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8 THE RURAL VOICE
Scrap Book
U. of G. researches cold -tolerant corn
A University of Guelph researcher
hopes to use the presence of specific
genes to identify corn plants that
naturally do well under the cold
temperatures that often occur in
Ontario during the seed filling
months.
Plant Agriculture Prof. Elizabeth
Lee is using molecular markers to
identify the specific genes that are
responsible for cold -tolerance. Once
those genes are identified, corn
varieties exhibiting the greatest cold -
tolerance characteristics can be
specifically selected for breeding.
Molecular marker technology
speeds the rate and efficiency of
breeding because once the genes of
interest are identified, experimental
plants can be screened for them
without being grown to full maturity
— a slow, time-consuming process.
Cold night temperatures late in the
growing season can substantially
hamper corn yields. Corn plants
decrease their photosynthesis activity
(using the sun's energy to convert into
energy that is deposited in the kernel
during the grain fill period) when
temperatures fall below 10 degrees
Celsius overnight. That's a problem in
Ontario, where a third of August
nights and two-thirds of September
nights, dip below this temperature.
Some commercial hybrids are sold
for short growing seasons and are
popular with Ontario corn producers.
Lee's goal is to identify the
chromosomal regions responsible for
cold tolerance in these hybrids so that
more inbred lines can be developed
with that trait in particular.
She is screening corn plant parents
that are either highly tolerant or
sensitive to cold temperatures by
growing them hydroponically at the
Cambridge Research Station. The
plants are placed in a freezer to
subject them to cold shock, and their
decrease in photosynthetic activity is
measured. So far Lee has found the
percentage of photosynthesis
reduction can vary significantly
among different corn hybrids exposed
to cold treatment for 16 hours.
Once screening is complete, parent
plants exhibiting cold tolerance will
be crossed to draw genetic linkage
maps for the cold tolerance trait. The
process will allow breeding of cold
tolerance lines without relying on
transgenics.
Lee suspects cold tolerance won't
be attributed to a single gene because
photosynthesis is a complex process
that depends on the activities of a
number of proteins and biological
systems.0
—Source: Agri food Research in
Ontario
Artificial 'nose' sniffs out spoiled produce
Spoiled fruits and vegetables may spoil in the refrigerator. As vegetables
not smell as sweet as perfume but an age, they give off volatile compounds
artificial "nose" used in the perfume at trace levels, which can be used to
industry is now being used to improve measure spoilage. The spoilage
the quality of produce. process can quickly cause problems in
The FOX3000 Electronic Nose both appearance and quality.
mimics the human nose by detecting Joseph Odumera of the University's
and identifying odour patterns. It's Laboratory Services and Robin
been used for five years now in the McKellar of Agriculture and Agrifood
perfume industry to verify uniformity Canada are trying the electronic nose
in batches of perfume. Now it's being on lettuce.
tested at the University of Guelph for "The potential of the electronic
its ability to detect micro-organisms nose to detect early signs of spoilage
that cause premature spoilage in means processors can select good -
vegetables. quality raw products," says Odumera.
Its target is volatile compounds — "This in turn could mean a longer shelf
compounds that are readily given off life for the final product."0
as a gas or vapour, which most people — Source: University of Guelph
have experienced when food products Research Magazine