Self-incompatibility in Spanish clones of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) tree
The present study is about some aspects of the reproduction physiology of twenty apricot clones ( Prunus armeniaca L.) grown in Abarán (Murcia, Spain). Self incompatibility of these clones was determined not only in field conditions in terms of the fruit set by means of self fertilization and free pollination, but also in laboratory conditions, by means of fluorescence microscopy of pollen germination on the stigma and of the growth of the pollen tube towards the egg. The only clone with signs of self incompatibility was ‘Moniquí Azaraque’. The clone with the lowest fertilization time was ‘Chicanos Archena’.
Pollination and the Timing of Fruit-set in Cucumbers1

Ovary stimulation in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Crusader) is accomplished rapidly after pollination. Increases in fruit growth are measurable within 24 hours. Experiments where styles were severed from ovaries at intervals after pollination indicate that the signal for ovary growth is received 12-18 hours after pollination. Histological examinations showed that at 12 hours pollen tubes have just penetrated beyond the base of the style into the ovary. Pollen tubes penetrated ovular tissue to accomplish fertilization 30-36 hours after pollination. This timing indicates that cucumber fruit-set is regulated by interactions between pollen tubes and pistillate tissue prior to syngamy.
Treatment of oily wastewater by organic–inorganic composite tubular ultrafiltration (UF) membranes
A tubular UF module equipped with polyvinylidene fluoride membranes modified by inorganic nano-sized alumina particles was used to purify oily wastewater from an oil field. The membrane water permeations of the UF process were analyzed. Retentions of chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon were more than 90% and 98%, respectively. The results indicate that after UF treatment, oil content was below 1 mg/L, suspended solids content was below 1 mg/L, and solid particle median diameters were less than 2 μm. The quality of the permeation water met the requirement by oilfield injection or drainage. Fouled membranes and washed membranes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, and fouled membranes were backwashed with different solutions. Results show that the addition of nanosized alumina particles improved membrane antifouling performance, and the flux recovery ratio of modified membranes reached 100% washing with 1 wt% of OP-10 surfactant solution (pH 10).