China

  2010 MAR 23 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to recent research from Chengdu, People's Republic of China, "A new fern species, Polystichum puteicola (sect. Haplopolystichum, Dryopteridaceae), is described from a karst sinkhole in northwestern Guizhou, China."

  "The new species is morphologically similar to P. obliquum, a species disjunctly occurring in limestone areas in Taiwan, southwestern China to the western Indo-Himalaya. Polystichum puteicola has lamina not contracted towards base (with the largest basal pinnae), petiole scales dark brown adaxially, rachis scales up to 3.6 x 0.8 mm, pinnae dark green, subcoriaceous, lustrous adaxially, and slightly repand or almost entire on margin, and microscales up to 2 x 0.5 mm. In contrast, P. obliquum has lamina with basal pinnae contracted, scales of petiole brown adaxially, scales of rachis up to 2.3 x 0.5 mm, pinnae green, chartaceous, matt adaxially, and serrulate oil margin, and microscales 0.2-0.5 x 0.1-0.2 mm. Most interestingly, the two species differs in seven positions in the DNA sequences of chloroplast trnL-F intergenic spacer. Our phylogenetic analysis shows that the two species are even not closely related. Palynologically, P. puteicola has cristate sculpture with numerous spinules oil its perispore. Features of the new species in geographical distribution, ecology, spore morphology, and trnL-F Sequence are given," wrote L.B. Zhang and colleagues, Chinese Academy of Science ...read more

  2010 MAR 23 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris was found in 28 sampled cabbage fields in five major cabbage-growing districts in Nepal in 2001 and in four cauliflower fields in two districts and a leaf mustard seed bed in 2003. Pathogenic X. campestris pv. campestris strains were obtained from 39 cabbage plants, 4 cauliflower plants, and 1 leaf mustard plant with typical lesions. Repetitive DNA polymerase chain reaction-based fingerprinting (rep-PCR) using repetitive extragenic palindromic, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus, and BOX primers was used to assess the genetic diversity," scientists in Frederiksberg, Denmark report ...read more

  2010 MAR 23 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Oxalis corymbosa, an exotic species in Taiwan, is a tristylous plant, i.e., with long- (LS), mid-(MS) and short-styled (SS) floral morphs, producing capsules in its native habitat. However, in Taiwan, this species was never observed producing fruits, and it reproduces vegetatively," investigators in Taipei, Taiwan report.

  "In this study we investigated floral morphs, observed fruit and seed production of 23 Populations, assessed pollen viability, and analyzed the ploidy level of some populations of O. corymbosa, in an effort to understand the factors limiting sexual reproduction of this species in Taiwan. No fruit or seed production were observed in any population. The Study of morph proportions revealed that ratios of SS, MS, and semi-homostylous (SHS) individuals varied among the populations, and LS individuals appeared to be absent in this region. Furthermore, two types of anthers were observed, yellow anthers with pollen grains and white anthers without pollen grains. In each Population, individuals with MS morph and bearing yellow anthers were dominant. SS and SHS individuals were less frequent than MS morph and almost always bore white and male-sterile anthers. The result of fluorochromatic reaction essay revealed that these Populations had very low pollen viability (< 4%). Flow cytometry analysis of cell nuclei Suggested that individuals with MS and SS floral morph had same ploidy level," wrote M.Y. Tsai and colleagues, National Taiwan University ...read more