This paper is the first published report describing micropropagation of Carlina onopordifolia, using shoot tip and hypocotyl explants. The explants were excised from 10-day-old seedlings and transferred to proliferation medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BA; 1.0 or 3.0 mg l-1), kinetin (Kn; 1.0 or 3.0 mg l-1) or zeatin (ZEA; 1.0 or 3.0 mg l-1) in combination with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; 0.1 mg l-1). The shoot tips were significantly better than hypocotyls as initial material for shoot regeneration. For shoot multiplication, MS medium supplemented with BA proved superior to the other cytokinins tested. Medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1 BA gave the highest shoot propagation frequency (66.9%) and number of shoots per explant (2.5). Single shoots were separated from each other and rooted on MS supplemented with IBA for the whole period of culture, with longor short-pulse IBA application. The highest rooting frequency (84.8%) and root number (18.8) were for shortpulse (1 min) 1000 mg l-1 IBA solution. The higher IBA concentration stimulated callus formation and the development of short roots. The shoots were transferred to MS medium without growth regulators. Survival was highest (54.4%) for the plants from the short-pulse 100 mg l-1 IBA treatment. After 8 weeks of acclimatization the plantlets were removed to field conditions and grew normally.

Roots of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. are among the most popular Chinese herbal medicines, exhibiting various beneficial activities which support immunity and stress resistance. The plant shows high intraspecific genetic variation. There is a need for effective vegetative propagation methods yielding high and sustainable quality. Here we report a micropropagation method using axillary shoot proliferation. Nodal segments from aseptically germinated plants were inoculated on modified MS media enriched with different concentrations of cytokinins: benzyladenine, kinetin (1, 4, 10 or 20 μM) or thidiazuron (1, 4 or 8 μM), with or without the auxin NAA (1 μM). Axillary bud break was initiated most efficiently on media with 1 or 4 μM BA and 1μM NAA. Shoot number increased markedly in subsequent cycles of harvesting and transfer to fresh 1 μM BA and NAA medium, leading to the maximum 69 shoots (mean 38.16±4.35) from a single nodal explant in the fourth harvest. The shoots were successfully (>98% efficiency) rooted in MS medium containing high sucrose (60 g/L) and 5 μM IAA, and acclimatized to soil cultivation with a survival rate of 90%. These results can be used to establish a simple and commercially viable protocol for mass propagation of C. pilosula for plantations or breeding.

Resistance genes in response to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) infection suppress one or more of several critical steps in nematode parasitism and their reproduction rate. The reaction of seven commercial tomato genotypes to M. javanica infection was investigated under greenhouse conditions. Current results classified these genotypes as: three resistant (Jampakt, Malika and Nema Guard), one moderately resistant (Fayrouz), and three susceptible (Castle Rock, Super Marmande and Super Strain B). Except Nema Guard, nematode infection significantly reduced plant height, fresh and dry weights of shoots of the other tomato genotypes. Leaf area was significantly reduced for all examined tomato genotypes except Malika and Nema Guard. Total chlorophyll was reduced in all tested tomato genotypes except Jampakt. Infection parameters of M. javanica and their population were significantly reduced on all nematode-resistant tomato genotypes compared to the susceptible genotypes. Also, the maturation rate of M. javanica was suppressed in the resistant genotypes compared to the susceptible genotypes. These results were confirmed by histological study that illustrated a delay in nematode development and their maturation. Total phenolic content significantly increased in nematode infected roots of both resistant and susceptible genotypes except Malika. Among non-infected roots, Malika showed the highest level of total phenols while after M. javanica infection, Nema Guard revealed the highest level of total phenols. Among infected roots, the highest level of total phenols was recorded in Castle Rock. These results suggested that using nematode-resistant tomato genotypes could provide an efficient and nonpolluting method to control root-knot nematodes.

The main issue of this article are eco-bridges, pedestrian-friendly imaginary sites (enclave) of greenery in urban tissues. Discussed cases include the implementations of projects such as: the High Line in New York and the Garden Bridge in London. The main theme of the article is to compare the green bridges in the urban tissue embedded with “living root bridges”. The author of the article highlights the potential limits for “living root bridges” in the urban tissue, resulting from the climate, time of their creation and limits of urban space. She also notes the strong tendency to create green areas in the “concrete” urban structure, but also the use of artificial materials in tissue of “living root bridges”.

In this article I will try to describe the lesson learnt by the corporations from the grass root movements in the cities. In the proposed analysis I will refer to the conception of recuperation and a soul of capitalism – by Luc Boltanski and Ève Chiapello. Besides it I will refer to the works of these authors who analyse the beginnings and the activism of the city grass-root movements in a context of critique of capitalism and neoliberal system.

Actinomycetes are considered to be the biggest producer of bioactive compounds which are expected to have antifungal activity for controlling many fungi such as Rhizoctonia solani. The objective of this study was to obtain potential soybean rhizosphere actinomycetes as a biocontrol agent for R. solani which cause damping-off disease both in vitro and in vivo, including their ability to produce siderophore, chitinase, and HCN. Out of 26 isolates, 18 (56%) showed diverse antifungal activities against R. solani with percentages of inhibition radial growth (PIRG) from 18.9 to 64.8%, as evaluated by a dual culture method. Ten isolates with the strongest antifungal activity were numbered for further characterization. All the tested isolates were not antagonistic towards Bradyrhizobium japonicum. These isolates were able to suppress damping-off disease caused by R. solani in the greenhouse experiment. Isolate ASR53 showed the highest disease suppression, 68% and 91% in sterile and non-sterile soil, respectively. Based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis this isolate belonged to Streptomyces violaceorubidus LMG 20319 (similarity 98.8%) according to GenBank data base available at www.ncbi.nlm.gov.nih. Furthermore, isolate ASR53 had significantly longer roots and shoots, as well as greater fresh and dry weights of seedlings than the control. Crude extract derived from ASR53 isolates contained 10 dominant compounds that were biologically active against fungal pathogens. Thus, this study suggests that the application of potential actinomycetes of the soybean rhizosphere can act as a promising biocontrol agent against damping-off disease caused by R. solani.

This publication begins a series of works devoted to the analysis of the semantic derivation of selected Proto-Slavic roots in Macedonian and Polish. The aim of this work is to capture the parallels and differences in the evolution of the two confronted – though rather distant – languages. We obtain Macedonian and Polish visualizations of the world.

Clethodim herbicide (Cle) and three Trichoderma strains (Tri) were applied either alone or in combination (Cle + Tri) for controlling weeds, root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne arenaria) and Rhizoctonia root rot disease (Rhizoctonia solani) as well as for evaluating their effects on total microbial count in the rhizosphere and the number of Rhizobium nodules on roots in two faba bean cultivars cultivated in naturally heavily infested fields. The evaluated characters were very similar for the two tested cultivars (Nubariya 1 and Sakha 3). Treatment with Cle alone highly reduced the fresh and dry matter of tested weeds (Amaranthus viridis, Cynodon dactylon and Cenchrus ciliaris), followed by Cle + Tri and Tri alone. Cle + Tri highly reduced nematode parameters viz. numbers of J2 in soil or roots, females, eggs, galls and egg-masses when compared with each treatment alone. Tri alone caused a great decrease in Rhizoctonia root rot infection, followed by Cle + Tri and Cle alone. Total microbial count and Rhizobium nodules were affected only with Cle treatment. Plant growth parameters (shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight and numbers of branches and leaves) and yield parameters (fresh pod and dry weight, seed number per pod, seed weight and ash pod weight of plant) were greatly improved for Cle + Tri treatments when compared with either Tri or Cle alone.

In the paper, maximal values x_e(τ) of the solutions x(t) of the linear differential equations excited by the Dirac delta function are determined. The analytical solutions of the equations and also the maximal positive values of these solutions are obtained. The analytical formulae enable the design of the system with prescribed properties. The complementary case to the earlier paper is presented. In an earlier paper it was assumed that the roots si are different, and now we consider the case when s₁ = s₂  = … = s_n.