Mimicking natural deterrent strategies in plants using adhesive spheres.

With a continuous increase in world population and food production, chemical pesticide use is growing accordingly, yet unsustainably. As chemical pesticides are harmful to the environment and developmental resistance in pests is increasing, a sustainable and effective pesticide alternative is needed. Inspired by nature, we mimic one defense strategy of plants, glandular trichomes, to shift away from using chemical pesticides by moving toward a physical immobilization strategy via adhesive particles.

Resistance to during Different Plant Life Stages and under Different Environmental Conditions in the Ornamental Gladiolus.

The defense mechanisms of plants evolve as they develop. Previous research has identified chemical defenses against Western flower thrips (WFT) in ( L.).

Refining bulk segregant analyses: ontology-mediated discovery of flowering time genes in Brassica oleracea.

Background: Bulk segregant analysis (BSA) can help identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs), but this may result in substantial bycatch of functionally irrelevant genes.

Results: Here we develop a Gene Ontology-mediated approach to zoom in on specific genes located inside QTLs identified by BSA as implicated in a continuous trait. We apply this to a novel experimental system: flowering time in the giant woody Jersey kale, which we phenotyped in four bulks of flowering onset.

Leafminer attack accelerates the development of soil-dwelling conspecific pupae via plant-mediated changes in belowground volatiles.

Herbivore population dynamics are strongly influenced by the interactions established through their shared host. Such plant-mediated interactions can occur between different herbivore species and different life developmental stages of the same herbivore. However, whether these interactions occur between leaf-feeding herbivores and their soil-dwelling pupae is unknown.

Seasonal variation in defence compounds: A case study on pyrrolizidine alkaloids of clones of Jacobaea vulgaris, Jacobaea aquatica and their hybrids.

Concentration of plant secondary metabolites (SMs) show seasonal variations. However, it is still not well understood how these abiotic and biotic factors influence the seasonal variations of SMs. In addition, it is of interest to know if and how SMs are reallocated to the different plant organs, in particular whether SMs are reallocated to the remaining tissues when biomass is lost, e.

Morphological and Chemical Factors Related to Western Flower Thrips Resistance in the Ornamental Gladiolus.

Understanding the mechanisms involved in host plant resistance opens the way for improved resistance breeding programs by using the traits involved as markers. Pest management is a major problem in cultivation of ornamentals. Gladiolus ( L.

Chemical Differentiation of Plant Latexes and Their Anti-herbivory Activity against Thrips Frankliniella occidentalis.

Despite the extensive studies on latex, some fundamental questions on their chemical specialization and the factors influencing this specialization have yet to be investigated. To address this issue, latexes and their bearing tissues from diverse species were profiled by HNMR and GC-MS. Additionally, the antiherbivory activity of these materials was tested against thrips ( Pergande, 1895).

Evolutionary changes in an invasive plant support the defensive role of plant volatiles.

It is increasingly evident that plants interact with their outside world through the production of volatile organic compounds, but whether the volatiles have evolved to serve in plant defense is still a topic of considerable debate. Unharmed leaves constitutively release small amounts of volatiles, but when the leaves are damaged by herbivorous arthropods, they emit substantially more volatiles. These herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) attract parasitoids and predators that kill insect herbivores, and this can benefit the plants.

Latex Metabolome of Euphorbia Species: Geographical and Inter-Species Variation and its Proposed Role in Plant Defense against Herbivores and Pathogens.

Based on the hypothesis that the variation of the metabolomes of latex is a response to selective pressure and should thus be affected differently from other organs, their variation could provide an insight into the defensive chemical selection of plants. Metabolic profiling was used to compare tissues of three Euphorbia species collected in diverse regions. The metabolic variation of latexes was much more limited than that of other organs.

HPTLC-Based Chemical Profiling: An Approach to Monitor Plant Metabolic Expansion Caused by Fungal Endophytes.

Fungal endophytes isolated from two latex bearing species were chosen as models to show their potential to expand their host plant chemical diversity. Thirty-three strains were isolated from (Apocynaceae) and (Euphorbiaceae). High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) was used to metabolically profile samples.

Application of methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid lead to contrasting effects on the plant's metabolome and herbivory.

Phytohormone applications are used to mimic herbivory and can induce plant defences. This study investigated (i) metabolomic changes in leaf tissues of Jacobaea vulgaris and J. aquatica after methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and salicylic acid (SA) applications and (ii) the effects on a leaf-chewing, a leaf-mining and a piercing-sucking herbivore.

Cultivar Variation in Tomato Seed Coat Permeability Is an Important Determinant of Jasmonic Acid Elicited Defenses Against Western Flower Thrips.

Induction of defenses is one of the most widely accepted eco-friendly approaches for management of pests and diseases. Seeds are receptive to resistance-inducing chemicals and could offer broad-spectrum protection at the early stages of development. However, seed treatment with elicitors has previously been shown to differentially influence induced defense responses among cultivars and thus, could hamper commercial exploitation.

Water Dipping of Auxin Coated Chrysanthemum Cuttings Confers Protection against Insect Herbivores.

Auxins are commonly used for commercial propagation of chrysanthemums by stem cuttings. Recent studies imply that these root-promoting hormones also affect plant defense responses. The underlying motive of this study stems from the serendipitous observation that water dipping of auxin-coated cuttings beneficially affected thrips herbivory.

Constitutive and Inducible Resistance to Thrips Do Not Correlate With Differences in Trichome Density or Enzymatic-Related Defenses in Chrysanthemum.

Western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis, is a serious insect pest of Chrysanthemum [Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. (Asteraceae)]. Here we have investigated whether genotypic variation in constitutive and inducible resistance to WFT correlates with phenotypic differences in leaf trichome density and the activity of the defense-related enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in chrysanthemum.

Diversity and evolution of cytochrome P450s of Jacobaea vulgaris and Jacobaea aquatica.

Background: Collectively, plants produce a huge variety of secondary metabolites (SMs) which are involved in the adaptation of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. The most characteristic feature of SMs is their striking inter- and intraspecific chemical diversity. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) often play an important role in the biosynthesis of SMs and thus in the evolution of chemical diversity.

Metabolic variation in Cistus monspeliensis L. ecotypes correlated to their plant-fungal interactions.

The effect of environmental factors on the chemical composition of plants eventually resulting in plant growth regulation is an age-old issue in plant biology. Nowadays, the acceleration in changes in environmental conditions (e.g.

Soil Inoculation Alters Leaf Metabolic Profiles in Genetically Identical Plants.

Abiotic and biotic properties of soil can influence growth and chemical composition of plants. Although it is well-known that soil microbial composition can vary greatly spatially, how this variation affects plant chemical composition is poorly understood. We grew genetically identical Jacobaea vulgaris in sterilized soil inoculated with live soil collected from four natural grasslands and in 100% sterilized soil.

Site-dependent induction of jasmonic acid-associated chemical defenses against western flower thrips in Chrysanthemum.

Local and systemic induction of JA-associated chemical defenses and resistance to western flower thrips in Chrysanthemum are spatially variable and dependent on the site of the JA application. Plants have evolved numerous inducible defense traits to resist or tolerate herbivory, which can be activated locally at the site of the damage, or systemically through the whole plant. Here we investigated how activation of local and systemic chemical responses upon exogenous application of the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) varies along the plant canopy in Chrysanthemum, and how these responses correlate with resistance to thrips.

Evolution of Increased Photosynthetic Capacity and Its Underlying Traits in Invasive .

The evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis and the shifting defense hypothesis (SDH) predict that evolutionary changes occur in a suite of traits related to defense and growth in invasive plant species as result of the absence of specialist herbivores. We tested how this suite of traits changed due to the absence of specialist herbivores in multiple invasive regions that differ in climatic conditions with native and invasive in a controlled environment. We hypothesized that invasive in all invasive regions have i) a higher plant growth and underlying traits, such as photosynthetic capacity, ii) lower regrowth-related traits, such as carbohydrate storage, and iii) an increased plant qualitative defense, such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs).

Plant Latex, from Ecological Interests to Bioactive Chemical Resources.

Historically, latex-bearing plants have been regarded as important medicinal resources in many countries due to their characteristic latex ingredients. They have also often been endowed with a social or cultural significance in religious or cult rituals or for hunting. Initial chemical studies focused on the protein or peptide content but recently the interest extended to smaller molecules.

Identification and characterization of metabolite quantitative trait loci in tomato leaves and comparison with those reported for fruits and seeds.

Introduction: To date, most studies of natural variation and metabolite quantitative trait loci (mQTL) in tomato have focused on fruit metabolism, leaving aside the identification of genomic regions involved in the regulation of leaf metabolism.

Objective: This study was conducted to identify leaf mQTL in tomato and to assess the association of leaf metabolites and physiological traits with the metabolite levels from other tissues.

Methods: The analysis of components of leaf metabolism was performed by phenotypying 76 tomato ILs with chromosome segments of the wild species Solanum pennellii in the genetic background of a cultivated tomato (S.

Ultraviolet radiation enhances salicylic acid-mediated defense signaling and resistance to Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 in a jasmonic acid-deficient tomato mutant.

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is an important modulator of plant defenses against biotic stresses. We have recently described that different supplemental UV exposure times and irradiance intensities enhanced tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) resistance to Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). UV increased jasmonic acid-isoleucine (JA-Ile) and salicylic acid (SA) levels, as well as the expression of JA- and SA-responsive genes, before thrips herbivory.

Trichome Independent Resistance against Western Flower Thrips in Tomato.

Western flower thrips (WFT) are a major pest on many crops, including tomato. Thrips cause yield losses, not only through feeding damage, but also by the transmission of viruses of which the Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus is the most important one. In cultivated tomato, genetic diversity is extremely low, and all commercial lines are susceptible to WFT.

Foraging efficiency and size matching in a plant-pollinator community: the importance of sugar content and tongue length.

A long-standing question in ecology is how species interactions are structured within communities. Although evolutionary theory predicts close size matching between floral nectar tube depth and pollinator proboscis length of interacting species, such size matching has seldom been shown and explained in multispecies assemblages. Here, we investigated the degree of size matching among Asteraceae and their pollinators and its relationship with foraging efficiency.

Type VI glandular trichome density and their derived volatiles are differently induced by jasmonic acid in developing and fully developed tomato leaves: Implications for thrips resistance.

Variation in the induction of plant defenses along the plant canopy can determine distribution and colonization of arthropod herbivores within the plant. In tomato, type VI glandular trichomes, which are epidermal defensive structures, and their derived volatiles are induced by the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA). How JA-mediated induction of these trichome-associated chemical defenses depends on the leaf developmental stage and correlates with resistance against herbivory is unknown.