Plant genetics effectiveness

Colchiciae (23) is a toxic substance occurring ia Colchicum autumnale, it coataias the aucleus of pyrogaUol trimethyl ether. Colchiciae has beea used ia the treatmeat of acute gout, and ia plant genetics research to effect doubling of chromosomes. 

Colchicine is an important naturally occurring tropolone derivative. It is isolated from the autumn crocus and is used in medicine for the treatment of gout. It also has an effect on cell division and is used in plant genetic studies to cause doubling of chromosomes. The structure has been confirmed by total synthesis. 

There is extensive information on the effects of chemicals on the genetic systems of vascular plants. Genetic studies cover both cytogenetic effects and gene mutations, include data on more than 100 plant species, and span the history of chemical mutagenesis. In fact, one of the earliest reports of mutagenic effects of chemicals was on the induction of chromosomal aberrations in pi tints. 328 Since then, several hundred chemical and physical mutagens have been studied in plants. 

Mancozeb is toxic to some plants such as marigold at normal field application rates. Some genetic effects were seen in onion cells exposed to mancozeb. 

National patent offices act within the boundaries of the country they exist within and apply that country s patent law. Patent applicants may file applications directly with national patent offices in each country where patent protection is required. The decision of where to hie an application is generally based on the predicted potential markets for the invention. For example, a crop plant genetically modihed to be resistant to frost may only be marketable in countries with colder climates and with markets open to genetically modihed foods. Another consideration is the patentable subject matter allowed in each jurisdiction. For this product, an inventor can seek patent protection for a plant in the United States, but not Canada or Europe. The most cost-effective strategy for an invention that is only marketable in a small number of countries is to hie patent applications directly with individual national patent offices. 

Measurements of behavioral endpoints in honey bees should provide an effective assessment of hazards caused by crop protection chemicals especially when applied to melliferous plants. Under laboratory conditions, the conditioned proboscis extension (CPE) assay provides detectable sub-lethal effects due to pesticides, and also to gene products potentially used in plant genetic engineering (see other chapters of this book). Impairment in olfactory learning abilities have been shown for chemical concentrations at which no additional mortality occurred. Thus, the use of the CPE assay as a method to evaluate the potential effect on the honey bees foraging behavior can help to assess the toxicity of chemicals in a more comprehensive way than by considering the mortality endpoint alone. The CPE procedure can be used to compare responses to different chemicals (Table... 

The common and large variability in the composition of natural EOs poses dif culties for the evaluation and the safe and effective use of aromatic medicinal plants. Genetic variations lead to the occurrence of chemotypes, as in the case of Lippia alba (P. Mill.) N.E. Br. ex Britt. Wilson (Verbenaceae). Analyses revealed three monoterpenic chemotypes characterized by the prevalence of myrcene (1 and citral (1 in the chemotype I, limonene (14) and citral (16) in the chemotype II, and limonene (14) and carvone (17) in the chemotype III (Matos 1996). This species is known in Brazil as cidreira the aromatic tea from its leaves is traditionally used as a tranquilizer, being one of the most widely known homemade remedies. Pharmacological assays showed anxiolytic (Vale et al. 1999) and anticonvulsant (Viana et al. 2000) effects of EO samples from all three chemotypes. Anticonvulsive and sedative effects in mice were also demonstrated for the three isolated principal constituents ofL. alba oils limonene (14), myrcene (15), and citral (16) (Vale et al. 2002). 

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