Quantifying and Modeling the Influence of Temperature on Growth and Reproductive Development of Sesame

Ambient temperatures are major factors regulating the growth rates, yields, and geographical distribution of crop species. The cultivation of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is expanding with the rising demand in regions where it is not traditionally grown, and sub-optimal yields due to extremely low or high temperatures could occur. Currently literature lacks information on the temperature responses of sesame growth. An experiment was conducted to quantify the effects of different temperatures on vegetative growth and reproductive development of sesame, and to estimate its cardinal temperature limits (T_opt; T_min; T_max). Plants were subjected to six different day/night temperature treatments of 40/32, 36/28, 32/24, 28/20, and 20/12 °C using walk-in growth chambers. Vegetative growth of sesame was sensitive to low temperatures (<?15 °C), but tolerant of high temperatures. The cardinal temperature limits of 15.7 °C (T_min), 27.3 °C (T_opt), and 44.6 °C (T_max) were observed for rate of biomass accumulation. Sesame reached the flowering stage under moderate to high temperature conditions; however, reproductive yields progressively declined above 25 °C, and no seed yields were obtained beyond 33 °C. The estimated temperature limits could be employed to develop crop models for simulating management and adaptation strategies of sesame under current and future climate scenarios, and adaptation to regions where the crop is not currently grown. Future research should focus on understanding factors controlling the temperature tolerance of reproductive development in sesame, to provide a broader geographical adaptation.

     

Thermoascus aurantiacus is a promising source of enzymes for biomass deconstruction under thermophilic conditions

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Thermophilic fungi have attracted increased interest for their ability to secrete enzymes that deconstruct biomass at high temperatures. However, development of thermophilic fungi as enzyme producers for biomass deconstruction has not been thoroughly investigated. Comparing the enzymatic activities of thermophilic fungal strains that grow on targeted biomass feedstocks has the potential to identify promising candidates for strain development. Thielavia terrestris and Thermoascus aurantiacus were chosen for characterization based on literature precedents. RESULTS: Thermoascus aurantiacus and Thielavia terrestris were cultivated on various biomass substrates and culture supernatants assayed for glycoside hydrolase activities. Supernatants from both cultures possessed comparable glycoside hydrolase activities when incubated with artificial biomass substrates. In contrast, saccharifications of crystalline cellulose and ionic liquid-pretreated switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) revealed that T. aurantiacus enzymes released more glucose than T. terrestris enzymes over a range of protein mass loadings and temperatures. Temperature-dependent saccharifications demonstrated that the T. aurantiacus proteins retained higher levels of activity compared to a commercial enzyme mixture sold by Novozymes, Cellic CTec2, at elevated temperatures. Enzymes secreted by T. aurantiacus released glucose at similar protein loadings to CTec2 on dilute acid, ammonia fiber expansion, or ionic liquid pretreated switchgrass. Proteomic analysis of the T. aurantiacus culture supernatant revealed dominant glycoside hydrolases from families 5, 7, 10, and 61, proteins that are key enzymes in commercial cocktails. CONCLUSIONS: T. aurantiacus produces a complement of secreted proteins capable of higher levels of saccharification of pretreated switchgrass than T. terrestris enzymes. The T. aurantiacus enzymatic cocktail performs at the same level as commercially available enzymatic cocktail for biomass deconstruction, without strain development or genetic modifications. Therefore, T. aurantiacus provides an excellent platform to develop a thermophilic fungal system for enzyme production for the conversion of biomass to biofuels.     

Phospholipid Fatty Acid Composition and Heavy Metal Tolerance of Soil Microbial Communities along Two Heavy Metal-Polluted Gradients in Coniferous Forests

The effects of long-term heavy metal deposition on microbial community structure and the level of bacterial community tolerance were studied along two different gradients in Scandinavian coniferous forest soils. One was near the Harjavalta smelter in Finland, and one was at Ronnskar in Sweden. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis revealed a gradual change in soil microbial communities along both pollution gradients, and most of the individual PLFAs changed similarly to metal pollution at both sites. The relative quantities of the PLFAs br18:0, br17:0, i16:0, and i16:1 increased with increasing heavy metal concentration, while those of 20:4 and 18:2(omega)6, which is a predominant PLFA in many fungi, decreased. The fungal part of the microbial biomass was found to be more sensitive to heavy metals. This resulted in a decreased fungal/bacterial biomass ratio along the pollution gradient towards the smelters. The thymidine incorporation technique was used to study the heavy metal tolerance of the bacteria. The bacterial community at the Harjavalta smelter, exposed mainly to Cu deposition, exhibited an increased tolerance to Cu but not to Cd, Ni, and Zn. At the Ronnskar smelter the deposition consisting of a mixture of metals increased the bacterial community tolerance to all tested metals. Both the PLFA pattern and the bacterial community tolerance were affected at lower soil metal concentrations than were bacterial counts and bacterial activities. At Harjavalta the increased Cu tolerance of the bacteria and the change in the PLFA pattern of the microbial community were found at the same soil Cu concentrations. This indicated that the altered PLFA pattern was at least partly due to an altered, more metal-tolerant bacterial community. At Ronnskar, where the PLFA data varied more, a correlation between bacterial community tolerance and an altered PLFA pattern was found up to 10 to 15 km from the smelter. Farther away changes in the PLFA pattern could not be explained by an increased community tolerance to metals.     

Phosphorus Effects on the Mycelium and Storage Structures of an Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus as Studied in the Soil and Roots by Analysis of Fatty Acid Signatures

The distribution of an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus between soil and roots, and between mycelial and storage structures, was studied by use of the fatty acid signature 16:1(omega)5. Increasing the soil phosphorus level resulted in a decrease in the level of the fatty acid 16:1(omega)5 in the soil and roots. A similar decrease was detected by microscopic measurements of root colonization and of the length of AM fungal hyphae in the soil. The fatty acid 16:1(omega)5 was estimated from two types of lipids, phospholipids and neutral lipids, which mainly represent membrane lipids and storage lipids, respectively. The numbers of spores of the AM fungus formed in the soil correlated most closely with neutral lipid fatty acid 16:1(omega)5, whereas the hyphal length in the soil correlated most closely with phospholipid fatty acid 16:1(omega)5. The fungal neutral lipid/phospholipid ratio in the extraradical mycelium was positively correlated with the level of root infection and thus decreased with increasing applications of P. The neutral lipid/phospholipid ratio indicated that at high P levels, less carbon was allocated to storage structures. At all levels of P applied, the major part of the AM fungus was found to be present outside the roots, as estimated from phospholipid fatty acid 16:1(omega)5. The ratio of extraradical biomass/intraradical biomass was not affected by the application of P, except for a decrease at the highest level of P applied.     

Development of Metal Tolerance in Soil Bacterial Communities Exposed to Experimentally Increased Metal Levels

The development of metal tolerance in soil bacterial communities exposed to different heavy metals was examined under laboratory conditions. An agricultural soil amended with different Zn concentrations was studied most intensively, and measurements were made over a 28-month incubation period by means of the thymidine incorporation technique. Tolerance levels were not affected by metal concentrations lower than 2 mmol of Zn kg (dry weight) of soil(sup-1), but above this value, the level of Zn tolerance increased exponentially with the logarithm of the soil Zn concentration. An increased metal tolerance was detected after only 2 days of Zn exposure. Thereafter, stable tolerance values were observed at different sampling times for bacterial communities exposed to up to 8 mmol of Zn kg (dry weight)(sup-1), indicating no changes in tolerance with time. The tolerance of bacterial communities exposed to 32 mmol of Zn kg (dry weight)(sup-1) increased rapidly within the second week of incubation, but then the values remained unchanged until the end of the experiment. Bacterial communities from soil contaminated with 16 mmol of Zn kg (dry weight)(sup-1) showed an increase of the same magnitude, but the increase started later, after 4 months of incubation, and took place for a much longer period (more than 1 year). Cd, Cu, and Ni addition also resulted in metal-tolerant communities, and the level of tolerance increased with prolonged incubations of the soils. The bacterial community at the end of the incubation period also exhibited a lower pH optimum and an increased tolerance to low osmotic potential. The results suggest that the increase in metal tolerance of the community after adding metals can be attributed to an immediate effect due to the death of sensitive species and a later effect due to different competitive abilities and adaptation of surviving bacteria.