Induction of systemic acquired resistance in cotton by BTH has a negligible effect on phytophagous insects

Whether or not chemical changes in plants in response to pests (insects and pathogens) are general or specific remains unclear. Some evidence indicates that an induced response (IR) to arthropods via the octadecanoid pathway represents a distinct mechanism from the salicylic acid-based pathway of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) to pathogens. To further test this hypothesis, young cotton seedlings were activated with benzo (1,2,3) thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid (S) methyl ester (BTH), an elicitor of SAR. The enzymatic activities of a number of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins in young and old leaves of control and BTH treated plants were measured. BTH applications elicited marked increases in the activity levels of chitinase, peroxidase, and -1,3-glucanase both locally and systemically. The highest levels of induction were detected systemically in young leaves. Except for some local effects on whitefly oviposition, the induction of SAR by BTH had no effect on either host preference of whiteflies Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) or on feeding efficiency of cotton bollworms Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). We conclude that SAR induction via the salicylic acid pathway in Acala cotton has negligible effect on the tested insect herbivores.     

Effect of geminivirus infection and Bemisia infestation on accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins in tomato

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B, has been shown to cause pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins to accumulate in plants as a result of direct feeding, but their specific role in plant defensive systems is unclear. Our objective was to compare accumulation of tomato PR proteins (beta-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, peroxidase, P2 and P4) in response to whitefly, with or without tomato mottle virus (ToMoV) infection. Tomato PR protein response was measured over time in plants divided into three treatments: uninfected controls (with or without whiteflies) and plants infested with viruliferous (ToMoV) whiteflies. Five- to six-leaf plants were infested with approximately 5 adult whitefly per leaf. Plants were sampled prior to whitefly infestation and at 14, 28, 42, and 56 days. By 56 days, plants infested with viruliferous whiteflies had significantly more eggs (2.5-fold) and nymphs (4.5-fold) than plants with nonviruliferous whiteflies. A significant increase in the enzymatic activity of all measured PR proteins, as compared to control plants, was only seen in viruliferous whitefly-infested plants. No significant difference was observed in enzyme activities between the uninfected control plants either with or without whiteflies. The greatest differences for all PR proteins assayed were observed 42 days after treatment initiation. Protein blot analyses showed that the differences in PR protein activities among the treatments were due to changes in specific enzyme levels within the plant and were associated with concomitant increases in levels of P2 and P4 PR proteins. Under our experimental conditions, it is clear that PR protein response is much more intense when it is attacked by whiteflies carrying ToMoV than by whitefly alone.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) embryo axes and the development of transgenic plants

Transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) plants have been produced using an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system. Zygotic embryo axes from mature seed were cocultured with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA101 harboring a binary vector that contained the genes for the scorable marker B-glucuronidase (GUS) and the selectable marker neomycin phosphotransferase II. Nine percent of the germinated seedlings were GUS+. Polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that GUS+ shoots and T₁ progeny contained T-DNA. Molecular characterization of one primary transformant and its T₁ and T₂ progeny plants established that T-DNA was integrated into the host genome.