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Wheat Seedlings (wheat + seedling)
Selected AbstractsCoronatine Alleviates Water Deficiency Stress on Winter Wheat SeedlingsJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Xiangwen Li With the aim to determine whether coronatine (COR) alleviates drought stress on wheat, two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, ChangWu134 (drought-tolerant) and Shan253 (drought-sensitive) were studied under hydroponic conditions. Seedlings at the three-leaf stage were cultured in a Hoagland solution containing COR at 0.1 ,M for 24 h, and then exposed to 20% polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000). Under simulated drought (SD), COR increased the dry weight of shoots and roots of the two cultivars significantly; the root/shoot ratio also increased by 30% for Shan253 and 40% for ChangWu134. Both cultivars treated with COR under SD (0.1COR+PEG) maintained significantly higher relative water content, photosynthesis, transpiration, intercellular concentration of CO2 and stomatal conductance in leaves than those not treated with PEG. Under drought, COR significantly decreased the relative conductivity and malondialdehyde production, and the loss of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity in leaves was significantly alleviated in COR-treated plants. The activity of peroxidase, catalase, glutathione reductase and ascorbate peroxidase were adversely affected by drought. Leaves of plants treated with COR under drought produced less abscisic acid (ABA) than those not treated. Thus, COR might alleviate drought effects on wheat by reducing active oxygen species production, activating antioxidant enzymes and changing the ABA level. [source] Genetic Analysis of the Latent Period of Stripe Rust in Wheat SeedlingsJOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 6 2004H. Dehghani Abstract Genetics of slow-rusting resistance to yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici) was studied by a half-diallel design using six wheat varieties, Tiritea (susceptible), Tancred, Kotare, Otane, Karamu, and Briscard. The parents and 15 F1 progenies were evaluated in the greenhouse by three pathotypes 7E18A,, 38E0A+, and 134E134A+. The latent period was measured as the number of days from inoculation to the appearance of the first pustule. For each pathotype a randomized complete block design was used and data were analysed by methods of Griffing and Hayman. The range of average degree of dominance was from complete dominance to over-dominance. Positive and negative degrees of dominance were observed for each pathotype that showed the reversal of dominance. Analysis of variance showed the importance of both additive and dominance effects in controlling the latent period. Broad-sense heritabilities were 0.99 and narrow-sense heritabilities ranged from 0.85 to 0.94. Briscard and Karamu for the pathotypes 38E0A+ and 134E134A+, Kotare for the pathotype 7E18A, and Tancred for the pathotype 38E0A+ had significant and positive general combining ability (GCA) (more resistance) for latent period. The crosses of Kotare with Tancred, Briscard and Karamu indicated the highest and positive specific combining ability (SCA) for the pathotype 7E18A,. Significant additive genetic component and moderate narrow-sense heritability indicate the possibility of improving for longer latent period of stripe rust in breeding programmes. [source] Carbon Monoxide Alleviates Salt-Induced Oxidative Damage in Wheat Seedling LeavesJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Ben-Kai Huang Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO), a by-product released during the degradation of heme by heme oxygenases (EC 1.14.99.3) in animals, is regarded as an important physiological messenger or bioactive molecule involved in many biological events that has been recently reported as playing a major role in mediating the cytoprotection against oxidant-induced lung injury. In the present study, we first determined the protective effect of exogenous CO against salt-induced oxidative damage in wheat seedling leaves. Wheat seedlings treated with 0.01 ,mol/L hematin as the CO donor demonstrated significant reversal of chlorophyll decay, dry weight, and water loss induced by 300 mmol/L NaCl stress. Interestingly, the increase in lipid peroxidation observed in salt-treated leaves was reversed by 0.01 nmol/L hematin treatment. Time-course analyses showed that application of 0.01 ,mol/L hematin enhanced guaiacol peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activities in wheat seedling leaves subjected to salt stress. These effects are specific for CO because the CO scavenger hemoglobin (1.2 mg/L) blocked the actions of the CO donor hematin. However, higher concentration of the CO donor (1.0 ,mol/L) did not alleviate dry weight and water loss of salt-stressed wheat seedlings. These results suggest that exogenous application of low levels of a CO donor may be advantageous against salinity toxicity. (Managing editor: Ping He) [source] Technique for visual demonstration of germinating arbuscular mycorrhizal spores and their multiplication in potsJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2007Jitendra Panwar Abstract We describe a simple technique for the germination of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM),fungal spores and their multiplication in pots. Glomus fasciculatum, G. mosseae, and Gigaspora margarita were used. A single wheat seedling was tied to a glass slide, previously covered with filter paper with the help of thread. One single surface-sterilized AM-fungal spore was placed on the middle portion of the root of the wheat seedling using a sterilized syringe. The slide was placed vertically in a 100,mL glass beaker filled with 25,mL of root exudates,water (1:4, v/v) solution, which was collected by growing twenty wheat seedlings in a 150,mL beaker filled with 100,mL sterilized distilled water for 7 d. The slide was observed daily using a compound microscope to follow the time course of germination. In this technique, the spore is directly in contact with the host root, and a visualization of spore germination, hyphal development, and appressorium formation is possible without disrupting fungal growth or the establishment of the symbiosis. The method allows to document the germination events and to assess hyphal-elongation rates by photographing the same spore on consecutive days. The inoculated seedling was used to initiate single-spore multiplication in a sterilized (autoclave on 3 alternate days at 120°C for 120,min at 1.05,kg,cm,2 pressure) potted sandy soil (150,mL volume) into which the slide with the inoculated seedling was inserted carefully through a previously made slit. The wheat seedlings in all pots (4 treatments and 15 replications) became colonized by mycorrhiza, confirming that the establishment of the AM-fungal symbiosis is highly reproducible. Our technique permits the relatively undisturbed growth of the symbiotic partners, the visualization of germinating AM-fungal spores, and their multiplication in pots. This simple and low-cost method facilitates the production of pure lines of AM fungi from single spores, allowing for the study of intraspecific variation and potentiality for cytological, biochemical, physiological, and taxonomical studies. [source] Toxicity of the molybdate anion in soil is partially explained by effects of the accompanying cation or by soil pHENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2010Jurgen Buekers Abstract Previous studies have shown that toxicity of cationic trace metals in soil is partially confounded by effects of the accompanying anions. A similar assessment is reported here for toxicity of an oxyanion, i.e., molybdate (MoO), the soil toxicity of which is relatively unexplored. Solubility and toxicity were compared between the soluble sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4) and the sparingly soluble molybdenum trioxide (MoO3). Confounding effects of salinity were excluded by referencing the Na2MoO4 effect to that of sodium chloride (NaCl). The pH decrease from the acid MoO3 amendment was equally referenced to a hydrochloric (HCl) treatment or a lime-controlled MoO3 treatment. The concentrations of molybdenum (Mo) in soil solution or calcium chloride (CaCl2) 0.01,M extracts were only marginally affected by either MoO3 or Na2MoO4 as an Mo source after 10 to 13 days of equilibration. Effects of Mo on soil nitrification were fully confounded by associated changes in salinity or pH. Effects of Mo on growth of wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L) were more pronounced than those on nitrification, and toxicity thresholds were unaffected by the form of added Mo. The Mo thresholds for wheat growth were not confounded by pH or salinity at incipient toxicity. It is concluded that oxyanion toxicity might be confounded in relatively insensitive tests for which reference treatments should be included. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:1274,1278. © 2010 SETAC [source] W55a Encodes a Novel Protein Kinase That Is Involved in Multiple Stress ResponsesJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Zhao-Shi Xu Abstract Protein kinases play crucial roles in response to external environment stress signals. A putative protein kinase, W55a, belonging to SNF1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) subfamily, was isolated from a cDNA library of drought-treated wheat seedlings. The entire length of W55a was obtained using rapid amplification of 5, cDNA ends (5,-RACE) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). It contains a 1 029 -bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 342 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of W55a had eleven conserved catalytic subdomains and one Ser/Thr protein kinase active-site that characterize Ser/Thr protein kinases. Phylogenetic analysis showed that W55a was 90.38% homologous with rice SAPK1, a member of the SnRK2 family. Using nullisomic-tetrasomic and ditelocentric lines of Chinese Spring, W55a was located on chromosome 2BS. Expression pattern analysis revealed that W55a was upregulated by drought and salt, exogenous abscisic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene and methyl jasmonate, but was not responsive to cold stress. In addition, W55a transcripts were abundant in leaves, but not in roots or stems, under environmental stresses. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing W55a exhibited higher tolerance to drought. Based on these findings, W55a encodes a novel dehydration-responsive protein kinase that is involved in multiple stress signal transductions. [source] Two-Dimensional Electrophoretic Analysis of Soluble Leaf Proteins of a Salt-sensitive (Triticum aestivum) and a Salt-tolerant (T. durum) Cultivar in Response to NaCl StressJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2007Mustafa YILDIZ Abstract In this research, 3-day-old etiolated wheat seedlings of Triticum aestivum L. cv. Ceyhan-99 (salt-sensitive) and T. durum Desf. cv. F,rat-93 (salt-tolerant) were grown in control and salt (150 mmol/L NaCl) treatments at a 15/25 °C temperature regime in the light for 12 days. Soluble proteins extracted from the first leaf tissues of two cultivars were analyzed by two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis in order to detect NaCl-induced changes. The soluble leaf protein profiles of cultivars were observed to be similar. However, quantitative differences in 74 proteins were detected in the salt treatment group, compared to the control. Among the 74 protein spots, 14 were common for two cultivars. As a result of NaCl treatment, two low-molecular-weight (LMW) proteins (28.9 and 30.0 kDa) and one intermediate-molecular-weight (IMW) protein (44.3 kDa) in cv. Ceyhan-99 and six LMW proteins (18.6, 19.4, 25.7, 25.9, 26 and 27.6 kDa) in cv. F,rat-93 were newly synthesized. The newly synthesized proteins were specific to each cultivar. In the F,rat-93 cultivar, four proteins with LMW (24.8,27.9 kDa) were completely lost in NaCl treatment. Moreover, these four protein spots were not observed in both protein profiles of cv. Ceyhan-99. Most of these proteins were in acidic character (pl <6.0,6.9) and low molecular weight (<31.6 kDa). It is suggested that the newly synthesized or completely lost LMW proteins may be important for cultivars differing in sensitivity towards NaCl. [source] Carbon Monoxide Alleviates Salt-Induced Oxidative Damage in Wheat Seedling LeavesJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Ben-Kai Huang Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO), a by-product released during the degradation of heme by heme oxygenases (EC 1.14.99.3) in animals, is regarded as an important physiological messenger or bioactive molecule involved in many biological events that has been recently reported as playing a major role in mediating the cytoprotection against oxidant-induced lung injury. In the present study, we first determined the protective effect of exogenous CO against salt-induced oxidative damage in wheat seedling leaves. Wheat seedlings treated with 0.01 ,mol/L hematin as the CO donor demonstrated significant reversal of chlorophyll decay, dry weight, and water loss induced by 300 mmol/L NaCl stress. Interestingly, the increase in lipid peroxidation observed in salt-treated leaves was reversed by 0.01 nmol/L hematin treatment. Time-course analyses showed that application of 0.01 ,mol/L hematin enhanced guaiacol peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activities in wheat seedling leaves subjected to salt stress. These effects are specific for CO because the CO scavenger hemoglobin (1.2 mg/L) blocked the actions of the CO donor hematin. However, higher concentration of the CO donor (1.0 ,mol/L) did not alleviate dry weight and water loss of salt-stressed wheat seedlings. These results suggest that exogenous application of low levels of a CO donor may be advantageous against salinity toxicity. (Managing editor: Ping He) [source] Identity and Pathogenicity of Fungi Associated with Root and Crown Rot of Soft Red Winter Wheat Grown on the Upper Coastal Plain Land Resource Area of MississippiJOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2000M. S. Gonzalez Seedling stand, disease severity and fungal incidence were determined from untreated ,Wakefield' soft red winter wheat planted on a Leeper silty clay loam in field tests conducted at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Plant Science Research Center, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi during the 1996,97 and 1997,98 growing seasons. Seedling stand was reduced by 40% each year in plots established with untreated seed. Cochliobolus sativus was the most frequently isolated fungus. Fusarium acuminatum, Fusarium equiseti and Fusarium solani were the most prevalent Fusarium spp. Seven other Fusarium spp. and 23 species of other fungal genera were isolated. Pathogenicity tests with three isolates each of C. sativus, Cochliobolus spicifer, F. acuminatum, F. solani, F. equiseti, Fusarium compactum, Embellisia chlamydospora and Microdochium bolleyi were performed in test tube culture and two isolates each of C. sativus, C. spicifer, F. acuminatum, E. chlamydospora and M. bolleyi under greenhouse conditions. In test tubes and in the greenhouse, seedlings infected with isolates of C. sativus developed seedling blight, discoloration and necrosis, primarily in seminal roots and crowns. In the greenhouse, C. sativus induced lesions on the lower leaf sheath and reduced seedling height, seedling emergence, dry and fresh weight of roots and shoots. Isolates of F. acuminatum, F. solani, F. equiseti, F. compactum, E. chlamydospora and M. bolleyi induced slight to moderate orange to light-brown discoloration of crown and seminal roots in test tubes. Cochliobolus spicifer isolates had the most pre-emergence activity, inducing black root discoloration and root pruning of wheat seedlings and reducing seedling emergence, root fresh weight and shoot dry weight. In the greenhouse, F. acuminatum reduced seedling height, seedling emergence and root and shoot dry weights. Microdochium bolleyi and E. chlamydospora reduced fresh and dry weight of roots, plant emergence and shoot dry weight. Fusarium acuminatum and C. spicifer reduced the growth rate of wheat seedlings. All fungi evaluated showed increased disease severity compared to the untreated control. The high frequency of isolation of C. sativus from crown and root tissues can be partially explained by the dry, warm conditions during the early stages of wheat seedling development in the Upper Coastal Plain Land Resource Area of Mississippi. Zusammenfassung Die Auflaufrate von Sämlingen, die Stärke des Krank-heitsbefalls sowie die Häufigkeit von Pilzarten wurden bei nicht behandelten roten Weichwinterweizen der Sorte Wakefield ermittelt, welche in einem Leeper schlammigen Tonboden an der Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station, Plant Science Research Center, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi in der 1996,97 und 1997,98 Saison gesät worden waren. In beiden Jahren wurde die Auflaufrate von nicht behandeltem Saatgut um 40% reduziert. Cochliobolus sativus wurde am häufigsten isoliert. Fusarium acuminatum, Fusarium equiseti und Fusarium solani waren die überwiegenden Fusarium spp. Außierdem wurden sieben weitere Fusarium spp. sowie 23 weitere Pilzarten isoliert. Pathogenitätstests mit je 3 Isolaten von C. sativus, Cochliobolus spicifer, F. acuminatum, F. solani, F. equiseti, Fusarium compactum, Embellisia chlamydospora und Microdochiumbolleyi wurden in Reagenzröhrchen durchgeführt, sowie mit je 2 Isolaten von C. sativus, C. spicifer, F. acuminatum, E. chlamydospora und M. bolleyi unter Gewächshausbedingungen. Sowohl in den Reagenzröhrchen als auch im Gewächshaus entwickelten Sämlinge, die mit C. sativus inokuliert worden waren, eine Fäule, Verfärbung sowie Nekrosis, hauptsächlich in den sekundären Wurzeln und in den Halmbasen. Unter Gewächshausbedingungen verursachte C. sativus außierdem Läsionen der unteren Blattscheide sowie eine Reduzierung des Sämlingswachstums, des Sämlingsauflaufs, des Trocken-und Frischgewichts der Wurzeln und Sprossen. Im Reagenzröhrchentest induzierten Isolate von F. acuminatum, F. solani, F. equiseti, F. compactum, E. chlamydospora und M. bolleyieine schwache bis mäßiige orange bis hell braune Verfärbung des Halmbasis und der Sekundärwurzeln. Isolate von C. spicifer besaßien die höchste Vorauflaufaktivität und induzierten eine Verschwärzung und Verkürzung der Wurzeln sowie eine Reduzierung des Sämlingsauflaufs, des Wurzelfrischgewichts sowie des Sproitrockengewichts. Unter Gewächshausbedingungen reduzierte F. acuminatum die Sämlingshöhe, die Auflaufrate sowie das Trockengewicht der Wurzeln und Sproien. Microdochium bolleyi und E. chlamydospora reduzierten das Frisch-und Trockengewicht der Wurzeln, die Auflaufrate sowie das Sproßitrockengewicht. Die Wachstumsrate der Sämlinge wurde durch F. acuminatum und C. spicifer reduziert. Alle untersuchten Pilzarten erhöhten die Befallsstärke verglichen mit der unbehandelten Kontrolle. Die hohe Isolierungsrate von C. sativus aus dem Halmbasis-und Wurzelgewebe kann zum Teil dadurch erklärt werden, dass während der Frühentwicklungsphase der Sämlinge trockene und warme Wachstumsbedingungen in diesem Gebiet herrschten. [source] Technique for visual demonstration of germinating arbuscular mycorrhizal spores and their multiplication in potsJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2007Jitendra Panwar Abstract We describe a simple technique for the germination of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM),fungal spores and their multiplication in pots. Glomus fasciculatum, G. mosseae, and Gigaspora margarita were used. A single wheat seedling was tied to a glass slide, previously covered with filter paper with the help of thread. One single surface-sterilized AM-fungal spore was placed on the middle portion of the root of the wheat seedling using a sterilized syringe. The slide was placed vertically in a 100,mL glass beaker filled with 25,mL of root exudates,water (1:4, v/v) solution, which was collected by growing twenty wheat seedlings in a 150,mL beaker filled with 100,mL sterilized distilled water for 7 d. The slide was observed daily using a compound microscope to follow the time course of germination. In this technique, the spore is directly in contact with the host root, and a visualization of spore germination, hyphal development, and appressorium formation is possible without disrupting fungal growth or the establishment of the symbiosis. The method allows to document the germination events and to assess hyphal-elongation rates by photographing the same spore on consecutive days. The inoculated seedling was used to initiate single-spore multiplication in a sterilized (autoclave on 3 alternate days at 120°C for 120,min at 1.05,kg,cm,2 pressure) potted sandy soil (150,mL volume) into which the slide with the inoculated seedling was inserted carefully through a previously made slit. The wheat seedlings in all pots (4 treatments and 15 replications) became colonized by mycorrhiza, confirming that the establishment of the AM-fungal symbiosis is highly reproducible. Our technique permits the relatively undisturbed growth of the symbiotic partners, the visualization of germinating AM-fungal spores, and their multiplication in pots. This simple and low-cost method facilitates the production of pure lines of AM fungi from single spores, allowing for the study of intraspecific variation and potentiality for cytological, biochemical, physiological, and taxonomical studies. [source] Nitrate modifies the assimilation pattern of ammonium and urea in wheat seedlingsJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 3 2010Maria Garnica Abstract BACKGROUND: In certain plant species, ammonium or urea nutrition can cause negative effects on plant development which can result in toxic symptoms. Some authors suggest that the presence of nitrate can alleviate these symptoms by increasing ammonium and urea assimilation, avoiding its accumulation. In order to study this hypothesis, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings were grown with various nitrogen supplies containing the main nitrogen forms (ammonium, nitrate and urea). Amino acids content and the activity of the three main enzymes involved in nitrogen assimilation (nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase and urease) were studied. RESULTS: The application of nitrate along with urea and/or ammonium was not associated with a time-sustained increase in the activity of glutamine synthetase and urease. Amino acid analysis revealed that nitrate induced changes in amino acid metabolism enhancing its concentration. Likewise the content of protein was also higher in nitrate-treated plants. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the effect of nitrate is compatible with a rapid and transient increase in the activity of glutamine synthetase and urease during the first hour after the onset of treatments. Nevertheless, a possible effect of nitrate reducing ammonium accumulation through the activation of alternative metabolic pathways different from that involving glutamine synthetase cannot be ruled out. Finally, nitrate effects on amino acid concentration indicate that, whereas ammonium assimilation takes place principally in the root, urea and nitrate assimilation occurred in the shoot, under the conditions of the experiment. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Root cadmium desorption methods and their evaluation with compartmental modelingNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2010Wayne T. Buckley Summary ,Desorption of plant roots is often employed in studies of plant physiology and nutrition; however, there have been few studies on the validity of desorption procedures. ,Branched and in-line kinetic models with five compartments , cadmium (Cd)-chelate, Cd2+, root apoplast, root symplast and vacuole , were developed to evaluate the efficacy of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) and CaCl2 methods for the desorption of Cd from roots of durum wheat seedlings. Solution Cd2+ could exchange with apoplast and symplast Cd simultaneously in the branched model and sequentially in the in-line model. ,A 10-min desorption with 1 × 10,6 M DTPA at room temperature or cold (0°C) 5 × 10,3 M CaCl2 was required to achieve 99% recovery of apoplast-bound 109Cd when experimental results were interpreted with the branched model. However, when the same data sets were analysed with the in-line model, only partial desorption was achieved. Arguments are presented that suggest that the branched model is correct. ,It is suggested that compartmental modeling is a suitable tool for the study of plant root uptake and desorption kinetics, and that there are advantages over more commonly used calculation procedures. [source] The drug transporter MgMfs1 can modulate sensitivity of field strains of the fungal wheat pathogen Mycosphaerella graminicola to the strobilurin fungicide trifloxystrobinPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 7 2008Ramin Roohparvar Abstract BACKGROUND: The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) drug transporter MgMfs1 of the wheat pathogen Mycosphaerella graminicola (Fuckel) J Schroeter is a potent multidrug transporter with high capacity to transport strobilurin fungicides in vitro. The data presented in this paper indicate that, in addition to the predominant cause of strobilurin resistance, cytochrome b G143A subsititution, MgMfs1 can play a role in sensitivity of field strains of this pathogen to trifloxystrobin. RESULTS: In a major part of field strains of M. graminicola (collected in the Netherlands in 2004) containing the cytochrome b G143A substitution, the basal level of expression of MgMfs1 was elevated as compared with sensitive strains lacking the G143A substitution. Induction of MgMfs1 expression in wild-type isolates upon treatment with trifloxystrobin at sublethal concentrations proceeded rapidly. Furthermore, in disease control experiments on wheat seedlings, disruption mutants of MgMfs1 displayed an increased sensitivity to trifloxystrobin. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the drug transporter MgMfs1 is a determinant of strobilurin sensitivity of field strains of M. graminicola. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] A laboratory-based comparison of a molluscicide and an alternative food source (red clover) as means of reducing slug damage to winter wheatPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 7 2005Andrew S Brooks Abstract Slugs are major pests of many crops in the UK, including winter wheat, yet current methods of control are often unreliable. This study investigates the potential use of red clover, as an alternative food source, to reduce the amount of damage caused to winter wheat by the field slug, Deroceras reticulatum (Müller). Two laboratory-based studies, each conducted over a 7-day period, investigated the effects of red clover seedlings and commercial metaldehyde pellets on damage to winter wheat seeds and seedlings. The results indicate that metaldehyde applications, in the form of commercially available pellets, resulted in significantly greater protection to wheat seeds compared with red clover, whereas metaldehyde and red clover were equally as effective in reducing damage to wheat seedlings. A further laboratory experiment investigated the effect of two slug population densities (48 and 16 adults m,2) and high and low red clover seed rates (125% and 75% of a standard rate) on damage to wheat seeds. Results showed that, at the highest slug population density, red clover sown at 125% of the standard rate gave 99% protection to wheat seeds, compared with the 75% seed rate which gave 55%. At the lower slug population density, both seed rates of red clover resulted in similar levels of protection. Implications for the potential use of red clover as an alternative food source for reducing damage to winter wheat in field conditions are discussed. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Transport interactions between cadmium and zinc in roots of bread and durum wheat seedlingsPHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 1 2002Jonathan J. Hart Field studies have shown that the addition of Zn to Cd-containing soils can help reduce accumulation of Cd in crop plants. To understand the mechanisms involved, this study used 109Cd and 65Zn to examine the transport interactions of Zn and Cd at the root cell plasma membrane of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum). Results showed that Cd2+ uptake was inhibited by Zn2+ and Zn2+ uptake was inhibited by Cd2+. Concentration-dependent uptake of both Cd2+ and Zn2+ consisted of a combination of linear binding by cell walls and saturable, Michaelis-Menten influx across the plasma membrane. Saturable influx data from experiments with and without 10 µm concentrations of the corresponding inhibiting ion were converted to double reciprocal plots. The results revealed a competitive interaction between Cd2+ and Zn2+, confirming that Cd2+ and Zn2+ share a common transport system at the root cell plasma membrane in both bread and durum wheat. The study suggests that breeding or agronomic strategies that aim to decrease Cd uptake or increase Zn uptake must take into account the potential accompanying change in transport of the competing ion. [source] Inhibition of the development of leaf rust (Puccinia recondita) by treatment of wheat with allopurinol and production of a hypersensitive-like reaction in a compatible hostPLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2000A. L. Ádám The effect of allopurinol [4-hydroxypyrazolo (3,4- d) pyrimidine], a purine analogue inhibitor of xanthine oxidase (XO) enzyme, was studied in the host,pathogen combination of Triticum aestivum,Puccinia recondita f.sp. tritici. Analysis of purines and pyrimidines in the allopurinol-treated wheat seedlings showed marked accumulation of xanthine, suggesting the inplanta inhibition of XO activity. In the incompatible wheat,rust interaction application of allopurinol as a drench, even at the highest concentration (50 ,m), did not change the hypersensitive reaction phenotype; only the number of lesions was slightly reduced. Allopurinol treatment decreased the augmented rate of electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation associated with the hypersensitive response (HR), an effect probably related to the inhibition of rust development by allopurinol. By contrast, in the case of the compatible wheat,leaf-rust combination the reaction type was strongly affected. The formation of uredia and production of uredospores were diminished or completely inhibited depending on the concentration of allopurinol, which was applied either as a drench (3.125,50 ,m) or as a foliar spray (100,400 ,m) to plants grown in perlite. At the highest allopurinol concentration in the drench, the compatible reaction type changed to a hypersensitive-like necrotic reaction. Significant increases in electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation (characteristic of the HR) were found 4,6 days after infection in susceptible plants treated with allopurinol. Staining of leaf slices from allopurinol-treated and compatible rust-infected plants with Evans blue indicated cell death surrounding the pustules, while at this stage no cell death was detected in infected leaves without allopurinol treatment. The above results suggest that XO is not the main source of the generation of active oxygen species in wheat during the HR to leaf rust. [source] Mitochondrial proline oxidation is affected by hyperosmotic stress in durum wheat seedlingsANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010M. Soccio The important role of plant mitochondria in the adaptation to environmental stresses at subcellular level has recently emerged. In particular, an important mitochondrial mechanism involved in the resistance to environmental stresses is the inhibition of proline oxidation. In order to study this physiological mechanism, we used both washed and purified durum wheat (Triticum durum) mitochondria (DWM) isolated from early seedlings germinated in two different NaCl solutions leading to either moderate or severe damage to growth. To assess the contribution of the osmotic component of stress, a parallel investigation was performed using hyperosmotic mannitol solutions. Comparison of the oxygen uptake rate in the course of proline oxidation, with that of the malate plus glutamate substrate pair and that of succinate showed that an early inhibition of proline oxidation occurs under stress. The drop of the proline-dependent oxygen uptake rate was as a result of a heavy inhibition of proline dehydrogenase (ProDH); on the other hand, malate plus glutamate-dependent and succinate-dependent oxidations were less inhibited, being the maintenance of oxygen uptake rate not dependent on alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway; in fact, DWM-AOX activity did not show any increase under our experimental stress conditions. The selective inhibition of proline oxidation should be considered a mitochondrial adaptation to stress rather than damage to mitochondrial oxidative properties. This result was achieved by means of a novel approach based on the comparison between oxygen uptake rates of washed and purified organelles. [source] Beauvericin Decreases Cell Viability of WheatCHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 8 2009Antonia, robárová Abstract Recently, beauvericin (BEA) has been recognized as an important toxic compound synthesized by several Fusarium strains, infecting maize, wheat, and rice, worldwide. The effects of BEA on mammalian cells have been studied; however, its effects on the function of host plant cells are largely unknown. The purpose of our work was to assess whether BEA can affect the root and leaf cells of wheat cultivar (cv.) ,Arina' seedlings, using a cytotoxicity assay and fluorescence microscopy. Toxigenicity during wheat germination was higher in BEA-treated wheat seedlings than in non-treated seedlings (control). Leaf primordial, situated at the base and the tips of treated leaves, were more affected by BEA compared to the control when assayed in medium for cell viability measured by luminescent equipment. BEA-Treated plant cells secrete adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to the extracellular matrix and invoke more luminescence by luciferase than the non-treated seedlings. Our results were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy following ,4,,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole' (DAPI) staining and by confocal microscopy. In addition, the bioluminescent protein luciferase was observed in the intracellular space indicating presence of ATP. The incidence of nuclear fragmentation increased significantly in cells of seedlings treated with BEA at 40,,M concentration implying that the intracellular phytotoxin BEA plays an important role, possibly as a mediator in cell-death signalling. [source] |