Phytoalexin induction and its chemosystematic significance in the genus Trigonella

Using the drop-diffusate technique, a number of isoflavonoid phytoalexins have been obtained from the excised, fungus-inoculated leaflets of 41 species belonging to the legume genus Trigonella. Leaf diffusates variously contained pterocarpan (medicarpin and maackiain) and isoflavan (vestitol and sativan) derivatives previously associated with genera closely allied to Trigonella. In diffusates from T. calliceras, medicarpin was accompanied by a phytoalexin (designated TC-1) provisionally identified as a new hydroxylated pterocarpan. Most of the Trigonella species were also examined for their ability to release coumarin upon tissue maceration. The combined phytoalexin/coumarin data suggest that three major intrageneric chemical divisions occur in Trigonella; two of these apparently link the genus to Medicado/Factorovskya and Melilotus respectively, whilst the third provides some evidence for a connection with Trifolium. The taxonomic aspects of these findings are discussed in the light of earlier morphological studies which provided evidence for a distinct floral dichotomy amongst Trigonella species.