Microbial communities associated with resin canal discoloration in mango fruit.

Resin canal discoloration (RCD) severely impacts the fruit quality of mango, diminishes consumer confidence, and reduces sales, but the biological cause is still unclear. Using next-generation sequencing, the overall microbial community composition of RCD+ and visually healthy mango fruits was determined for the first time to examine the possible role of bacterial and fungal pathogens in RCD. The diversity profile of bacterial and fungal communities was determined using primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions. Results showed that bacterial communities in healthy fruits are clustered together and significantly different from those in RCD+ fruits. Tatumella and Pantoea species were the most abundant bacterial taxa on RCD+ fruit, and both have been linked to disease outbreaks in a variety of fruit crops. Fungal communities were generally similar between RCD+ and normal samples, though non-pathogenic yeasts Meyerozyma and Naganishia tended to dominate the fungal communities on RCD+ fruit. The study indicates that bacteria rather than fungal organisms are more likely to be associated with RCD in mango. This finding will facilitate the isolation and confirmation of RCD-causing organisms and the development of control strategies to manage RCD problem in mango.

Enzymatic Investigation of Spongospora subterranea Zoospore Attachment to Roots of Potato Cultivars Resistant or Susceptible to Powdery Scab Disease.

For potato crops, host resistance is currently the most effective and sustainable tool to manage diseases caused by the plasmodiophorid Spongospora subterranea. Arguably, zoospore root attachment is the most critical phase of infection; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. This study investigated the potential role of root-surface cell-wall polysaccharides and proteins in cultivars resistant/susceptible to zoospore attachment. We first compared the effects of enzymatic removal of root cell-wall proteins, N-linked glycans and polysaccharides on S. subterranea attachment. Subsequent analysis of peptides released by trypsin shaving (TS) of root segments identified 262 proteins that were differentially abundant between cultivars. These were enriched in root-surface-derived peptides but also included intracellular proteins, e.g., proteins associated with glutathione metabolism and lignin biosynthesis, which were more abundant in the resistant cultivar. Comparison with whole-root proteomic analysis of the same cultivars identified 226 proteins specific to the TS dataset, of which 188 were significantly different. Among these, the pathogen-defence-related cell-wall protein stem 28 kDa glycoprotein and two major latex proteins were significantly less abundant in the resistant cultivar. A further major latex protein was reduced in the resistant cultivar in both the TS and whole-root datasets. In contrast, three glutathione S-transferase proteins were more abundant in the resistant cultivar (TS-specific), while the protein glucan endo-1,3-beta-glucosidase was increased in both datasets. These results imply a particular role for major latex proteins and glucan endo-1,3-beta-glucosidase in regulating zoospore binding to potato roots and susceptibility to S. subterranea.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Potato Roots from Resistant and Susceptible Cultivars to Spongospora subterranea Zoospore Root Attachment In Vitro.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) exhibits broad variations in cultivar resistance to tuber and root infections by the soilborne, obligate biotrophic pathogen Spongospora subterranea. Host resistance has been recognised as an important approach in potato disease management, whereas zoospore root attachment has been identified as an effective indicator for the host resistance to Spongospora root infection. However, the mechanism of host resistance to zoospore root attachment is currently not well understood. To identify the potential basis for host resistance to S. subterranea at the molecular level, twelve potato cultivars differing in host resistance to zoospore root attachment were used for comparative proteomic analysis. In total, 3723 proteins were quantified from root samples across the twelve cultivars using a data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry approach. Statistical analysis identified 454 proteins that were significantly more abundant in the resistant cultivars; 626 proteins were more abundant in the susceptible cultivars. In resistant cultivars, functional annotation of the proteomic data indicated that Gene Ontology terms related to the oxidative stress and metabolic processes were significantly over-represented. KEGG pathway analysis identified that the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway was associated with the resistant cultivars, suggesting the potential role of lignin biosynthesis in the host resistance to S. subterranea. Several enzymes involved in pectin biosynthesis and remodelling, such as pectinesterase and pectin acetylesterase, were more abundant in the resistant cultivars. Further investigation of the potential role of root cell wall pectin revealed that the pectinase treatment of roots resulted in a significant reduction in zoospore root attachment in both resistant and susceptible cultivars. This study provides a comprehensive proteome-level overview of resistance to S. subterranea zoospore root attachment across twelve potato cultivars and has identified a potential role for cell wall pectin in regulating zoospore root attachment.

Effect of peroxyacetic acid treatment and bruising on the bacterial community and shelf-life of baby spinach.

The importance of leaf integrity, i.e. the effects of bruising (mechanical damage), and sanitisation with peroxyacetic acid (PAA) on bacterial communities of ready-to-eat baby spinach remains unclear. Two shelf-life studies were conducted at 4 °C to investigate the effect of bruising and sanitisation on the growth of spoilage microorganisms. In the first experiment, both bruising treatments (100% and 40% of leaves) halved shelf life to 12 d, whereas intact leaves had a shelf-life of 23 d. Bruising had no influence on bacterial diversity during shelf-life, though some differences in the relative abundance of minor genera were observed. Pseudomonas and Pantoea were the most dominant bacterial genera, regardless of bruising treatment. High throughput amplicon sequencing also identified other spoilage bacteria including Chryseobacterium, Stenotrophomonas, Bacillus, Sphingobacterium, Erwinia and Flavobacterium. In the second experiment, washing of intact baby spinach with a sanitiser (80 mg/L: PAA) reduced microbial load as determined by aerobic plate count but did not immediately affect the presence/relative abundance of most of the genera of spoilage bacteria observed. During shelf-life, the bacterial diversity of sanitised leaves was significantly lower than on water-washed leaves. Although sanitisation resulted in a higher initial log reduction in microbial load compared to control (portable tap water), sanitisation did not extend the shelf life of baby spinach (23 d). Sanitised spinach had reduced bacterial diversity however, by the end of shelf life, both sanitised and water-washed spinach was dominated by Pseudomonas and Pantoea spoilage bacteria. This study demonstrated for the first time that the shorter shelf life of bruised leaves was related to faster microbial growth rather than changes in bacterial diversity or community composition.

Effect of Storage Conditions on Shelf Stability of Undiluted Neutral Electrolyzed Water.

ABSTRACT: Neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) is an oxidizing sanitizer that can be made locally on-site; it is often stored in a ready-to-use format to accumulate the large volumes required for periodic or seasonal use. The shelf stability of NEW sanitizer was, therefore, assessed under various storage conditions to guide the development of protocols for its industrial application. To that end, fresh NEW with an available chlorine concentration (ACC) of 480 mg/L, pH 6.96, and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of 916 mV was stored under different conditions. These were open or sealed polypropylene bottles, three different surface area-to-volume (SA:V) ratios (0.9, 1.7, and 8.7), and two temperatures (4 and 25°C). NEW stored at 4°C was significantly more stable than NEW stored at 25°C; ACC and pH decreased by 137 mg/L and 0.7, respectively, whereas ORP increased by 23 mV, after 101 days of storage. At 25°C, ACC decreased to <0.01 mg/L after 52 days in bottles with a SA:V ratio of 8.7, with a similar decrease after 101 days in bottles with a SA:V ratio of 1.7. However, pH decreased by up to 3.7 pH units, and ORP increased by up to 208 mV. The antimicrobial efficacy of "aged" electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water with different ACC and ORP, but the same pH (i.e., 3.4 ± 0.2), was evaluated against Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua to determine any differences in residual antimicrobial activity. EO water with an ACC of ≥7 mg/L and an ORP of 1,094 mV caused a reduction of at least 4.7 log, whereas EO water with nondetectable ACC and considerably high ORP (716 mV) had little antimicrobial effect (<1-log reduction). Results from this study indicate that the efficacy of NEW as a sanitizer for large-scale applications such as horticulture can be maintained for at least 3 months when it is stored in closed containers with low SA:V ratio at low temperatures.

Quantifying risk factors associated with light-induced potato tuber greening in retail stores.

Light conditions in retail stores may contribute to potato greening. In this study, we aimed to develop a potato tuber greening risk rating model for retail stores based on light quality and intensity parameters. This was achieved by firstly exposing three potato varieties (Nicola, Maranca and Kennebec) to seven specific light wavelengths (370, 420, 450, 530, 630, 660 and 735 nm) to determine the tuber greening propensity. Detailed light quality and intensity measurements from 25 retail stores were then combined with the greening propensity data to develop a tuber greening risk rating model. Our study showed that maximum greening occurred under blue light (450 nm), while 53%, 65% and 75% less occurred under green (530 nm), red (660 nm) and orange (630 nm) light, respectively. Greening risk, which varied between stores, was found to be related to light intensity level, and partially explained potato stock loss in stores. Our results from this study suggested that other in-store management practices, including lighting duration, average potato turnover, and light protection during non-retail periods, likely influence tuber greening risk.

Prediction of starch reserves in intact and ground grapevine cane wood tissues using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) technology can be a powerful analytical technique for the assessment of plant starch, but generally samples need to be freeze-dried and ground. This study investigated the feasibility of using NIRS technology to quantify starch concentration in ground and intact grapevine cane wood samples (with or without the bark layer). A partial least squares regression was used on the sample spectral data and was compared against starch analysis using a conventional wet chemistry method. RESULTS: Accurate calibration models were obtained for the ground cane wood samples (n = 220), one based on 17 factors (R2 = 0.88, root mean square error of validation (RMSEV) of 0.73 mg g-1 ) and the other based on 10 factors (R2 = 0.85, RMSEV of 0.80 mg g-1 ). In contrast, the prediction of starch within intact cane wood samples was very low (R2 = 0.19). Removal of the cane bark tissues did not substantially improve the accuracy of the model (R2 = 0.34). Despite these poor correlations and low ratio of prediction to deviation values of 1.08-1.24, the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) values were 0.75-0.86 mg g-1 , indicating good predictability of the model. CONCLUSIONS: As indicated by low RMSECV values, NIRS technology has the potential to monitor grapevine starch reserves in intact cane wood samples. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Suberin deposition in potato periderm: a novel resistance mechanism against tuber greening.

Light-induced tuber greening is one of the most important quality defects of potato. Although varietal and maturity factors are known to affect greening resistance, physiological mechanisms of resistance are poorly understood. We proposed that physiological and biochemical factors within the tuber periderm provide resistance and hypothesised that resistance is primarily related to suberin content. We investigated differences in the tuber periderm between genotypes and tuber maturities that varied in greening propensity. We examined suberin and light-induced pigment accumulation, and phellem cell development and studied greening propensity in mutant and chemically treated tubers with enhanced suberisation. Resistance to greening was strongly linked to increased suberin in the periderm, which varied with variety and tuber maturity. Furthermore, greening was reduced in mutant and chemically treated tubers with enhanced suberisation. Increases in phellem cell layers and light-induced carotenoids and anthocyanins were identified as secondary resistance factors. Our work represents the first physiological mechanism of varietal and tuber maturity resistance to greening, expanding the known functionality of suberin and providing for the first time a biomarker that will aid producers and breeders in selection and improvement of potato varieties for greening resistance.

Innovative processes and technologies for modified atmosphere packaging of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology has been commercially viable since the 1970s. Currently, MAP is extensively used worldwide to preserve the quality and extend the shelf-life of whole fresh fruits and vegetables, but is also increasingly used to extend the shelf-life of minimally processed fresh fruit and vegetables. This review discusses new processes and technologies that can be used to improve quality preservation and consumer acceptability of minimally processed produce where high respiration rates and challenging degradation processes operate. New packaging innovations are enabling producers and retailers to further maintain quality for longer. Innovative approaches to extend shelf-life include active MAP with differentially permeable films, films that incorporate antimicrobial properties, edible coatings that confer barriers properties, and the use of non-traditional gases to modify respiration. Intelligent packaging using integrated sensor technologies that can indicate maturity, ripeness, respiration rate and spoilage are also appearing. This review demonstrates that preservation technologies and associated packaging developments that can be combined with modified atmosphere are constantly evolving technology platforms. Adoption of combinations of technology improvements will be critical in responding to commercial trends towards more minimally processed fresh-cut and ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products, which require specialized packaging solutions.

Evaluating relative contribution of osmotolerance and tissue tolerance mechanisms toward salinity stress tolerance in three Brassica species.

Three different species of Brassica, with differential salt sensitivity were used to understand physiological mechanisms of salt tolerance operating in these species and to evaluate the relative contribution of different strategies to cope with salt load. Brassica napus was the most tolerant species in terms of the overall performance, with Brassica juncea and Brassica oleracea being much more sensitive to salt stress with no obvious difference between them. While prominent reduction in net CO2 assimilation was observed in both sensitive species, physiological mechanisms beyond this reduction differed strongly. Brassica juncea plants possessed high osmotolerance and were able to maintain high transpiration rate but showed a significant reduction in leaf chlorophyll content and efficiency of leaf photochemistry. On the contrary, B. oleracea plants possessed the highest (among the three species) tissue tolerance but showed a very significant stomatal limitation of photosynthesis. Electrophysiological experiments revealed that the high tissue tolerance in B. oleracea was related to the ability of leaf mesophyll cells to maintain highly negative membrane potential in the presence of high apoplastic Na(+) . In addition to high osmotolerance, the most tolerant B. napus showed also lesser accumulation of toxic Na(+) and Cl(-) in the leaf, possessed moderate tissue tolerance and had a superior K(+) retention ability. Taken together, the results from this study indicate that the three Brassica species employ very different mechanisms to cope with salinity and, despite its overall sensitivity to salinity, B. oleracea could be recommended as a valuable 'donor' of tissue tolerance genes to confer this trait for marker-assisted breeding programs.

Whole-plant versus leaf-level regulation of photosynthetic responses after partial defoliation in Eucalyptus globulus saplings.

Increases in photosynthetic capacity (A1500) after defoliation have been attributed to changes in leaf-level biochemistry, water, and/or nutrient status. The hypothesis that transient photosynthetic responses to partial defoliation are regulated by whole-plant (e.g. source-sink relationships or changes in hydraulic conductance) rather than leaf-level mechanisms is tested here. Temporal variation in leaf-level gas exchange, chemistry, whole-plant soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance (KP), and aboveground biomass partitioning were determined to evaluate mechanisms responsible for increases in A1500 of Eucalyptus globulus L. potted saplings. A1500 increased in response to debudding (B), partial defoliation (D), and combined B&D treatments by up to 36% at 5 weeks after treatment. Changes in leaf-level factors partly explained increases in A1500 of B and B&D treatments but not for D treatment. By week 5, saplings in B, B&D, and D treatments had similar leaf-specific KP to control trees by maintaining lower midday water potentials and higher transpiration rate per leaf area. Whole-plant source:sink ratios correlated strongly with A1500. Further, unlike KP, temporal changes in source:sink ratios tracked well with those observed for A1500. The results indicate that increases in A1500 after partial defoliation treatments were largely driven by an increased demand for assimilate by developing sinks rather than improvements in whole-plant water relations and changes in leaf-level factors. Three carbohydrates, galactional, stachyose, and, to a lesser extent, raffinose, correlated strongly with photosynthetic capacity, indicating that these sugars may function as signalling molecules in the regulation of longer term defoliation-induced gas exchange responses.

Ecophysiological responses of a young blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) plantation to weed control.

Early weed control may improve the growth of forest plantations by influencing soil water and nutrient availability. To understand eucalypt growth responses to weed control, we examined the temporal responses of leaf gas-exchange, leaf nitrogen concentration (N) and water status of 7-month-old Eucalyptus globulus L. trees in a paired-plot field trial. In addition, we monitored the growth, leaf N and water status of the competing vegetation in the weed treatment. By the end of the 11-month experiment, complete weed control (WF treatment) of largely woody competitors increased the basal diameter of E. globulus by 14%. As indicated by pre-dawn water potentials of > - 0.05 MPa, interspecies competition for water resources was minimal at this site. In contrast, competition for N appeared to be the major factor limiting growth. Estimations of total plot leaf N (g m(-2) ground) showed that competing vegetation accounted for up to 70% of the total leaf N at the start of the trial. This value fell to 15% by the end of the trial. Despite increased leaf N(area) in WF trees 5 months after imposition of weed control, the photosynthetic capacity (A(1500)) of E. globulus was unaffected by treatment suggesting that the growth gains from weed control were largely unrelated to changes in leaf-level photosynthesis. Increased nutrient availability brought about by weed control enabled trees to increase investment into leaf-area production. Estimates of whole-tree carbon budget based on direct measurements of dark respiration and A(1500) allowed us to clearly demonstrate the importance of leaf area driving greater productivity following early weed control in a nutrient-limited site.

Consequences of resource limitation for recovery from repeated defoliation in Eucalyptus globulus Labilladière.

Recovery following defoliation can be modified by co-occurring site resource limitations. The growth response of young Eucalyptus globulus saplings to two defoliation events was examined in an experimental plantation with combinations of low (-) or high (+) water (W) and nitrogen (N) resources. Artificial defoliation was applied at 3 and 9 months of age to remove ~40 and 55% of leaf area in the upper crown, respectively. At 18 months of age, height, stem diameter and leaf area were not significantly different between control and defoliated saplings, across all resource treatments. However, stem volume, bark volume and branch number were significantly increased in defoliated saplings, including a significant interaction with resource treatment. Total above-ground biomass of saplings in response to defoliation was significantly higher (almost double) than controls for the low water (N + W-) treatment only. Significantly increased foliar starch content (and a trend for increased soluble sugars) in the upper crown zone was found in the defoliated saplings of the N + W- treatment compared with the upper zone of control saplings. Foliar total non-structural carbohydrates were significantly correlated to stem biomass regardless of resource treatment or defoliation, and we suggest that foliar resources are most important for stem growth in E. globulus rather than stored carbon (C) from other tissues. After repeated defoliation and several months recovery, E. globulus saplings were generally not C limited in this study.

Photosynthetic responses of field-grown Pinus radiata trees to artificial and aphid-induced defoliation.

The phloem-feeding aphid Essigella californica represents a potential threat to the productivity of Pinus radiata plantations in south-eastern Australia. Five- and nine-year-old field trials were used to characterize the effects of artificial and natural aphid-induced (E. californica) defoliation, respectively, on shoot photosynthesis and growth. Photosynthetic capacity (A(max)) was significantly greater following a 25% (D25) (13.8 µmol m(-2) s(-1)) and a 50% (D50) (15.9 µmol m(-2) s(-1)) single-event upper-crown artificial defoliation, 3 weeks after defoliation than in undefoliated control trees (12.9 µmol m(-2) s(-1)). This response was consistently observed for up to 11 weeks after the defoliation event; by Week 16, there was no difference in A(max) between control and defoliated trees. In the D50 treatment, this increased A(max) was not sufficient to fully compensate for the foliage loss as evidenced by the reduced diameter increment (by 15%) in defoliated trees 36 weeks after defoliation. In contrast, diameter increment of trees in the D25 treatment was unaffected by defoliation. The A(max) of trees experiencing upper-crown defoliation by natural and repeated E. californica infestations varied, depending on host genotype. Despite clear differences in defoliation levels between resistant and susceptible genotypes (17 vs. 35% of tree crown defoliated, respectively), growth of susceptible genotypes was not significantly different from that of resistant genotypes. The observed increases in A(max) in the lower crown of the canopy following attack suggested that susceptible genotypes were able to partly compensate for the loss of foliage by compensatory photosynthesis. The capacity of P. radiata to regulate photosynthesis in response to natural aphid-induced defoliation provides evidence that the impact of E. californica attack on stem growth will be less than expected, at least for up to 35% defoliation.

Stable and extreme resistance to common scab of potato obtained through somatic cell selection.

Somatic cell selection with thaxtomin A as a positive selection agent was used to isolate variants of potato cv. Russet Burbank with strong to extreme resistance to common scab. Glasshouse and field trials identified 51 variants with significantly reduced disease incidence (frequency of infected tubers) and severity (tuber lesion coverage) compared with the parent cultivar. The most promising variants exhibited extreme disease resistance, rarely showing lesions, which were invariably superficial and shallower than those on the parent. Resistance traits were consistently expressed both in 10 glasshouse and two field trials at different locations, with varied inoculum and disease pressure. Disease-resistant variants differed in their response to thaxtomin A in tuber slice bioassays. Of 23 variants tested, 10 showed reduced thaxtomin A susceptibility, with the remaining 13 responding similar to that of the parent. Thus, toxin tolerance was not the only factor responsible for observed disease resistance; however, four of the five most disease-resistant variants had enhanced thaxtomin A tolerance, suggesting that this factor is important in the expression of strong disease resistance. Pathogenicity and toxin tolerance remained stable over a 6-year period, demonstrating that selected phenotypes were robust and genetic changes stable. The majority of disease-resistant variants had tuber yields equivalent to the parent cultivar in glasshouse trials. This suggests that selection for disease resistance was not associated with negative tuber attributes and that certain variants may have commercial merit, worthy of further agronomic testing.

Induced resistance to pests and pathogens in trees.

Tree resistance can be enhanced by a variety of biotic and abiotic inducers, including nonpathogenic and pathogenic microbes, and herbivores, resulting in enhanced protection against further biotic injury. Induced resistance (IR) could be a valuable tool in sustainable pest management. IR has been actively studied in herbaceous plant species, and, in recent years, in woody plant species, and is fast emerging as an intriguing, eco-friendly concept for enhancing tree resistance. However, before application of IR becomes possible, there is a need to increase our knowledge of the mechanisms of defence in forest trees. A richer understanding of these phenomena will play a critical role in developing sustainable integrated pest management strategies. This review summarizes our current knowledge of IR in forest trees, focusing on inducible defence mechanisms, systemic induction of resistance and phytohormone signalling networks. We conclude by discussing the potential advantages and limitations of applying IR-based management tools in forest systems.

Role of corticular photosynthesis following defoliation in Eucalyptus globulus.

Defoliation can reduce net fixation of atmospheric CO(2) by the canopy, but increase the intensity and duration of photosynthetically active radiation on stems. Stem CO(2) flux and leaf gas exchange in young Eucalyptus globulus seedlings were measured to assess the impact of defoliation on these processes and to determine the potential contribution of re-fixation by photosynthetic inner bark in offsetting the effects of defoliation in a woody species. Pot and field trials examined how artificial defoliation of the canopy affected the photosynthetic characteristics of main stems of young Eucalyptus globulus seedlings. Defoliated potted seedlings were characterized by transient increases in foliar photosynthetic rates and concomitant decreases in stem CO(2) fluxes (both in the dark and light). Defoliated field-grown seedlings showed similar stem CO(2) flux responses, but of reduced magnitude. Despite demonstrating increased re-fixation capability, defoliated potted-seedlings had slowed stem growth. The green stem of seedlings exhibited largely shade-adapted characteristics. Defoliation reduced stem chlorophyll a/b ratio and increased carotenoid concentration. An increased capacity to re-fix internally respired CO(2) (up to 96%) suggested that stem re-fixation represents a previously unexplored mechanism to minimize the impact of foliar loss by maximizing the contribution of all photosynthetic tissues, particularly for young seedlings.

Shifts in biomass and resource allocation patterns following defoliation in Eucalyptus globulus growing with varying water and nutrient supplies.

In woody species, potential mechanisms to compensate for tissue loss to herbivory and diseases have been related to post-event shifts in growth, biomass and internal resource allocation patterns, as modulated by external resource limitations. We examined the interactive effects of belowground resource limitations by varying nutrient and water availability, and aboveground carbon limitation imposed by a single defoliation event (40% leaf removal) on stem growth, whole-tree and within-tree resource allocation patterns (total non-structural carbohydrate and nitrogen) and below- and aboveground biomass allocation patterns in 8-month-old, field-grown Eucalyptus globulus Labill. saplings. Two months after treatments were imposed, the direction of the stem growth response to defoliation depended on the abiotic treatment. Five months after defoliation, however, we found little evidence that resource availability constrained the expression of tolerance to defoliation. With the exception of the combined low-nutrient and low-water supply treatment, saplings grown with (1) adequate water and nutrient supplies and even with (2) low-water supply or (3) low-nutrient supply were able to compensate for the 40% foliage loss. The observed compensatory responses were attributed to the activation of several short- and longer-term physiological mechanisms including reduced biomass allocation to coarse roots, mobilization of carbohydrate reserves, robust internal N dynamics and increased ratio of foliage to wood dry mass.

Effects of fertilization and fungal and insect attack on systemic protein defenses of austrian pine.

Despite their economic and ecological importance, defense responses of conifers to pests are little understood. In a 3-year experiment, we monitored systemic fungal (Diplodia pinea)- and insect (Neodiprion sertifer)-induced defense protein activities and total soluble proteins in needles and phloem of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) across a soil fertility gradient. In both years, total soluble protein content of foliage and phloem declined with increasing fertility across induction treatments, while defensive protein activities generally increased with increasing fertility. In 2005, total soluble protein content in branch phloem was increased by fungal inoculation of the stem. Peroxidase activity was suppressed in needles by insect defoliation in 2006, while polyphenol oxidase activity was systemically induced in branch phloem by insect attack in 2005. Trypsin inhibitor activities in phloem did not respond to any induction or fertility treatment. Nutritive quality of Austrian pine tissue declined with increasing fertility, while several protein-based defenses simultaneously increased.

Phenolic metabolites in leaves of the invasive shrub, Lonicera maackii, and their potential phytotoxic and anti-herbivore effects.

Lonicera maackii is an invasive shrub in North America for which allelopathic effects toward other plants or herbivores have been suspected. We characterized the major phenolic metabolites present in methanol extracts of L. maackii leaves. In addition, we examined the effects of methanol-water extracts of L. maackii leaves on seed germination of a target plant species and on feeding preference and growth rate of a generalist insect herbivore. A total of 13 individual major and minor compounds were detected in crude leaf extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electronspray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Extracts were dominated by two major flavones, apigenin and luteolin, and their glucoside derivatives, apigenin-7-glucoside and luteolin-7-glucoside. Quantities of these compounds, along with chlorogenic acid, varied between two sampling points. Leaf extracts that contained these compounds were inhibitory to seed germination of Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, treatment of artificial diet with leaf extracts deterred feeding of the generalist herbivore, Spodoptera exigua, in choice experiments but had no effect on growth rate in short-term no-choice bioassays. Purified apigenin tended to deter feeding by S. exigua and inhibited seed germination of A. thaliana. We conclude that leaves of L. maackii contain phenolic compounds, including apigenin and chlorogenic acid, capable of having biological effects on other plants and insects.