Nitrogen-mediated volatilisation of defensive metabolites in tomato confers resistance to herbivores.

Plants synthesise a vast array of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which serve as chemical defence and communication agents in their interactions with insect herbivores. Although nitrogen (N) is a critical resource in the production of plant metabolites, its regulatory effects on defensive VOCs remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of N content in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) on the tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura), a notorious agricultural pest, using biochemical and molecular experiments in combination with insect behavioural and performance analyses. We observed that on tomato leaves with different N contents, S. litura showed distinct feeding preference and growth and developmental performance. Particularly, metabolomics profiling revealed that limited N availability conferred resistance upon tomato plants to S. litura is likely associated with the biosynthesis and emission of the volatile metabolite α-humulene as a repellent. Moreover, exogenous application of α-humulene on tomato leaves elicited a significant repellent response against herbivores. Thus, our findings unravel the key factors involved in N-mediated plant defence against insect herbivores and pave the way for innovation of N management to improve the plant defence responses to facilitate pest control strategies within agroecosystems.

Azadirachtin Inhibits Nuclear Receptor HR3 in the Prothoracic Gland to Block Larval Ecdysis in the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda.

Azadirachtin has been used to control agricultural pests for a long time; however, the molecular mechanism of azadirachtin on lepidopterans is still not clear. In this study, the fourth instar larvae of fall armyworm were fed with azadirachtin, and then the ecdysis was blocked in the fourth instar larval stage (L4). The prothoracic glands (PGs) of the treated larvae were dissected for RNA sequencing to determine the effect of azadirachtin on ecdysis inhibition. Interestingly, one of the PG-enriched genes, the nuclear hormone receptor 3 (HR3), was decreased after azadirachtin treatment, which plays a critical role in the 20-hydroxyecdysone action during ecdysis. To deepen the understanding of azadirachtin on ecdysis, the HR3 was knocked out by using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, while the HR3 mutants displayed embryonic lethal phenotype; thus, the stage-specific function of HR3 during larval molting was not enabled to unfold. Hence, the siRNA was injected into the 24 h L4 larvae to knock down HR3. After 96 h, the injected larvae were blocked in the old cuticle during ecdysis which is consistent with the azadirachtin-treated larvae. Taken together, we envisioned that the inhibition of ecdysis in the fall armyworm after the azadirachtin treatment is due to an interference with the expression of HR3 in PG, resulting in larval mortality. The results in this study specified the understanding of azadirachtin on insect ecdysis and the function of HR3 in lepidopteran in vivo.

Phospholipase D-derived phosphatidic acid promotes root hair development under phosphorus deficiency by suppressing vacuolar degradation of PIN-FORMED2.

Root hair development is crucial for phosphate absorption, but how phosphorus deficiency affects root hair initiation and elongation remains unclear. We demonstrated the roles of auxin efflux carrier PIN-FORMED2 (PIN2) and phospholipase D (PLD)-derived phosphatidic acid (PA), a key signaling molecule, in promoting root hair development in Arabidopsis thaliana under a low phosphate (LP) condition. Root hair elongation under LP conditions was greatly suppressed in pin2 mutant or under treatment with a PLDζ2-specific inhibitor, revealing that PIN2 and polar auxin transport and PLDζ2-PA are crucial in LP responses. PIN2 was accumulated and degraded in the vacuole under a normal phosphate (NP) condition, whereas its vacuolar accumulation was suppressed under the LP or NP plus PA conditions. Vacuolar accumulation of PIN2 was increased in pldζ2 mutants under LP conditions. Increased or decreased PIN2 vacuolar accumulation is not observed in sorting nexin1 (snx1) mutant, indicating that vacuolar accumulation of PIN2 is mediated by SNX1 and the relevant trafficking process. PA binds to SNX1 and promotes its accumulation at the plasma membrane, especially under LP conditions, and hence promotes root hair development by suppressing the vacuolar degradation of PIN2. We uncovered a link between PLD-derived PA and SNX1-dependent vacuolar degradation of PIN2 in regulating root hair development under phosphorus deficiency.

[Characteristics of DNA adsorption and desorption in variable and constant charge soil colloids].

The characteristics of adsorption and desorption of DNA by Red soil colloid, Latosol colloid, Chao colloid and Cinnamon colloid at different pH values were studied using a batch method. It showed that there was an increase of solution pH after adsorption of DNA by the four soil colloids in both NaCl and KCl electrolyte systems. The increasing ranges of pH values were in order of Red soil colloid > Latosol colloid > Chao colloid > Cinnamon colloid, and NaCl electrolyte system > KCl electrolyte system. The amounts of DNA adsorption on soil colloids decreased with the increase of pH value. The maximum amounts of DNA adsorption in different colloids were about 13.1-14.8 microg x mg(-1) when pH values were 2-4. The decreasing ranges of the amounts of DNA adsorption were about 5.5 microg x mg(-1) in NaCl electrolyte system and 2.1 Mg x mg(-1) in KCl electrolyte system in Red soil colloid and Latosol colloid after the rising of equilibrium solution pH from 4.2 to 8.6, whereas the remarked decreasing ranges of the adsorption amounts of DNA were about 8.3-12.2 microg x mg(-1) on Chao colloid and Cinnamon colloid in two electrolyte systems. The decreasing ranges of DNA adsorption were in order of the constant charge (Chao soil and Cinnamon) colloids > the variable charge (Red soil and Latosol) colloids. The differences of desorption on the variable and the constant charge colloids are very significant while the DNA adsorbed was desorbed with NaOAc solution and NaH2 PO4 solution. The desorption percent desorption of DNA as NaH2PO4 desorbent was 23.5%-40.2% larger on the variable charge colloids than 8.8%-21.6% on the constant charge of colloids at the three different solution pH values of 3, 5 and 7, while that as NaOAc desorbent was 72.3%-85.9% larger on the constant charge colloids than 10%-24.5% on the variable charge colloids. These results implied that the ligand exchange played a more important role in DNA adsorption on the variable charge colloids, and electrostatic interactions did on the constant charge colloids. This is the differences of DNA adsorption and desorption on different charge colloid surfaces.

[Primary study on absorption, translocation and accumulation of N, P and K of Achyranthes bidentata].

OBJECTIVE: To study the absorption, translocation and accumulation of N, P and K on Achyranthes bidentata. METHOD: The contents of N, P and K were determined by mean of sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide assimilating method, vanadium-ammonium molybdate colorimetric method and flame photometric method, respectively. RESULT: The contents of N, P and K in the plant were decreasing during the growth period. The absorption rates of the three nutrients by A. Bidentata showed double-peak curves in the whole growth period, maximum absorption rate appeared in the middle ten days of October. About 8.59 kg of N, 1.36 kg of P and 7.40 kg of K were needed to produce each 100 kg root. CONCLUSION: The key nutrients absorption period is in the first ten days of September and in the middle ten days of October.