Physiological and biochemical responses of invasive species cenchrus pauciflorus benth to drought stress

The invasive plant Cenchrus pauciflorus Benth exhibits strong adaptability to stress, especially drought. When newly introduced certain plant species can become invasive and quickly spread in an area due to lack of competition, potentially disturbing the ecological balance and species diversity. C. pauciflorus has been known to cause huge economic losses to agriculture and animal husbandry. Thus, understanding the physiological responses of C. pauciflorus to drought stress could help explore the role of C. pauciflorus in population expansion in sandy land environments. In this study, we evaluated the response of C. pauciflorus to induced low, moderate, and severe drought stress conditions. Results showed a linear reduction in the fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW), and relative water content (RWC) of the aboveground parts of C. pauciflorus following drought stress as compared to the control plants (no drought stress). Chemical analyses showed that the drought treatments significantly induced the production of proline, soluble proteins, soluble sugars, MDA, and free amino acids as compared to the control treatment (no drought stress). On the other hand, the starch content was significantly reduced in drought-treated plants. This was also accompanied by a significant linear increase in the antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, and CAT) in plants subjected to drought stress. On the basis of physiological and biochemical analyses, we propose that C. pauciflorus has evolved to survive harsh drought stress conditions of the desert via sophisticated biochemical adjustment and antioxidant reprograming that allows protection against damage caused by drought stress

Multi-Level Characterization of Eggplant Accessions from Greek Islands and the Mainland Contributes to the Enhancement and Conservation of this Germplasm and Reveals a Large Diversity and Signatures of Differentiation between both Origins

[EN] Crop landraces are found in many inhabited islands of Greece. Due to the particularity of environment and isolation from the mainland, Greek islands represent a natural laboratory for comparing the diversity of landraces from the islands with those of the Greek mainland. A collection of 36 Greek eggplant landraces and traditional cultivars from the mainland and the islands has been phenotypically and genetically characterized using 22 morphological descriptors and 5 SSR markers. The mineral composition (K, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) of fruits was also determined. The objectives of this study include the multi-level characterization of eggplant local landraces and the comparison of diversity among accessions from the Greek mainland and the islands. Characterization of eggplant landraces will contribute to the enhancement and prevention of genetic erosion in this local group and will provide a resource for future investigation and breeding. PCA analysis of morphological traits explained 45.4% of the total variance revealing the formation of two clusters, one with most of the island accessions, and another with most of the mainland ones. The SSR markers used exhibited high average values for the number of alleles/locus (4.6), expected heterozygosity (0.60) and PIC (0.55), while the observed heterozygosity was low (0.13). Both STRUCTURE and PCoA analyses based on SSR data revealed two genetic clusters, one made up mainly by the mainland accessions, while the other one was mainly made up by the island accessions. Although there was considerable variation among the landraces for the concentration of minerals studied, only average Mg concentration was significantly different between mainland and island accessions. Based on our data, the Greek eggplant landraces present considerable morphological and genetic diversity with some differentiation signatures between the island and the mainland accessions. Our results have implications for conservation of Greek landraces and suggest that Greece might be considered as part of a secondary center of diversity for eggplant in the Mediterranean basin."PlantUP" (MIS 5002803) which is implemented under the Action "Reinforcement of the Research and Innovation Infrastructure", funded by the Operational Programme "Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (NSRF 2014-2020) and co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund). Funding was also received from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 677379 (G2P-SOL project: Linking genetic resources, genomes and phenotypes of Solanaceous crops), and from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigacion and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (grant RTI-2018-094592-B-100 from MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). Pietro Gramazio is grateful to Universitat Politecnica de Valencia and to Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for their respective postdoctoral grants (PAID-10-18 and FY2019 JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan [Standard]).Gramazio, P.; Chatziefstratiou, E.; Petropoulos, C.; Chioti, V.; Mylona, P.; Kapotis, G.; Vilanova Navarro, S.... (2019). Multi-Level Characterization of Eggplant Accessions from Greek Islands and the Mainland Contributes to the Enhancement and Conservation of this Germplasm and Reveals a Large Diversity and Signatures of Differentiation between both Origins. Agronomy. 9(12):1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9120887S120912Kougioumoutzis, K., Valli, A. T., Georgopoulou, E., Simaiakis, S. M., Triantis, K. A., & Trigas, P. (2016). Network biogeography of a complex island system: the Aegean Archipelago revisited. Journal of Biogeography, 44(3), 651-660. doi:10.1111/jbi.12920GRAHAM, N. R., GRUNER, D. S., LIM, J. Y., & GILLESPIE, R. G. (2017). 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Improving wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) antioxidative defense mechanisms against salinity stress by exogenous application of potassium silicate

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of seed priming and foliar spray of potassium silicate on antioxidant activities under different salinity levels, thereby potentially improving wheat growth. Seeds were soaked into solutions containing potassium silicate (K2SiO3, 1.5 mM) for 6 h, while foliar spray with K2SiO3 (4 mM) was applied at the early and the late stages of tillering. Lake Urmia water was used to prepare salinity levels of 0, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, and 14 dS m −1. For such traits as anthocyanin, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activity, an initial increase was observed at lower salinity levels; higher salinities subsequently decreased these traits or they remained mostly constant. Salinity also increased phenol, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and polyphenol oxidase, but decreased flavonoid, nitrate content, and nitrate reductase activity. Seed priming and foliar spray provided effective approaches to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) manifestation in wheat grown under saline conditions. The improved antioxidant defense abilities by seed priming and foliar spray alleviated the oxidative damage of proteins and lipids and improved nitrate content and nitrate reductase activity

Response of seeds and pollen of Onobrychis viciifolia and Onobrychis oxyodonta var. armena to NaCl stress

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) is an important forage legume crop with 52 species adapted to dry and poor soils in Turkey, but little is known about the effects of salinity on germination and seedling growth in arid and semiarid regions suffering from salinity problem. The seeds and pollen of two species of sainfoin O. viciifolia and O. oxyodonta var. armena (Syn: O. armena) were exposed to 0, 5, 10, 20 and 30 dS m-1 of NaCl under in vivo and in vitro conditions and evaluated for germination under salt stress by comparing germination percentage, mean germination time, root and shoot length, fresh and dry seedling weight and dry matter. Increased salinity levels generally resulted in decrease in all traits except time to germination, dry seedling weight and dry matter, which increased at high salinity levels. O. viciifolia seeds germinated and grew more rapidly compared to O. armena seeds under NaCl stress. No decrease in germination and seedling growth up to 10 dS m-1 was recorded. On the other hand, there was a clear difference for germination and seedling growth between in vivo and in vitro conditions. Lower values were obtained from in vitro experiments; suggesting that mineral salts, sucrose and agar may have resulted in higher osmotic potential inhibiting germination and seedling growth of species compared in vivo conditions. Decrease in pollen germination with increasing salinities was very sharp, indicating that pollen germination had higher sensitive to salinity. But, pollen grains of O. armena germinated rapidly compared to O. viciifolia. The results emphasize that in vivo experiments could be used for screening of NaCl tolerance in sainfoin cultivars without expensive chemicals and sophisticated equipments, but pollen germination is more appropriate for its wild relatives

Physiological responses and productivity of the seaweed Ulva ohnoi (Chlorophyta) under changing cultivation conditions in pilot large land-based ponds

Land based intensive cultivation systems have been proposed as an ideal option for the commercial production of high value products from seaweeds. However, many cultures on Ulva and other seaweeds are based on relatively small-scale facilities. The high variability of culture conditions can strongly affect the physiological performance of seaweeds, but few studies examine their phenotypic plasticity by integrating critical biological descriptors, e.g. photobiology, oxidative stress, nutrient acquisition. The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological plasticity and growth of Ulva ohnoi during its cultivation in land-based 40 m3 ponds. Through an entire culti-vation cycle (four-weeks), photosynthesis, respiration, pigments, antioxidant capacity and nutrient content were measured. Light, temperature, pH, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) were simultaneously monitored in seawater. Additionally, the N-uptake kinetics of U. ohnoi were examined in the laboratory in order to explain the efficiency of the seaweed biomass for DIN-incorporation in the ponds after fertilization. Generally, the gradual increase in seaweed density throughout the cultivation period was directly associated to a drop in light avail-ability and dissolved inorganic carbon (i.e. higher pH) within the ponds. These changes in cultivation conditions were related to a reduction of photosynthetic capacities, nutrient content and growth of U. ohnoi. N-uptake kinetics of U. ohnoi and the behavior of DIN within the ponds after fertilization, indicated that U. ohnoi was able to incorporate ammonium more efficiently than nitrate, and the presence of the former likely inhibits nitrate acquisition. The understanding of the capacity of U. ohnoi to acclimate to the extreme changing culture condi-tions, could be applied to improve its productivity and chemical composition.En prens

Glyphosate-dependent effects on photosynthesis of Solanum lycopersicum L. an ecophysiological, ultrastructural and molecular approach

This study aimed to assess the toxicity of glyphosate (GLY; 0, 10, 20 and 30?mg?kg-1) in Solanum lycopersicum L., particularly focusing on the photosynthetic metabolism. By combining ecophysiological, ultrastructural, biochemical and molecular tools, the results revealed that the exposure of tomato plants to GLY led to alterations in leaf water balance regulation [increasing stomatal conductance (gs) and decreasing water use efficiency (WUEi) at higher concentrations] and induced slight alterations in the structural integrity of cells, mainly in chloroplasts, accompanied by a loss of cell viability. Moreover, the transcriptional and biochemical control of several photosynthetic-related parameters was reduced upon GLY exposure. However, in vivo chlorophyll fluorometry and IRGA gas-exchange studies revealed that the photosynthetic yield of S. lycopersicum was not repressed by GLY. Overall, GLY impacts cellular and subcellular homeostasis (by affecting chloroplast structure, reducing photosynthetic pigments and inhibiting photosynthetic-related genes transcription), and leaf structure, but is not reducing the carbon flow on a leaf area basis. Altogether, these results suggest a trade-off effect in which GLY-induced toxicity is compensated by a higher photosynthetic activity related to GLY-induced dysfunction in gs and an increase in mesophyll thickness/density, allowing the viable leaf cells to maintain their photosynthetic capacity.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(SFRH/BD/115643/2016)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Why Are Some Plant Genera More Invasive Than Others?

Determining how biological traits are related to the ability of groups of organisms to become economically damaging when established outside of their native ranges is a major goal of population biology, and important in the management of invasive species. Little is known about why some taxonomic groups are more likely to become pests than others among plants. We investigated traits that discriminate vascular plant genera, a level of taxonomic generality at which risk assessment and screening could be more effectively performed, according to the proportion of naturalized species which are pests. We focused on the United States and Canada, and, because our purpose is ultimately regulatory, considered species classified as weeds or noxious. Using contingency tables, we identified 11 genera of vascular plants that are disproportionately represented by invasive species. Results from boosted regression tree analyses show that these categories reflect biological differences. In summary, approximately 25% of variation in genus proportions of weeds or noxious species was explained by biological covariates. Key explanatory traits included genus means for wetland habitat affinity, chromosome number, and seed mass

Plant selection for rain gardens : response to simulated cyclical flooding of 15 perennial species

Plant selection for rain gardens can be complicated, as cyclic flooding and a gradient of moisture level are expected in the depression structure of a rain garden. However, few studies to date have quantified how plant establishment is affected by rain garden moisture dynamics. This study investigated tolerance of 15 candidate perennial species, which experienced flooding cycles consisting of 1-day and 4-day inundation and draining phases. In this study, detection of species suitability using survival and growth measurements coupled with the stress indicator (i.e. chlorophyll fluorescence) provided a valid framework for wider use in plant selection for rain gardens. The methodology is also confident in predicting the possible placing in different plant moisture zones. All species survived the cyclic flooding treatments and grew to their maximum. Photosynthesis and physical growth in only a few candidate species (e.g. Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia, Gaura lindheimeri, Sanguisorba tenuifolia ‘Purpurea’ and Thalictrum aquilegifolium) tended to be inhibited by treatments adopting 4-day cyclic flooding, whilst tolerance to 1-day cyclic flooding was clearly demonstrated in most species. Analysis suggests that most species assumed to withstand infrequent to periodic inundation, such as Iris sibirica, Filipendula purpurea and Miscanthus sinensis, are resilient species and are sensible for use in a wider range of rain garden moisture conditions from damp depression bottom to dry margin. Species assumed to be intolerant of inundation such as Gaura lindheimeri may be successful in the rain garden environment, but they are recommended for the dryer zones

Comparison of transcriptome-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for genetic fingerprinting, diversity evaluation, and establishment of relationships in eggplants

[EN] Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are amongst the most common markers of choice for studies of diversity and relationships in horticultural species. We have used 11 SSR and 35 SNP markers derived from transcriptome sequencing projects to fingerprint 48 accessions of a collection of brinjal (Solanum melongena), gboma (S. macrocarpon) and scarlet (S. aethiopicum) eggplant complexes, which also include their respective wild relatives S. incanum, S. dasyphyllum and S. anguivi. All SSR and SNP markers were polymorphic and 34 and 36 different genetic fingerprints were obtained with SSRs and SNPs, respectively. When combining both markers all accessions but two had different genetic profiles. Although on average SSRs were more informative than SNPs, with a higher number of alleles, genotypes and polymorphic information content (PIC), and expected heterozygosity (He) values, SNPs have proved highly informative in our materials. Low observed heterozygosity (Ho) and high fixation index (f) values confirm the high degree of homozygosity of eggplants. Genetic identities within groups of each complex were higher than with groups of other complexes, although differences in the ranks of genetic identity values among groups were observed between SSR and SNP markers. For low and intermediate values of pair-wise SNP genetic distances, a moderate correlation between SSR and SNP genetic distances was observed (r(2) = 0.592), but for high SNP genetic distances the correlation was low (r(2) = 0.080). The differences among markers resulted in different phenogram topologies, with a different eggplant complex being basal (gboma eggplant for SSRs and brinjal eggplant for SNPs) to the two others. Overall the results reveal that both types of markers are complementary for eggplant fingerprinting and that interpretation of relationships among groups may be greatly affected by the type of marker used.This work has been funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 677379 (G2P-SOL project: Linking genetic resources, genomes and phenotypes of Solanaceous crops) and by Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (Grant AGL2015-64755-R from MINECO/FEDER). Pietro Gramazio is grateful to Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for a pre-doctoral contract (Programa FPI de la UPV-Subprograma 1/2013 call). Mariola Plazas is grateful to Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad for a post-doctoral grant within the Juan de la Cierva-Formacion programme (FJCI-2015-24835).Gramazio, P.; Prohens Tomás, J.; Borras, D.; Plazas Ávila, MDLO.; Herraiz García, FJ.; Vilanova Navarro, S. 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