Australian Gardeners

Australian Gardeners in Hello Magazine and The Daily Telegraph!

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:53:34 +0000

Our photos and portfolio have been used as image source in the Daily Telegraph July 2010 issue and Hello Magazine. We could not be more proud!

australian gardeners in daily telegraph news

Ideal Indoor Plants Selection

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:48:59 +0000

There are various indoor plants used for decorating houses & offices. The common & mostly used varieties are as given below:

Pothos or (Epipremnum aureum) – They make an excellent decoration. They can be used on hanging baskets or pots. The more sunlight & frequent watering, better the growth of these plants. They can also grow in less sunlight, thus making them ideal for dark areas. Amongst the varieties, the marbled queen has yellowish white leaves whereas the golden variety has golden streaks on its green leaves.

Rubber Plant – or (Ficus elastica) – These indoor plants prefer low sunlight. The leaves appear waxy & think like rubber, hence called as rubber plant. These plants have large growth but one may keep it trimmed when they accomplish a height of 6 feet or so. This indoor plant is ideal for office decoration.

Peace Lilly – or (Spathiphyllum) – These plants grow with low sunlight. Thus they are used for adornment of dark spaces. The important thing is that this plant needs lots of water, thus it is necessary to be watered often. The white blooms of these indoor plants are decorative. They ought to be fertilized at least 5-6 times a year.

Indoor Cactus Plants- There’s lots of varieties of cactus all across the world. It is a benefit that these plants need less amount of water so can be watered about 1-2 times a month. These plants are not necessary to be fertilized but they do require pesticides, fungicides, etc to be sprayed. They are susceptible to various plant diseases & insects. These plants may even be used as out door plantation if the temperature outside does not go below 30 degree F.

Sister in Laws tongue or (Sansevieria trifasciata) – This is also called as snake plant some times. This indoor plant is simple to grow & seldom needs any attention to be paid. Thus it may be used often for decorating an office where chances of ignorance is more. However, it does not grow well in freezing temperatures. It tolerates poor soil & can survive even if it is watered six times a month. But one ought to take care of its sharp fronds as they may poke through anybody’s skin.

There’s varieties of indoor plants. Though they are simple growing, one must pay attention to its watering, spraying pesticides, trimming & towards other things at least six times a week. Brown tips of the leaves may recommend over watering. The plants ought to be watered optimally. Less or more water than necessary may hamper the indoor plant. Before using the fertilizers & pesticides, one ought to make definite that they are applicable to the said plant. Every plant has its own physiology. Thus one cannot generalize the applications of fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides to all the plants. One can take advice of a horticulturist in such matters.

What Are Most Common Signs Of Bed Bug Infestation In The Home?

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:47 +0000

Blood is the primary diet of bed bugs, so humans are at risk of their bites. Bearing this in mind, you must be always on guard that these pests do not gain entry into your house. Nonetheless, there may have been moments when your preventive methods fail and bed bugs may have crept into your home without your knowledge.

You may wonder what the signs & symptoms of a bed bug infestation are. There are 2 common signs, and they are the following:

1. Rash From Bed Bugs

The rash starts with an itching feeling. The rash will not be visible but you’ll be able to feel the itch. It is itchier than a mosquito bite, and the itch can usually be sensed one hour after the bite. In some cases, the rash comes out only a few days or weeks later.

You can identify a bed bug rash when it has a small, round and red bump that looks more swollen than a mosquito rash. Sometimes, the rash looks similar to a bite mark in sequence. If you think you may have bed bug rash, a few days of examining it wouldn’t hurt. The rash causes long-term itching for days together. Also, a bed bug rash doesn’t heal as quickly as mosquito bites. Sometimes, they remain swollen for weeks.

2. Bed Bug Smell

Next thing to look for is bed bug odor. What smell do they give off?

A hotel where there’s a lot of bed bug infestation has an obnoxious, musty smell that bed bugs release. Under the mattresses and headboard are common places where they can be smelled. If your sofas have cracks, check if they’ve got bed bug odor. They are also sometimes infested with bed bugs.

You should call pest control professionals as soon as possible if you discover your house is invaded by bed bugs. After, you have to execute effective pest control measures to stop bed bugs from coming back.

Learn more about the most effective methods of eradicating termites and other pests from your homes or offices. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

Peptide Signaling in Pollen-Pistil Interactions

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:46 +0000

Plant fertilization is achieved through the involvement of various pollen–pistil interactions. Self-/non-self-recognition in pollination is important to avoid inbreeding, and directional and sustainable control of pollen tube growth is critical for the pollen tube to deliver male germ cells. Recently, various secreted peptides (polypeptides) have been reported to be involved in cell–cell communication of pollen–pistil interactions. These include determinants of self-incompatibility, factors for pollen germination and tube growth, and pollen tube attractants. Interestingly, many of them are cysteine-rich peptides/polypeptides (CRPs). In this review, I focus on the peptides involved in pollen–pistil interactions and discuss properties of peptide signaling in each step from pollination to fertilization.

Arabidopsis Chloroplastic Ascorbate Peroxidase Isoenzymes Play a Dual Role in Photoprotection and Gene Regulation under Photooxidative Stress

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:46 +0000

Though two types of chloroplastic ascorbate peroxidase (APX) located in the thylakoid membrane (tAPX) and stroma (sAPX) have been thought to be key regulators of intracellular levels of HO, their physiological significance in the response to photooxidative stress is still under discussion. Here we characterized single mutants lacking either tAPX (KO-tAPX) or sAPX (KO-sAPX). Under exposure to high light or treatment with methylviologen under light, HO and oxidized proteins accumulated to higher levels in both mutant plants than in the wild-type plants. On the other hand, the absence of sAPX and tAPX drastically suppressed the expression of HO-responsive genes under photooxidative stress. Interestingly, the most marked effect of photooxidative stress on the accumulation of HO and oxidized protein and gene expression was observed in the KO-tAPX plants rather than the KO-sAPX plants. The present findings suggest that both chloroplastic APXs, but particularly tAPX, are important for photoprotection and gene regulation under photooxidative stress in Arabidopsis leaves.

Inactivation of Duplicated Nod Factor Receptor 5 (NFR5) Genes in Recessive Loss-of-Function Non-Nodulation Mutants of Allotetraploid Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.)

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:46 +0000

Chemically induced non-nodulating nod139 and nn5 mutants of soybean (Glycine max) show no visible symptoms in response to rhizobial inoculation. Both exhibit recessive Mendelian inheritance suggesting loss of function. By allele determination and genetic complementation in nod139 and nn5, two highly related lipo-oligochitin LysM-type receptor kinase genes in Glycine max were cloned; they are presumed to be the critical nodulation-inducing (Nod) factor receptor similar to those of Lotus japonicus, pea and Medicago truncatula. These duplicated receptor genes were called GmNFR5 and GmNFR5β. Nonsense mutations in GmNFR5 and GmNFR5β were genetically complemented by both wild-type GmNFR5 and GmNFR5β in transgenic roots, indicating that both genes are functional. Both genes lack introns. In cultivar Williams82 GmNFR5 is located in chromosome 11 and in tandem with GmLYK7 (a related LysM receptor kinase gene), while GmNFR5β is in tandem with GmLYK4 in homologous chromosome 1, suggesting ancient synteny and regional segmental duplication. Both genes are wild type in G. soja CPI100070 and Harosoy63; however, a non-functional NFR5β allele (NFR5β*) was discovered in parental lines Bragg and Williams, which harbored an identical 1,407 bp retroelement-type insertion. This retroelement (GmRE-1) and related sequences are located in several soybean genome positions. Paradoxically, putatively unrelated soybean cultivars shared the same insertion, suggesting a smaller than anticipated genetic base in this crop. GmNFR5 but not GmNFR5β* was expressed in inoculated and uninoculated tap and lateral root portions at about 10–25% of GmATS1 (ATP synthase subunit 1), but not in trifoliate leaves and shoot tips.

Alternative Expression of Vacuolar Iron Transporter and Ferritin Genes Leads to Blue/Purple Coloration of Flowers in Tulip cv. ‘Murasakizuisho’

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:46 +0000

Flowers of tulip cv. ‘Murasakizuisho’ have a purple perianth except for the bottom region, which is blue in color even though it has the same anthocyanin, delphinidin 3-O-rutinoside, as the entire perianth. The development of the blue coloration in the perianth bottom is due to complexation by anthocyanin, flavonol and iron (Fe), as well as a vacuolar iron transporter, TgVit1. Although transient expression of TgVit1 in the purple cells led to a color change to light blue, the coloration of the transformed cells did not coincide with the dark blue color of the cells of the perianth bottom. We thought that another factor is required for the blue coloration of the cells of perianth bottom. To examine the effect of ferritin (FER), an Fe storage protein, on blue color development, we cloned an FER gene (TgFER1) and performed expression analyses. TgFER1 transcripts were found in the cells located in the upper region of the petals along with purple color development by anthocyanin and were not found in the blue cells of the perianth bottom. This gene expression is in contrast to that of TgVit1, expressed only in the cells of the perianth bottom. Co-expression of TgVIT1 and TgFER-RNAi, constructed for suppressing endogenous TgFER1 by RNA interference (RNAi), changed the purple petal cells to a dark blue color similar to that of the natural perianth bottom. These results strongly suggest that TgVit1 expression and TgFER1 suppression are critical for the development of blue color in the perianth bottom.

Selective Excitation of Photosystems in Chloroplasts Inside Plant Leaves Observed by Near-Infrared Laser-Based Fluorescence Spectral Microscopy

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:46 +0000

In this study, we produced selective images of photosystems in plant chloroplasts in situ. We used a spectroimaging microscope, equipped with a near-infrared (NIR) laser that provided light at wavelengths mainly between 800 and 830 nm, to analyze chlorophyll autofluorescence spectra and images from chloroplasts in leaves of Zea mays at room temperature. Femtosecond laser excitation of chloroplasts in mesophyll cells revealed a spectral shape that was attributable to PSII and its antenna in the centers of grana spots. We found that a continuous wave emitted by the NIR laser at a wavelength as long as 820 nm induced chlorophyll autofluorescence with a high contribution from PSI through a one-photon absorption mechanism. A spectral shape attributable to PSI and its antenna was thus obtained using continuous wave laser excitation of chloroplasts in bundle sheath cells. These highly pure spectra of photosystems were utilized for spectral decomposition at every intrachloroplast space to show distributions of PSI and PSII and their associated antenna. A new methodology using an NIR laser to detect the PSI/PSII ratio in single chloroplasts in leaves at room temperature is described.

Identification of growth insensitive to ABA3 (gia3), a Recessive Mutation Affecting ABA Signaling for the Control of Early Post-Germination Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:46 +0000

The stress phytohormone ABA inhibits the developmental transition taking the mature embryo in the dry seed towards a young seedling. ABA also induces the accumulation of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor ABA-insensitive 5 (ABI5) which, apart from blocking endosperm rupture, also protects the embryo by stimulating the expression of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) genes that conferred osmotolerance during seed maturation. It is unknown whether ABA recruits additional embryonic pathways to control early seedling growth and fitness. Here we identify gia3 (growth insensitive to ABA3), a recessive locus in Arabidopsis mediating cotyledon cellular maturation and ABA-dependent repression of cotyledon expansion and greening. Microarray studies showed that expression of the essential mid-embryogenesis gene Maternal Embryo Effect 26 (MEE26) is induced by ABA during early seedling growth in wild-type (WT) or abi5 plants but not in gia3 mutants. However, we also show that the GIA3 locus controls ABA-dependent gene expression responses that partially overlap with those controlled by ABI5. Thus, the gia3 locus identifies an additional arm of ABA signaling, distinct from that controlled by ABI5, which recruits MEE26 expression and maintains cotyledon embryonic identity. Fine mapping localized the gia3 locus within a 1 Mb interval of chromosome 3, containing a large DNA insertion of a duplicated region of chromosome 2. It remains unknown at present whether gia3 phenotypes are the result of single or multiple genetic alterations.

The bHLH Transcription Factor SPATULA Controls Final Leaf Size in Arabidopsis thaliana

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:46 +0000

Leaves possess intrinsic information about their final size, but the developmental mechanisms setting the limits of growth are not well characterized. By screening enhancer trap lines that show a specific expression pattern in leaf primordia, we isolated one line, 576. This line contains a T-DNA insertion upstream of the basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor SPATULA (SPT) gene, and shows expression in the basal region of young leaves, where cell proliferation is active. An spt loss-of-function mutation increased leaf size and total cell number within a leaf, while SPT overexpression decreased leaf size and total cell number within a leaf. Although spt mutations did not affect cell size, SPT overexpression decreased the cell size in fully expanded leaves. Genetic analysis suggested that SPT acts independently from another set of cell proliferation-dependent organ size regulators ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) and GROWTH REGULATING FACTOR5 (AtGRF5). Detailed analysis of spt leaf development showed that the spt mutation enlarged the size of the meristematic region in leaf primordia, while overexpression of AtGRF5 promoted cell proliferation without affecting the enlargement of the meristematic region. These results suggest that SPT functions as a repressor of leaf growth and that meristematic region size in young leaf primordia, in terms of proliferative cell number within leaf primordia, is another target of leaf size determination, which previously had not been identified.

Australian Gardeners

Australian Gardeners in Hello Magazine and The Daily Telegraph!

Ideal Indoor Plants Selection

What Are Most Common Signs Of Bed Bug Infestation In The Home?

Related Posts

Peptide Signaling in Pollen-Pistil Interactions

Arabidopsis Chloroplastic Ascorbate Peroxidase Isoenzymes Play a Dual Role in Photoprotection and Gene Regulation under Photooxidative Stress

Inactivation of Duplicated Nod Factor Receptor 5 (NFR5) Genes in Recessive Loss-of-Function Non-Nodulation Mutants of Allotetraploid Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.)

Alternative Expression of Vacuolar Iron Transporter and Ferritin Genes Leads to Blue/Purple Coloration of Flowers in Tulip cv. ‘Murasakizuisho’

Selective Excitation of Photosystems in Chloroplasts Inside Plant Leaves Observed by Near-Infrared Laser-Based Fluorescence Spectral Microscopy

Identification of growth insensitive to ABA3 (gia3), a Recessive Mutation Affecting ABA Signaling for the Control of Early Post-Germination Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

The bHLH Transcription Factor SPATULA Controls Final Leaf Size in Arabidopsis thaliana