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Exposed limestone cliffs in central Europe harbor a highly divers flora with many rare and endangered species. During the past few decades, there has been increasing recreational use of these cliffs, which has caused local environmental disturbances. Successful restoration strategies hinge on identifying critical limitations. We examined the composition of aboveground forest vegetation and density and species composition of seeds in the soil seed bank at the base of four limestone cliffs in mixed deciduous forests that are intensively disturbed by human trampling and at four undisturbed cliffs in the Jura Mountains in northwestern Switzerland. We found that long-term human trampling reduced total aboveground vegetation cover at the base of cliffs and caused a significant shift in the plant-species composition. Compared with undisturbed cliffs, total seed density was lower in disturbed cliffs. Human trampling also altered the species composition of seeds in the soil seed bank. Seeds of unintentionally introduced, stress-tolerant, and ruderal species dominated the soil seed bank at the base of disturbed cliffs. Our findings indicate that a restoration of degraded cliff bases from the existing soil seed bank would result in a substantial change of the original unique plant composition. Active seed transfer, or seed flux from adjacent undisturbed forest areas, is essential for restoration success.

We compared the feeding ecology of the Hali-Hali community of bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Kokolopori, a new field site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between two periods 5 months apart. During the first study period (SP1), bonobos relied heavily on the dry seeds of Guibourtia (Caesalpiniaceae), mostly eaten from the ground. The second period (SP2) was characterized by high consumption of ripe tree fruit. Terrestrial herbaceous vegetation (THV) contributed little to the diet in either study period. The low amount of ripe fruit and the high reliance on seeds in the diet during SP1 were associated with high cortisol production and low levels of urinary C-peptide in females, suggesting nutritional stress. However, female gregariousness was not constrained during the fruit-poor period, probably because high seed abundance on the ground ameliorated scramble feeding competition. This is the first description of extensive seed predation by bonobos. It suggests that bonobo feeding ecology may be more similar to that of chimpanzees than previously recognized.

Green coffee bean isotopes have been used to trace the effects of different climatic and geological characteristics associated with the Hawaii islands. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ((MC)-ICP-SFMS and ICP-QMS) were applied to determine the isotopic composition of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), sulfur (δ34S), and oxygen (δ18O), the isotope abundance of strontium (87Sr/86Sr), and the concentrations of 30 different elements in 47 green coffees. The coffees were produced in five Hawaii regions: Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. Results indicate that coffee plant seed isotopes reflect interactions between the coffee plant and the local environment. Accordingly, the obtained analytical fingerprinting could be used to discriminate between the different Hawaii regions studied.

The characterization of amaranth seeds (Amaranthus spp.) was developed for Amaranthus hypochondriacus, Amaranthus cruentus, and Amaranthus dubius. The elemental concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma optic atomic spectroscopy. Pattern recognition methods were used for the characterization of seed samples: nonsupervised methods included principal components analysis and cluster analysis; supervised methods were linear discriminant analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Informed are the concentrations of the following elements: Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, S, Sr, V, Zn, and Zr. The lowest mineral content was found in A. hypochondriacus, and the highest one was found in A. dubius. For the classification, selected variables for all multivariate methods were Ba, Cr, Li, Mn, Ni, S, and Sr. Nonsupervised methods allowed us to distinguish between the three species of amaranth; however, PLS-DA supervised methods showed the best prediction ability.

An investigation was made to see the salt tolerance of 10 weed species of rice. Properly dried and treated seeds of weed species were placed on 9 cm diameter petridishes lined with Whatman No. 1 filter paper under 6 salinity regimes, viz. 0 (control), 4, 8, 16, 24 and 32 dS m(-1). The petri dishes were then kept in germinator at 25 +/- 1.0 degrees C and 12 hr light. The number of germinated seeds were recorded daily. The final germination percentage, germination index (GI), seedling vigour index, mean germination time and time for 50% germination were estimated. Root and shoot lengths of the weed seedlings were measured at 20 days after salt application and relative growth values were calculated. Results revealed that salinity decreased final germination percentage, seed of germination as measured by GI, and shoot and root length in all the species. Germination of most of the weed seeds was completely arrested (0) at 32 dS m(-1) salinity except in E. colona (12%) and C. iria (13.9%). The species C. iria, E. colona, J. linifolia and E. crusgalli showed better germination (above 30%) upto 24 dS m(-1) salinity level and were regarded as salt-tolerant weed species. J. linifolia, F. miliacea, L. chinensis and O. sativa L. (weedy rice) were graded as moderately tolerant and S. zeylanica, S. grosus and C. difformis were regarded as least tolerant weed species.

Escape from specialist natural enemies is frequently invoked to explain exotic plant invasions, but little attention has been paid to how generalist consumers in the recipient range may influence invasion. We examined how seed preferences of the widespread generalist granivore Peromyscus maniculatus related to recruitment of the strongly invasive exotic Centaurea stoebe and several weakly invasive exotics and natives by conducting laboratory feeding trials and seed addition experiments in the field. Laboratory feeding trials showed that P. maniculatus avoided consuming seeds of C. stoebe relative to the 12 other species tested, even when seeds of alternative species were 53-94% smaller than those of C. stoebe. Seed addition experiments conducted in and out of rodent exclosures revealed that weakly invasive exotics experienced relatively greater release from seed predation than C. stoebe, although this was not the case for natives. Seed mass explained 81% of the variation in recruitment associated with rodent exclusion for natives and weak invaders, with larger-seeded species benefiting most from protection from granivores. However, recruitment of C. stoebe was unaffected by rodent exclusion, even though the regression model predicted seeds of correspondingly large mass should experience substantial predation. These combined laboratory and field results suggest that generalist granivores can be an important biological filter in plant communities and that species-specific seed attributes that determine seed predation may help to explain variation in native plant recruitment and the success of exotic species invasions.

Soil seed bank consists of all living seeds existed in soil and its surface litter, especially in topsoil, and can reflect the characteristics of regional biodiversity. As the base of vegetation restoration and potential greening material, topsoil and its seed bank are the limited and non-renewable resources in mining areas. The study of soil seed bank has become one of the hotspots in the research field of vegetation restoration and land reclamation in China mining areas. Owing to the special characteristics of mining industry, the soil seed bank study of mining areas should not only concern with the seed species, quantities, and their relations with ground surface vegetation, but also make use of the research results on the soil seed bank of other fragile habitats. Besides, a breakthrough should be sought in the thinking ways and research approach. This paper analyzed the particularity of mining area's soil seek bank research, summarized the research progress in the soil seed bank of mining areas and other fragile habitats, and put forward the challenges we are facing with. It was expected that this paper could help to reinforce the soil seed bank research of China mining areas, and provide scientific guidelines for taking great advantage of the significant roles of soil seed bank in land reclamation and vegetation restoration in the future.

Habitat, diet and leaf chemistry are compared between Japanese and Barbary macaques to reveal the similarities and differences in dietary adaptations of temperate primates living at the eastern and western extremes of the genus Macaca. Tree species diversity and proportion of fleshy-fruited species are much higher in Japan than in North Africa. Both species spend considerable annual feeding time on leaves. Japanese macaques prefer fruits and seeds over leaves, and Barbary macaques prefer seeds. These characteristics are adaptive in temperate regions where fruit availability varies considerably with season, since animals can survive during the lean period by relying on leaf and other vegetative foods. The two species are different with respect to the higher consumption of herbs by Barbary macaques, and the leaves consumed contain high condensed and hydrolysable tannin for Barbary but not for Japanese macaques. Barbary macaques supplement less diverse tree foods with herbs. Because of the low species diversity and high tannin content of the dominant tree species, Barbary macaques may have developed the capacity to cope with tannin. This supports the idea that digestion of leaves is indispensable to survive in temperate regions where fruit and seed foods are not available for a prolonged period during each year.

Background and Aims: Seed persistence in the soil under field conditions is an important issue for the maintenance of local plant populations and the restoration of plant communities, increasingly so in the light of rapidly changing land use and climate change. Whereas processes important for dispersal in space are well known, knowledge of processes governing dispersal in time is still limited. Data for morphological seed traits such as size have given contradictory results for prediction of soil seed persistence or cover only a few species. There have been few experimental studies on the role of germination traits in determining soil seed persistence, while none has studied their predictive value consistently across species. Delayed germination, as well as light requirements for germination, have been suggested to contribute to the formation of persistent seed banks. Moreover, diurnally fluctuating temperatures can influence the timing of germination and are therefore linked to seed bank persistence., Methods: The role of germination speed measured by T(50) (days to germination of 50 % of all germinated seeds), light requirement and reaction to diurnally fluctuating temperatures in determining seed persistence in the soil was evaluated using an experimental comparative data set of 25 annual cereal weed species., Key Results: It is shown that light requirements and slow germination are important features to maintain seeds ungerminated just after entering the soil, and hence influence survival of seeds in the soil. However, the detection of low diurnally fluctuating temperatures enhances soil seed bank persistence by limiting germination. Our data further suggest that the effect of diurnally fluctuating temperatures, as measured on seeds after dispersal and dry storage, is increasingly important to prevent fatal germination after longer burial periods., Conclusions: These results underline the functional role of delayed germination and light for survival of seeds in the soil and hence their importance for shaping the first part of the seed decay curve. Our analyses highlight the detection of diurnally fluctuating temperatures as a third mechanism to achieve higher soil seed persistence after burial which interacts strongly with season. We therefore advocate focusing future research on mechanisms that favour soil seed persistence after longer burial times and moving from studies of morphological features to exploration of germination traits such as reaction to diurnally fluctuating temperatures.

Background: Grass pea seeds are a good source of vegetable proteins, but the presence of toxic and antinutritional compounds represents a barrier to their large-scale use as food or animal feed. How much growing location and/or seasonal climate might affect the storage of these factors has been little investigated., Results: Fourteen Italian ecotypes of grass pea were cultivated in two locations in southern Italy characterised by different climatic conditions. The seven ecotypes with the best yields and/or seed quality were investigated for a further two growing seasons. From a statistical point of view the physicochemical and nutritional traits among ecotypes were not the same from one year to the next. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was found between β-oxalyl-diamino-propionic acid and trypsin inhibitor contents. The lowest levels of both these compounds were associated with the highest amount of rainfall during the plant vegetative cycle., Conclusion: Principal component analysis of the data showed that the overall seed composition was affected by the growing location. Consequently, each grass pea genotype should also be carefully investigated in relation to different environments before being considered for release as safe for widespread human or animal consumption., (Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Pre-planting irrigation and planting patterns are important factors in weed management that effect on seed bank. Additionally, the nitrogen is the most important factor in plant growth that affects weed-crop competition and ultimately, seed rain into the soil. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of nitrogen application rates, pre-planting irrigation and maize planting patterns on weed seed bank population. Experimental factors were nitrogen rates at 4 levels (200, 300, 400 and 500 kg per hectare) as main plot; and pre-planting irrigation at 2 levels (irrigation before planting plus weeding emerged seedlings and, irrigation after sowing), and maize planting patterns (one-row and two-row planting of maize with same density per square of row length) that were assigned in a factorial arrangement to the sub plots. Soil samples were taken at the beginning of the season (before planting of maize) and at the end of the season (after harvest) at depth of 0-5 cm in the fixed quadrates (60 cm x 60 cm). The weed seeds were extracted from the soil samples and were identified using standard methods. The majority of weed seed bank populations included 6 weed species: Portulaca oleracea, Chenopodium album, Amaranthus retroflexus, Sorghum halepense, Daturea stramonium, Xanthium strumarium. Results showed that population of weed seed bank increased significantly with increasing nitrogen rate. The increasing rate was different between one-row and two-row planting patterns. The parameters indicated that seed bank population was much higher in a one row planting pattern of maize. With two-row planting, seed bank was decreased by 34, 26, 20 and 5% at 200, 300, 400 and 500 kg N/ha, respectively. Pre-planting irrigation was also found an effective implement to reduce the weed seed bank. When pre-planting irrigation was applied, seed bank was decreased by 57, 43, 34 and 9% at 200, 300, 400 and 500 kg N/ha. Increasing nitrogen because of weed's better growth and higher seed production neutralized the decreasing effect of pre-planting irrigation and two-row planting of maize on weed seed bank population.

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is increasingly used in Germany and Europe. Due to the need for herbal drugs of consistent quality and reliable supply, methods for commercial field cultivation and post-harvest processing under south German conditions have been developed for selected plant species used in CHM since 1999. The project used an interdisciplinary approach covering all aspects from seed sourcing to medicinal application. This paper describes the outcome of the agricultural seed and field experiments, breeding program, botanical and chemical characterization of the experimental material, comparison of experimental and imported herbal material with respect to their pharmaceutical quality, transfer of production methods and plant material to specialized farmers, medicinal application and, finally, information for users along the chain of distribution about the benefits of the locally produced herbal material., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Background: Odor-active compounds have been studied in cooked aromatic rice, but not in specialty rice types that have distinctly different flavors. We analyzed the odor-active compounds emanating from three different types of specialty rice (premium-quality, waxy and black-pigmented) and identified the differences in odor-active compounds among them., Results: Twenty-one, 21 and 23 odorants were detected using GC-O for cooked samples of premium-quality, waxy and black-pigmented rice cultivars, respectively. Hexanal was the main odorant in premium-quality and waxy cultivars; however, waxy cultivars had 16 times higher hexanal odor activity values (OAVs) than premium-quality cultivars, indicating premium-quality rice had a less pronounced overall aroma. 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline was the main contributor to overall aroma in black-pigmented rice, followed by guaiacol. The three types of specialty rice were clearly discriminated based on the OAVs of their odor-active compounds using multivariate analyses. Six odor-active compounds [2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, guaiacol, hexanal, (E)-2-nonenal, octanal and heptanal] contributed the most in discriminating the three types of specialty rice. Six very similar superior cultivars of premium rice could likewise be readily separated using aroma chemistry., Conclusion: The ability to discriminate the aroma among rice types using the OAVs of the principal odor-active compounds facilitates our understanding of the aroma chemistry of specialty rice., (Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Despite many studies on fragmentation of tropical forests, the extent to which plant and animal communities are altered in small, isolated forest fragments remains obscure if not controversial. We examined the hypothesis that fragmentation alters the relative abundance of tree species with different vegetative and reproductive traits. In a fragmented landscape (670 km(2) ) of the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, we categorized 4056 trees of 182 species by leafing pattern, reproductive phenology, and morphology of seeds and fruit. We calculated relative abundance of traits in 50 1-ha plots in three types of forest configurations: forest edges, small forest fragments (3.4-83.6 ha), and interior of the largest forest fragment (3500 ha, old growth). Although evergreen species were the most abundant across all configurations, forest edges and small fragments had more deciduous and semideciduous species than interior forest. Edges lacked supra-annual flowering and fruiting species and had more species and stems with drupes and small seeds than small forest fragments and forest interior areas. In an ordination of species similarity and life-history traits, the three types of configurations formed clearly segregated clusters. Furthermore, the differences in the taxonomic and functional (i.e., trait-based) composition of tree assemblages we documented were driven primarily by the higher abundance of pioneer species in the forest edge and small forest fragments. Our work provides strong evidence that long-term transitions in phenology and seed and fruit morphology of tree functional groups are occurring in fragmented tropical forests. Our results also suggest that edge-induced shifts in tree assemblages of tropical forests can be larger than previously documented., (© 2010 Society for Conservation Biology.)

Pythium ultimum is a soil pathogen that can cause seed decay and damage to roots in common bean. In this study, the response of a set of 40 common bean genotypes to P. ultimum and inheritance of the resistance in the 92 F₇ recombinant inbred lines (RIL) developed from a cross between Xana and Cornell 49242 was investigated by using emergence rate and seedling vigor. Emergence of the 40 genotypes showed a significant association between white seed coat and response to this pathogen. Among these, 11 common bean genotypes, all with colored seeds, exhibited a high percentage of emergence and seedling vigor not significantly different (P > 0.05) to noninoculated plants. Response of the RIL population revealed both qualitative and quantitative modes of inheritance. A major gene (Py-1) controlling the emergence rate was mapped in the region of the gene P, a basic color gene involved in control of seed coat color, located on LG 7. Using the RIL subpopulation with colored seeds, a significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with the emergence rate (ER3(XC)) and another with seedling vigor (SV6(XC)) were identified on the LG 3 and 6, respectively. QTL SV6(XC) was mapped in the region of the gene V, another gene involved the genetic control of color. QTLs associated with seed traits were mapped in the same relative position as regions involved in responses to P. ultimum suggesting the possible implication of avoidance mechanisms in the response to this pathogen.

As opposed to other oilseeds, developing sunflower seeds do not accumulate starch initially. They rely on the sucrose that comes from the mother plant to synthesise lipid precursors. Glycolysis is the principal source of carbon skeletons and reducing power for lipid biosynthesis. In this work, glycolytic initial metabolites and enzyme activities from developing seed of two different sunflower lines, of high and low oil content, were compared during storage lipid synthesis. These two lines showed different kinetic lipid accumulation in the developing embryos. Fatty acids levels during the initial and final stage of lipid synthesis were higher in CAS-6 than in ZEN-8. The analysis of the photosynthate and sugars content suggests that, although the hexoses levels were quite similar in both lines, the amount of sucrose produced by the mother plant and available for lipid synthesis was higher in CAS-6. Although, a smaller amount of sucrose is available in the ZEN-8 line, its seeds maintain the levels of intermediate sugars in the initial steps of glycolysis due to an increase in the levels of the invertase, hexokinase and phosphoglucose isomerase activities in ZEN-8, with respect to CAS-6. Also, a readjustment in the final part of this metabolic route took place, with the activities of phosphoglycerate kinase and enolase in CAS-6 being higher, allowing increased synthesis of phosphoenolpiruvate, the intermediate carbon donor for fatty acid synthesis. In addition, recently, it has been shown that Arabidopsis mutants with a lower fat content in their seeds have a higher amount of sucrose. These data together point to these last two enzymatic activities, phosphoglycerate kinase and enolase, as being responsible for the lower fat content in the ZEN-8 line., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

This paper presents an approach that may be applied as an accurate and rapid tool for classifying coffee beans on the basis of the specific kahweol content. Using Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopy with 1064 nm excitation it is possible to monitor the characteristic Raman bands of kahweol in green coffee beans without chemical and physical processing of the beans. The procedure was optimized on the basis of 83 and 125 measurements of whole and ground beans, respectively, using coffee samples of two different species, Coffea arabica L. and Coffea canephora L. (var. Robusta), and different origins (Asia, Africa, and South America). The relative contribution of the kahweol in individual beans can be determined quantitatively by means of a component analysis of the spectra, yielding a spectral kahweol index (σka) that is proportional to the relative content of kahweol in a coffee bean. The reproducibility of the spectroscopic measurement and analysis was found to be 3.5%. Individual beans of the same type and origin reveal a scattering of the σka values. Nevertheless, an unambiguous distinction between Arabica and Robusta samples is possible on the basis of single-bean measurements as the σka values are greater than and less than 10 for Arabica and Robusta coffees, respectively. Measurements of whole and ground beans afforded very similar results, despite the heterogeneous distribution of kahweol within a bean. Unlike conventional analytical techniques, the single-bean sensitivity of the present approach may also allow for a rapid detection of unwanted admixtures of low-value Robusta coffee to high-quality and more expensive Arabica coffee.

Coffee samples were analyzed by GC/MS in order to determine the most important peaks for the discrimination of the varieties Arabica and Robusta. The resulting peak tables from chromatographic analysis were aligned and pretreated before being submitted to multivariate analysis. A rapid and easy-to-perform peak alignment procedure, which does not require advanced programming skills to use, was compared with the tedious manual alignment procedure. The influence of three types of data pretreatment, normalization, logarithmic and square root transformations and their combinations, on the variables selected as most important by the regression coefficients of partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), are shown. Test samples different from those used in the calibration and comparison with the substances already known as being responsible for Arabica and Robusta coffees discrimination were used to determine the best pretreatments for both datasets. The data pretreatment consisting of square root transformation followed by normalization (RN) was chosen as being the most appropriate. The results obtained showed that the much quicker automated aligned method could be used as a substitute for the manually aligned method, allowing all the peaks in the chromatogram to be used for multivariate analysis., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Study on the standard of Ferula sinkinangensis seed quality classification., Method: Chose 30 samples of Ferula sinkiangensis seed. Weight per 1000 seeds, seed germination percentage, seed viability, seed purity, and content of water were mensurated. According to the data, standard of the seed quality classification was set up., Result: Seed germination percentage and weight per 1000 seeds are described as major standard of seed quality classification and others as reference. The first grading seed were described as that, seed viability percentage more than 85.9% and weight per 1000 seeds more than 25.7 g. The second grading seed were described as that, seed viability percentage more than 59.1% and weight per 1000 seeds more than 22.1 g., Conclusion: Set up standard of Ferula sinkinangensis seed quality classification.

Seed morphology of 17 Dendrobium species from Yunnan were observed under light microscope and environment scanning electron microscope and 16 of them were reported first time. All seeds were yellow and fusiform, but big differences existed in sizes of seeds and embryos, which were not significantly related to the division of sections under Dendrobium. Dendrobium seed consisted of embryo and testa with flocs on its cell walls. The density and length of flocs were different among the sections under Dendrobium.

A non-destructive and novel in situ acoustic sensor approach based on the sound absorption spectra was developed for identifying and classifying different seed types. The absorption coefficient spectra were determined by using the impedance tube measurement method. Subsequently, a multivariate statistical analysis, i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), was performed as a way to generate a classification of the seeds based on the soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) method. The results show that the sound absorption coefficient spectra of different seed types present characteristic patterns which are highly dependent on seed size and shape. In general, seed particle size and sphericity were inversely related with the absorption coefficient. PCA presented reliable grouping capabilities within the diverse seed types, since the 95% of the total spectral variance was described by the first two principal components. Furthermore, the SIMCA classification model based on the absorption spectra achieved optimal results as 100% of the evaluation samples were correctly classified. This study contains the initial structuring of an innovative method that will present new possibilities in agriculture and industry for classifying and determining physical properties of seeds and other materials.

Fertilizer amendments can impact weed populations in a variety of ways. This study evaluated the effects of 12 year-long applications of different fertilization systems on size and composition of the weed seed bank in a conventionally managed maize monoculture field. Fertilization systems included all factorial combinations of two dairy cattle slurry rates, three vegetable, fruit and garden waste (VFG) compost rates, and three synthetic N fertilizer rates. Soil samples were taken in each subplot in May 2008 after sowing and prior to herbicide application. Residues recovered from soil samples were tested for weed seedling emergence to characterize soil seed banks. Total weed seed bank density was affected by mineral N fertilization but not by compost or animal slurry application. Weed seed bank composition was related to compost amendment and mineral N fertilization. Annual compost amendments reduced seed bank density of some persistent species (e.g., Chenopodium album and Solanum nigrum) irrespective of mineral N fertilization. Compost is a promising tool for incorporation into integrated weed control strategies aimed at reducing weed seed bank persistence.

Obtained from leguminous seeds, various plant proteins inhibit animal proteinases, including human, and can be considered for the development of compounds with biological activity. Inhibitors from the Bowman-Birk and plant Kunitz-type family have been characterized by proteinase specificity, primary structure and reactive site. Our group mostly studies the genus Bauhinia, mainly the species bauhinioides, rufa, ungulata and variegata. In some species, more than one inhibitor was characterized, exhibiting different properties. Although proteins from this group share high structural similarity, they present differences in proteinase inhibition, explored in studies using diverse biological models.

In the course of our study on the traditional medicines and foodstuffs used in Pakistan, we investigated the origin of Indian celery by using the analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence of nuclear rDNA and a phytochemical approach. We found that the source plant of the Indian celery containing coumarin derivatives such as seselin (1), bergapten (2) and isopimpinellin (3) was not common celery, Apium graveolens. Our results suggest the source plant is Seseli diffusum even though Indian workers reported that A. graveolens seeds contain the aforementioned compounds. In addition, a market survey of the Indian celery in Pakistan and related countries revealed that the Indian celery seeds in Pakistani markets are mainly composed of three species which have been confused in rural markets.

To study the composition and distribution of soil seed bank in the areas after returning farmland into lake is of significance in evaluating the ecological restoration effect of damaged wetlands. In this paper, the composition and diversity of seed bank in soil profile (0-2, 2-5, and 5-10 cm) and their relationships with above-ground vegetation in different water level areas in Qingshanyuan, a typical region after returning farmland into lake in Dongting Lake, were investigated. A V-type variation pattern was observed in the seed density and species richness of soil seed bank and in the similarity coefficient of soil seed bank and above-ground vegetation along a gradient of low-medium-high water level. As for the seed density, it was the highest (36943 +/- 5207 seeds x m(-2)) in frequently flooded area, followed by in heavily flooded area (30572 +/- 5329 seeds x m(-2)), and in incidentally flooded area (18618 +/- 6977 seeds x m(-2)); for the similarity coefficient, it was also in the order of frequently flooded area (0.76) > heavily flooded area (0.53) > incidentally flooded area (0.41). The seed density, species diversity, and species richness of soil seed bank decreased along soil profile, but the decrements differed in different water level areas. The regular variation patterns of the seed density and species richness of soil seed bank and of the similarity coefficient of soil seed bank and above-ground vegetation along the water level gradient were closely related to the water-level fluctuation and the life-form composition of the vegetations in study area.

Evaluation of eating quality in early breeding generations of rice is critical to developing varieties with better palatability. This paper reports DNA markers associated with eating quality of temperate japonica rice and an evaluation method aided by multiple regression analysis. A total of 30 markers comprising STSs, SNPs, and SSRs were tested for their association with palatability using 22 temperate japonica varieties with different palatability values. Eating quality-related traits of the 22 varieties were also measured. Of the 30 markers, 18 were found to be significantly associated with palatability and, consequently, a model regression equation with an R(2) value of 0.99 was formulated to estimate the palatability by the marker data set. Validation of the model equation using selected breeding lines indicated that the marker set and the equation are highly applicable to evaluation of the palatability of cooked rice in temperate japonica varieties.

Objective: To establish a seed quality evaluation technique system and quality grading rules for Cistanche deserticola., Methods: We used stereomicroscope, microphotography and image analysis system, tetrazolium method to measure, analyze and evaluate the size, thousand kernel weight, plumpness, embryo rate and viability of Cistanche deserticola seed. Then we used SPSS 11.0 statistical analysis software to analyze the seed viability and related indexes of another 55 batches., Results: Seed size was significantly correlated with thousand kernel weight, but wasn't correlated with seed viability. However, grain plumpness was negatively correlated with seed viability. Seed quality was not determined by seed size but by seed viability and grain plumpness., Conclusion: Seed viability, thousand kernel weight and grain plumpness are significant indicators of seed quality and they can be took in the granding rules of Cistanche deserticola seed.

Objective: To study seed quality test, and establish seed quality classification standard of Prunella vulgaris., Method: The seed quality and planting quality of P. vulgaris from different population were measured and these indexes were analyzed by K-clustering., Result and Conclusion: The seed purity, 1000 seeds weight, seed moisture content, seed viability of the seed of P. vulgaris from different population were measured, and the seed quality classification standard of P. vulgaris.

Superoxide generated during the early imbibition is an excellent marker for evaluating seed vigor. In this paper, a new principle biosensor for non-invasive detection of seed vigor based on quantitative measurement of superoxide via selective probe 2-methyl-6-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo [1,2alpha] pyrazin-3-one (MCLA)-mediated chemiluminescence (CL) was developed. The biosensor, which used a compact single-photon counting module (SPCM) to collect the CL signal, could evaluate seed vigor in vivo. Benefiting from the high CL efficiency of MCLA reacting with superoxide and high sensitivity of the SPCM technique, the trace superoxide generated by dry seeds under storage state can be detected to achieve rapid and non-invasive determination of the seed vigor. In comparison with the traditional methods for fast measuring seed vigor based on measurement of physiological and biochemical properties, our proposed technique has significant advantages such as low cost, simplicity, convenient operation and short time consuming. To demonstrate the utility of the system, it was applied to evaluate MCLA-mediated CL of three different plant species wheat (Ze Yu No. 2), maize (Tai Gu No. 1 and 2) and rice (Jing Dao No. 21) seeds with different degrees of aging. The experimental results suggested that there was an excellent positive correlation between the seed vigor assessment from quantitative TTC-test and the detection based on MCLA-mediated CL of superoxide measurement. The new principle of seed vigor measurement is a challenge and breakthrough to conventional method of seed vigor determination and may be a potential technique of the next generation seed vigor detection.

Fruits of 63 accessions of Capsicum chinense Jacq. from the USDA/ARS Capsicum germplasm collection were analyzed for two major capsaicinoids, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, using gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection (GC/NPD). The objectives of the present investigation were: (i) to quantify the major capsaicinoids (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin) in fruits of Capsicum chinense accessions and (ii) to identify accessions containing great concentrations of capsaicinoids among countries of hot pepper origin. Seeds of C. chinense accessions received from Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and United States were field grown in a silty-loam soil. Mature fruits were analyzed for major capsaicinoids content. Capsaicin concentrations were generally greater than dihydrocapsaicin. Fruits of C. chinense accession PI640900 (USA) contained the greatest concentration of capsaicin (1.52 mg g(- 1) fruit) and dihydrocapsaicin (1.16 mg g(- 1) fruit), while total major capsaicinoids in the fruits of PI438648 (Mexico) averaged 2 mg g(- 1) fruit. These two accessions were identified as potential candidates for mass production of major capsaicinoids that have health-promoting properties and for use as a source of pest control agents in agricultural fields.

Calliandra is an exclusively Neotropoical genus with 135 described species. There are 30 species in Venezuela. We studied seed morphology and the seed coat anatomy of five species: Calliandra riparia Pittier, Calliandra glomerulata Karsten var. glomerulata, Calliandra magdalenae (DC.) Bentk var. magdalenae, Calliandra surinamensis Benth and Calliandra falcata Benth., to establish simililarities and differences amongst taxa for taxonomic characterization. Of the evaluated characters, 10 quantitative characters and 3 qualitative characters were selected as the most informative for the separation of species. Seed morphological characters of taxonomic value are form and size. Thickness of the light line, number of layers and space between the osteosclereids constitute distinctive characters.

Numbers of clone and ramet/clone were studied and discussed based on effective number of clones and relative effective number of clones in seed orchards of Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.). While, seed orchards had similar number of clones (15, 30 and 33), there were large differences for number of graft/clone within and among orchards. Number of ramets per clone varied between 4 and 43 in an orchard and between 4 and 106 in all orchards considered. Effective number of clones ranged from 24.6-31.4 and relative effective number from 0.82 to 0.99. The results of the study showed that ramet number had moderate variation among clones. It was important that establishment and thinning of seed orchards and estimation of gene diversity in seed orchard crop.

An investigation was made on the standing vegetation and soil seed bank in desert riparian forest in lower reaches of Tarim River under effects of river-flooding. The results showed that the standing vegetation in non-flooded and flooded sites was composed of 14 species in 13 genera of 8 families, and 26 species in 21 genera of 10 families, respectively, and some shallow-rooted and hygrophilous species were recorded in flooded sites. The indices per unit area plant species number, vegetative coverage, plant density, and species diversity of the vegetation were all higher in flooded than in non-flooded sites. The species number of the soil seed bank in flooded sites was 19, with 5 species more than that in non-flooded sites, and the seed bank density in flooded sites was 2.94 times higher than that in non-flooded sites. The proportion of annual herbaceous species seeds in flooded sites increased by 23.07% while that of shrub species seeds decreased by 20.99%, compared with those in non-flooded sites, and the proportion of perennial herbaceous species seeds had less difference between these two sites. River-flooding increased the diversity of soil seed bank. In flooded and non-flooded sites, the co-occurrence species in seed bank and in standing vegetation were 18 and 9, with the similarity coefficients of species composition between soil seed bank and standing vegetation being 0.842 and 0.667, respectively.

Development of robust analytical procedures is critical when using hyperspectral imaging technology in food technology and agriculture. This study used near-isogenic inbred corn lines to address two basic questions: (1) To what extent is classification accuracy increased by grinding maize kernels? (2) Can the classification accuracy of two near-isogenic inbred lines be increased by using a spectral filter to classify only certain hyperspectral profiles from each image cube? Whole kernels and ground kernels in two particle intervals, 0.250-0.354 mm (size 1) and 0.354-0.841 mm (size 2), were examined. Spectral profiles acquired from ground kernels had higher spectral repeatability than data collected from whole kernels. The classification error of discriminant functions from whole kernels was >3 times lower than that of size 1 ground particles. Applying a spectral filter to input data had negligible effect on classifications of hyperspectral profiles from whole kernels and size 2 ground particles, but for size 1 ground particles a considerable increase in accuracy was observed. Independent validation confirmed that distinction between wild type and mutant inbred maize lines could be conducted with >80% accuracy after the proposed spectral filter had been applied to hyperspectral profiles of size 1 ground particles. A combination of discriminant analysis and regression analysis could be used to accurately predict mixture ratios of the two inbred lines. The use of spectral filtering to increase the level of spectral repeatability and the use of hyperspectral imaging technology in large-scale commercial operations are discussed.

Objective: To formulate the seed quality grading standard of Glycyrrhiza uralensis., Method: Thousand-grain weight, seed moisture, germination rate, purity of G. uralensis seed samples from 24 regions were tested. Through statistical analysis, the key indicator and the reference indicators for seed quality grading were defined., Result: Germination percentage was the primary indicator of seed quality grading, thousand-grain weight, cleanliness and moisture content were important reference indicators., Conclusion: The seed quality of each grade should reach the following requirements: for first grade seeds, germination percentage > or = 85% , purity > or = 92%, thousand-grain weight > or = 13 g, seed moisture < or = 11%; for second grade seeds, germination percentage 75%-85%, purity 83%-92%, thousand-grain weight 11-13 g, seed moisture < or = 11%; for third grade seeds, germination percentage 65%-75%, purity 74%-83%, thousand-grain weight 9-11 g, seed moisture < or = 11%.

Toxic and Potent Chinese Materia Medica (T/PCMM) are being used more and more in the treatment of various diseases. In view of their toxic side effects and to ensure their safe use, accurate and reliable authentication is indispensable. However, identifying characteristics of T/PCMM are seldom reported, even though modern microscopy can provide ample, unique identifying characteristics from cells found in transverse sections and powders. In particular, no systematic authentication studies on seed T/PCMM have been conducted. In the course of our study on 31 T/PCMM originating from plants, animals, minerals, and secreta, an accurate and convenient method, based on microscopic techniques, has been developed and reported for the authentication of animal T/PCMM. The present study deals with detailed investigations on three species of seed T/PCMM, namely Semen Hyoscyami (Hyoscyamus niger L.), Semen Euphorbiae (Euphorbia lathyris L.), and Semen Strychni (Strychnos nux-vomica L.). The macroscopic characters are here described in detail, and the microscopic characters were conclusively determined by common and polarized light microscopy. Results showed that these three T/PCMM can be easily identified by the present method even when powdered and combined. Thus, the microscopic method is applicable for authentication of the earlier three T/PCMM, and the morphological and microscopic characteristics described here are proposed as parameters to establish the authenticity of these three T/PCMM., ((c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

In many countries, the labeling of grains and feed- and foodstuffs is mandatory if the genetically modified organism (GMO) content exceeds a certain level of approved GM varieties. The GMO content in a maize sample containing the combined-trait (stacked) GM maize as determined by the currently available methodology is likely to be overestimated. However, there has been little information in the literature on the mixing level and varieties of stacked GM maize in real sample grains. For the first time, the GMO content of non-identity-preserved (non-IP) maize samples imported from the United States has been successfully determined by using a previously developed individual kernel detection system coupled to a multiplex qualitative PCR method followed by multichannel capillary gel electrophoresis system analysis. To clarify the GMO content in the maize samples imported from the United States, determine how many stacked GM traits are contained therein, and which GM trait varieties frequently appeared in 2005, the GMO content (percent) on a kernel basis and the varieties of the GM kernels in the non-IP maize samples imported from the United States were investigated using the individual kernel analysis system. The average (+/-standard deviation) of the GMO contents on a kernel basis in five non-IP sample lots was determined to be 51.0+/-21.6%, the percentage of a single GM trait grains was 39%, and the percentage of the stacked GM trait grains was 12%. The MON810 grains and NK603 grains were the most frequent varieties in the single GM traits. The most frequent stacked GM traits were the MON810xNK603 grains. In addition, the present study would provide the answer and impact for the quantification of GM maize content in the GM maize kernels on labeling regulation.

The objective of this work was to compare the effectiveness of three chemical families, namely, chlorogenic acids, fatty acids, and elements, for the discrimination of Arabica varieties (traditional versus modern introgressed lines) and potential terroirs within a given coffee-growing area. The experimental design included three Colombian locations in full combination with five (one traditional and four introgressed) Arabica varieties and two field replications. Chlorogenic acids, fatty acids, and elements were analyzed in coffee bean samples by HPLC, GC, and ICP-AES, respectively. Principal component analysis and discriminant analysis were carried out to compare the three methods. Although elements provided an excellent classification of the three locations studied, this chemical class was useless for Arabica variety discrimination. Chlorogenic acids gave satisfactory results, but fatty acids clearly offered the best results for the determination of both varieties and environments, with very high percentages of correct classification (79 and 90%, respectively).

The seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica are popularly used in the treatment of arthritis. Being extremely toxic, the raw seeds are forbidden and must be processed before clinical use. The quality of crude and processed Strychnos seeds can be controlled by examining the toxic alkaloids using established HPLC methods. But this procedure does not work in the case where the seeds are powdered and mixed with other medicinal materials in proprietary production. In this quality control study on Strychnos seeds, the contents of two major toxic alkaloids (strychnine and brucine) and a major non-alkaloid constituent (loganic acid) in twenty-four samples of Strychnos seeds (nine processed and fifteen unprocessed) were compared using published HPLC-UV methods. The results showed that the better the seeds were processed, the less loganic acid was found. The alkaloids and non-alkaloid components simultaneously decreased in processed seeds. The content ratio between alkaloids and loganic acid was clearly different in well-processed and crude Strychnos seeds. Based on this interesting discovery, a simple chromatographic method was established which allows a simultaneous determination of loganic acid and the alkaloids strychnine and brucine. The relative peak area (RPA) of strychnine-to-loganic acid was revealed to be a reliable key quality control parameter in order to effectively identify the processed seeds. This new method has been successfully applied to detect the insufficiently processed Strychnos material in marketed herbal medicinal products.

Basic hydrolysis procedure is often included in the sample preparation in order to quantify malonylglucosides or acetylglucosides of soy materials. However, it is preferable not to use NaOH as a hydrolytic reagent considering the effect of its alkalinity on the successive injection to HPLC and low acidity of soy isoflavones. This paper presents an improved method for basic hydrolysis using ammonia as a hydrolytic reagent without the additional neutralization step. Moreover, by means of HPLC and LC-MS methods, a systematic quality evaluation of natural soy materials from Chinese markets were established and discussed, inclusive of soybeans, black soybeans, defatted soy flours, as well as the distribution of isoflavones in the seed coat, hypocotyl and cotyledon. The results indicate that HPLC profiling patterns of originating various isoflavone constituents of Chinese soybeans was similar to those of Japanese ones, and those of Chinese black soybeans was similar to those of American ones. The average content level of total soy isoflavones of Chinese soybeans and black soybeans were a little lower than that of American and Japanese ones. Additionally, the thorough analysis for Semen Sojae Praeparatum, a Chinese herbal medicine made from fermented black soybeans or soybeans was done for the first time and the characteristic of its HPLC profiling patterns shows the higher content of isoflavone glucosides and aglycones than those of natural soy materials.

Over the past 25 years the discovery and study of Cretaceous plant mesofossils has yielded diverse and exquisitely preserved fossil flowers that have revolutionized our knowledge of early angiosperms, but remains of other seed plants in the same mesofossil assemblages have so far received little attention. These fossils, typically only a few millimetres long, have often been charred in natural fires and preserve both three-dimensional morphology and cellular detail. Here we use phase-contrast-enhanced synchrotron-radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy to clarify the structure of small charcoalified gymnosperm seeds from the Early Cretaceous of Portugal and North America. The new information links these seeds to Gnetales (including Erdtmanithecales, a putatively closely related fossil group), and to Bennettitales--important extinct Mesozoic seed plants with cycad-like leaves and flower-like reproductive structures. The results suggest that the distinctive seed architecture of Gnetales, Erdtmanithecales and Bennettitales defines a clade containing these taxa. This has significant consequences for hypotheses of seed plant phylogeny by providing support for key elements of the controversial anthophyte hypothesis, which links angiosperms, Bennettitales and Gnetales.

Because of their particular biology, seed beetles exhibit a strong relationship with their larval host plants. In Europe, however, field data have long been scarce and unreliable. The results of Legume seed collections of nearly 1,000 samples belonging to 292 species from various locations in Europe are summarized. The status of current Bruchidius species groups is amended on morphological and phylogenetic bases. Recent advances in the knowledge of phylogenetic structures of both Fabaceae and Bruchinae provide a new picture of Bruchinae-Fabaceae interactions. It reveals a certain level of host conservatism. The hypothesis of radiative adaptation seems the most compatible with observed data.

Background and Aims: A new infrageneric rearrangement for Veronica has been proposed based on the most recent evidence from DNA sequence data, morphological evidence, and biogeographical considerations. Looking for morphological synapomorphies for each monophyletic subgenus has been problematic, due to difficulties arising from widespread homoplasy (mainly parallel evolution). In an attempt to overcome these difficulties, previously underexplored morphological characters are starting to be studied in more depth., Methods: A molecular phylogenetic hypothesis was used based on sequences of ITS (nuclear ribosomal DNA) and plastid trnL-F regions, as a framework to test the use of seed coat ultrastructure (studied under scanning electron microscope) in the systematics of the genus. A sample of 132 taxa representing ten of the 13 subgenera in Veronica, excluding the species of the southern hemisphere Hebe complex and the exclusively North American subgenus Synthyris, was studied., Key Results and Conclusions: The results demonstrate that, in many cases, the ultrastucture of the testa can be employed to assess relationships of taxa within the genus, and the character provides additional support for molecular trees. Further characters relevant for the classification of Veronica, i.e. base chromosome number, iridoid chemical data, life cycle, inflorescence position, have been taken into consideration in a discussion where an attempt is made to highlight the best traits to characterize each subgenus investigated.

The phylogenetic position of gnetophytes has long been controversial. We sequenced parts of the genes coding for the largest subunit of nuclear RNA polymerase I, II, and III and combined these sequences with those of four chloroplast genes, two mitochondrial genes, and 18S rRNA genes to address this issue. Both maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony analyses of the sites not affected by high substitution levels strongly support a phylogeny where gymnosperms and angiosperms are monophyletic, where cycads are at the base of gymnosperm tree and are followed by ginkgos, and where gnetophytes are grouped within conifers as the sister group of pines. The evolution of several morphological and molecular characters of gnetophytes and conifers will therefore need to be reinterpreted.

Background and Aims: Paris (Melanthiaceae) is a temperate genus of about 24 perennial herbaceous species distributed from Europe to eastern Asia. The delimitation of the genus and its subdivisions are unresolved questions in the taxonomy of Paris. The objective of this study is to test the generic and infrageneric circumscription of Paris with DNA sequence data., Methods: Phylogenetic analysis of 21 species of Paris based on nuclear ITS and plastid psbA-trnH and trnL-trnF DNA sequence data, alone and in combination, was employed to assess previous classifications., Key Results: Paris is monophyletic in all analyses. Neither of the two traditionally recognized subgenera (Paris and Daiswa) are monophyletic. Sections Axiparis, Kinugasa, Paris and Thibeticae are monophyletic in only some of the analyses. Species of sections Dunnianae, Fargesianae and Marmoratae are consistently intercalated among species of section Euthyra in all analyses. Strong discordance between nuclear and plastid lineages is detected., Conclusions: The data support the classification of Paris as a single genus rather than as three genera (Daiswa, Kinugasa and Paris sensu stricto). They provide justification for the transfer of section Axiparis from subgenus Paris to subgenus Daiswa and for the combination of sections Dunnianae, Fargesianae and Marmoratae into section Euthyra. The nuclear-plastid discordance is interpreted as the result of interspecific hybridization among sympatric species.

Recent attempts to address the long-debated 'origin' of the angiosperms depend on a phylogenetic framework derived from a matrix of taxa versus characters; most assume that empirical rigour is proportional to the size of the matrix. Sequence-based genotypic approaches increase the number of characters (nucleotides and indels) in the matrix but are confined to the highly restricted spectrum of extant species, whereas morphology-based approaches increase the number of phylogenetically informative taxa (including fossils) at the expense of accessing only a restricted spectrum of phenotypic characters. The two approaches are currently delivering strongly contrasting hypotheses of relationship. Most molecular studies indicate that all extant gymnosperms form a natural group, suggesting surprisingly early divergence of the lineage that led to angiosperms, whereas morphology-only phylogenies indicate that a succession of (mostly extinct) gymnosperms preceded a later angiosperm origin. Causes of this conflict include: (i) the vast phenotypic and genotypic lacuna, largely reflecting pre-Cenozoic extinctions, that separates early-divergent living angiosperms from their closest relatives among the living gymnosperms; (ii) profound uncertainty regarding which (a) extant and (b) extinct angiosperms are most closely related to gymnosperms; and (iii) profound uncertainty regarding which (a) extant and (b) extinct gymnosperms are most closely related to angiosperms, and thus best serve as 'outgroups' dictating the perceived evolutionary polarity of character transitions among the early-divergent angiosperms. These factors still permit a remarkable range of contrasting, yet credible, hypotheses regarding the order of acquisition of the many phenotypic characters, reproductive and vegetative, that distinguish 'classic' angiospermy from 'classic' gymnospermy. The flower remains ill-defined and its mode (or modes) of origin remains hotly disputed; some definitions and hypotheses of evolutionary relationships preclude a role for the flower in delimiting the angiosperms. We advocate maintenance of parallel, reciprocally illuminating programmes of morphological and molecular phylogeny reconstruction, respectively supported by homology testing through additional taxa (especially fossils) and evolutionary-developmental genetic studies that explore genes potentially responsible for major phenotypic transitions.

Background: Parthenocarpic tomato lines transgenic for the DefH9-RI-iaaM gene have been cultivated under open field conditions to address some aspects of the equivalence of genetically modified (GM) fruit in comparison to controls (non-GM)., Results: Under open field cultivation conditions, two tomato lines (UC 82) transgenic for the DefH9-RI-iaaM gene produced parthenocarpic fruits. DefH9-RI-iaaM fruits were either seedless or contained very few seeds. GM fruit quality, with the exception of a higher beta-carotene level, did not show any difference, neither technological (colour, firmness, dry matter, degrees Brix, pH) nor chemical (titratable acidity, organic acids, lycopene, tomatine, total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity - TEAC), when compared to that of fruits from control line. Highly significant differences in quality traits exist between the tomato F1 commercial hybrid Allflesh and the three UC 82 genotypes tested, regardless of whether or not they are GM. Total yield per plant did not differ between GM and parental line UC 82. Fruit number was increased in GM lines, and GM fruit weight was decreased., Conclusion: The use in the diet of fruits from a new line or variety introduces much greater changes than the consumption of GM fruits in comparison to its genetic background. Parthenocarpic fruits, produced under open field conditions, contained 10-fold less seeds than control fruits. Thus parthenocarpy caused by DefH9-RI-iaaM gene represents also a tool for mitigating GM seeds dispersal in the environment.

A digital image analysis algorithm based color and morphological features was developed to identify the six varieties (ey7954, syz3, xs11, xy5968, xy9308, z903) rice seeds which are widely planted in Zhejiang Province. Seven color and fourteen morphological features were used for discriminant analysis. Two hundred and forty kernels used as the training data set and sixty kernels as the test data set in the neural network used to identify rice seed varieties. When the model was tested on the test data set, the identification accuracies were 90.00%, 88.00%, 95.00%, 82.00%, 74.00%, 80.00% for ey7954, syz3, xs11, xy5968, xy9308, z903 respectively.