Showing papers in "Economic Botany in 1967"

Distribution of latex in the plant kingdom

Abstract: In conclusion it should be remembered that the purpose which latex serves in the metabolism of the plant has not been conclusively established. We must also remind ourselves once more that the term ‘latex’ is used in a very loose sense, and the line of demarcation between latex itself and certain other secreted metabolites is by no means clearly defined. It is commonly held that latex is no more than a waste product of metabolism, but, if this is so, it is all the more surprising that laticifers in some at least of the Papaveraceae contain such specialized chemical substances as alkaloids at a very early stage of their development, as Professor Fairbairn’s valuable work (11) has so clearly shown. The mere fact that the latices of different kinds of plants vary in their microscopical appearance and chemical composition suggests that they may not always have the same metabolic significance. Furthermore, the fact that latex is restricted to a small number of plant families, between many of which there is no evidence of close taxonomic relationship, suggests that the capacity to produce latex has been evolved more than once. To the systematic anatomist it seems that there are many morphological entities in the structure of plants, of which laticifers are hut one example, whose existence provides evidence of important underlying differences in metabolism. We are too apt to assume that the metabolism of all photosynthetic plants is uniform. No doubt a basic uniformity exists, but the restricted occurrence of plants with unusual products of metabolism such as latex shows that there is great scope for the study of comparative physiology and chemotaxonomy in the future.

A review of cellular structure, starch, and texture qualities of processed potatoes

Abstract: Certain combined characteristics of cellular structure and starch properties provide distinctions between varieties of potatoes and bear strong relation to their culinary qualities. Larger tissue cells and larger average starch granules are associated with mealiness. Smaller cells and starch granules characterize the less mealy and “waxy” varieties. Similarly, the same general relationships hold for the varietal characteristics of high vs. low solids and high vs. low starch contents. Within a variety, proportionately larger numbers of large starch granules are associated with tubers of high specific gravity, and more smaller granules, with low specific gravity. There also is a distinct reduction in percent of small granules during storage of tubers. Differences in starch granule size are accompanied by differences in amylose and amylopectin. Small granules contain less amylose and gel at higher temperatures than do the larger starch granules. Amylose content likewise appears to be a varietal characteristic. These variations in amylose content reflect fundamental differences in the properties of the starch gels formed when different varieties of potatoes are cooked. Likewise, there are similar distinctions between the starches within different tissue zones of individual tubers. Cell size also varies characteristically within different tuber regions. Starch gel properties may be manipulated during processing by such treatments as precooking-heating, chilling, freezing, and thawing. These treatments provide some measure of control of textural quality in the finished product. Additives such as stearates or glycerides complex readily with amylose and also influence gel properties and texture in processed potato products. Sucrose accumulated during tuber storage also may increase gel strength and influence texture. Varietal differences in cell structure and in starch granule size and composition offer opportunities for genetic exploitation. The merits of special processing for texture control vs. development of varieties for specific processed product qualities are briefly discussed.

The Balsam Pear an Edible, Medicinal and Toxic Plant'

Abstract: Many plants serve dual or multiple purposes. The status and uses of the balsam pear vary from one region to another. In temperate climates, including the northern United States, England and France, it is grown in gardens and greenhouses primnarily as an ornamenital annual (11, 12, 14, 51, 52, 109). Along the Gulf Coast of the United States and throughout Florida, the vine is a pestiferous weed, perennial in the warmest areas (126), and the fruit is a hazard to children and animals. In the West Indies and tropical areas of Mexico, Central, and South America, it is one of the most widely used medicinal herbs (86) and a popular abortifacient. In central and southern Africa, it is mainly employed in folk medicine. In India, it is commonly cultivated (30, 45, 96, 97, 98, 99) both as a vegetable and for remedial purposes. In China, the unripe fruit is prized in the dietary, has a lesser role in medicine, and Chinese residents in Malaya (118) and in cities throughout the world grow the fruit for food use. In Indonesia, the Philippines and Hawaii, the importance of the vine in the diet greatly exceeds that of the fruit and neither has extensive therapeutic use (68, 75, 82). Momordica charantia Linn. (syns. M. balsamina Blanco non Linn.; M. cylindrica Blanco non Linn.) (67), is widely called balsam pear to distinguish it from the balsam apple (M. balsamina Linn.) a slender, smaller-leaved, smaller-fruited and somewhat hardier species. The two plants are often confused in the literature (34) and the term "balsam apple" applied to both. Among other vernacular names of 1M1. charantia are

A search for the origin of Pensacola Bahia grass

Abstract: Pensacola Bahia grass, Paspalum notatum Fluegge, received its coimmon namiie from county agent E. H. Finlayson, of Pensacola, Florida, in 1941 (3). Because it was distributed around the old Perdido Wharf (destroyed in 1926) and had not been observed in other places, he suggested that it had been introduced in ballast dumped in the low land adjacent to the wharf before it was destroyed. Believing that Pensacola Bahia grass had pasture potential, Finlayson and Paul Tabor, of the Soil Conservation Service, began to promote it as an improved pasture grass for the deep south. The excellent seeding habits, aggressiveness, persistence, and adaptation of Pensacola Bahia helped the Soil Conservation Service to spread it widely in Florida and the Coastal Plain of adjacent states. Today, it occupies well over a million acres, where it has been planted and hundreds of acres where it has been unintentionally spread by miian and beast. It is generally recognized as a good pasture grass, an excellent road-shoulder grass, and a serious pest in lawns and fine turf. There is good reason to believe that Pensacola Bahia grass is now so well distributed and so well adapted that it will soon be found wherever grass grows in the deep south, whether man plants it or not.

The Chinese Gooseberry(Actinidia chinensis) in New Zealand

Abstract: The Orient is the home of numerous plants which are basic foods for many people, and it has provided many interesting and unusual fruits to add variety to our diets. Such a fruit is the Chinese gooseberry, Actinidia chinensis Planch., or Yang Tao as it is known in China, its native land. Though long known and widely distributed in China, the Chinese gooseberry has become available to the occidental world only in comparatively recent times (3, 8). Details of the spread of this fruit in China and its introduction to other parts of the world are as yet not well-known or documented, but from various reports in the literature it would seem that it has been tested and can be grown with varying degrees of success in parts of England (33, 35), Japan, Belgium, France (15), India, Germany, Russia (27), the United States, and New Zealand. Nowhere in the occidental world, however, has the Chinese gooseberry attained the degree of commercial development and general acceptance that it presently enjoys in New Zealand. In 1964 there were about 210 acres of Chinese gooseberries under commercial cultivation in New Zealand, producing 840 tons of fruit in that year. There is reason to believe that the industry will continue to expand steadily.

Miraa and myrrh in East africa—clinical notes aboutCatha edulis

Abstract: Catha edulis Forsk., \"the flower of paradise\", usually called kat, miraa, or murungu, is indigenous to East Africa. The leaves and shoots are eaten by the natives, particularly by Ethiopian and Somali tribes, and by the Kikuyu and Mast. They are masticated as a stimulant or infused and the resulting tea drunk as a refreshnlent. Catha edulis leaves, shoots, and roots axe used also as native medicine for several illnesses and as an aphrodisiac (questionable benefit !). The wood is used by natives for building huts, utility objects and as a fuel. I t is apparently good enough for cabinet making and paper pulp (7). The Kiswahili word for Catha edulis is murungu (variant spellings mulungu~ mulungl, mlonge, etc.). Apart from this term, the usual ones in East Africa are the Kikuyu miraa, Masal ol meraa, and Somali kat (variant spellings of geographical and linguistic significance, e.g., ]chat, gat, quat~ eafta, ciat, tschat). Many tribes from the north to the south of Africa in the east have names for Catha edulis, and these are listed in Greenway (7) and in Watt and BreyerBrandwijk (22). A preparation of dried leaves, infused and used as a \"tea,\" has been called African, Abyssinian, Arabian, Bushman's, Boesman's and wild tea. The dried leaves axe sometimes also smoked. Catha edulis grows in the eastern part of the African continent from Ethiopia and Somalia to the Cape. They may grow to a height of 80 ft. At Chirinda in Southern Rhodesia, they reach a large size in the forest and are called Chirinda Redwood, which yields a fine timber. In most places, however, the trees are cultivated for the leaves and shoots, which are eaten. This is the case in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and

Fruit and pedicel characters derived from Galápagos Tomatoes

Abstract: By relatively simple breeding procedures, seven different modifications of fruit and pedicel have been successfully transferred from wild tomatoes of the Galapagos Islands to large-fruited cultivars. Some of these traits, the majority of which are simply inherited, may have horticultural value. Such introgression from the wild forms is expedited by the remarkable freedom from barriers at any stage of the breeding processes.

The history of the date through the ages in the Holy Land

Abstract: The cultivated date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has existed in the Holy Land at least since the Neolithic Age (6000-4000 B.C.), perhaps even before, when ancient man first took to sedentarv life in Jericho, all along the banks of the Jordan and in the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea. Because of their superior fruit, date palms of the Jordan Valley were famous throughout the length and breadth of the countries of this palm. There were palms along the coast as well, less important in that respect but tremendously impressive in their towering grandeur.3 The northern littoral of the Holy Land was known as Phoenicia, and it may be that we have here the origin of the early name of the date in Greek, 'phoenix.' Pliny, in his Natural History (XIII, IX, 42), theorizes that 'phoenix' comes from the name of a fabled bird of Egypt-according to Herodotus, it is a bird of Arabia, but, according to Philostratus, a bird of India. The legendary phoenix cremated itself, yet lived on, or a second one arose from its ashes: exactly as a palm goes on growing after it is scorched on the outside or puts forth shoots at its base, perpetuating the date culture. The date palm is, indeed, regarded as a symbol of immortality, but it is a matter of speculation whether the bird was named for the tree or the tree for the bird. At all events, for the ancient Greeks and Romans, this northern stretch of

Content of Gossypol in Plants Belonging to Genera Related to Cotton

Abstract: Analyses were made of seeds and plant parts of 9 species of Cienfuegosia, 4 species of Thespesia, and 1 species of Kokia for content of gossypol and oil. The seeds of Cienfuegosia were nearly free of gossypol; the other plant parts contained much larger quantities. The desirability of a similar condition in cultivated cottons is discussed.

Pejibaye Palm: Physical and Chemical Analysis of the Fruit

Abstract: The variability of the nutritional components of pejibaye fruit is fairly high and provides the impetus for further studies. These should be directed primarily toward the discovery of the highest possible carotene content associated with the least spines on the trunk.

Ifugao ethnobotany 1905–4965: The 1911 Beyer-Merrill report in perspective

Abstract: Botanically, ethnobotanically, and linguistically, the Beyer-Merrill report is a rich source of well documented and, for the time it was written, unusually precise observations. By rearrangement and alternative expression of these data, I have attempted various types of interpretive analysis with a view to improving both our knowledge of Ifugao folk botany and our understanding of general ethnobotanical field problems.

Should nishiyama’s K123 (Ipomoea trifida) be designatedI. batatas?)

Abstract: An interesting Ipomoea was collected and designated K123 by Nishiyama (9) while he was on tour in the United States and Mexico in 1955. It has since been extensively discussed (10, 11, 12, 13). Following preliminary observations, K123 was tentatively considered as Ipomoea commutata Roem., and, because of its 90 somatic chromosomes, possibly an ancestral species to the sweet potato, I. batatas (L.) Lam. (9). In this first report of K123, Nishiyama recognized that it may actually be a direct prototype of the modern cultivated sweet potato. In subsequent reports, it has been considered to represent I. trifida (H.B.K.) G. Don and has received considerable attention in phylogenetic discussions of the sweet potato (4, 10, 11, 12, 13). Observations of K123 (very graciously supplied to me by Dr. Nishiyama) lead me to the inescapable conclusion that it should be considered an extreme segregate of the sweet potato rather than a different species as previously postulated. This paper presents information relative to that conclusion.

Effects of Soil Salinity on the Development of Jojoba

Abstract: Jojoba plants of the selection ‘Vista’ were grown for two years in the greenhouse at four levels of soil salinity. All plants reached anthesis with no symptom of major injury because of the treatments. The following changes were noted on treated plants: Leaves were thicker, with larger secretory and palisade cells. They had fewer stomata per unit area, smaller vascular cylinder and vascular cells, and discontinuous layers of secretory cells. Stems were thinner, with smaller pith diameter, smaller pith cells, and smaller vessel elements. Both leaves and stems had a higher moisture content. A higher accumulation of Cl and Na ions was observed in both leaves and stems. Mg ions decreased in leaves but increased in stems. Ca ions increased in leaves only.

Ripening tomatoes: Ethylene, oxygen, and light treatments

Abstract: Tomato fruit (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. var. V. R. Moscow) harvested at the mature green stage were ripened by treatments with ethylene, oxygen, and oxygen plus ethylene. Treatments were made under dark and light conditions. Ethylene increased the ripening and respiration rates of the tomatoes. The fruit treated with ethylene had a general increase in beta carotene and lycopene when compared with untreated controls. The per cent acid was variable from year to year in the fruit treated with ethylene. The fruit ripened in ethylene had higher concentrations of citric acid than did the untreated controls. Treatments with oxygen decreased the reducing sugars and at the high concentrations used, had no effect on the rate of lycopene synthesis. Light treatments increased the per cent acid, reducing sugars, and color of the ripened fruit. The increase in color was related to an increase in both beta carotene and lycopene. Light treatment seemed to decrease the respiration rate of the fruit not treated with ethylene. Studies usingC14O2 showed that this may be due to utilization of CO2 evolved from respiration by the green fruit in photosynthesis.

Ethnobotany of the southern appalachian aborigines

Abstract: The pre-Columbian Indians of the eastern United States have been divided roughly into the Algonquians of the north and the Siouans of the south. The Algonquians were wandering tribes, hunting and fishing, with no fixed abodes. Orginally, the southern tribes must have lived in much the same manner, but the land that they occupied had a milder climate than that farther north, and rich river bottoms favored the development of permanent villages, instead of temporary camps. Here they could carry on a style of primitive agriculture, and here they were able to obtain fish, and particularly shellfish, chiefly mussels (Un~o, etc.). The shells and other refuse accumulated on the ground beside the villages, and later the villages were built on top of these mounds. This period of Indian culture has been termed the Archaio Period and may be dated roughly as from 8000 to 1000 B.C. Another Indian stock then entered the region, the Iroquoians, migrating from the south and west and mingling with the earlier inhabitants. They also had villages, and they made pottery and pipes. Some of these people, termed the Adena folk, settled in the Ohio Valley and began the development of an incipient civilization. The growing of crops had added to the food supply, resulting in more leisure. They acquired a new religious concept concerned with gods in the heavens, replacing animal gods on the earth, and it centered around elaborate funeral ceremonies. The construction of symmetrical burial mounds was the conspicuous feature of their cultural life. Thus, the Mound Builders originated, spreading some aspects of their culture to other tribes of the southern Appalachians. I t has been speculated that, if these Indians had not been disturbed, they

Processing Seeds for Oil in Towns and Villages of Turkey, India and Egypt

Abstract: In western Turkey in the area of Eskisehir, safflower has been grown as a minor crop at least for the past 30 years. In some villages it is claimed that Professor Emeet Yekta (3) introduced safflower to that area, though one resident of Posun stated that his father knew about safflower at least 60 years ago. It is called aspir, and sometimes dikken, the word for thistle. Fields range up to 10 icres in size. The seed is processed in lots of 100 to 500 lb, the villager bringing the seed to the processor and taking back the oil and cake residue. Invariably the villagers reported that safflower oil is superior to other oils, principally those from seeds of sunflower, linseed, and poppy. But this advantage of safflower oil is true only where it is used immediately; after a couple of months the oil develops undesirable flavors. There are three steps in the process of oil extraction: grinding, heating, and pressing. Grinding is often done by hand, using equipment which forces the seed between steel rollers (Fig. 1). Several runs of the same seed through the rollers often are necessary. The grinding equipment is made

Wild vegetables of the chinese in Manchuria

Abstract: This paper is offered as a small contribution to the study of the vast problem of supplementary food plants of the Chinese in Manchuria. Of these plants, I plan to discuss only wild vegetables in the strict sense, excluding edible algae and fungi and those plants the fruits of which are used as a dessert by the Chinese. The vegetables to be discussed are traditionally termed "wild." This ternm should, however, be applied to them only in a very broad sense. This is because, as shown later, these vegetables are very heterogeneous from the standpoint of "wildness." Enumeration of these vegetables is not my main purpose. This has been done before by several authors. I shall attend to other aspects of the problem and describe the historical and economic background of the practice of gathering wild edible plants and the evolution of this custom in China and Manchuria. I shall offer a statistical classification of these plants with regard to different characters and shall discuss their economic and dietetic value and other properties. Previous authors have written very little or nothing on these topics. I propose to confine nmy remarks primarily to plants of the Harbin region in central Manchuria and adjacent parts of mountainous eastern Manchuria. The diversity of wild vegetables in Manchuria is very great, and it would be impossible to treat them fully in this brief article. Furthermore, the wild vegetables of these two regions are more fully studied than those of other areas.

Some folk uses ofPeganum harmala in India and Pakistan

Abstract: The zygophyllaceous bush, Peganum har~,ala, grows in abundance in the plains around Lahore and vicinity in West Pakistan. In the Punjabi dialect, the plant is known as hermal. The dried black seeds are sold in the native drug market. The seeds and roots are reported to contain four alkaloids that are considered to be identical with vasicine from Adhatoda vasica of the Acanthaceae (1). i n India and Pakistan the seeds are employed as an anthelmintie and narcotic (1). Their physiological effect has been studied by Gunn (2) who found the principal effect to be a stinmlation of the motor tracts of the cerebrum, and in poisonous doses resulted in a depression of the central nervous system. In one of the Indian medicinal plant catalogs (3), P. harmala is listed as a drug which, when taken orally, excites sexual appetite, increases the menstrual flow and mamillary lactation. I t is further described as an abortifacient in large doses, and it is said to be used in treating asthma, as a diuretic and febrifuge, and for genitourinary disorders. An interesting use not hitherto reported, as far as I know, is the almost ritual burning of the seed following a birth in

The history of the pomegranate in the holy land

Abstract: The pomegranate (Punlca granatum L.), which was also known as Malum punicum (\"apple of Carthage\"), was cultivated in Israel more thas 5,000 years ago. Its IIebrew name is 'rimon'. Much the same syllables are used in most Semitic or near-Semitic languages: in Arabic 'ruman', in Aramaic 'rumanu', in Coptic 'haraman', in Old Egyptian 'inhmn' or 'nhman. In early Spanish, it is 'romana', in Portuguese 'roma' or 'roman'. ttesychius, the Greek historian, uses 'rimbai' for large pomegranates, and the word suggests 'rimon.' There is also a theory that the name 'rimon' may be associated with IIadadrimmon, mentioned in Zechariah 12, 11. This Semitic divinity, semantically linked with the pomegranate, was apparently a sun-god and a god of fertility; it was the multitude of grains within the fruit that led the ancients to regard it as a symbol of the prolific. In European languages, the basic name is 'pomum granatum', meaning \"seeded (grained) apple,\" whence, by characteristic shortening, came the word 'pomegranate' itself. The wild or semi-wild pomegranate still exists in the north of Syria, in Gilead, (Flora of Syriaj Palestine and Sinai by G.E. Post) and on Mount Carmel (The Natural History of the Bible by II.B. Tristram). According t o Vavilov, the pomegranate originated in the Near East; de Candolle ascribed it to Iran and vicinity, whence it spread to the shores of the Mediterranean. The view currently accepted places the origin in southwestern Asia. Rinds were found by the archaeologist Maealister in Gezer in layers of the Bronze Age (3000-2000 BC.) ; fragments of the pericarp in caves of the Judean Desert in the wadis near Ein-Gedi on the western shore of the Dead Sea; and, recently, entire pomegranates in excavations at Ein-Gedi, going back to the 2nd Century AD.

Fluoride in Commercial Tea and Related Plants

Abstract: Camellia sinensis (commercial tea), Camellia japonica (ornamental camellia, Stewartia koreana (AA 8-436), Stewartia gemmata (AA 405-42-A), and Franklinia alatamaha (AA 11831-C) are members of the Theaeeae. The accumulation of fluoride in the leaves of Camellia sinensis and Camelhia japonica has been reported (3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11) but the ability of other genera of this family to accumulate fluoride has not yet been investigated. In 1932, commercial tea was reported to contain only small amounts of fluoride (7). Since then, other investigators (3, 6, 8, 10, 11), using more reliable analytical methods, have found teas from a variety of sources to contain variable amounts of fluoride, sometimes in extremely high concentrations. In a study of dry Fukien and Bohea Mountain (Chung-An) teas, Wang et al. (10), found a fluoride range of 103 to 268 and 57 to 355 ppm, respectively. Reid (8), on the other hand, reported analyses of dry domestic teas which contained from 8.7 to 1758 ppm of fluoride. Standard brands of instant tea were reported to contain 170 ppm of fluoride (2), whereas most drv teas contain from 10 to 300 ppm of fluoride (3, 6, 8, 10, 11). There is apparently a wide variation in the fluoride content of young and older leaves of the same Camellia plant (11). The lowest concentration of fluoride reported in dry young leaves of a variety of Camellia japonica by Zimmerman et al. (11) was 67 ppm a-s compared to 3062 ppm in older leaves of this variety. The amount of the fluoride extractable from teas of Ceylon and India has varied

Some Studies on Secondary Dormancy in Limnanthes Seed

Abstract: The seeds of 10 accessions ofLimnanthes, representing 7 species and their varieties were moistened and placed in an 80°F cabinet for up to 14 days. Then they were transferred to 40, 50 or 60°F temperatures for germination. In two accessions, 85% of the seeds became dormant after only 2 days at 80°F. In 6 accessions, up to 80% of the seeds became dormant after 14 days at 80°F. In two other accessions there was little or no dormancy induced. After 16 months, one half the ungerminated seeds in each treatment were dried under room conditions for 2-1/2 months. Then they were again moistened and placed under germination temperatures. Up to 78% of the seeds thus treated germinated, compared with few or none of those maintained continuously under germination conditions.

Kif cultivation in the Rif Mountains

Abstract: Kif is the Moroccan word for marihuana. It is a general name that covers all preparations that are smoked. These preparations are different from those encountered in North America in that only the blossoms of the mature female plant are used. Another difference is that the blossoms are always mixed with an equal amount of tobacco. Its use is widespread throughout the country among adult males as it has been for centuries.

Parthenocarpic pod development byVanilla planifolia Andrews induced with growth-regulating chemicals

Abstract: Growth regulators were applied to open flowers ofVanilla planifolia Andrews to determine if pod set and development comparable to that achieved by hand pollination could be obtained. A high percentage of pod set was induced with all treatments using 2,4-D, dicamba, and IAA-IBA syrup. Only the highest concentration of NAA yielded similar results. Limited set resulted from treatments with Gibrel. The application of 0.1 mg of 2,4-D in lanolin paste around the base of the calyx resulted in pods that, although weighing less, were similar in size to those from hand-pollinated flowers. Repeated applications with 0.1% of 2,4-D in lanolin paste and the removal of all unopened buds after four pods had set in the raceme had little influence on pod size. Dicamba and 2,4-D were translocated from the treated flower to buds in the same raceme, inducing these to set fruit. Dicamba was translocated also from one raceme to another. Growth curves of parthenocarpic and seeded pods were of the sigmoid type. Ovaries of flowers treated with 0.1 mg of 2,4-D grew at their maximum rate during the first week after treatment while those of pollinated flowers reached this peak three weeks after treatment. Chromatograms made of extracts of the parthenocarpic pods showed that vanillin was present in almost all samples.

Fungal protein for food and feeds v. rice as a source of carbohydrate for the production of fungal protein

Abstract: From the foregoing brief account of exploratory work conducted with rice, it is obvious that the carbohydrate of whole brown rice can serve well as a substrate for the synthesis of fungal protein. Thus, usingDactylium dendroides (I-108) as the agent of synthesis, it was possible to increase the total quantity of protein in rice by a factor of 2.29 and, usingTrichoderma sp. (I-193), by a factor of 2.85. In the 1962/63 season, world production of paddy rice was 277,088,000 tons containing about 41 billion pounds of protein. If it is conservatively estimated that protein can be increased by a factor of 2 by a fungus conversion process, then from the 62/63 crop a total of 82 billion pounds of protein could have been produced. Alone, the rice crop contained sufficient protein (on quantitative grounds) to meet the annual requirements of 787 million people whereas the potential existed for supplying the needs of 1.5 billion people—nearly one-half of the present world population. In view of experiences gained with other crude sources of carbohydrate, it seems reasonable to predict that by further search for higher yielding fungi and proper manipulation of environmental conditions a four-fold increase is a distinct possibility.

Recovery of natural insecticides fromtephrosia vogelii. iii. an improved procedure for sampling and assaying rotenoid content in leaves

Abstract: Recent studies have shown Tephrosia vogelii Hook. f. to be a promising source of rotenone. It could conceivably give the United States a dependable domestic source of this natural insecticide. The roots of Derris and Lonchocarpus comprise the only present commercial source of rotenone. Tephrosia vogelii, on the other hand, produces its highest rotenoid content in the leaves (5). Though T. vogelii is a tropical plant, it has yielded well when grown as an annual in the southern United States and should lend itself to harvest by mechanical methods. Irvine and Freyre (6) reported that differences in total rotenoid content varied significantly among introductions of T. vogelii. A breeding and selection program was undertaken at the Federal Experiment Station in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, to increase the rotenone content in the leaves. New techniques for assaying rotenoid content had to be devised because the established procedures previously used for root samples of Derris and Lonchocarpus were inadequate. The most commonly used assay procedure for quantitatively estimating rotenone and related compounds in these root crops has been the red-color test described by Gross and Smith (4), modified by Goodhue (3) and further refined by Jones (7). The method adapted for the early work with T. vogelii was described by Irvine and Freyre (5, 6) as briefly consisting of collecting the median pair of leaflets from each leaf of the plant,

Effects of row and plant spacing and time of planting on seed yield of kenaf

Abstract: Plants of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), grown in southern Florida in 1964, yielded significantly more seed when spaced 5 inches apart in 7-inch rows than when spaced farther apart, up to 15 × 28 inches. Plants grown from seed planted on August 10 yielded significantly more seed than those from seed planted later at 10-day intervals, from August 20 to September 29. A progressive decline in yield was associated with wider plant-and-row spacmgs and with later plantings.

An evaluation of kenaf, roselle, and relatedHibiscus for fiber production

Abstract: Thirteen species ofHibiscus, grown in southern Florida in 1964, varied significantly in fiber yield, yield components, and fiber quality characteristics. Correlation analyses first included, then excluded, improved varieties of the fiber plant species, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) and roselle (H. sabdariffa L.). Certain pairs of traits were positively correlated ; others were negatively correlated, whether or not the fiber varieties were included. Other pairs of traits were positively correlated when the fiber varieties were included, but not when they were exluded; these differences suggested significant effects of artificial selection for increased fiber content and more rapid growth. Conversely, still other pairs of traits were positively correlated when the fiber varieties were excluded, but not when they were included. Examination of means showed that this discrepancy could not be attributed to the effects of conscious selection. Strains with a shrubby growth habit had larger stalks and higher fiber percentages, and yielded more fiber than those with a viny growth habit. However, fiber content and quality, and stalk size on the one hand, and ploidy, genome constitution or geographic distribution on the other, showed no evident correlations. The possibility was discussed of transferring the moderate nematode-resistance of a wild strain to a cultivated strain of H. cannabinus, without sacrificing fiber content.

Fungal protein for food and feeds, VI. Direct use of cane juice

Abstract: In a series of earlier papers in this journal (1966, 1967), Gray and his associates presented evidence that crude carbohydrate-containing materials such as sweet potatoes, manioc, sugar beets and whole rice could be used as substrates for the growth of Fungi Imperfeeti. The primary objective of these studies was to determine the feasibility of using various excess carbohydrate materials for the synthesis of edible fungal protein as one means of helping alleviate the present world protein shortage. Since initiation of this program in 1960, the world protein situation has become progressively more critical. For example, wheat is a high-protein material (in comparison to other cereal grains) and as such is quite a valuable foodstuff. As recently as 1962, much concern was expressed in some quarters over the vast wheat surplus in the United States; but, today, the United States has on hand less than a one year supply of this grain. Factors other than population increase in this country have contributed to this decline in supply, but population increases in other parts of the world have certainly been the major factors, since it has long been the policy of this country to give or sell wheat to countries whose uncontrolled population increases have been directly responsible for the creation of desperate food shortages. Protein deficiency exists in many of the sugar cane growing areas of the world; in fact, Gray (1962b) pointed out that malnutrition and all too frequently widespread unrest and political instability seem to accompany a sugar-based agriculture. The reason for this seems fairly obvious, since, in regions where the principal crop is sugar cane grown solely for sugar export, vast

Silvichemicals from the forest

Abstract: Tree species vary in properties because of the chemical nature of their respective extractive components. Extractives play an important role in ever increasing silvichemical industries. Numerous industrial extractive chemicals derived from wood and bark are discussed here.

Plant patents: A potentially extinct variety

Abstract: Plant patents serve a definite purpose for the horticulture industry. To this end, their continued existence is justified. The great hopes for agriculture have not been realized, possibly by the illogical exclusion of the potato, one major economic plant otherwise within the scope of the Act, and possibly by the judicial exclusion of bacteria, the use of which in acetone fermentation was a once significant consumer of agricultural products. The plant patent gives its owner the right to exclude others from selling, using, and asexually reproducing the protected variety. A few major nations have adopted this American innovation. Many prefer a second form of protection: Breeder’s Rights. Lack of international homogeneity is characteristic of national patent laws. The full taxonomic spectrum of potential coverage has not been utilized, 75% of the varieties being Rosaceae. The emphasis has been on ornamentals rather than varieties (other than fruits) with agricultural or industrial impact. The United States Department of Agriculture has been active in the latter endeavors and has a policy of not patenting plant material. Little change can be expected. University and industrial organizations have little utilized a possible opportunity. The existing law should be retained and perhaps broadened to include bacteria and potatoes. Thomas Jefferson once summarized: “The greatest service which can be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” The incentive for this addition should be retained.