Allelopathic and intraspecific growth competition effects establishment of direct sown Miscanthus

High yielding perennial crops are being developed as a sustainable feedstock for renewable energy and bioproducts. Miscanthus is a leading biomass crop, but most plantations comprise a sterile hybrid Miscanthus × giganteus that is clonally propagated. To develop new varieties across large areas, rhizome cloning is inefficient, time consuming and expensive. Alternative approaches use seed, and in temperate regions, this has been successfully applied by raising seedlings as plug plants in glasshouses before transfer to the field. Direct sowing has yet to be proven commercially viable because poor germination has resulted in inconsistent stand establishment. Oversowing using seed clusters is a common approach to improve the establishment of crops and it was hypothesized that such an approach will improve uniformity of density in early Miscanthus stands and thereby improve yield. Sowing multiple seeds creates potential for new interactions, and we identified at least two inhibitory mechanisms related to seed numbers. Germinating seed produced allelopathic effects on nearby seed thereby inhibiting plant growth. The inhibitory effect of Miscanthus seed on germination percentages was related to seed number within clusters. An extract from germinating Miscanthus seed inhibited the germination of Miscanthus seed. The extract was analysed by HPLC, which identified a complex mixture including several known allelopathic compounds including proanthocyanidins and vanillic acid. There was also evidence of root competition in soil in a controlled environment experiment. When the experiment on competition was replicated at field scale, the establishment rates were much lower and there was evidence of shoot competition. We conclude that the numbers of seed required to ensure an acceptable level of establishment in the field may be economically impractical until other agronomic techniques are included either to reduce the inhibitory effects of higher seed numbers or to reduce oversowing rates.     

Isolation of (2S,4R)-2-amino-4-methyl-hex-5-enoic acid,a nonprotein amino acid,as an allelochemical from the fruiting bodies of Boletus fraternus Peck.

The mushroom Boletus fraternus Peck. shows allelopathy and suppresses the growth of broad leaf plants in nature. According to a bioassay-guided fractionation of the fruiting body of the fungus, a rare nonprotein amino acid was isolated as a major allelochemical. The chemical structure of the compound was determined to be (2S,4R)-2-amino-4-methyl-hex-5-enoic acid (5-dehydrohomoleucine) by analysis of ¹H- and ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and comparison with data from the literature. The allelochemical caused 50% inhibition of lettuce seedling radicle growth at a concentration of 34 ppm (w/v). Further, since radicle growth was directed away from the filter paper to prevent contact with the allelochemical at concentrations higher than 300 ppm (w/v), the fungus may use the allelochemical to protect its immediate environment from contamination by other plants.     

紫茎泽兰提取物对3种杂草的化感胁迫作用

为探讨紫茎泽兰(Eupatorium adenophorum)提取物对植物种子萌发和早期幼苗生长的影响及其生理机理,以稗草(Echinochloa crusgalli)、灰绿藜(Chenopodium glaucum)和反枝苋(Amaranthus retroflexus)3种常见的田间杂草为材料,采用根悬空培养等方法,研究了不同浓度紫茎泽兰提取物对3种杂草种子萌发和幼苗生长、根尖组织结构、根系边缘细胞(root border cell,RBC)生理特性和根冠果胶甲基酯酶(pectin methyl esterase,PME)活性的影响。结果发现:紫茎泽兰提取物对3种植物种子萌发均具有明显的抑制作用;1000 mg/L紫茎泽兰提取物处理后,3种杂草幼苗的根尖均有不同程度的伤害,如根尖肿胀、抽缩或变形;根尖表层细胞脱落、内层细胞排列混乱。紫茎泽兰提取物处理能显著抑制3种杂草幼苗根尖RBC的数量(分别比对照降低了44.5%、48.3%和64.0%);诱导RBC凋亡(凋亡率分别达到81.7%、91.3%和97.1%)并显著增加RBC的黏胶层厚度(分别比对照增加了99.0%、65.5%和61.1%)及诱导PME活性升高。这些结果表明:紫茎泽兰提取物抑制了3种杂草根边缘细胞的产生,并诱导了根尖边缘细胞凋亡,因而破坏了根边缘细胞对根尖的保护系统,最终抑制了根系的生长发育。研究为将紫茎泽兰提取物用于植物源除草剂的开发提供了理论依据。     

水稻关键化感物质稻壳酮的研究综述

杂草给水稻(Oryza sativa)生产带来严重损失,利用水稻自身化感作用被认为是对环境友好的杂草控制方法。稻壳酮A和B是水稻抑制杂草的主要化感物质,其中稻壳酮B是至今发现最高效的天然除草剂之一,具有很好的应用潜力。稻壳酮B可以从水稻根系释放到土壤中抑制周围稗草等植物的种子萌芽和生长。稻壳酮B的浓度大于3 nmol·mL^-1时就能抑制水芹和莴苣的根和胚轴生长,同时稻壳酮A和B是水稻重要的植保素,可有效抑制水稻病原菌比如稻瘟病菌(Magnaporthe grisea)等。此外,稻瘟病菌感染可诱导水稻合成更多的稻壳酮。该文主要对国内外有关水稻化感物质稻壳酮的性质、分布状况、化感作用、生物合成途径、检测方法、人工合成方法和影响因素等方面的研究进行了综述。在此基础上进一步探讨稻壳酮研究过程中简捷检测方法、诱导因子和人工合成等问题。     

Toxicity of the aphid Aulacorthum magnoliae to the predator Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and genetic variance in the assimilation of the toxic aphids in H. axyridis larvae

Larvae of the ladybird Harmonia axyridis are reported to suffer high mortality when they are fed with the aphid Aulacorthum magnoliae associated with the elder Sambucus sieboldiana. In the present study we first examined whether aphid toxicity to H. axyridis was altered when the aphids were reared on different host plants, and second whether some ladybird families could adapt specially to the toxic aphids. Ladybird larvae from each egg batch were divided into two groups; one group was fed with A. magnoliae reared on potato, and the other group was fed with A. magnoliae reared on elder. The ladybird larvae fed with elder aphids suffered significantly higher mortality and grew more slowly than did larvae fed with potato aphids. This result indicates that A. magnoliae aphids absorbed toxic substances or their precursors from S. sieboldiana. We suggest that host association of A. magnoliae with the primary host plant S. sieboldiana has been maintained because of the advantage of deterring predation. Significant and positive correlation was detected across H. axyridis sib families between the mean weight of larvae fed with elder aphids and the mean weight of larvae fed with potato aphids. The hypothesis that some ladybird families adapt specially to the toxic aphids was not supported. However, the available evidence showed that a large amount of genetic variance in performance is maintained in a wild population of the ladybird H. axyridis.     

杀虫药剂和植物次生性物质对棉铃虫羧酸酯酶的诱导作用

棉铃虫Helzcoverpa armigera中肠羧酸酯酶(CarEs)比活力随幼虫发育阶段呈有规律的变化。5日龄以前CarEs比活力增长比较缓慢,5日龄以后Cares比活力快速增长,8日龄开始CarEs比活力下降,直到预蛹期,CarEs比活力又开始上升。用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分离到的9条同功酶带中,E2、E4、E5、E6、E7和E9对β-乙酸萘酯(β-NA)的水解活性高于对a—乙酸萘酯(a-NA),E1、E3、和E8对上述两种底物的水解活性正好相反,对a-NA活性高于对β-NA。低剂量的对硫磷、马拉硫磷、倍硫磷、增效磷(SVl)、灭多威和溴氰菊酯对棉铃虫中肠CarEs比活力和对底物的亲和力具有明显的影响。药剂处理后48 h,Cares的比活力明显降低,对底物的亲和力则与药剂的种类有关。马拉硫磷处理后48h,在观察到的6条主要同功酶带中,E3的活性明显降低,其次是E6、E2和E1;而E5的活性则明显升高,斟的活性也有所升高。用含0.01%的芸香苷、2-十三烷酮和槲皮素的人工饲料饲养棉铃虫经2代或7代后,CarEs比活力均明显升高。     

2-3H-Benzoxazolinone (BOA) induces loss of salt tolerance in salt-adapted plants

In order to test the stress hypothesis of allelopathy of Reigosa et al. (1999, 2002) , the combined action of a well-established allelochemical compound (2-3 H -benzoxazolinone, BOA) and a common abiotic stress (salt stress) were investigated in lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.). In a previous study ( Baerson et al. 2005 ), we demonstrated that the primary effects of BOA are related to the expression of genes involved in detoxification and stress responses, which might serve to simultaneously alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses. Through analysis of the same physiological and biochemical parameters previously studied for BOA alone ( Sánchez-Moreiras & Reigosa 2005 ), we observed specific effects of salt stress alone, as well as for the two stresses together (BOA and salt). This paper demonstrates that plants showing tolerance to salt stress (reduced stomatal density, increased proline content, higher K⁺ concentration, etc .) become salt sensitive (markedly low Ψw values, high putrescine content, increased lipid peroxidation, etc .) when simultaneously treated with the allelochemical BOA. We also report additional information on the mechanisms of action of BOA, and general stress responses in this plant species.     

Second and third trophic level effects of differences in plant species reflect dietary specialisation of herbivores and their endoparasitoids

In natural populations, plants demonstrate an array of indirect and direct defence strategies that help to protect them from their herbivores and pathogens. Indirect defences include the release of odours that attract the natural enemies of herbivores, whereas direct defences may include the production of secondary compounds, allelochemicals that impair herbivore development or repel herbivore attack. Although both strategies have been well studied independently, comparatively little attention has been paid to examining the conflict that may arise between indirect and direct defences, such as when the performance of ‘recruited’ parasitoids or predators is negatively affected by plant allelochemicals. Here, we examine the growth and development of polyphagous and oligophagous folivores and their respective endoparasitoids on three crucifer species. One of the species, Brassica oleracea, was recently cultivated, whereas populations of B. nigra and Barbarea vulgaris occur naturally. Additionally, these species possess contrasting life‐history patterns and are also known to exhibit differences in secondary chemistry. The development of the generalist herbivore–parasitoid system was much more variable over the three crucifers than that exhibited by the specialists. Moreover, generalist herbivore and/or parasitoid fitness‐related traits (survival, development time, pupal, or adult size) were much more negatively affected on the wild crucifers than in the specialist association. Our results suggest that the relative importance of direct and indirect defences in plants may rest on the degree of dietary specialisation exhibited by herbivores and their natural enemies, and on the level of toxicity in the plant species under investigation.     

Power and heat measurement by direct calorimetry of individual insect response to allelo- and toxic compounds

A microcalorimeter was constructed for the individual insect in order to measure the insect's power output as a function of time (the thermogram). The instrument has a figure of merit of 7 μW/μV. It includes a Peltier pumped thermoelectric control loop which protects from intruding ambient thermals, and holds baseline drift to less than 2 μV/day. The design is a conventional twin, or differential heat conduction calorimeter, with two insect-holding vessels of glass. The vessels are connected by a stopcock, to give the insect the option of crawling from the sample chamber to the reference chamber. Continuous, metered air flow is provided. A small pulse of compound may be born in, as vapor with the air flow, for the study of attractants, toxic compounds, anesthetics and allelochemicals. The insect's reaction to such compounds, appears in the thermogram. Cabbage looper larvae were examined in their irritative exothermic reaction to microgram amounts of benzene, and in their neutral behavior toward similar amounts of aliphatic hydrocarbons delivered as a single pulse of vapor. The male northern corn rootworm was monitored in his attraction to female rootworm extract (‘pheromone’) and his tendency to move upwind, or up airflow, toward the pheromone. The instrument enables discrimination of the transient metabolism of muscle use, from that of the resting state power which is probably the true basal metabolic rate power.     

Free and glucosylated phenolics, phenol β-glucosyltransferase activity and membrane permeability in cucumber roots affected by derivatives of cinnamic and benzoic acids

Seven-day-old seedlings of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Wisconsin were treated with 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5 mM solutions of derivatives of cinnamic acid (ferulic and p-coumaric acids) and benzoic acid (p-hydroxybenzoic and vanillic acids) as stress factors. In cucumber roots phenolics (free and glucosylated), phenol β-glucosyltransferase (E.C. 2.4.1.35) activity as well as membrane permeability were examined. The most intensive glucosylation took place in the first hour of stress duration in roots treated with 0.01 mM ferulic and p-coumaric acids and with 0.01 and 0.1 mM p-hydroxybenzoic and vanillic acids. At these concentrations a high phenol β-glucosyltransferase activity was found. The deterioration of capacity for phenolic glucosylation as well as the decrease of the phenol β-glucosyltransferase was observed at the higher concentrations. It was associated with increased membrane permeability.