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Under inadequate chilling conditions, hydrogen cyanamide (HC) is often used to promote budbreak and improve earliness of Southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. interspecific hybrids). However, HC is strictly regulated or even banned in some countries because of its high hazardous properties. Development of safer and effective alternatives to HC is critical to sustainable subtropical blueberry production. In this study, we examined the efficacy of HC and defoliants as bud dormancy-breaking agents for 'Emerald' blueberry. First, we compared water control, 1.0% HC (9.35 L ha-1), and three defoliants [potassium thiosulfate (KTS), urea, and zinc sulfate (ZS)] applied at 6.0% (28 kg ha-1). Model fitting analysis revealed that only HC and ZS advanced both defoliation and budbreak compared with the water control. HC-induced budbreak showed an exponential plateau function with a rapid phase occurring from 0 to 22 days after treatment (DAT), whereas ZS-induced budbreak showed a sigmoidal function with a rapid phase occurring from 15 to 44 DAT. The final budbreak percentage was similar in all treatments (71.7%-83.7%). Compared with the water control, HC and ZS increased yield by up to 171% and 41%, respectively, but the yield increase was statistically significant only for HC. Phytohormone profiling was performed for water-, HC- and ZS-treated flower buds. Both chemicals did not increase gibberellin 4 and indole-3-acetic acid production, but they caused a steady increase in jasmonic acid (JA) during budbreak. Compared with ZS, HC increased JA production to a greater extent and was the only chemical that reduced abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations during budbreak. A follow-up experiment tested ZS at six different rates (0-187 kg ha-1) but detected no significant dose-response on budbreak. These results collectively suggest that defoliants are not effective alternatives to HC, and that HC and ZS have different modes of action in budbreak induction. The high efficacy of HC as a dormancy-breaking agent could be due to its ability to reduce ABA concentrations in buds. Our results also suggest that JA accumulation is involved in budbreak induction in blueberry., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Chemical defoliation is an important part of cotton mechanical harvesting, which can effectively reduce the impurity content. Thidiazuron (TDZ) is the most used chemical defoliant on cotton. To better clarify the mechanism of TDZ promoting cotton leaf abscission, a greenhouse experiment was conducted on two cotton cultivars (CRI 12 and CRI 49) by using 100 mg L -1 TDZ at the eight-true-leaf stage. Results showed that TDZ significantly promoted the formation of leaf abscission zone and leaf abscission. Although the antioxidant enzyme activities were improved, the reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of TDZ increased significantly compared with CK (water). The photosynthesis system was destroyed as net photosynthesis (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), and stomatal conductance (Gs) decreased dramatically by TDZ. Furthermore, comparative RNA-seq analysis of the leaves showed that all of the photosynthetic related genes were downregulated and the oxidation-reduction process participated in leaf shedding caused by TDZ. Consequently, a hypothesis involving possible cross-talk between ROS metabolism and photosynthesis jointly regulating cotton leaf abscission is proposed. Our findings not only provide important insights into leaf shedding-associated changes induced by TDZ in cotton, but also highlight the possibility that the ROS and photosynthesis may play a critical role in the organ shedding process in other crops.

An efficient protocol was developed for clonal multiplication of an important shrub: Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew, through in vitro shoot induction and multiplication from nodal explants. Pretreatment of nodal explants in a liquid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium augmented with various thidiazuron (TDZ) concentrations at relatively high levels (5-100 μM) for different time duration (4, 8, 12 and 16 d), proved a significant approach for in vitro shoot production. After an initial exposure time to TDZ, nodal explants were inoculated onto a MS basal medium devoid of TDZ for further induction and proliferation. The highest regeneration rate (85%), average number of shoots/explant (8.7 ± 0.22) and maximum shoot length (3.9 ± 0.33 cm) were obtained from the nodal explants exposed to 50 μM TDZ for 8 d. The nodal explants excised from the proliferated cultures of TDZ (50 μM) for 8 d were used as explants and showed an enhancement rate after next three round of in vitro propagation. Best results for rooting was obtained by ex vitro treatment of shoots with 200 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) for 20 min. as it produced an average of 5.7 ± 0.41 roots per microshoot with 4.4 ± 0.39 cm root length in 84% shoots. Different planting substrates was tested for maximum survival of hardening off micropropagated plantlets and soilrite proved most effective than others as 97.1 ± 7.21 plantlets survived. All micropropagated plants grew well in natural conditions and showed similar morphology to the mother plant.

Defoliants can increase machine harvest efficiency of cotton (Gossypium hirusutum L.), prevent lodging and reduce the time from defoliation to harvest. Coronatine (COR) is a chlorosis-inducing non-host-specific phytotoxin that induces leaf and/or fruit abscission in some crops. The present study investigates how COR might induce cotton leaf abscission by modulating genes involved in cell wall hydrolases and ACC (ethylene precursor) in various cotton tissues. The effects of COR on cotton boll ripening, seedcotton yield, and seed development were also studied. After 14 d of treatment with COR, cells within the leaf abscission zone (AZ) showed marked differentiation. Elevated transcripts of GhCEL1, GhPG and GhACS were observed in the AZs treated with COR and Thidiazuron (TDZ). The relative expression of GhCEL1 and GhACS in TDZ treated plants was approximately twice that in plants treated with COR for 12 h. However, only GhACS expression increased in leaf blade and petiole. There was a continuous increase in the activity of hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulase (CEL) and polygalacturonase (PG), and ACC accumulation in AZs following COR and TDZ treatments, but there was greater increase in ACC activity of COR treated boll crust, indicating that COR had greater ripening effect than TDZ. Coronatine significantly enhanced boll opening without affecting boll weight, lint percentage and seed quality. Therefore, COR can be a potential cotton defoliant with different physiological mechanism of action from the currently used TDZ.

A grape-bud-oriented genomic platform was produced for a large-scale comparative analysis of bud responses to two stimuli of grape-bud dormancy release, hydrogen cyanamide (HC) and heat shock (HS). The results suggested considerable similarity in bud response to the stimuli, both in the repertoire of responding genes and in the temporary nature of the transcriptome reprogramming. Nevertheless, the bud response to HC was delayed, more condensed and stronger, as reflected by a higher number of regulated genes and a higher intensity of regulation compared to the response to HS. Integrating the changes occurring in response to both stimuli suggested perturbation of mitochondrial activity, development of oxidative stress and establishment of a situation that resembles hypoxia, which coincides with induction of glycolysis and fermentation, as well as changes in the interplay between ABA and ethylene metabolism. The latter is known to induce various growth responses in submerged plants and the possibility of a similar mechanism operating in the bud meristem during dormancy release is raised. The new link suggested between sub lethal stress, mitochondrial activity, hypoxic conditions, ethylene metabolism and cell enlargement during bud dormancy release may be instrumental in understanding the dormancy-release mechanism. Temporary increase of acetaldehyde, ethanol and ethylene in response to dormancy release stimuli demonstrated the predictive power of the working model, and its relevance to dormancy release was demonstrated by enhancement of bud break by exogenous ethylene and its inhibition by an ethylene signal inhibitor.

Background and Aims: Plastic responses to stress in components of reproduction can have important effects on plant fitness and can vary both within and between species. Responses may also depend on when in the life cycle stress occurs. Here, it is predicted that the timing of initiation of a stress, defoliation, would affect the pattern of plastic responses. These differences should occur because some components of reproduction, such as flower number, are determined earlier in a plant's life than others, such as individual seed mass., Methods: To test this prediction, 50 % artificial defoliation treatments were initiated at four different times for Sesbania macrocarpa and S. vesicaria. Responses were measured in plant size, number of flowers, number of flowers/plant size, fruit set, number of seeds per fruit, individual seed mass and total seed mass per plant., Key Results: For S. vesicaria, changes in the timing of stress changed the severity, but not the pattern of response. For S. macrocarpa, plastic responses to defoliation varied strikingly between early and late treatments. Late treatments resulted in over-compensation in this species. Sesbania macrocarpa was generally more plastic than S. vesicaria and the species showed opposite responses for most components of reproduction., Conclusions: While there were effects of timing of defoliation and differences between species, the nature of these effects did not precisely fit our predictions. Our results suggest that differences in the length and flexibility of the life cycles of the two species allowed for unexpected variation in responses. For example, because flower production continued after the last treatment in S. vesicaria, responses were not constrained to reductions in individual seed mass.

Without foliage destruction an efficient harvest is impossible. Potatoes for the fresh market are often harvested when the foliage is still heavy green due to tuber size and starch content that must be limited. Tubers from immature vines are typically very susceptible to skinning and mechanical injury during harvest. Young tubers from immature vines need more time after foliage destruction to set periderm than tubers from senescent vines where the formation of periderm is already started. Spray schemes based on metoxuron, carfentrazone-ethyl and diquat at a dose of 300 g/ha caused slower leaf and stem desiccation. Over the 3 growing seasons it could be concluded that mechanical foliage destruction in combination with carfentrazone-ethyl + mineral oil promoted periderm formation better than the other desiccation schemes tested. A split treatment with diquat at 300 g/ha or carfentrazone-ehtyl + mineral oil followed by a second application of diquat or carfentrazone-ethyl can led to a slower periderm formation and even give secondary growth. A double treatment of diquat (300 g/ha) or carfentrazone-ethyl + mineral oil followed by diquat (600 g/ha) after 3 days gave satisfactory results. Rhizoctonia tuber infection increased with a longer field period after treatment. In general the increase was more pronounced for the spray schemes where skin set of the tubers was less fast.

Study of the toxicity of Sardor, a new cotton defoliant, showed that it is a low toxic compound. Hygienic norms and regulations for its use in agriculture were developed.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the seasonal effects of N fertilizer (NF) and defoliation interval (DI) on specific N fractions within annual ryegrass (AR) and overall usage of AR N by growing lambs. In Exp. 1, NF (0, 112, 224, and 336 kg of N/ha) and DI of 2, 4, or 6 wk were factorially applied to AR plots. Both decreasing DI and increasing NF increased N levels in AR in a manner that depended on harvest date (NF or DI x harvest date interaction, P < .05). The proportions of .2% NaOH soluble N or soluble protein N were not affected (P > .05) by NF or DI. Although NF had no effect (P > .05) on in situ disappearance of DM, decreasing the DI seemed to reduce the severity of the season-induced reduction in DM disappearance (DI x harvest date interaction, P = .04). In Exp. 2, NF (0 or 224 kg of N/ha) and a DI of 2 or 6 wk were factorially applied to AR plots. Fresh, frozen AR was fed in semipurified diets (48% of DM as AR) to four wether lambs (23 +/- 1.3 kg) using a 4 x 4 Latin square. Diets including AR had greater ruminal DM and plant N digestibilities when AR had a 2-wk vs a 6-wk DI with NF but had reduced digestibilities when AR had a 2-wk vs a 6-wk DI without NF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of defoliants butyphos (I), dropp (II), butylcaptacs (III), hinazopin (IV), syhat (V), tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (VI), etrel (VII), gemetrel (VIII), allyl-4-methylpyridinium bromide (IX), 1-amino-cyclopropan-1-carbonate (ACPC) (X) at various concentrations (1 x 10(-5)-2 x 10(-4) M) on respiration, oxidative phosphorylation (OP) and permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane from rat liver has been studied. It has been established that some of the compounds uncouple OP by increasing the inner mitochondrial membrane permeability for H+ (II) inhibit the respiration in V3 condition and induce less selective permeability for a number of ions (I, III). The other defoliants either induce respiration generally in metabolic states 3 and 4 (IV, VI, IX) or have no effect on the respiration and OP (V, VII, VIII, X). On the whole a good correlation between the common toxicity of the studied preparation (LD50) and their mitochondrial effect has been revealed, therefore the latter can be considered as intracellular "targets" involved in the realization of pesticide action.

The oxidative phosphorylation and the activity of polyenzymatic systems in the rat liver mitochondrial membranes were studied upon a 5 day administration to rats of butylcaptax in the dose of 1/10 LD50. It is established that butylcaptax led to significant disturbances in the system of oxidative phosphorylation and in the transfer of electrons in the rat liver mitochondrial respiratory chain.

The herbicide (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-acetic acid (2,4-D) is considered to be the most cost-effective for eradicating illicit coca plants. Since coca leaves are chewed by the natives of coca producing areas, and, since coca paste and cocaine are widely abused, a study was undertaken to determine whether 2,4-D is translocated into the leaves and transferred to coca paste when coca plants are treated with this herbicide. The study concluded that basal treatment of coca plants with 2,4-D ester resulted in translocation of 2,4-D into the leaves, and this herbicide was detected in high concentrations one week after treatment. Coca paste prepared from leaves obtained from basally treated plants did not contain 2,4-D. Foliage spraying resulted in extremely high concentrations of 2,4-D in the leaves, with significantly high concentrations of the herbicide found one week after spraying. Trace amounts of 2,4-D were detected in coca paste prepared from plants sprayed by the foliage method.