In this study, the effect of the plasma treatment on corn seeds is investigated. Corn seeds were treated uniformly without burning or blackening by three kinds of plasma apparatus: RF plasma in vacuum, microwave-driven atmospheric-pressure plasma, DBD atmospheric-pressure plasma, and two other treatments: vacuum exposure only, and using plasma-activated water in the seed coating process, to investigate growth rate changes under realistic conditions. Each treatment was performed on a total of 1512 corn seeds. Seeds from each experimental condition were treated with the recommended rate of Poncho/VOTiVO with Acceleron, a commercial biological seed treatment that helps to protect the seeds from fungus, insects, and nematodes after planting. The 1512 seeds were divided evenly into three replications with 84 seeds planted for each replication at six unique locations across central Illinois. The results for germination, growth, and product yield over the 2017 growing season is presented. Overall no statistically significant difference in the yield of corn harvested was found between the control and any of the five treatments. This is likely due to the already near-100% germination rate of the corn hybrid used in the study and the use of the Poncho/VOTiVO protective coating on every sample.

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Genome analysis has been used to investigate the evolutionary relationships of the tetraploid species in the genus Cochlearia. The results indicate that both C. o[/icinalis L. (2n = 24) and C. micacea Marshal (2n = 26) are essentially autotetraploid in origin and that C. scotica Druce is simply a morphological variant of C. o]]icinalis. The chromosomal relationships of the tetraploids to each other and to the diploids in the genus are discussed and the possible routes for the formation of all the species from a single, 2n = 12, basic taxon are given. Evidence for the existence ot a genic mechanism causing C. o][icinalis to form only bivalents is given and the mode of evolution of such a mechanism discussed. Pachytene chromosomes of diploid (n = 10), hexaploid (n = 30) and heptaploid (n = 35) races of A pluda rnutica L. are similar in their diagnostic morphological features. Hexaploids and heptaploids possess the same ten basic types of chromosomes characteristic of the diploid in multiples of six and seven respectively. Quadrivalent associations involving four homologous chromosomes were observed for all ten types of chromosomes of the hexaploid and heptaploid. It is suggested that the polyploid races may be autoploids.

The karyotypes of Cepaea nemoralis (L.) and C. hortensis (Muller), with 2n=44 and a conspicuously large pair of chromosomes, are described and compared with that of C. syluatica (Draparnaud) which has 2n= 50. The karyotype of C. syluatica also has a conspicuously large pair ofchromosomes but the comparison suggests that these have an independent origin from those in the 2n=44 species. There is no evidence that the large chromosomes in C. nemoralis and C. hortensis have originated from simple fusion of chromosomes from a 2n=50 karyotype with chromosomes all sub-equal such as is reported for C. uindobonensis. It may be that such a karyotype with little size dih-entiation amongst the chromosomes is not a primitive feature in the Helicinae. The relationship of shell colour and handing polymorphism to the chromosome architecture is discussed.

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