The effect of caraway oil-loaded bio-nanoemulsions on the growth and performance of barnyard grass and maize.

A proper formulation is crucial to improve the herbicidal effects of essential oils and their selectivity. In this study, we investigated the physicochemical properties of bio-based nanoemulsions (CNs) containing several concentrations of caraway (Carum carvi) essential oil stabilized with Eco Tween 80, as a surfactant, maintaining 1:1 proportions. Detailed physicochemical characteristics of the CNs revealed that their properties were most desired at 2% of the oil and surfactant, i.e., the smallest droplet size, polydispersity index, and viscosity. The CNs caused biochemical changes in maize and barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) seedlings, however, to a different extent. Barnyard grass has overall metabolism (measured as a thermal power) decreased by 39-82% when exposed to the CNs. The CNs triggered changes in the content and composition of carbohydrates in the endosperm of both species' seedlings in a dose-response manner. The foliar application of CNs caused significant damage to tissues of young maize and barnyard grass plants. The effective dose of the CN (ED50, causing a 50% damage) was 5% and 17.5% oil in CN for barnyard grass and maize tissues, respectively. Spraying CNs also decreased relative water content in leaves and affected the efficiency of photosynthesis by disturbing the electron transport chain. We found that barnyard grass was significantly more susceptible to the foliar application of CNs than maize, which could be used to selectively control this species in maize crops. However, further studies are needed to verify this hypothesis under field conditions.

Heat Pre-Treatment Modified Host and Non-Host Interactions of Powdery Mildew with Barley Brassinosteroid Mutants and Wild Types.

High temperatures associated with climate change may increase the severity of plant diseases. This study investigated the effect of heat shock treatment on host and non-host barley powdery mildew interactions using brassinosteroid (BR) mutants of barley. Brassinosteroids are plant steroid hormones, but so far little is known about their role in plant-fungal interactions. Wild type barley cultivar Bowman and its near-isogenic lines with disturbances in BR biosynthesis or signalling showed high compatibility to barley powdery mildew race A6, while cultivar Delisa and its BR-deficient mutants 522DK and 527DK were fully incompatible with this pathogen (host plant-pathogen interactions). On the other hand, Bowman and its mutants were highly resistant to wheat powdery mildew, representing non-host plant-pathogen interactions. Heat pre-treatment induced shifts in these plant-pathogen interactions towards higher susceptibility. In agreement with the more severe disease symptoms, light microscopy showed a decrease in papillae formation and hypersensitive response, characteristic of incompatible interactions, when heat pre-treatment was applied. Mutant 527DK, but not 522DK, maintained high resistance to barley powdery mildew race A6 despite heat pre-treatment. By 10 days after heat treatment and infection, a noticeable shift became apparent in the chlorophyll a fluorescence and in various leaf reflectance parameters at all genotypes.

Bio-Herbicidal Potential of Nanoemulsions with Peppermint Oil on Barnyard Grass and Maize.

Bio-based nanoemulsions are part of green pest management for sustainable agriculture. This study assessed the physicochemical properties and the herbicidal activities of the peppermint essential oil nanoemulsions (PNs) in concentrations 1.0-10% stabilized by Eco-Polysorbate 80 on germinating seeds and young plants of maize and barnyard grass. Based on the design of experiment (DOE) results, the final nanoemulsion formulations were obtained with 1, 1.5, 2, and 5% of essential oil concentration. Biological analyses were conducted to select the most promising sample for selective control of barnyard grass in maize. Seedlings growing in the presence of PNs displayed an overall inhibition of metabolism, as expressed by the calorimetric analyses, which could result from significant differences in both content and composition of carbohydrates. Concentration-response sub estimation showed that leaf-sprayed concentration of PN causing 10% of maize damage is equal to 2.2%, whereas doses causing 50% and 90% of barnyard grass damage are 1.1% and 1.7%, respectively. Plants sprayed with PN at 5% or 10% concentration caused significant drops in relative water content in leaves and Chlorophyll a fluorescence 72 h after spraying. In summary, peppermint nanoemulsion with Eco-Polysorbate 80 at 2% concentration is a perspective preparation for selective control of barnyard grass in maize. It should be analyzed further in controlled and field conditions.

Deacclimation-Induced Changes of Photosynthetic Efficiency, Brassinosteroid Homeostasis and BRI1 Expression in Winter Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.)-Relation to Frost Tolerance.

The objective of this study was to answer the question of how the deacclimation process affects frost tolerance, photosynthetic efficiency, brassinosteroid (BR) homeostasis and BRI1 expression of winter oilseed rape. A comparative study was conducted on cultivars with different agronomic and physiological traits. The deacclimation process can occur when there are periods of higher temperatures, particularly in the late autumn or winter. This interrupts the process of the acclimation (hardening) of winter crops to low temperatures, thus reducing their frost tolerance and becoming a serious problem for agriculture. The experimental model included plants that were non-acclimated, cold acclimated (at 4 °C) and deacclimated (at 16 °C/9 °C, one week). We found that deacclimation tolerance (maintaining a high frost tolerance despite warm deacclimating periods) was a cultivar-dependent trait. Some of the cultivars developed a high frost tolerance after cold acclimation and maintained it after deacclimation. However, there were also cultivars that had a high frost tolerance after cold acclimation but lost some of it after deacclimation (the cultivars that were more susceptible to deacclimation). Deacclimation reversed the changes in the photosystem efficiency that had been induced by cold acclimation, and therefore, measuring the different signals associated with photosynthetic efficiency (based on prompt and delayed chlorophyll fluorescence) of plants could be a sensitive tool for monitoring the deacclimation process (and possible changes in frost tolerance) in oilseed rape. Higher levels of BR were characteristic of the better frost-tolerant cultivars in both the cold-acclimated and deacclimated plants. The relative expression of the BRI1 transcript (encoding the BR-receptor protein) was lower after cold acclimation and remained low in the more frost-tolerant cultivars after deacclimation. The role of brassinosteroids in oilseed rape acclimation/deacclimation is briefly discussed.

The Spectral Compositions of Light Changes Physiological Response of Chinese Cabbage to Elevated Ozone Concentration.

The effects of ozone combined with other environmental factors remain an important topic of the research, both in connection with climate change and the possibility of using modern solutions in horticulture. In our experiment, we compared the influence of ozone (100 ppb) on photosynthesis and changes in the pigment composition of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) leaves depending on the spectral composition of light. We used white LED light (WL), a combination of red + green + blue (RGBL) with a dominant red component and white +blue (WBL) with a dominant blue component in comparison with the classic sodium lamp lighting (yellow light-YL). The values of the parameters describing the light-dependent phase of photosynthesis and the parameters of the gas exchange, as well as non-photosynthesis pigment contents, show that the spectral composition strongly differentiates the response of Chinese cabbage leaves to ozone. In general, the efficiency of photochemical reactions was the highest in YL, but after O3 fumigation, it decreased. In plants growing in WL and WBL, the increase of O3 concentration stimulated light photosynthesis reactions and led to the enhancement of transpiration, stomatal conductance and intracellular CO2 concentration. Changes in photosynthetic activity were accompanied by an increase in the content of anthocyanins and flavonols.

ROS-Scavengers, Osmoprotectants and Violaxanthin De-Epoxidation in Salt-Stressed Arabidopsis thaliana with Different Tocopherol Composition.

To determine the role of α- and γ-tocopherol (TC), this study compared the response to salt stress (200 mM NaCl) in wild type (WT) Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. And its two mutants: (1) totally TC-deficient vte1; (2) vte4 accumulating γ-TC instead of α-TC; and (3) tmt transgenic line overaccumulating α-TC. Raman spectra revealed that salt-exposed α-TC accumulating plants were more flexible in regulating chlorophyll, carotenoid and polysaccharide levels than TC deficient mutants, while the plants overaccumulating γ-TC had the lowest levels of these biocompounds. Tocopherol composition and NaCl concentration affected xanthophyll cycle by changing the rate of violaxanthin de-epoxidation and zeaxanthin formation. NaCl treated plants with altered TC composition accumulated less oligosaccharides than WT plants. α-TC deficient plants increased their oligosaccharide levels and reduced maltose amount, while excessive accumulation of α-TC corresponded with enhanced amounts of maltose. Salt-stressed TC-deficient mutants and tmt transgenic line exhibited greater proline levels than WT plants, lower chlorogenic acid levels, and lower activity of catalase and peroxidases. α-TC accumulating plants produced more methylated proline- and glycine- betaines, and showed greater activity of superoxide dismutase than γ-TC deficient plants. Under salt stress, α-TC demonstrated a stronger regulatory effect on carbon- and nitrogen-related metabolites reorganization and modulation of antioxidant patterns than γ-TC. This suggested different links of α- and γ-TCs with various metabolic pathways via various functions and metabolic loops.

Comparison of a compatible and an incompatible pepper-tobamovirus interaction by biochemical and non-invasive techniques: chlorophyll a fluorescence, isothermal calorimetry and FT-Raman spectroscopy.

Leaves of a pepper cultivar harboring the L(3) resistance gene were inoculated with Obuda pepper virus (ObPV), which led to the appearance of hypersensitive necrotic lesions approx. 72 h post-inoculation (hpi) (incompatible interaction), or with Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) that caused no visible symptoms on the inoculated leaves (compatible interaction). ObPV inoculation of leaves resulted in ion leakage already 18 hpi, up-regulation of a pepper carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) gene from 24 hpi, heat emission and declining chlorophyll a content from 48 hpi, and partial desiccation from 72 hpi. After the appearance of necrotic lesions a strong inhibition of photochemical energy conversion was observed, which led to photochemically inactive leaf areas 96 hpi. However, leaf tissues adjacent to these inactive areas showed elevated ΦPSII and Fv/Fm values proving the advantage of chlorophyll a imaging technique. PMMoV inoculation also led to a significant rise of ion leakage and heat emission, to the up-regulation of the pepper CCD gene as well as to decreased PSII efficiency, but these responses were much weaker than in the case of ObPV inoculation. Chlorophyll b and total carotenoid contents as measured by spectrophotometric methods were not significantly influenced by any virus inoculations when these pigment contents were calculated on leaf surface basis. On the other hand, near-infrared FT-Raman spectroscopy showed an increase of carotenoid content in ObPV-inoculated leaves suggesting that the two techniques detect different sets of compounds.