield, head diamete oil content, 1,000-seed weight and plant height. Significant differences were found among the parents, F1 hybrids and F2 populations for all traits. F1 hybrid means were significantly higher than the parental means for all traits. In addition, F1 hybrids considerable heterosis and heterobeltiosis when compared with the mid-parent and better parents, respectively. Yield, showed oil content and plant height showed highly positive heterosis in F1 hybrids, ranging from 14.48 to 49.45%, 8.88 to 33.22% and 9.51 to 29 respectively. Similarly, heterobeltiosis were positive significant for yield （19.22 to 49.04%）, oil content （8.65 to 28.30%） and height （2,83 to 27.61%）. However, 1,000-seed weight showed a low level of heterosis in F1 hybrids （-9.36 to 8,07%） oil content, 1,000-seed weight and plant height in F2 populations were lower than their respective Fi hybrids the F2 populations was comparatively high for yield, oil content and plant height. The cross of lines 5A×for yield （49.45%） and 1,000 seed-weight （8.07%） but low 25%, plant Means for yield, Inbreeding depression in 2A gave the highest heterosis inbreeding depression for yield （10.06%）. Based on the mean performance and heterotic effects for seed yield, 1,000-seed weight and oil content, the inbred lines 2A and 5A are suggested for the development o hybrids,

Evaluation of Three Sunflower （Helianthus annuus L.） Hybrids for Salt Tolerance in Vitro

This study aimed to induce callus from three sunflower （Helianthus annulus L.） hybrids, namely Anna, Alhaja and Kuds, and to evaluate their callus for salt stress tolerance. Cotyledons and hypocotyl were taken from seedling of these hybrids and cultured on MS media contained 2,4-D （0,0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg/L） and kinetin （0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L）. The cultures incubated at 25 ＋ I^C under light condition （1,000 Lux） for 16 h/day. After 6 weeks observations were taken on the response of cotyledons and hypocotyl to callus induction. The induced callus were cultured on the same MS media that contained appropriate concentrations of 2,4-D and kinetin for callus induction as well as contained various concentration of sodium chloride NaCI （0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2%）. After six weeks callus fresh and dry weights, proline and total carbohydrates concentrations were measured. The results showed significant differences among the hybrids, explants, 2,4-D and kinetin concentration and significant interaction between them in their percentage response for callus induction. The results also revealed that fresh and dry weights were significantly reduced with increased NaCI concentration in the medium, hybrids showed significant differences in their response to salt stress. Proline and total carbohydrate concentration increased in callus as NaCI increased in the media. Significant interaction was showed between hybrids and NaCI concentration in these parameters.

Optimum Insecticide Doses Determination of Seed Oil of Three Botanicals Jatropha Curcas L., Helianthus Annus L. and Cocos Nucifera L. against Maize Weevil Sitophilus Zeamais Mots.

The insecticidal effect of four dosage rates of three botanicals namely Jatropha curcas, Heliathus annus and Cocos nucifera was tested on the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais Mots.. This is done for the purpose of finding a replacement for conventional insecticides which has been found to be harmful to man. The seed oil was applied topically at the rate of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mL per insect. There were a total of 20 insects per Petri-dish. There were four replicates per treatment. Insect mortality was recorded on 12 hourly basis for 48 hours. The results of insects treated with all dosage rates of C. nucifera showed a significantly higher mortality when compared with the control. In the case ofH. annus, insect mortality ranged from 40-100, 70-100, 60-100 and 80-100% and for J. curcas the result ranged from 0.0-100, 40-100, 80-100 and 80-100% for rates of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mL, respectively, from 12 hrs to 48 hrs post application. The control experiment remained at 0% level throughout the period of the experiments.