Over-expression of DXS gene enhances terpenoidal secondary metabolite accumulation in rose-scented geranium and Withania somnifera: active involvement of plastid isoprenogenic pathway in their biosynthesis.

Rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium spp.) is one of the most important aromatic plants and is well known for its diverse perfumery uses. Its economic importance is due to presence of fragrance rich essential oil in its foliage. The essential oil is a mixture of various volatile phytochemicals which are mainly terpenes (isoprenoids) in nature. In this study, on the geranium foliage genes related to isoprenoid biosynthesis (DXS, DXR and HMGR) were isolated, cloned and confirmed by sequencing. Further, the first gene of 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (GrDXS), was made full length by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends strategy. GrDXS contained a 2157 bp open reading frame that encoded a polypeptide of 792 amino acids having calculated molecular weight 77.5 kDa. This study is first report on heterologous expression and kinetic characterization of any gene from this economically important plant. Expression analysis of these genes was performed in different tissues as well as at different developmental stages of leaves. In response to external elicitors, such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, light and wounding, all the three genes showed differential expression profiles. Further GrDXS was over expressed in the homologous (rose-scented geranium) as well as in heterologous (Withania somnifera) plant systems through genetic transformation approach. The over-expression of GrDXS led to enhanced secondary metabolites production (i.e. essential oil in rose-scented geranium and withanolides in W. somnifera). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing the expression profile of the three genes related to isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways operated in rose-scented geranium as well as functional characterization study of any gene from rose-scented geranium through a genetic transformation system.

[Physiological differences between HPS/PHI over-expressing transgenic and wild-type geraniums under formaldehyde stress revealed by FTIR analysis].

In the present study, FTIR was used to analyze changes in chemical component contents and spectra characters of 3-hexulose-6-phosphate synthase/6-phosphate-3-hexuloisomerase (HPS/PHI) over-expressing transgenic and wild-type (WT) geraniums under formaldehyde (HCHO) stress to examine if FTIR could be a new method for identification of phenotypic differences between the transgenic plants with a photosynthetic HCHO-assimilation pathway and the WT plants. The WT and transgenic geranium plants were treated with 4 mmol x L(-1) HCHO for 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 days, respectively. The comparison of FTIR spectral characteristics at different time points between the transgenic and WT plants indicated that the contents of carbohydrate, proteins and aliphatic compounds were significantly higher than those in the WT plants after 4 days of HCHO-treatment. This may be due to installation of the photosynthetic HCHO-assimilation pathway in the transgenic geranium, which enhanced its ability to metabolize and assimilate HCHO, thus allowed more HCHO to be fixed to 6-phosphate fructose, and then entered assimilation pathways for synthesis of a variety of intracellular components. The results suggest that FTIR can be a new method to identify the phenotypic differences between transgenic plants with a photosynthetic HCHO-assimilation pathway and WT plants.

Invasive knotweed affects native plants through allelopathy.

PREMISE OF STUDY: There is increasing evidence that many plant invaders interfere with native plants through allelopathy. This allelopathic interference may be a key mechanism of plant invasiveness. One of the most aggressive current plant invaders is the clonal knotweed hybrid Fallopia × bohemica, which often forms monocultures in its introduced range. Preliminary results from laboratory studies suggest that allelopathy could play a role in this invasion. METHODS: We grew experimental communities of European plants together with F. × bohemica. We used activated carbon to test for allelopathic effects, and we combined this with single or repeated removal of Fallopia shoots to examine how mechanical control can reduce the species' impact. KEY RESULTS: Addition of activated carbon to the soil significantly reduced the suppressive effect of undamaged F. × bohemica on native forbs. The magnitude of this effect was similar to that of regular cutting of Fallopia shoots. Regular cutting of Fallopia shoots efficiently inhibited the growth of rhizomes, together with their apparent allelopathic effects. CONCLUSIONS: The ecological impact of F. × bohemica on native forbs is not just a result of competition for shared resources, but it also appears to have a large allelopathic component. Still, regular mechnical control successfully eliminated allelopathic effects. Therefore, allelopathy will create an additional challenge to knotweed management and ecological restoration only if the allelochemicals are found to persist in the soil. More research is needed to examine the mechanisms underlying Fallopia allelopathy, and the long-term effects of soil residues.

Changes in leaf water relations, gas exchange, growth and flowering quality in potted geranium plants irrigated with different water regimes.

Geranium plants are an important part of urban green areas but suffer from drought, especially when grown in containers with a limited volume of medium. In this experiment, we examined the response of potted geraniums to different irrigation levels. Geranium (Pelargoniumxhortorum L.) seedlings were grown in a growth chamber and exposed to three irrigation treatments, whereby the plants were irrigated to container capacity (control), 60% of the control (moderate deficit irrigation, MDI), or 40% of the control (severe deficit irrigation, SDI). Deficit irrigation was maintained for 2 months, and then all the plants were exposed to a recovery period of 112 month. Exposure to drought induced a decrease in shoot dry weight and leaf area and an increase in the root/shoot ratio. Height and plant width were significantly inhibited by the SDI, while flower color parameters were not affected by deficit treatment. The number of wilting and yellow leaves increased, coinciding with the increase in the number of inflorescences and open flowers. Deficit irrigation led to a leaf water potential of about -0.8MPa at midday, which could have caused an important decrease in stomatal conductance, affecting the photosynthetic rate (Pn). Chlorophyll fluorescence (Fvm) values of 0.80 in all treatments throughout the experiment demonstrate the lack of drought-induced damage to PSII photochemistry. Pressure-volume analysis revealed low osmotic adjustment values of 0.2MPa in the SDI treatment, accompanied by increases in the bulk tissue elastic modulus (epsilon, wall rigidity) and resulting in turgor loss at lower leaf water potential values (-1.38MPa compared with -1.0MPa for the control). Leaf water potential values throughout the experiment below those for Psitlp were not found at any sampling time. By the end of the recovery period, the leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis had recovered. We infer from these results that moderate deficit irrigation in geranium reduced the consumption of water, while maintaining the good overall quality of plants. However, when SDI was applied, a reduction in the number of flowers per plant was observed.

Modeling effects of herbicide drift on the competitive interactions between weeds.

Herbicides may drift onto road verges or natural areas adjacent to arable fields and affect nontarget plants. The effect of low doses of mecoprop-P on the competitive interactions and plant community dynamics was investigated in a model system using Capsella bursa-pastoris and Geranium dissectum as test plants. Dose-response experiments on single species showed that compared to G. dissectum, C. bursa-pastoris was more affected by mecoprop-P. Consequently, we expected that G. dissectum would outcompete C. bursa-pastoris when mecoprop-P was applied at a low dose in the competition experiment. Indeed, mecoprop-P had a significant effect on the interspecific competitive ability of both C. bursa-pastoris and G. dissectum. Our previous expectation, however, was not met: The interspecific competitive ability of both species increased significantly with the dose of the herbicide, and it was predicted that C. bursa-pastoris and G. dissectum are more likely to coexist in natural habitats with low concentrations of the herbicide compared to natural habitats with relatively high concentrations. The results from the dose-response experiments on the single species and the more laborious competition experiment approach, which is assumed to mimic the dynamics of plant communities more closely, show considerable discrepancies even though the experiments were performed at the same time and in the same greenhouse. This finding generally reduces the credibility of using single-species tests in ecological risk assessment of herbicide use.