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Research

10 pages, 4443 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Establishment of Pluripotent Cell Cultures to Explore Allelopathic Activity of Coffee Cells by Protoplast Co-Culture Bioassay Method

by Shinjiro Ogita, Muchamad Imam Asrori and Hamako Sasamoto

Plants 2020, 9(9), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9091170 - 09 Sep 2020

Viewed by 4555

Abstract

We focused on the demonstration of a new pluripotent coffee cell culture system to control the growth and metabolic functions. Somatic cells in the epidermal layer of in vitro somatic embryos (SEs) of Coffea canephora expressed higher pluripotency to produce secondary SEs than [...] Read more.

We focused on the demonstration of a new pluripotent coffee cell culture system to control the growth and metabolic functions. Somatic cells in the epidermal layer of in vitro somatic embryos (SEs) of Coffea canephora expressed higher pluripotency to produce secondary SEs than primary or secondary meristematic tissue. SEs were ideal explants to selectively induce functionally-differentiated cell lines, both non-embryogenic callus (nEC) and embryogenic callus (EC). The protoplast co-culture bioassay method was used to explore allelopathic activity of these cultured coffee cells. Cell wall formation of lettuce protoplasts varied after five days of co-culture. A strong stimulative reaction was observed at lower nEC protoplast densities, whereas growth was inhibited at higher densities. The reaction of lettuce protoplasts after 12 days of co-culture was recognized as an inhibitory reaction of colony formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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9 pages, 2731 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Defense of Yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius) Leaves against Phytophagous Insects: Insect Antifeedants from Yacón Leaf Trichomes

by Kaisei Tsunaki and Masanori Morimoto

Plants 2020, 9(7), 848; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9070848 - 06 Jul 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2810

Abstract

Yacón is a perennial crop with high insect resistance. Its leaves have many glandular trichomes, which may be related to pest resistance. In order to collect the constituents of glandular trichomes, leaves were rinsed using dichloromethane (DCM) to obtain the rinsate, and the [...] Read more.

Yacón is a perennial crop with high insect resistance. Its leaves have many glandular trichomes, which may be related to pest resistance. In order to collect the constituents of glandular trichomes, leaves were rinsed using dichloromethane (DCM) to obtain the rinsate, and the plant residues were subsequently extracted by DCM to obtain a DCM extract containing the internal constituents of yacón leaves. Biologic evaluations revealed that insect antifeedant activity was stronger for the rinsate than for the DCM extract against the common cutworm. The major constituents of rinsate were isolated by silica gel flash chromatography and were identified as sesquiterpene lactones (SLs), uvedalin (1) and enhydrin (2) and uvedalin aldehyde (3), collectively known as melampolides. Although SLs 1 and 2 exhibited remarkably strong insect antifeedant activity, SL 3 and reduced corresponding derivatives (4 and 5) of 1 and 2 exhibited moderate insect antifeedant activity. Additionally, the two analogs, parthenolide (6) and erioflorin (7) showed moderate insect antifeedant activity. The results indicate that the substituent patterns of SLs may be related to the insect antifeedant activities. The insect antifeedant activities of SLs 1 and 2 were similar to that of the positive control azadirachtin A (8), and thus these natural products may function in chemical defense against herbivores. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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15 pages, 2327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physiological and Biochemical Mechanisms Mediated by Allelochemical Isoliquiritigenin on the Growth of Lettuce Seedlings

by Shuang Zhang, Shi-Wei Sun, Hai-Lin Shi, Ke Zhao, Jin Wang, Yang Liu, Xiao-Hong Liu and Wei Wang

Plants 2020, 9(2), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020245 - 13 Feb 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2718

Abstract

Isoliquiritigenin, a natural chalcone-type flavonoid, has been recognized as an allelochemical with phytotoxicity to lettuce; however, not enough attention has been paid to the mechanisms of this secondary metabolite. In this work, we investigated the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of isoliquiritigenin on lettuce [...] Read more.

Isoliquiritigenin, a natural chalcone-type flavonoid, has been recognized as an allelochemical with phytotoxicity to lettuce; however, not enough attention has been paid to the mechanisms of this secondary metabolite. In this work, we investigated the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of isoliquiritigenin on lettuce seedlings. The results show that isoliquiritigenin has a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on radicle elongation of lettuce seedlings, but no significant impact on lettuce germination. Microscopy analyses suggest that the surface morphology of lettuce radicle tips was atrophied and the intracellular tissue structure deformed at high concentrations. Isoliquiritigenin induced the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which led to loss of cell viability in the radicle cells. In addition, malondialdehyde (a product of lipid peroxidation) and free proline levels were found to have increased, while chlorophyll content in lettuce seedlings decreased. All these changes suggest that the primary allelopathic mechanism of isoliquiritigenin by which it inhibits radicle elongation in lettuce seedlings might be due to the overproduction of ROS, which causes oxidative damage to membrane lipids and cell death. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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12 pages, 2547 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Phytotoxic Activity and Identification of Phytotoxic Substances from Schumannianthus dichotomus

by Md. Mahfuzur Rob, Kawsar Hossen, Arihiro Iwasaki, Kiyotake Suenaga and Hisashi Kato-Noguchi

Plants 2020, 9(1), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9010102 - 14 Jan 2020

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5867

Abstract

The phytotoxic potential of plants and their constituents against other plants is being increasingly investigated as a possible alternative to synthetic herbicides to control weeds in crop fields. In this study, we explored the phytotoxicity and phytotoxic substances of Schumannianthus dichotomus, a [...] Read more.

The phytotoxic potential of plants and their constituents against other plants is being increasingly investigated as a possible alternative to synthetic herbicides to control weeds in crop fields. In this study, we explored the phytotoxicity and phytotoxic substances of Schumannianthus dichotomus, a perennial wetland shrub native to Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar. Leaf extracts of S. dichotomus exerted strong phytotoxicity against two dicot species, alfalfa and cress, and two monocot species, barnyard grass and Italian ryegrass. A bioassay-driven purification process yielded two phenolic derivatives, syringic acid and methyl syringate. Both constituents significantly inhibited the growth of cress and Italian ryegrass in a concentration-dependent manner. The concentrations required for 50% growth inhibition (I₅₀ value) of the shoot and root growth of cress were 75.8 and 61.3 μM, respectively, for syringic acid, compared with 43.2 and 31.5 μM, respectively, for methyl syringate. Similarly, to suppress the shoot and root growth of Italian rye grass, a greater amount of syringic acid (I₅₀ = 213.7 and 175.9 μM) was needed than methyl syringate (I₅₀ = 140.4 to 130.8 μM). Methyl syringate showed higher phytotoxic potential than syringic acid, and cress showed higher sensitivity to both substances. This study is the first to report on the phytotoxic potential of S. dichotomus and to identify phytotoxic substances from this plant material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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10 pages, 2134 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tree Fern Cyathea lepifera May Survive by Its Phytotoxic Property

by Noriyuki Ida, Arihiro Iwasaki, Toshiaki Teruya, Kiyotake Suenaga and Hisashi Kato-Noguchi

Plants 2020, 9(1), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9010046 - 28 Dec 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3575

Abstract

Cyatheaceae (tree ferns) appeared during the Jurassic period and some of the species still remain. Those species may have some morphological and/or physiological characteristics for survival. A tree fern was observed to suppress the growth of other ligneous plants in a tropical forest. [...] Read more.

Cyatheaceae (tree ferns) appeared during the Jurassic period and some of the species still remain. Those species may have some morphological and/or physiological characteristics for survival. A tree fern was observed to suppress the growth of other ligneous plants in a tropical forest. It was assumed that the fern may release toxic substances into the forest floor, but those toxic substances have not yet been identified. Therefore, we investigated the phytotoxicity and phytotoxic substances of Cyathea lepifera (J. Sm. ex Hook.) Copel. An aqueous methanol extract of C. lepifera fronds inhibited the growth of roots and shoots of dicotyledonous garden cress (Lepidum sativum L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and monocotyledonous ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), timothy (Phleum pratense L.), and barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.). The results suggest that C. lepifera fronds may have phytotoxicity and contain some phytotoxic substances. The extract was purified through several chromatographic steps during which inhibitory activity was monitored, and p-coumaric acid and (-)-3-hydroxy-β-ionone were isolated. Those compounds showed phytotoxic activity and may contribute to the phytotoxic effects caused by the C. lepifera fronds. The fronds fall and accumulate on the forest floor through defoliation, and the compounds may be released into the forest soils through the decomposition process of the fronds. The phytotoxic activities of the compounds may be partly responsible for the fern’s survival. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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23 pages, 1701 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Allelopathic Role for Garlic Root Exudates in the Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Cucumber in a Hydroponic Co-Culture System

by Haiyan Ding, Ahmad Ali and Zhihui Cheng

Plants 2020, 9(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9010045 - 27 Dec 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5341

Abstract

Garlic is considered to have a strong positive effect on the growth and yield of receptors under soil cultivation conditions. However, how this positive promotion is produced by changing the growth environment of the receptors or directly acting on the receptors is still [...] Read more.

Garlic is considered to have a strong positive effect on the growth and yield of receptors under soil cultivation conditions. However, how this positive promotion is produced by changing the growth environment of the receptors or directly acting on the receptors is still not very clear. The direct influence of co-culturing with different quantities of garlic plants (the control 5, 10, 15, 20) on the growth and biochemical processes of cucumber plants was studied using a hydroponic co-culture system. Different numbers of garlic bulbs inhibited the growth of cucumber plants and increased the production and induction of reactive oxygen species, which accompanied the enhancement of lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage to cucumber. This allelopathic exposure further reduced the chlorophyll contents and photosynthesis rate, and consequently impaired the photosynthetic performance of photosystem II (PSII). Garlic root exudates increased the leaves’ carbohydrates accumulation, such as soluble sugar contents and sucrose levels by regulating the activities of metabolismic enzymes; however, no such accumulation was observed in the roots. Our results suggested that garlic root exudates can mediate negative plant–plant interactions and its phytotoxic influence on cucumber plants may have occurred through the application of oxidative stress, which consequently imbalanced the source-to-sink photo-assimilate flow. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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20 pages, 2278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Habitat Affects the Chemical Profile, Allelopathy, and Antioxidant Properties of Essential Oils and Phenolic Enriched Extracts of the Invasive Plant Heliotropium Curassavicum

by Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad, Abdelsamed I. Elshamy, Saud L. Al-Rowaily and Yasser A. El-Amier

Plants 2019, 8(11), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110482 - 07 Nov 2019

Cited by 43 | Viewed by 4361

Abstract

The variation in habitat has a direct effect on the plants and as a consequence, changes their content of the bioactive constituents and biological activities. The present study aimed to explore the variation in the essential oils (EOs) and phenolics of Heliotropium curassavicum [...] Read more.

The variation in habitat has a direct effect on the plants and as a consequence, changes their content of the bioactive constituents and biological activities. The present study aimed to explore the variation in the essential oils (EOs) and phenolics of Heliotropium curassavicum collected from the coastal and inland habitats. Additionally, we determined their antioxidant and allelopathic activity against the weed, Chenopodium murale. Fifty-six compounds were identified as overall from EOs, from which 25 components were identified from the coastal sample, and 52 from the inland one. Sesquiterpenes were the main class in both samples (81.67% and 79.28%), while mono (3.99% and 7.21%) and diterpenes (2.9% and 1.77%) represented minors, respectively. Hexahydrofarnesyl acetone, (-)-caryophyllene oxide, farnesyl acetone, humulene oxide, farnesyl acetone C, and nerolidol epoxy acetate were identified as major compounds. The HPLC analysis of MeOH extracts of the two samples showed that chlorogenic acid, rutin, and propyl gallate are major compounds in the coastal sample, while vanilin, quercetin, and 4′,7-dihydroxyisoflavone are majors in the inland one. The EOs showed considerable phytotoxicity against C. murale with IC₅₀ value of 2.66, 0.59, and 0.70 mg mL⁻¹ for germination, root, and shoot growth, respectively from the inland sample. While the coastal sample attained the IC₅₀ values of 1.58, 0.45, and 0.66 mg mL⁻¹. MeOH extracts revealed stronger antioxidant activity compared to the EOs. Based on IC₅₀ values, the ascorbic acid revealed 3-fold of the antioxidant compared to the EO of the coastal sample and 4-fold regarding the inland sample. However, the ascorbic acid showed 3-fold of the antioxidant activity of the MeOH extracts of coastal and inland samples. Although H. curassavicum is considered as a noxious, invasive plant, the present study revealed that EO and MeOH extracts of the H. curassavicum could be considered as promising, eco-friendly, natural resources for antioxidants as well as weed control, particularly against the weed, C. murale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

9 pages, 244 KiB

Open AccessReview

Involvement of Allelopathy in the Invasive Potential of Tithonia diversifolia

by Hisashi Kato-Noguchi

Plants 2020, 9(6), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9060766 - 19 Jun 2020

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5223

Abstract

Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray (Asteraceae) is native to Mexico and Central America. The species is spreading quickly and has naturalized in more than 70 countries. It has often been recorded as a harmful invasive plant that disturbs native plant communities. Phytotoxic chemical [...] Read more.

Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray (Asteraceae) is native to Mexico and Central America. The species is spreading quickly and has naturalized in more than 70 countries. It has often been recorded as a harmful invasive plant that disturbs native plant communities. Phytotoxic chemical interactions such as allelopathy between invasive plants and native plants have been reported to play an important role in the invasion. Evidence for allelopathy of T. diversifolia has accumulated in the literature over 30 years. Thus, the objective of this review was to discuss the possible involvement of allelopathy in the invasive potential of T. diversifolia. The extracts, root exudates, and plant residues of T. diversifolia inhibited the germination and growth of other plant species. The soil water and soil collected from T. diversifolia fields also showed inhibitory growth effects. The decomposition rate of T. diversifolia residues in soil was reported to be high. Phytotoxic substances such as sesquiterpene lactones were isolated and identified in the extracts of T. diversifolia. Some phytotoxic substances in T. diversifolia may be released into the soil through the decomposition of the plant residues and the exudation from living tissues of T. diversifolia, including its root exudates, which act as allelopathic substances. Those allelopathic substances can inhibit the germination and growth of neighboring plants and may enhance the competitive ability of the plants, make them invasive. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

7 pages, 1990 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

The Interaction between Leaf Allelopathy and Symbiosis with Rhizobium of Ulex europaeus on Hawaii Island

by Mika Hozawa and Eiji Nawata

Plants 2020, 9(2), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020226 - 10 Feb 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1962

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the magnitudes of the leaf allelopathy of Ulex europaeus in two different habitats, and discuss the driver of the differences, including rhizobia. The magnitudes of leaf allelopathy of the samples collected in two different habitats [...] Read more.

The objective of this study was to assess the magnitudes of the leaf allelopathy of Ulex europaeus in two different habitats, and discuss the driver of the differences, including rhizobia. The magnitudes of leaf allelopathy of the samples collected in two different habitats were assessed by comparing the hypocotyl and radicle lengths of the lettuce seeds tested on the samples. One habitat was in and adjacent to an Acasia koa forest, while the other was more than 50 m away. A. koa is indigenous to Hawaii and known to have a close symbiotic relationship with Bradyrhizobium for nitrogen-fixing. Within the past three years, U. europaeus has newly invaded both sampling sites, whereas the A. koa forest has been there for several decades. The combined result of both hypocotyl and radicle lengths of the lettuce seeds tested on both sites by linear model and multicomparison analyses showed no significant difference. But the radicle lengths of the lettuce seeds tested on U. europaeus sampled in and adjacent to the A. koa forest were significantly longer than those of the samples more than 50 m away, as measured by t-test (p = 0.05). This result suggested that the magnitude of the leaf allelopathy of U. europaeus depended on the distance of the habitat from the A. koa forest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Allelopathy and Allelochemicals)

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