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The cecal gas (GP) and methane (CH4) production and cecal fermentation kinetics when corn grain (CG) was replaced with prickly cactus (PC) in a horse’s diet at different levels of Salix babylonica (SB) extract was investigated. Three total mixed rations where CG was replaced with PC at three levels (/kg): 0 g (Control), 75 g (PC75) or 150 g (PC150) were prepared and SB extract added at four levels: 0, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mL/g dry matter (DM) of substrates. No ration type × SB extract dose interaction was observed (P > 0.05) for GP kinetics and CH4 production. Increasing the level of PC in the ration quadratically increased (P < 0.01) the asymptotic GP and decreased (P < 0.01) the rate and lag time of GP. Increasing the level of PC in the ration, increased GP values (P < 0.05). Increasing the level of SB extract linearly decreased (P = 0.001) the lag time of GP of all diets without affecting the asymptotic GP or the rate of GP. Ration type and SB level had no effect (P > 0.05) on CH4 production; however, at 36 h of incubation, SB extract decreased CH4 production. The rations PC75 and PC150 increased cecal pH compared with the control ration. The PC150 ration had the highest (P < 0.05) DM degradability, short chain fatty acids production, and gas yield after 24 h of incubation, with no effect (P > 0.05) of SB inclusion on all investigated fermentation kinetic parameters. It is concluded that increasing the level of PC in the diet of horse and replacing CG up to 60%, increased GP and improved cecal fermentation kinetics without affecting CH4 production. Inclusion of S. babylonica extract in the tested rations had weak effects on fermentation kinetics although it decreased the lag time of GP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study was conducted at Taq-Taq region, Kirkuk province, Iraq, during 2018 to evaluate the susceptibility of host trees to tiger lace bug, Monosteria buccata. The trees studied were Populus deltoides, Populus euramericana, and Salix babylonica belonging to family Salicaceae. Adults appeared by the end of April and average infestation reached 16.6%. The infestation increased gradually in subsequent months and ultimately disappeared by the end of October. The results of the ecological study indicated that the population density of insects under field conditions reached a high in July and August and a total number of insects recorded were 5240 and 4635, respectively. This was estimated to be 89.1 and 83.9 % for two summer months, respectively. It was observed that P. deltoides was the most susceptible species to infestation with an average of 872.85 insects, followed by P. euramericana (84,750 insects), and S. babylonica being least susceptible with an average insect population of 62,666 insects. Biological studies showed that insect had four nymph instars and 4 generations/year. The correlation values between number of insects and average temperature and humidity were variable depending on the tree species. There were a significant positive correlation with temperature and negative correlation with relative humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of pollutants from textile wastewater via electrochemical oxidation and a coupled system electrooxidation—Salix babylonica, using boron-doped diamond electrodes was evaluated. Under optimal conditions of pH 5.23 and 3.5 mA·cm−2 of current density, the electrochemical method yields an effective reduction of chemical oxygen demand by 41.95%, biochemical oxygen demand by 83.33%, color by 60.83%, and turbidity by 26.53% at 300 minutes of treatment. The raw and treated wastewater was characterized by infrared spectroscopy to confirm the degradation of pollutants. The wastewater was oxidized at 15-minute intervals for one hour and was placed in contact with willow plants for 15 days. The coupled system yielded a reduction of the chemical oxygen demand by 14%, color by 85%, and turbidity by 93%. The best efficiency for the coupled system was achieved at 60 minutes, at which time the plants achieved more biomass and photosynthetic pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sphaceloma murrayae is a significant fungal pathogen of Salix spp. It causes greyish‐white leaf spots, which were reported worldwide except in China. Its morphological characteristics were described in the early literature; however, there is a lack of molecular information pertaining to this fungus. This study identified and characterized three fungal isolates that obtained from weeping willow leaf spots in China. Based on disease symptoms, morphological characteristics and single nomenclature rules for fungi, these isolates are proposed to be new combinations of Elsinoë murrayae (Synonym: S. murrayae). Phylogenetic analysis that combined internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit (LSU), RBP2 and TEF1‐α DNA sequences indicated that E. murrayae isolates and Elsinoë salicina—another Elsinoë sp. isolated from Salix sp.—were distinguishable species. With trypan blue staining and stereomicroscopic observation, we found that large‐scale cell death occurred at 2 days postinoculation (dpi) and slight disease symptoms started at 3 dpi when the conidia were inoculated on Salix babylonica leaves. Pathogenicity analysis revealed that three isolates can successfully infect mature leaves of S. babylonica, Salix fragilis and Salix suchowensis, but not Salix matsudana. In addition, a necrosis‐ and ethylene‐inducing‐like proteins’ (NLP) gene, named EmNLP1, was cloned. The cytotoxicity of EmNLP1 was confirmed by transient assay in tobacco. During infection, EmNLP1 dramatically peaked at 2 dpi and maintained a high‐level expression in the necrosis lesion growing stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salix matsudana is a large and rapidly-growing tree, with erect or spreading branchlets (upright willow). However, S. matsudana var. pseudomatsudana is one of the varietas, with pendulous branchlets (weeping willow). It has high ornamental value for its graceful pendulous branches. In order to study the molecular basis for this weeping trait, leaves and stems collected at different developmental stages were analyzed using RNA-seq coupled with digital gene expression. Although weeping trees are used worldwide as landscape plants, little is known about the genes that control weeping. Our growth results indicated that branches in weeping willow developed and elongated throughout all developmental stages, but branches in upright willow grew rapidly in the initial stages and then grew slowly and began shoot branching in the middle stages. A total of 613 hormone-related genes were differentially expressed in willow development. Among these, genes associated with auxin and gibberellin (GA) were highly likely to be responsible for the weeping trait, and genes associated with auxin and ethylene probably play crucial roles in shoot elongation. The genes with differential expression patterns were used to construct a network that regulated stem development, and auxin-related genes were identified as hub genes in the network in the weeping willow. Our results suggest an important role of gibberellin and auxin in regulating the weeping trait in Salix matsudana. This is the first report on the molecular aspects of hormonal effects on weeping trait in willow using transcriptomics and helps in dissecting the molecular mechanisms by which the weeping trait is controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to test the potential anthelmintic activity of Salix babylonica (SB) extract for the control of gastrointestinal and pulmonary parasites in sheep and goats under field conditions. A representative sample of 20 % of all animals reared in 8 sheep and 7 goat farms was used in the study. Animals from each farm were randomly selected for a total number of 93 sheep and 75 goats. Animals suffered a natural gastrointestinal nematode infection and had never been treated with chemical anthelmintic drugs. The SB extract (20 mL) was orally administered weekly before the morning feeding to each animal for 60 days. Fecal eggs or oocysts were counted at 0, 1, 20, 40, and 60 days after starting the extract administration. Differences ( P < 0.01) in the fecal oocyst and egg output of Eimeria, Dictyocaulus, and Moniezia were observed between sheep and goats. In addition, the treatment influenced ( P < 0.05) egg outputs of Cooperia, Dictyocaulus, and Trichuris. Fecal egg or oocyst counts of Haemonchus contortus, Eimeria, Cooperia, Chabertia, Dictyocaulus, Moniezia, and Ostertagia were time-dependent ( P < 0.05). For sheep, administration of SB decreased ( P < 0.05) the fecal eggs count of H. contortus, Cooperia, Chabertia, Dictyocaulus, Moniezia, and Trichuris. After 20 days of treatment, H. contortus, Cooperia, or Moniezia were not detected. For goats, SB reduced ( P < 0.05) the fecal egg counts of H. contortus, Cooperia, Chabertia, and Moniezia. Moreover, decreases were observed ( P < 0.05) for Chabertia, Trichostrongylus, and Ostertagia. Eggs of H. contortus and Moniezia were not present in the feces after 1 day of administration of the extract. It could be concluded that the weekly administration of SB extract at 20 mL per animal can be used to treat gastrointestinal and lung nematodes of small ruminants in organic and traditional farming systems of tropical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to assess the effect of the chemical substances of Salix babylonica (SB) extract on in vitro rumen fermentation of five mixed rations with different maize silage to concentrate ratios. Fifty-nine compounds were identified in SB extract using the retention time and mass spectral technique. Interactive effects were noted (P < 0.001) for the asymptotic gas production (GP) (b), the rate of production (c), the initial delay before GP begins (L), pH, dry matter digestibility, metabolizable energy (ME), organic matter digestibility (OMD), short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), gas yield at 24 h (GY24), microbial crude protein, and in vitro GP. Both 1.2 and 1.8 mL SB/g DM had the highest (P < 0.05) b and c values. Addition of 1.2 and 1.8 mL SB/g DM linearly improved (P < 0.001) ME, OMD, SCFAs, and GY24. It could be concluded that, based on the highly detected interaction effects between ration types and extract doses for fermentation parameters and GP, the most effective dose of SB varied between incubated total mixed rations. However, the ration of 25% silage and 75% concentrate had the highest nutritive value, especially at doses of 1.2 to 1.8 mL SB/g DM total mixed ration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rust fungi in the genus Melampsora usually cause disease on hosts in the Salicaceae. Identification of Melampsora species is often complicated due to few differences in spore morphology and little publicly available comparative sequence data. Weeping willow trees (primarily Salix babylonica and its hybrids) have been reported to be infected by 11 Melampsora species; however, most of these records are based on morphological characterization. New collections of rust fungi on weeping willows from the central USA were analysed using a combination of morphology, ITS and LSU r DNA sequencing, and host data to determine that they represent an undescribed rust fungus, Melampsora ferrinii sp. nov. Additional studies of herbarium material revealed that M. ferrinii has occasionally been collected but identified as M. epitea. In addition to North America, M. ferrinii is also present in South America and has been infecting weeping willows there since at least the 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melampsora coleosporioides produces uredinia and telia on the leaves of Salix babylonica . Since the life cycle of this fungus is largely unknown, inoculation experiments were conducted to find alternate host plants. Results showed that M. coleosporioides can use Corydalis incisa as a spermogonial and aecial host. The morphological characteristics of the spermogonial and aecial states of the fungus are first described. Furthermore, field observations and histological studies demonstrated that the fungus was able to overwinter in twigs of S. babylonica and produced urediniospores in early spring. Thus, the leaf rust occurs on S. babylonica every year and alternation with the spermogonial and aecial host is not necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of increasing levels of twofeed additives composed of Salix babylonica (SB) extract and minerals mixture (MM) or their combination on in vitro gas production (GP) and dry matter (DM) degradability of total mixed ration (TMR; 50 concentrate: 50 corn silage, on DM basis). Combinations of four levels of SB extract (0, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mL/g DM) with four levels of MM (0, 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 g/100 g DM) were evaluated in a completely random design. Samples of TMR (1 g) were weighed in 120 mL serum bottles with addition of SB extract and/or MM. Then, 10 mL of particle free ruminal fluid were added followed by 40 mL of the buffer solution. The GP was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation. Addition of SB extract, without MM, increased (P<0.05) asymptotic GP (mL/g DM), the rate of GP (/h), GP and DM degradability (DMD). Addition of MM, without SB, increased (P<0.05) b and decreased c and ruminal pH. Increasing the levels of SB increased (P<0.05) b, c, L, and GP in addition to linearly increase (P<0.001) DMD. Increasing levels of MM increased (P<0.05) b and c while decreased pH. An interaction occurred between different SB extract and MM levels: the most effective levels of SB extract and MM on ruminal fermentation and kinetics were 1.8 mL SB extract/g DM and 2.5 g MM/100 g DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty Pelibuey 3-4 month old and 23.7±3.3 kg body weight male lambs were used in a randomised design to study the effects of daily oral administration of Salix babylonica (SB) extract on dry matter (DM), water intake, average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency for 72 days. Animals were divided into four groups fed the same total mixed ration with different doses of SB: 0 (Control), 20 (SB20), 40 (SB40) and 60 (SB60) mL/lamb/d. In vitro gas production (GP) of the same diet fed to lambs as a substrate was measured with different doses of SB (0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0 mL/g DM). Daily administration of SB to lambs had no effects (P=0.05) on growth performance and DMI (linear effect, P=0.2805; quadratic effect, P=0.3747). Both low and moderate doses of SB (SB40>SB20) tended to increase (linear effect, P=0.4010; quadratic effect, P=0.9166) ADG. The asymptotic GP quadratically increased (P<0.001) with decreased GP rate and with increasing SB extract doses. In vitro GP increased (P<0.05) with advancing of incubation time in all SB doses. During the first 24 h of incubation, 0.3 mL SB/g DM had the highest GP, whereas 1.0 mL SB/g DM quadratically increased (P<0.001) GP. The low dose of SB extract increased ME (linear effect, P=0.024) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) (linear effect, P=0.023). However, the highest dose quadratically decreased (P=0.02) DM degradability. In conclusion, administration of SB extract at 40 mL/lamb/d tended to increase DM intake, improve daily weight gain in growing lambs with increasing asymptotic in vitro ruminal GP and SB dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf phenology has been shown to be one of the most important indicators of the effects of climate change on biological systems. Few such studies have, however, been published detailing the relationship between phenology and climate change in Asian contexts. With the aim of quantifying species' phenological responsiveness to temperature and deepening understandings of spatial patterns of phenological and climate change in China, this study analyzes the first leaf date (FLD) and the leaf coloring date (LCD) from datasets of four woody plant species, Robinia pseudoacacia, Ulmus pumila, Salix babylonica, and Melia azedarach, collected from 1963 to 2009 at 47 Chinese Phenological Observation Network (CPON) stations spread across China (from 21° to 50° N). The results of this study show that changes in temperatures in the range of 39-43 days preceding the date of FLD of these plants affected annual variations in FLD, while annual variations in temperature in the range of 71-85 days preceding LCD of these plants affected the date of LCD. Average temperature sensitivity of FLD and LCD for these plants was −3.93 to 3.30 days °C and 2.11 to 4.43 days °C, respectively. Temperature sensitivity of FLD was found to be stronger at lower latitudes or altitude as well as in more continental climates, while the response of LCD showed no consistent pattern. Within the context of significant warming across China during the study period, FLD was found to have advanced by 5.44 days from 1960 to 2009; over the same period, LCD was found to have been delayed by 4.56 days. These findings indicate that the length of the growing season of the four plant species studied was extended by a total of 10.00 days from 1960 to 2009. They also indicate that phenological response to climate is highly heterogeneous spatially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The culture-dependent method and a degenerate primer-based culture-independent method were combined in an effort to identify N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) producers in rhizosphere of wetland plants, Salix babylonica (willow) and Phragmites australis (reed). Overall, eight potential AHL-producing genera were found, which were Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Polymorphum, Agrobacterium, Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Ensifer, and Pectobacterium. Thin layer chromatograph assay revealed various AHL profiles from cultivable AHL-producers. The degenerate primer pair RAHL352F and RAHL461R was found to cover AHL synthetase genes from families Rhizobiaceae and Rhodobacteraceae. Little overlap was found in taxa of potential AHL-producers obtained by the two methods, indicating that they were well complement to each other. This is the first survey for AHL-producers that employed combined culture-dependent and -independent methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 3×3 Latin Square design was used to evaluate effects of 0, 150 and 300 mL of Salix babylonica (SB) extract mixed into the diet on daily milk production and composition in cows. Three Brown Swiss dairy cows (420±30.3 kg body weight), at late lactation (220±25.1 d in milk), were fed a diet with a restricted amount of concentrate and oat hay ad libitum twice daily in equal amounts. The SB extract was mixed daily with a small amount of concentrate and fed to the cows. In vitro gas production of the diet fed to the cows was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of incubation with 0, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mL SB/g DM. Intake of oat hay was increased (P<0.05) by 11.5% with the SB addition at 150 mL/d. Milk production was also increased with extract addition at 150 or 300 mL/d by about 13.3 and 8.9% respectively, compared with control. Milk fat was lower (P<0.05) with SB addition, while milk protein and lactose were not affected by the extract addition. Milk efficiency was improved (P<0.05) with extract addition versus control. In vitro gas production of the diet increased (P<0.05) dramatically with increasing levels of extract addition with a short lag time and high rate of gas production per hour vs control. Addition of SB extract at 150 mL/d improved milk production by 13.3%, while it decreased its fat content and improved milk efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an investigation of the capacity of four different plants to remove and assimilate ferri-cyanide at different pH conditions. Detached roots of weeping willows ( Salix babylonica L.), rice ( Oryza sativa L. cv. JY 98), soybean ( Glycine max L. cv. WH) and maize ( Zea mays L. var. HK) were hydroponically exposed to ferri-cyanide in a closed system at 25 ± 0.5°C for 24 h kept under darkness. Almost all applied ferri-cyanide was in the complex form in the hydroponic solution at pH ≥ 7.0 in the absence of light, while dissociation of ferri-cyanide to free cyanide and iron in solution was detected at pH ≤ 6.5. All plant species used were found to be able to remove and assimilate ferri-cyanide efficiently. The uptake and assimilation rates appeared to be inversely related to the pH, in which positive effects were observed at pH 6.0 and 6.5. Remarkable decreases in the assimilation rates were found at pH 8.0. Results presented here suggest that changes in solution pH have a substantial influence on not only the speciation of ferri-cyanide in the plant growth media, but also the uptake and assimilation mechanisms of ferri-cyanide by plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of root architecture, physical tree characteristics, and soil shear strength on overturning moment due to flooding were investigated using Salix babylonica and Juglans ailanthifolia, exotic and invasive plants in Japanese rivers. Tree-pulling experiments that simulated flood action were conducted, and the resulting damage was examined to assess the effects of physical tree characteristics and root architecture on the maximum resistive bending moment ( M) for overturning. In situ soil shear strength tests were conducted to measure soil strength parameters. The effects of species differences on the M were examined by analyzing root architecture. S. babylonica has a heart-root system that produces a greater overturning moment due to the strong root anchorage and the large amount of substrate that must be mobilized during overturning. J. ailanthifolia has a plate-root system that produces a smaller overturning moment. However, trees with the plate-root system may withstand overturning better due to an increased root:shoot ratio. The results of the study show that the M of a tree for overturning had significant ( P < 0.05) correlations with a tree's physical characteristics, including height ( H), trunk diameter at breast height ( D), D, height multiplied by the second power of D (trunk volume index H × D), and root-soil plate depth ( R), and root-soil plate radius ( R). Considering the strategy of J. ailanthifolia to increase the root:shoot ratio for anchoring in the substrate, the trunk volume index ( H × D) is a better parameter than D because it indirectly involves the difference in below-ground volume and surface area. Different soil cohesion values were found at different experimental sites, and the average M for overturning each species decreased linearly with increasing soil cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation reports the results of the cadmium accumulated by Salix matsudana, S. alba var. Tristis and S. babylonica in a pot experiment at six different levels of cadmium supply (0, 0.5, 2, 6, 25, 60 mg/kg). All tested Salix species showed the different abilities to remove cadmium, which depend on species and concentrations level. Cadmium accumulated by the leaves, twigs and roots linearly increased with increasing cadmium supply levels. The higher concentration cadmium treatments significantly promoted the cadmium accumulation. S. matsudana always performed the stronger ability of cadmium accumulation under different cadmium supply treatments, while S. alba var. Tristis and S. babylonica had the poorer accumulation ability. Cadmium in soil was more intensively absorbed in the leaves and twigs for all three Salix species, was not retained in roots and was transferred to aboveground plant tissues. The results indicated that Salix has an excellent potential for cadmium phytoremediation because of its high accumulation ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the removal characteristics of different wetland plants, gravel-based pilot-scale subsurface wetlands vegetated by monoculture vegetation of Salix babylonica, Phragmites australis, Typha angustata, Zizania latifolia, and Lythrum salicaria with stem densities of 20, 1,010, 135, 105, and 58 stem m−2 were used to treat artificial sewage characterized by chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) pollution. It was revealed that chemical oxygen demand, TN, and TP removal loads of S. babylonica, P. australis, T. angustata, and Z. latifolia vegetation reached 0.112–0.172, 5.7–7.1, and 0.0674–0.152 g m−2 day−1, respectively, accounting for 24.5–37.6%, 34–42%, and 36.1–81.4% of that of the unvegetated control wetland. Moreover, there were exponential relationships between TN removal and evapotranspiration rate in wetlands vegetated by T. angustata, L. salicaria, and S. babylonica, whereas there were linear relationships between TP removal and evapotranspiration rate in wetlands vegetated by P. australis, T. angustata, Z. latifolia, and L. salicaria. After harvest, the N and P standing stocks of all the five kinds of vegetation were only 4.3–9.6 g P m−2 and 2.2–23.9 g N m−2 because both the above-ground biomass and the N and P contents of wetland vegetation harvested in late autumn were low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the uptake and translocation of selenium (Se) in willows. It provides quantitative information for field application whether Se phytoremediation is feasible and ecologically safe. Intact pre-rooted plants of hybrid willows and weeping willows were grown and treated with selenite or selenate. It reveals that selenite in plant materials was more mobile than selenate. It also states that significant decrease in removal rates of both chemical forms of Se, selenite and selenate, was detected for willows without any leaves. Moreover, significant differences in extraction and transport ways for selenite and selenate exist in willow trees.

Effects of the synthetic chelator ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA) on uptake and internal translocation of hexavalent and trivalent chromium by plants were investigated. Two different concentrations of EDTA were studied for enhancing the uptake and translocation of Cr from the hydroponic solution spiked with K2CrO4 or CrCl3 maintained at 24.0±1°C. Faster removal of Cr3+ than Cr6+ by hybrid willows (Salix matsudana Koidz x Salix alba L.) from the plant growth media was observed. Negligible effect of EDTA on the uptake of Cr6+ was found, but significant decrease of the Cr concentration in roots was measured. Although the translocation of Cr6+ within plant materials was detected in response to EDTA concentration, the amount of Cr6+ translocated to the lower stems was considerably small. EDTA in the nutrient media showed a negative effect on the uptake of Cr3+ by hybrid willows; the removal rates of Cr3+ were significantly decreased. Translocation of Cr3+ into the stems and leaves was undetectable, but roots were the exclusive sink for Cr3+ accumulation. Weeping willows (Salix babylonica L.) showed lower removal rates for both chemical forms of Cr than hybrid willows. Although EDTA had a minor effect on Cr6+ uptake by weeping willows, positive effect on Cr6+ translocation within plant materials was observed. It was also determined that EDTA in plant growth media significantly decreased the amount of Cr3+ taken up by plants, but significantly increased Cr3+ mobilization from roots to stems. Results indicated that EDTA was unable to increase the uptake of Cr6+ by both plant species, but translocation of Cr6+-EDTA within plant materials was possible. Addition of EDTA in the nutrient media showed a strong influence on the uptake and translocation of Cr3+ in both willows. Cr3+-EDTA in tissues of weeping willows was more mobile than that in hybrid willows. The information has important implications for the use of metal chelator in plant nutritional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glassiness of willow (Salix babylonica L.) can be controlled by the amount of ammoniacal nitrogen in the culture medium. In this study, glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.3) activity was observed in the different parts of the plant during induction of the vitrification process. The apparent affinity constants of the enzyme for ammonium were determined. The root enzyme displayed the highest affinity for ammonium (Km, 0.70 - 2.25 mM), and correlatively, its activity was linked to the amount of ammonium applied and to the development of the vitreous state. Although it has been shown that ethylene, matric potential and high cytokinin content are implicated in vitrification, the present study shows that a knowledge of the affinity constants for ammonium, when the ammoniacal nitrogen content of the culture medium is taken into account, can predict the risk of the plant material becoming vitreous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a report of studies on the development of apothecium of Drepanopeziza salicis, the perfect state of Gloesporium salicis, following the appearance of the microconidia. The evolution of the ascospores of the fungus, commencing from the appearance of the microconidia, the effect of climatic conditions on the development of the ascogenous stage and the role of the ascospores as a source of primary infections are reported in this article. Samples of infected leaves of Salix babylonica were collected, both from particular trees and from the ground, from early September to the end of November, to detect the production of microconidia. The formation of both microconidia, which possibly have a spermatial function of mature ascospores and the incubation period of the ascospore-infection have been found related to climatic conditions.

Highlights a study which examined the Salix babylonica, willow's minor veins' sugar accumulation. Indication that the willow is a species with an open phloem; Discussion on the phloem loading process; Methodology used to conduct the study; Results of the study.

Girdling of 1-year-old Salix babylonica L. plants resulted in an early accumulation of compounds which co-chromatographed with cytokinin glucosides in both the bark and buds below the girdle. In the bark the cytokinin glucosides were present in high levels in both girdled and non-girdled plants. In the buds of non-girdled plants, however, glucoside concentration was initially low but then increased rapidly after ringing and reached a maximum level prior to any visible signs of bud swell. With the onset of lateral shoot growth the glucoside cytokinins decreased while the cytokinins that co-chromatographed with zeatin and its derivatives increased. As the cytokinin glucosides are generally considered to be storage forms, their accumulation in the bark and buds below the girdle apparently does not reflect synthesis but rather transport towards a more competitive sink. In the case of Salix plants the lateral buds would appear to have the ability to hydrolyze these glucosylated zeatin derivatives and then to utilize them for bud development. It is suggested that in the presence of a functional root system lateral buds do not synthesize cytokinins de novo, but that they do have the metabolic capacity to convert cytokinins transported to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The young and old leaves of Salix babylonica contain at least four cell division-inducing compounds which coeluted with zeatin, zeatin riboside and their glucosylated derivatives. During the course of the growing season quantitative changes in the cytokinin content of the leaves were observed. The cytokinin glucosides increased as the leaves aged. The compounds which co-chromatographed with zeatin and zeatin riboside initially increased until early autumn and then decreased as the leaves senesced. It appears as though the cytokinins transported from the roots are metabolized in the leaves and are converted to their glucosides. Although it has been reported in the literature that Salix root exudate contains very small amounts of cytokinin in late summer and autumn, these compounds increase in the leaves for most of the growing season, suggesting that the leaves may not only obtain cytokinins from the roots but may well be an active site of cytokinin synthesis. It is, however, possible that cytokinins are also transported to the leaves via the phloem, thus accounting for their accumulation in these organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although quantitative differences were observed in the cytokinin content of mature leaves and bark of Salix babylonica it would appear as if these tissues contained the same cytokinin complement. Ringing resulted in a decrease in the level of cytokinins in the leaves and an increase in the bark, both above and below the girdle. In the leaves the decrease was due mainly to a drop in the level of those compounds that co-chromatographed with the cytokinin glucosides. These compounds were also almost undetectable in the bark above the girdle, where callus was formed. The observed increase in the cytokinin content of the bark above the girdle was due to higher activity in those parts of the chromatograms where zeatin and zeatin riboside occurred. Ringing stimulated the growth of lateral buds below the girdle. These developing buds as well as the bark below the girdle contained very high levels of cytokinins that co- chromatographed with zeatin and zeatin riboside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honeydew and leaf extracts from Salix babylonica indicate that large quantities of cytokinin are present in the leaves and are transported through the phloem of this plant during late autumn. The active compound in the extracts could be hydrolysed with β‐glucosidase, whereafter it showed the same chromatographic behaviour as zeatin. It is proposed that cytokinins in the leaves are converted to the glucoside and then redistributed to the rest of the plant organs where it is stored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study to examine the growth and survival of riparian plantings in relation to Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) canopy cover in order to assess their suitability for revegetation and the role of canopy cover in seedling establishment at the Upper Hunter River, New South Wales. Five species of plants were used in the experiment such as the Red Cedar (Toona ciliata), White Cedar (Melia azedarach), Kangaroo Apple (Solanum aviculare), Tree Violet (Melicytus dentatus) and Tuckeroo (Myrsine bowittiana). Details on how the study was done is offered. Results showed that those seedlings planted under a Weeping Willow canopy generally performed better than those planted in open sites, but not true for all species.

As the largest genus in the family Salicaceae, Salix L. has great potential in industrial, ornamental, and bioenergy-related applications. Despite their comprehensive importance, the genetic and genomic resources available for various willow species are still insufficient. In the present study, the transcriptomes of S. babylonica and S. suchowensis were sequenced using Roche 454 pyrosequencing and screened for expressed sequence tagged simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. A total of 280,074 and 267,030 reads with an average length of 432 bp and 398 bp were obtained for S. babylonica and S. suchowensis, respectively. The de novo assemblies yielded 40,271 unigenes for S. babylonica and 55,083 unigenes for S. suchowensis, of which 32,506 and 42,482 unigenes were respectively annotated in at least one of the four reference databases. A total of 1479 differentially expressed genes were identified between the two species. A set of 1083 SSR markers (424 for S. babylonica and 659 for S. suchowensis) were developed from the expressed sequence assemblies. Of the 300 randomly selected EST-SSR markers, 295 (98.3%) were polymorphic among different individuals of S. babylonica and of S. eriocephala. High rates of cross-species/genus amplification were also observed within 16 different species. In conclusion, this transcriptomic analysis provides novel resources for functional genomic research and can be used to improve the efficiency of genetics and breeding applications for these Salix species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete chloroplast genome of theSalix babylonicahas been reconstructed from the whole-genome Illumina sequencing data. The circular genome is 156 819 bp in size, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 27 624 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85 255 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 16 316 bp. The chloroplast genome contains 130 genes, including 83 protein-coding genes (76 PCG species), eight ribosomal RNA genes (4 rRNA species), and 38 transfer RNA genes (30 tRNA species). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 36.7%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 34.4%, 31.0%, and 41.8%, respectively. By comparing four willow chloroplast genomes, this study found that RNA genes were more conservative than protein-coding genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The features of the bark structure in the stem of Salix matsudana Koidz. were described in comparison with those in S. babylonica L. It was suggested that anatomy of the bark cannot be applied for demarcation of this two species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we have demonstrated the simple, low cost, low temperature, hydrothermal growth of weeping willow ZnO nano-trees with very long branches to realize high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We also discuss the effects of branching on solar cell efficiency. By introducing branched growth on the backbone ZnO nanowires (NWs), the short circuit current density and the overall light conversion efficiency of the branched ZnO NW DSSCs increased to almost four times that for vertically grown ZnO NWs. The efficiency increase is attributed to the increase in surface area for higher dye loading and light harvesting and also to reduced charge recombination through direct conduction along the crystalline ZnO branches. As the length of the branches increased, the branches became flaccid and the increase in solar cell efficiency slowed down because the effective surface area increase was hindered by branch bundling during the drying process and subsequent decrease in the dye loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several historic trees in the U.S. The Charter Oak at Hartford, Connecticut, an oak in which the charter of the Colony of the state was preserved in the hollow of its trunk, and was identified with American liberty. The Elm Tree at Cambridge is the shade of which Washington first took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775. The "Weeping Willow" which grew from a branch taken from the tree that shaded the grave of the Great Napoleon at St. Helens.