Elimination of Phytoplasmas in Rubus Mother Plants by Tissue Culture Coupled with Heat Therapy.

Phytoplasmas are plant-pathogenic bacteria that cause a disease in Rubus species which is referred to as Rubus stunt. As phytoplasmas can be spread by vegetative propagation and latency periods of Rubus stunt can be up to one year, the use of pathogen-free Rubus propagation material in plant nurseries is important in order to stop the spread of this disease. Even though heat therapy has been commonly applied against viruses in many plants, its potential for phytoplasma eradication has been much less explored. Here, the efficacy of heat therapy with subsequent tissue culture to eliminate phytoplasmas from infected raspberry and blackberry plants is evaluated. Heat therapy was performed on 25 phytoplasma-infected raspberry and 33 infected blackberry plants, out of which 100 raspberry and 65 blackberry plants were regenerated via subsequent tissue culture. All plants were negative for the presence of phytoplasma DNA by qPCR at the end of cultivation periods of 481 to 565 days for the treated raspberry plants and 231 to 337 days for the treated blackberry plants. These results show the suitability of heat therapy combined with tissue culture as a routine tool to ensure the presence of phytoplasma-free Rubus mother plants in nurseries.

Concentration of hinokinin, phenolic acids and flavonols in leaves and stems of Hydrocotyle leucocephala is differently influenced by PAR and ecologically relevant UV-B level.

We examined the effects of ambient, non-stressing ultraviolet (UV)-B (280-315nm) level combined with different intensities of photosynthetic active radiation (PAR, 400-700nm) on the accumulation of the lignan (-)-hinokinin, in leaves and stems of Hydrocotyle leucocephala. Plants were exposed in sun simulators under almost natural irradiance and climatic conditions to one of four light regimes, i.e. two PAR intensities (906 and 516µmolm(-2)s(-1)) including or excluding UV-B radiation (0 and 0.4Wm(-2)). Besides hinokinin, we identified three chlorogenic acid isomers, one other phenolic acid, 12 quercetin, and five kaempferol derivatives in the H. leucocephala extracts. Hinokinin was most abundant in the stems, and its accumulation was slightly enhanced under UV-B exposure. We therefore assume that hinokinin contributes to cell wall stabilization and consequently to a higher resistance of the plant to environmental factors. Quercetin derivatives increasingly accumulated under UV-B and high PAR exposure at the expense of kaempferols and chlorogenic acids, which was apparently related to its ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species. In general, the concentration of the constituents depended on the plant organ, the leaf age, the light regimes, and the duration of exposure. The distribution pattern of the compounds within the examined organs was not influenced by the treatments. Based on the chemical composition of the extracts a principal component analysis (PCA) enabled a clear separation of the plant organs and harvesting dates. Younger leaves mostly contained higher phenylpropanoid concentrations than older leaves. Nevertheless, more pronounced effects of the light regimes were detected in older leaves. As assessed, in many cases the individual compounds responded differently to the PAR/UV-B combinations, even within the same phenylpropanoid class. Since this is the first report on the influence of light conditions on the accumulation of lignans in herbaceous plants, it opens many perspectives for a more precise elucidation of all involved biochemical and molecular processes.

Methylerythritol and mevalonate pathway contributions to biosynthesis of mono-, sesqui-, and diterpenes in glandular trichomes and leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

The biosynthesis of the diterpenoid steviol glycosides rebaudioside A and stevioside in nonrooted cuttings of Stevia rebaudiana was investigated by feeding experiments using the labeled key precursors [5,5-(2)H2]-mevalonic acid lactone (d2-MVL) and [5,5-(2)H2]-1-deoxy-d-xylulose (d2-DOX). Labeled glycosides were extracted from the leaves and stems and were directly analyzed by LC-(-ESI)-MS/MS and by GC-MS after hydrolysis and derivatization of the resulting isosteviol to the corresponding TMS-ester. Additionally, the incorporation of the proffered d2-MVL and d2-DOX into volatile monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes in glandular trichomes on leaves and stems was investigated by headspace-solid phase microextraction-GC-MS (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Incorporation of the labeled precursors indicated that diterpenes in leaves and monoterpenes and diterpenes in glandular trichomes are predominately biosynthesized via the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, whereas both the MEP and mevalonate (MVA) pathways contribute to the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes at equal rates in glandular trichomes. These findings give evidence for a transport of MEP pathway derived farnesyl diphosphate precursors from plastids to the cytosol. Contrarily, the transport of MVA pathway derived geranyl diphosphate and geranylgeranyl diphosphate precursors from the cytosol to the plastid is limited.

Centelloside accumulation in leaves of Centella asiatica is determined by resource partitioning between primary and secondary metabolism while influenced by supply levels of either nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium.

In the present study we aimed to investigate the relevance of either N, P or K supply for herb and leaf yield and for centelloside concentrations in Centella asiatica L. Urban leaves. In this regard, we elucidated the causal relationship between assimilation rate, leaf N, P and K concentrations, herb and leaf production, and centelloside accumulation. The experiments were conducted consecutively in a greenhouse where C. asiatica was grown in hydroponic culture and fertigated with nutrient solutions at either 0, 30, 60, 100 or 150% of the N, P or K amount in a standard Hoagland solution. In general, the increase in N, P or K supply enhanced assimilation rate and herb and leaf yield. However, exceeding specific thresholds, the high availability of one single nutrient caused lower leaf N concentrations and a decline in assimilation rate and plant growth. Irrespective of N, P and K supply, the leaf centelloside concentrations were negatively associated with herb and leaf yield, which is in accordance with the assumptions of the carbon/nutrient balance and the growth differentiation balance hypotheses. Moreover, we found strong negative correlations between saponins and leaf N concentrations, while the respective sapogenins were negatively correlated with K concentrations. Using C. asiatica as model system, our experiments reveal for the first time that the accumulation of saponins and sapogenins is affected by resource allocation between primary and secondary metabolism and that besides carbon, also nutrient availability is relevant for the regulation of the centelloside synthesis. Finally, our results highlight the huge potential of optimized and carefully controlled mineral nutrition of medicinal plants for steering the bio-production of high-quality natural products.

Ecologically relevant UV-B dose combined with high PAR intensity distinctly affect plant growth and accumulation of secondary metabolites in leaves of Centella asiatica L. Urban.

We investigated the effects of environmentally relevant dose of ultraviolet (UV)-B and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) on saponin accumulation in leaves on the example of Centella asiatica L. Urban. For this purpose, plants were exposed to one of four light regimes i.e., two PAR intensities with or without UV-B radiation. The experiment was conducted in technically complex sun simulators under almost natural irradiance and climatic conditions. As observed, UV-B radiation increased herb and leaf production as well as the content of epidermal flavonols, which was monitored by non-destructive fluorescence measurements. Specific fluorescence indices also indicate an increase in the content of anthocyanins under high PAR; this increase was likewise observed for the saponin concentrations. In contrast, UV-B radiation had no distinct effects on saponin and sapogenin concentrations. Our findings suggest that besides flavonoids, also saponins were accumulated under high PAR protecting the plant from oxidative damage. Furthermore, glycosylation of sapogenins seems to be important either for the protective function and/or for compartmentalization of the compounds. Moreover, our study revealed that younger leaves contain higher amounts of saponins, while in older leaves the sapogenins were the most abundant constituents. Concluding, our results proof that ambient dose of UV-B and high PAR intensity distinctly affect the accumulation of flavonoids and saponins, enabling the plant tissue to adapt to the light conditions.