Cold acclimation improves recovery of cryopreserved grass (Zoysia and Lolium sp.).

Cold acclimation of Lolium L. and Zoysia Willd. Grass cultivars significantly increased regrowth of cryopreserved meristems. One wk of cold acclimation improved recovery following cryopreservation but extended acclimation (4-8 wk) resulted in the best regrowth. Cold acclimation also significantly increased the dehydration tolerance of both Zoysia and Lolium meristems. Lolium apices cold acclimated for 4 wk produced 60-100% regrowth following cryopreservation by slow freezing or encapsulation-dehydration. Cold-acclimated Zoysia had greater than 60% regrowth following encapsulation-dehydration when beads were dehydrated to less than 22% water content. Non-acclimated meristems of both genera had little or no regrowth. Thawed meristems grew quickly without callus formation and the plantlets produced were transplanted to pots in the greenhouse after 4 to 6 wk. Samples of each cultivar were stored in liquid nitrogen as part of the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System.

Chromosomal rearrangements differentiating the ryegrass genome from the Triticeae, oat, and rice genomes using common heterologous RFLP probes.

An restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-based genetic map of ryegrass (Lolium) was constructed for comparative mapping with other Poaceae species using heterologous anchor probes. The genetic map contained 120 RFLP markers from cDNA clones of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), and rice (Oryza sativa L.), covering 664 cM on seven linkage groups (LGs). The genome comparisons of ryegrass relative to the Triticeae, oat, and rice extended the syntenic relationships among the species. Seven ryegrass linkage groups were represented by 10 syntenic segments of Triticeae chromosomes, 12 syntenic segments of oat chromosomes, or 16 syntenic segments of rice chromosomes, suggesting that the ryegrass genome has a high degree of genome conservation relative to the Triticeae, oat, and rice. Furthermore, we found ten large-scale chromosomal rearrangements that characterize the ryegrass genome. In detail, a chromosomal rearrangement was observed on ryegrass LG4 relative to the Triticeae, four rearrangements on ryegrass LGs2, 4, 5, and 6 relative to oat, and five rearrangements on ryegrass LGs1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 relative to rice. Of these, seven chromosomal rearrangements are reported for the first time in this study. The extended comparative relationships reported in this study facilitate the transfer of genetic knowledge from well-studied major cereal crops to ryegrass.

Thermodynamic considerations of the setting reaction in Ag3Sn amalgams.

The setting reaction of Ag3Sn amalgams may be thought of as a liquid phase sintering problem in which the reactants seek to form products with the lowest thermodynamic potential. We discuss the thermodynamic and kinetic considerations of this reaction. The lowering of free energy has been given as the reason for the formation of the gamma1, gamma2,and beta1 phases and a qualitative reaction coordinate diagram has been hypothesized. The barrier height for the formation of the beta1 phase has been determined to be 137 kJ/mol.

Genetic linkage mapping of an annual x perennial ryegrass population.

Annual (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and perennial ( L. perenne L.) ryegrass are two common forage and turfgrass species grown throughout the world. Perennial ryegrass is most commonly used for turfgrass purposes, and contamination by annual ryegrass, through physical seed mixing or gene flow, can result in a significant reduction in turfgrass quality. Seed certifying agencies in the United States currently use a test called seedling root fluorescence (SRF) to detect contamination between these species. The SRF test, however, can be inaccurate and therefore, the development of additional markers for species separation is needed. Male and female molecular-marker linkage maps of an interspecific annual x perennial ryegrass mapping population were developed to determine the map location of the SRF character and to identify additional genomic regions useful for species separation. A total of 235 AFLP markers, 81 RAPD markers, 16 comparative grass RFLPs, 106 SSR markers, 2 isozyme loci and 2 morphological characteristics, 8-h flowering, and SRF were used to construct the maps. RFLP markers from oat and barley and SSR markers from tall fescue and other grasses allowed the linkage groups to be numbered, relative to the Triticeae and the International Lolium Genome Initative reference population P150/112. The three-generation population structure allowed both male and female maps to be constructed. The male and female maps each have seven linkage groups, but differ in map length with the male map being 537 cm long and the female map 712 cm long. Regions of skewed segregation were identified in both maps with linkage groups 1, 3, and 6 of the male map showing the highest percentage of skewed markers. The (SRF) character mapped to linkage group 1 in both the male and female maps, and the 8-h flowering character was also localized to this linkage group on the female map. In addition, the Sod-1 isozyme marker, which can separate annual and perennial ryegrasses, mapped to linkage group 7. These results indicate that Lolium linkage groups 1 and 7 may provide additional markers and candidate genes for use in ryegrass species separation.