Search

Effects of calcium nitrate (CN) and sodium sulfate (SS) blossom thinning agents applied after selfincompatibility control substance (SICS) treatment on the fruit set rate and quality of apple were investigated for 2 cropping seasons. CN and SS at 0.1% and 0.2% concentrations were applied once (3 or 4 days after SICS treatment) or twice (3 and 5 or 4 and 6 days after SICS treatment). Commercial Japanese flower thinning agent (FTA: Ekoruki) treated and untreated apple trees were used as treated and untreated controls. SICS was sprayed 7 days before full bloom. Both agents showed a fertilizing effect in 'Hongno', improving its fruit yield and quality. SS obtained 29.8% and 36.3% thinning rates in the central floret of 'Fuji'. Both CN and SS were effective in 'Gala', which induced a lower fruit set than SICS treated plants. Earlier and double applications of CN and SS at 0.2% concentration resulted in a higher thinning rate and improved fruit quality in 'Gala'. Results also showed similar thinning efficacies in Ekoruki, CN, and SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic divergence, population genetic structure, and possible speciation of the Korean firefly, Pyrocoelia rufa, were investigated on the midsouthern Korean mainland, coastal islets, a remote offshore island, Jedu-do, and Tsushima Island in Japan. Analysis of DNA sequences from the mitochondrial COI protein-coding gene revealed 20 mtDNA-sequence-based haplotypes with a maximum divergence of 5.5%. Phylogenetic analyses using PAUP, PHYLIP, and networks subdivided the P. rufa into two clades (termed clade A and B) and the minimum nucleotide divergence between them was 3.7%. Clade A occurred throughout the Korean mainland and the coastal islets and Tsushima Island in Japan, whereas clade B was exclusively found on Jeju-do Island. In the analysis of the population genetic structure, clade B formed an independent phylogeographic group, but clade A was further subdivided into three groups: two covering western and eastern parts of the Korean peninsula, respectively, and the other occupying one eastern coastal islet and Japanese Tsushima Island. Considering both phylogeny and population structure of P. rufa, the Jeju-do Island population is obviously differentiated from other P. rufa populations, but the Tsushima Island population was a subset of the Korean coastal islet, Geoje. We interpreted the isolation of the Jeju-do population and the grouping of Tsushima Island with Korean coastal islets in terms of Late Pleistocene-Holocene events. The eastern-western subdivision on the Korean mainland was interpreted partially by the presence of a large major mountain range, which bisects the midpart of the Korean peninsula into western and eastern parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relationship between Japan and U.S. which is figured out in the three U.S. dailies. It states that the three newspapers that have been positively chosen were "New York Times", "Los Angeles Times" and "Chicago Tribune" that were based on geographical location, city size and its extent to the coverage of international news between U.S. and Japan. It mentions that press cannot be involved in the process of foreign policy-making but press reportage can play important part in determining the attitude of the two country, they can control the flow of international news and can influence its character by interpretation. It tells that the three papers have called down the illusion of the Japanese faults which stood for liberal trade policy.