scholarly journals Evaluation of the symmetric effect of antagonists in the floral morphs of the distylic shrub Bouvardia ternifolia: a field study

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Luis Antonio Salinas-Esquivel ◽  
Carlos Lara ◽  
María Del Coro Arizmendi

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Heterostyly is a genetic polymorphism characterized by a system of sporophyte auto-incompatibility in which the plant populations show two (distyly) or three (tristyly) floral morphs. This reproductive system is known as a promoter of cross-pollination, assuming similar reproductive success between morphs.</p><p><strong>Hyphothesis:</strong> For this assumption to take place, the pollinators must respond in a similar manner to attraction floral traits in both morphs, maintaining a symmetric flow of pollen. We hypothesize that floral damage by antagonists should correspond to similarities or differences in atractiveness among floral morphs.</p><p><strong>Studied species:</strong> We tested this hypothesis in the distylous shrub <em>Bouvardia ternifolia</em> (Rubiaceae).</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> we evaluated the magnitude of the nectar theft, foliar herbivory, and seed predation by assessing individual plants of both floral morphs throughout their flowering period (June-July 2015) under natural conditions. At the end of the flowering season, we quantified fruit and seed production.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The intensity of the herbivore and nectar thieves in this distylous population is similar between morphs, as well as the size of their floral displays. The number of seeds and fruits produced was also similar between morphs.</p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Our study showed that selection pressures imposed by antagonists were similar to both floral morphs in the studied population of <em>Bouvardia ternifolia</em>.

2020 ◽  
Vol 43:1 ◽  
pp. 7350-7365
Author(s):  
Joseph Blaise Pando ◽  
Denis Djonwangwé ◽  
Olivier Balti Moudelsia ◽  
Fernand-Nestor Tchuenguem Fohouo ◽  
Joseph Lebel Tamesse

Pour déterminer la richesse spécifique, la fréquence relative, les produits alimentaires recherchés, les insectes pollinisateurs et l’impact de ces insectes sur les rendements, deux traitements ont été formés à partir du marquage de 240 boutons floraux en 2015 et 2017 chacun selon la présence ou l’absence de protection contre les insectes. Les observations ont été faites sur les fleurs de Abelmoschus esculentus en libre pollinisation du 11 au 22 septembre 2015 et du 7 au 19 septembre 2017 à Wourndé et Palar respectivement. La diversité spécifique des insectes floricoles de gombo était de 17 et 20 espèces respectivement à Wourndé et à Palar. L’indice de Jacard (J = 0,15) révèle une similarité entre les deux sites, preuve que les conditions environnementales sont similaires dans les deux habitats. Les insectes butinaient les fleurs du gombo de 8 h à 13 h, avec le pic de l’activité de l’ensemble de visites de ceux-ci situé entre 10 h et 11 h. Les insectes développaient un comportement très élaboré lors de la récolte du nectar et/ou du pollen et la consommation du pétale. On peut regrouper ces insectes en pollinisateur majeur (Lipotriches collaris), pollinisateurs mineurs [Sphecodes albilabris, Camponotus flavomarginatus, le Vespidae (1 sp.), Lasioglossum albilabris, Seladonia sp., Lasioglossum albipes, Lipotriches pulchriventris et le Formicidae (1 sp.)] et pollinisateurs occasionnels. La comparaison des rendements des fleurs non protégées à celui des fleurs protégées des insectes ont montré que les insectes ont un impact positif sur ce rendement. L’influence de ces insectes est estimée à 9,57%, 7,18% et 4,34% pour le taux de fructification, le nombre de graines/capsule et le pourcentage de graines normales respectivement. Afin d’améliorer le rendement de A. esculentus, il est conseillé de préserver les insectes floricoles non nuisibles dans les champs de gombo en évitant les traitements aux pesticides pendant la période de floraison lorsqu’ils ne se justifient pas. ABSTRACT To determine the species richness, the relative frequency, desired food products, the pollinating insects and impact of these insects on the yields, two treatments were formed from the marking of 240 flower buds in 2015 and 2017, differentiated according to the presence or absence of protection against insect’s activities. Observations were made on free-pollinated Abelmoschus esculentus flowers from 11 to 22 September 2015 and from 7 to 19 September 2017 in Wourndé and Palar respectively. The specific diversity of the flowering insects of okra was 17 and 20 species respectively in Wourndé and Palar. The Jacard index (J = 0.15) reveals a similarity between the two sites, proof that the environmental conditions are similar in both habitats. The insects foraged the flowers of the okra from 8h to 13h, with the peak of the activity of the set of visits of them located between 10 h and 11 h. The insects developed a much elaborated behaviour during the harvest of the nectar and / or the pollen and the consumption of petal. These insects can be grouped into major pollinators (Lipotriches collaris), minor pollinators [Sphecodes albilabris, Camponotus flavomarginatus, Vespidae (1 sp.), Lasioglossum albilabris, Seladonia sp., Lasioglossum albipes, Lipotriches pulchriventris and Formicidae (1 sp.)).] and occasional pollinators. By comparing the yield of unprotected flowers to that of insect-protected flowers, it appeared that insects have a positive impact on this yield. The influence of these insects is estimated at 9.57 %, 7.18 % and 4.34 % for the fruiting rate, the number of seeds / capsule and the percentage of normal seeds respectively. To improve the yield of A. esculentus, it is advisable to preserve the flower-dwelling insects in okra fields by avoiding pesticide treatments during the flowering period when they are not justified.


Botany ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 601-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. McCall

Damage to flowers by herbivores, or florivory, can have direct impacts on gamete survival and can also indirectly affect fitness by reducing pollinator service. While recent studies have examined the impact of natural or artificial floral damage, very few researchers have manipulated both damage and pollen addition to see whether pollen limitation is enhanced by damage, and no workers, to my knowledge, have examined whether pollen limitation is dependent on the levels of florivory used. I used a pollen addition treatment and six levels of artificial floral damage to investigate whether damage increases pollen limitation and whether that pollen limitation becomes more severe with increasing numbers of petals damaged in Nemophila menziesii Hook. & Arn. I found that artificial floral damage that mimics natural florivore damage increases pollen limitation, and that this pollen limitation generally increased with increasing numbers of petals damaged. The treatment with the heaviest amount of damage did not suffer the most pollen limitation, perhaps because flowers in this treatment remained radially symmetric. These findings suggest that florivory may decrease pollen import through pollinator deterrence and could thus serve as a selective force on either floral or defense traits in outcrossing plant populations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 736
Author(s):  
Jeanett Escobedo-Sarti ◽  
Demetria Mondragón

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Knowledge of the flowering phenology of species with an epiphytic habit and a dioecious sexual system is scarce.</p><p><strong>Questions:</strong> We studied the flowering phenology of a population of the dioecious epiphytic bromeliad, <em>Catopsis</em> <em>compacta</em>, in an oak forest in Oaxaca, Mexico, to answer the following questions: 1) what type of flowering period is exhibited by this population of <em>C. compacta</em>? 2) what is the degree of synchrony between the male and female flowering periods? and 3) what is the flowering synchrony index of the population?</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> In February 2006, in a 20 m × 20 m plot, we marked and measured 151 individuals of <em>C. compacta</em> ≥ 10 cm in height (minimum reproductive size). We recorded the number of flowers and fruits present in each individual every month for one year.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Our results showed that the flowering period in both sexes lasted for three months (May–July). Only 23 marked individuals flowered (15.23 %): of these 12 (52.17 %) were female and 11 (47.83 %) were male. The index of synchrony between females and males was 0.958 ± 0.013 and the flowering synchrony index of the population was 0.833 ± 0.189.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The high flowering synchrony between the sexes, together with a flowering season that coincided with the period of highest rainfall when the number of arthropods (potential pollinators) is the highest, could favor breeding and, therefore, reproductive success.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
De-sheng Xue ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
Baohua Li ◽  
Xiangming Xu ◽  
Na Liu ◽  
...  

Botryosphaeria dothidea is a fungal pathogen causing canker, dieback, and fruit rot of apple trees worldwide. Ascospores are an important source of inoculum of Botryosphaeria canker in China. Experiments were conducted in both controlled and natural conditions to study perithecium formation in relation to environmental conditions. Perithecia of B. dothidea were detected on cankered lesions throughout the apple growing season except in July and in some years including August in natural conditions. On newly formed canker lesions, the first perithecium was detected as early as August, about 1 week after rainfall. Perithecia matured successively, lasting from early August to June of the following year with a peak in late September or early October. Temperature and rainfall are two key environmental factors affecting perithecium formation. In controlled conditions, perithecia were produced only on cankered shoots incubated at test temperatures of 20 and 25oC and wetted by more than 3 days simulated rainfall per week. The number of perithecia produced on canker lesions increased with the extension of rainfall duration. Perithecia were only formed on canker shoots exposed to rainfall in June, July and August but not in September. Rainfall of more than 3 days per week can be used as a predictor to predict the initial formation of perithecia in the main apple production areas in China to assist disease management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-839
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Ma ◽  
Yajie Ma ◽  
Hanwen Wu ◽  
Xiangliang Ren ◽  
Weili Jiang ◽  
...  

AbstractGoosegrass is considered one of the worst agricultural weeds worldwide. Understanding its life cycle will provide useful management information. Field experiments with six emergence times (April, May, June, July, August, and September) were conducted at Anyang, China in 2015 and 2017 to clarify the growth and reproduction of goosegrass emerging at different times within a season. The result showed that plant height, dry weight, average weight per inflorescence, total inflorescence weight, average seed number per inflorescence, and total number of seeds per plant were relatively low in the April cohort, peaked with the May or June emergence cohort, and decreased thereafter. However, the earliest emergence of goosegrass in April had the highest total number of inflorescences. The plants of the May cohort produced the greatest number of seeds: 225,954 and 322,501 seeds per plant in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Delayed emergence resulted in less seed production; most plants that emerged in September did not flower or set seed. The 1,000-seed weight did not vary among the emergence cohorts. The reproductive investment was lowest for plants of the May cohort and then increased as emergence time was delayed to June, July, and August. Fresh mature seed of all emergence cohorts was extremely dormant and had low germination only up to 6% from August to November, and high germination (44% to 93%) in December. The information gained from this study indicates that weed management strategies should focus on the early-emerged seedlings such as the April and May cohorts, so as to effectively prevent goosegrass seed production, minimize the weed seed replenishment into the soil seed bank, and reduce the infestation in subsequent seasons.


2021 ◽  
Vol 886 (1) ◽  
pp. 012117
Author(s):  
Rajiv Ginting ◽  
Jonatan Ginting ◽  
Erwin Harahap

Abstract Sweet corn production in Indonesia from is volatile and unstable. Unoptimal production of sweet corn in North Sumatra is caused by land conditions, plant populations, pest and disease and level of soil fertility. Effective and efficient soil tillage, crop spacing and number of seeds will affect the physical properties of the soil and plant productivity. This study aims to observe the best planting and tillage methods for maize. This study used a split plot design which is repeated three times with two factors, i.e. 3 levels of number of seeds per planting hole and 3 levels of soil tillage. The results showed that the treatment of tillage and the number of seeds per planting hole give significant effect on the variables of plant height, stem diameter, and total production. The interaction of these two factors showed an influence on the parameters of sweet corn plant height. The treatment of 2 seed per planting hole and 1 time of soil tillage show the best productivity compared to other treatments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Gjoshe Stefkov ◽  
Ivana Cvetkovikj Karanfilova ◽  
Viktorija Labroska ◽  
Orhidea Krsteska ◽  
Bujar Qazimi ◽  
...  

Due to the presence of arbutin and hydroquinone in the bearberry plant (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng., Ericaceae), it is widely used as a urinary tract antiseptic and diuretic. The herbal substance consists of whole or cut dried leaves, and it should not contain less than 7.00% of anhydrous arbutin (Ph.Eur.10). The supply of this herbal substance in Balkan countries mainly comes from a wild plant harvested in the mountains. It is a common practice to collect the leaves during the flowering season of the plant (June-July). There is an abundance of wild growing natural populations of bearberry on Korab Mountain that represents a unique natural resource of this herbal substance for both countries, Albania and North Macedonia. The aim of the present study was to determine the arbutin content and to assess its variability in the bearberry leaves of seven wild populations from Korab Mountain. The leaves were collected monthly (May-October) during a period of 3 years (2014-2016). The HPLC assay (Ph.Eur.10) revealed that all populations have arbutin content over 7.00% (7.03-9.42%) and that the highest content of arbutin can be attained in September/October, during the phase after the fructification. Statistical analysis showed that there is significant difference between the content of arbutin in the different populations. The content was related to the altitude of the collection site and the collection month and year.


2021 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasmita Adelina ◽  
Irfan Suliansyah ◽  
Auzar Syarif ◽  
Warnita

Abstract The Sidimpuan snake fruit ( Salacca sumatrana Becc.) tree flowers throughout the year. However, the fruits are produced seasonally. The level of production is directly related to flowering and fruit set. A low level of fruit formation results in a low number of fruits that can be harvested. A deeper understanding of the phenology of flowering and fruit set in Sidimpuan snake fruit may help solve the problem of low off-season production, and is the focus of this study. The study was conducted in the village of Palopat Maria, a subdistrict of Padangsidimpuan Hutaimbaru, Indonesia. The methodology included surveys and descriptive analysis with direct counting of inflorescences and fruits on each sample plant twice a week over each of three sampling periods (May–August 2016, September–December 2016, and January–April 2017). The results showed that the Sidimpuan snake fruit is a monoecious plant with hermaphrodite flowers. The inflorescences set at the base of the midrib of the fronds every 1.0–1.5 months. The plants had five–six flowering stages, and two–three stages of fruit set were observed. The period between the appearance of new flowers and fruit harvest lasted 5–6 months. The highest average number of flower bunches was observed in the January–April flowering period (6.23/tree) and the lowest was in May–August (5.33/tree, i.e., 14% less). The number of fruit bunches was the highest in May–August (4.37/tree), and the lowest in September–December, and was more than 40% less. Analysis of variance indicated that the flowering period significantly affected the percentage of fruit set. The highest fruit set was 85.5% during May–August, and the lowest was 44.0% during September–December. The average leaf nitrogen content in the flowering period of May–August and September–December was significantly different and higher than that in January–April. The average levels of phosphorus and potassium did not vary significantly throughout the year. The difference in fruit set affected the level of production in each flowering season.


1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. L. Rothschild

An account is given of Diconocoris hewetti (Dist.), a sporadic pest of pepper in Sarawak. Most of the observations were made during a single outbreak in 1964. The egg and the five nymphal stages are described. The life cycle is completed in about 30 days at 27 ± 1°C., 80 ± 2 per cent. R.H. and the duration of individual stages is as follows: egg, at least ten days; first instar, four days; second instar, three days; third instar, three days; fourth instar, four days; fifth instar, five days; adults in laboratory cultures lived, on average, for 27 days.Eggs are laid singly in the flowering inflorescences, and nymphs do not generally move far from their hatching sites during nymphal life. Both nymphs and adults feed on the inflorescences and infestation is particularly heavy on those spikes in which fertilisation of the flowers has ocurred but where the developing fruits do not yet exceed 1 or 2 mm. in diameter.A survey of 60 holdings in the Kuching area showed that numbers of Tingids are very low during non-outbreak periods, only 0.4 individuals per vine (adults and late nymphal instars) being obtained during the flowering season. Numbers deceased to 0.03 insects per vine during the fruiting period. In the outbreak studied, numbers per vine varied from 3 to 10, a ten- to one hundred-fold increase over the normal levels; these figures are relative estimates only as there was no satisfactory method of estimating absolute densities in the time available.It is suggested that serious outbreaks of Diconocoris may be due to exceptional prolongation of the flowering period of pepper vines in a district, due to cultural practices or climatic factors.Yield losses due to Tingids in the area studied were estimated at about 30 per cent. Diconocoris can be satisfactorily controlled with sprays of various insecticides including BHC, DDT, malathion, carbaryl (Sevin) and nicotine.


Weed Science ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiqin Qi ◽  
Mahesh K. Upadhyaya ◽  
Roy Turkington

Seasonal changes in germination behaviour of meadow salsify seeds buried at different depths, and survivorship of seed and plant populations were investigated. Freshly matured seeds were mixed with sterilized soil, placed into nylon mesh bags, and buried at three soil depths in a meadow salsify-infested rangeland. Two germination peaks were observed: one in the fall, 2 to 3 mo after burial, and a second the following spring. Burial depth affected seed dormancy. The number of seeds with enforced dormancy, and innate or induced dormancy, increased with burial depth in the 1989 cohort, and the number with enforced dormancy increased in the 1990 cohort. Burial depth also affected seed survivorship. The survivorship curves for 1989 and 1990 seed cohorts were not different as indicated by the Logrank test. The seed population was nearly depleted after 9 to 10 mo of burial; less than 3 % of the buried seeds remained viable after 13 mo. About 50% of the plants monitored in a natural meadow salsify population in 1990 died before winter, and an additional 35% died during winter. The mortality of the remaining plants during the second growing season was very low. Only 12% of the 1990 cohort remained in October 1991. Mortality of meadow salsify plants was density-independent.


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