Wild relatives are a potential source of genetic diversity to lentil {Lens culinaris Medik). The objective of this research was to obtain viable interspecific hybrids between the domesticated lentil and its wild relatives.The paper details the results of a number of interspecific crosses among L. culinaris, L. orientalis, L. odemensis, L. ervoides and L. nigricans. Viable hybrids were produced between L. culinaris x L. orientalis, L. culinaris x L. nigricans, L. culinaris x L. ervoides and between L. culinaris x L. odemensis. Further viable hybrids were obtained between L. culinaris and L. ervoides, which have the potential to be a 'bridge' in hybridization to L. culinaris for specific L. nicrigans lines which proved recalcitrant in L. culinaris x L. nigricans crosses. This is the first time that four wild species of lentils have been used successfully in hybridization with cultivated lentils, and viable hybrids produced. This paper also suggests that the artificial supplement of GA, hormone is needed after fertilization for the normal growth ofthe hybrid embryo, possibly as the natural GA, production is restricted with alien pollinations in cultivated lentils in both F, and backcross hybrids.

Early investigations on the productivity of intertidal seaweeds found that, unlike some seaweeds, members of the genus Porphyra, a Rhodophyte, could tolerate physical stressors such as ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) both during immersion and when exposed to air. Increased stress tolerance was thought to be due to an unknown mechanism that operated at the thylakoid level. As recent research has shown that polyamines (PAs), bound to the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts, play a critical role in protecting the photosynthetic apparatus from high-light and UV damage in both higher plants and in unicellular algae, we investigated PA metabolism in Porphyra cinnamomea exposed to UV-B. Our results show that PA biosynthesis was significantly upregulated in P. cinnamomea in response to UV-B, with the greatest proportional increases being in bound soluble putrescine (PUT), which increased by over 200%, in bound soluble spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) which both increased by more than 150% and in bound insoluble SPM which increased by more than 120%. As PAs can be synthesised from ornithine via ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) or from arginine via arginine decarboxylase (ADC) we investigated the pathway via which polyamines were synthesised in P. cinnamomea. While exposure to UV-B caused increases in the activities of both ADC and ODC, the increase in ADC activity was 10 fold greater than that of ODC, suggesting that the ADC pathway was the principle route by which PA levels increased in response to UV-B. Mechanisms of PA mediated UV-B protection are discussed.

Seed proteins of cultivated lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris), its wild relatives-L. culinaris ssp. orientalis, L. odemensis, L. ervoides, L. nigricans, and their interspecific hybrids were analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Protein bands were scored for presence or absence and genetic distances were calculated and utilised for split decomposition analysis. Similarity matrix analyses were also carried out. Results show that L. culinaris ssp. orientalis and L. odemensis are probably the wild progenitors of cultivated lentil.

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