Abstract: A vaccine produced in edible plant and/or animal products, as well as a method of second-generation vaccine development through the production of at least one complete structure of a pathogen in a transgenic plant or animal is described. Preferably, the present invention enables the production of virus-like particles in edible food plants, through the co-expression of a plurality of proteins and/or of a plurality of portions of such proteins. The co-expression of viral structural proteins should enhance the immunogenicity of the transgenic antigen by providing all elements necessary to induce a protective immune response. In one variation of the method the immune response to the transgenic vaccine would be induced by presenting the transgenic proteins as part of an edible plant structure, utilizing this to stimulate the mucosal immune system. Alternatively, the vaccine produced in transgenic plant/animal products could be purified and used as an immunogen in other vaccination strategies.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of F.sub.1 hybrid seeds in cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The present invention relates to a method wherein the pollen-parent bears only male flowers and thus lacks the capability to bear fruits. The method comprises planting the hybrid seed production field with a mixture of seed-parent and pollen-parent seeds and harvesting the desired F.sub.1 hybrid cucumber seeds from the thus produced fruit on the seed parent.This invention also relates to hybrid seed produced by the methods of this invention, the hybrid cucumber plant produced from the hybrid cucumber seed, and variants, modifications, and mutants thereof.

Abstract: Heavy elements such as Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu and Cr constitute health hazards and are sources for environmental pollution. These elements should therefore be removed from industrial effluents. Biomass of Cladosporium cladosporioides (Fresen.) de Vries. Acc. No. 285712 is readily produced by culture in either standard fungal medium or on media composed of food-industry wastes: whey and distillery slop. The thus produced fungal biomass efficiently removes heavy elements from liquid solutions. Removal is achieved from fluids containing single heavy elements as well as from fluids containing two or more such elements. The removal of Cr can be vastly improved by Pb pretreatment of the biomass. Elements absorbed by Cladosporium cladosporioides Acc. No. 285712 are quantitatively removable providing an effluent-cleaning system which is renewable.