Adventitious shoot formation from leaf explants of Rhododendron
A protocol for high frequency adventitious shoot regeneration adventitious shoot regeneration from leaf explants of Rhododendron spp. has been developed. The highest percentage of regeneration and the greatest number of shoots were obtained when leaf explants were cultured on Anderson's medium containing 4.9 μM IBA and 73.8 μM 2iP. Genotypic variation was observed for adventitious shoot regeneration potential among the seven cultivars tested. Regeneration frequencies ranged from 0 to 96%. ‘Lodestar’ had the highest rate of regeneration after 3 months of culture with 96% shoot regeneration and an average of 14 shoots per explant. Regenerated shoots were rooted in soil in about 2 months. This protocol should be useful in applying gene transfer techniques to Rhododendron improvement.
Aseptic micropropagation of Rhododendron P.J.M. hybrids
SummaryShoot tips established in vitro better than single nodes. Five-cm shoot tips gave better Stage I results than 2-cm shoot tips. The best microshoot proliferation rates were obtained with isopentenyladenine (2iP) at 5 and 10 mg l−1; tetrahydropyranyl-benzyladenine was ineffective. Microshoots rooted well, regardless of the level of 2iP in the Stage II medium. Stem-cutting-macropropagated plants generally were more variable in height, had less basal branching and were more erect than plants from microculture.
Contractor Failure: Analysis
The possibility exists for any construction contractor to fail to filfill the contract requirements associated with a facility. Contractor failure occurs when a contractor is unable to perform his/her contractual duties, thus requiring the facility owner to invoke the contract's nonperformance clause. This paper provides aggregate contractor business failure statistics and outlines potential causes for failure. A framework to identify and quantify the associated costs is also introduced. Several case studies are presented to examine the cause and cost of failure and the means by which the facilities were completed. Alternatives available for project completion when contractor failure occurs are discussed. Recommendations to identify and monitor contractors at high risk for failure are outlined as well. This paper provides facility owners with a greater awareness of the possibility of contractor failure, how to quantify costs of contractor failure, and avoidance techniques.