No abstract

Seeds of 13 accessions of borage (Borago officinalis) varied in total fatty acid content from 28.6 to 35.1% seed weight, with linoleic, γ‐linolenic, oleic and palmitic as the predominant fatty acids, averaging 38.1%, 22.8%, 16.3% and 11.3% of total fatty acids, respectively. There was an inverse relation between γ‐linolenic acid (25.0 to 17.6%) and oleic acid (14.5 to 21.3%). Fatty acid content of leaf tissues was 9.1% dry weight, with α‐linolenic acid 55.2% and γ‐linolenic acid 4.4% of total fatty acids. Cotyledons were the major source of fatty acids in seeds. Seed fatty acid content increased from <1 mg at six days postanthesis to about seven mg at maturity (22 to 24 days). Individual fatty acid content of seed was relatively constant after day 8. When immature embryos from 6 to 16 days postanthesis were cultured in a liquid or semisolid basal medium, fatty acid composition was similar to that of in vivo‐grown seeds. Growth of cultured embryos decreased as sucrose concentration was increased from 3 to 20% in the basal medium, and most embryos did not survive 30% sucrose; fatty acid as a percentage of dry weight was maximal at 6% sucrose.

Axillary shoots of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), induced in vitro with cytokinins (BA or TDZ), elongated and produced leaves only in the presence of cotyledons and/or roots. Detached axillary shoots, which do not grow in `vitro under conventional tissue culture protocols, rooted with auxin and developed normally in vivo. Detached axillary shoots from cotyledonary nodes and single-node cuttings from mature plants were induced to elongate and produce normal leaves in the presence of 20,000 ppm CO2 and a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 150 to 200 μmol·s-1·m-2. Subculture nodal cuttings continued to elongate and produce leaves under elevated CO2 and light levels, and some formed roots. Subculture of microcuttings under CO2 enrichment could be the basis for a rapid system of micropropagation for cacao. Chemical names used: N -(phenylmethyl) -1 H -purin-6-amine (BA); 1 H -indole-3-butyric `acid (IBA); α -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA); thidiazuron (TDZ).

Plant illustrations were compared in three ancient illustrated recensions of the non-illustrated manuscript of Dioscorides titled Περί ύλης ιατρικής (De Materia Medica in Latin; On Medical Matters in English) written about the year 65: Juliana Anicia Codex (JAC) or Codex Vindobonensis produced in the year 512, Codex Neapolitanus (NAP) produced in the late 6th or early 7th century, and Morgan 652 (M652) produced between 927 and 985. M652 contains many illustrations that are similar to those of JAC, and it has long been evident that large parts of the M652 were based on the JAC or a precursor. NAP also appears to be a source in the creation of M652 since M652 contains several images that appear in NAP but not JAC, and when images are common in all three herbals about 19.3% of the M652 images are closer to NAP than JAC. We conclude that M652 illustrations are based on images from both JAC and NAP. A database of the three herbals is available online www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/herbalimages.

Mature seed weight of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) averaged 25 mg (dry weight), of which 55.0% was seedcoat, 38.5% megagametophyte, and 6.4% embryo. Fatty acid (FA) content (dry-weight basis) was 17.5% for whole seed, 0.4% for seedcoat, 36.2% for megagametophyte, and 51.2% for embryo. Distribution of FAs (16:0; 18:0; 18:1; 18:2; 18:3 Δ5,9,12; 18:3 Δ9,12,15; 20:0; and 20:3) differed in seedcoat, megagametophyte, and embryo, but 18:2 was the predominant FA in all tissues. Seed development was analyzed for 110 days from 25 July, the year following pollination. Embryos could be macroscopically observed on or about day 30. Embryo dry weight, length, and FA accumulation increased until about day 50 and then remained constant. Embryo density decreased from day 30 to 50 and then stabilized at ≈1.0366 g·ml-1 or 10% sucrose equivalent. Excised zygotic embryos did not germinate in vitro until after day 51; germination increased linearly after this date, reaching 80% by day 72.