Benzothiadiazole induces the accumulation of phenolics and improves resistance to powdery mildew in strawberries

Benzothiadiazole (BTH) enhanced the accumulation of soluble and cell-wall-bound phenolics in strawberry leaves and also improved the resistance to powdery mildew infection under greenhouse conditions. The most pronounced change was seen in the levels of ellagitannins, which increased up to 2- to 6-fold 4 days after the BTH application, but persisted only in the inoculated plants. The induction of phenolic metabolism by BTH was also reflected in the fruits, several compounds being increased in inoculated, BTH-treated plants. Basal salicylic acid (SA) content was high in strawberry leaves, but increased in a similar fashion to other phenolics after the treatments. Several phenolic compounds were identified in strawberries for the first time. For example, ellagic acid deoxyhexose, three agrimoniin-like ellagitannins, sanguiin H-10- and lambertianin C-like ellagitannins in the leaves, ellagic acid, p-coumaric acid, gallic acid, and kaempferol hexose in the cell-wall-bound fraction of the leaves, and kaempferol malonylglucoside in the fruits. The findings show that BTH can enhance the accumulation of phenolics in strawberry plants which may then be involved in the BTH-induced resistance to powdery mildew.     

硅对水稻病程相关蛋白活性和酚类物质含量的影响及其与诱导抗性的关系

为阐明硅提高水稻抗稻瘟病的生理机制,采用室内溶液培养试验,研究了硅对接种稻瘟病菌后水稻叶片的几丁质酶和β-1,3-葡聚糖酶活性以及总可溶性酚和木质素含量的影响。结果表明,接种稻瘟病菌能诱导几丁质酶活性的快速上升,不施硅处理的几丁质酶活性在第2 d达到第一个峰值后就开始下降,而施硅处理的几丁质酶活性则继续上升直到第4 d才开始下降,从第4～8 d显著高于不施硅处理。β-1,3-葡聚糖酶活性在接种后的第4 d之前均上升缓慢,处理间差异不显著;第4 d后开始上升,到第8 d达到最大值;不施硅处理上升更快,显著高于施硅处理。接种稻瘟病菌能诱导水稻叶片总可溶性酚含量快速上升,施硅处理和不施硅处理分别在接种后的第3和第4 d达到峰值,并开始快速下降;施硅能显著提高总可溶性酚含量。水稻叶片中的木质素含量在接种后的第1 d快速上升,并维持较高水平,施硅处理显著高于不施硅处理;但在感病后期（第6 d）,施硅处理开始显著低于不施硅处理。     

不同根型苜蓿根系对低温胁迫的响应及其抗寒性评价

为了解不同根型苜蓿在越冬期根系对低温胁迫的响应特征及其抗寒性强弱, 本研究以根茎型“清水”紫花苜蓿 (Medicago sativa L. cv. “Qingshui”)、根蘖型“甘农2 号”杂花苜蓿(M. varia Martin. cv. “Gannong No. 2”)和直根型“陇东”紫花苜蓿(M. sativa L. cv. “Longdong”)为材料, 于2009 年9 月15 日、10 月15 日、12 月15 日, 2010 年1 月15 日、3 月15 日在甘肃天水、榆中和武威3 个生态区, 对自然降温、升温过程中苜蓿根系脯氨酸、可溶性蛋白质、可溶性糖和丙二醛(MDA)含量及过氧化氢酶(CAT)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性6 项生理指标的动态变化进行监测。结果表明, 在3 个生态区, 3 类根型苜蓿根系MDA 含量随气温的变化均呈先升高后降低再升高的变化趋势; 脯氨酸、可溶性糖含量和CAT 活性均随气温的下降而增加, 随气温升高而减少; 而可溶性蛋白质含量和SOD 活性在不同生态区的不同品种间随气温的变化规律不同。应用隶属函数法进行抗寒性综合评判, 不同根型苜蓿抗寒性强弱顺序为: 根茎型“清水”紫花苜蓿>根蘖型“甘农2 号”杂花苜蓿>直根型“陇东”紫花苜蓿; 同一品种在不同生态区抗寒性强弱顺序为: 榆中>武威>天水, 与所在地的海拔呈显著正相关。     

Root associated organisms modify the effectiveness of chemically induced resistance in barley

Induced resistance (IR) offers a lasting defense against a broad spectrum of diseases in various plants, but practical applicability is impaired by unpredictable effectiveness. Here we present the results of two greenhouse experiments on the modification of the effectiveness of BION^® (acibenzolar-S-methyl (BTH)) induced resistance against powdery mildew in barley by different levels of root infection with mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus etunicatum) and parasitic nematodes (Heterodera avenae), respectively.Root infection by mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes both had a negative effect on plant growth. Adverse effects of G. etunicatum suggest that parasitic effects of mycorrhizal fungi outweighed positive effects under the optimal growth conditions provided by the experiment. Bion^® either did not affect or decreased the number of lesions caused by powdery mildew at low and medium levels of infection by G. etunicatum or H. avenae, but increased it at high levels of root infection. This clearly proves the important role of root-associated biota in modulating the effectiveness of IR. However, plant accumulation of the resistance related protein BCI-4 was not impaired by G. etunicatum or H. avenae. Soil biota thus appear to impact later steps of the defense pathway, rather than preventing the onset of resistance.     

Colonization with endo-mycorrhiza affects the resistance of safflower in response to salinity condition

Two Safflower (Carthamus tinctoriusL.) cultivars' seeds were used to study the influence of inoculation with mycorrhiza arbuscular fungi under salinity stress condition. Factorial experiment based on completely randomized design (three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)) with 3 replications was used. Salinity treatment with 3 levels (0.5, 6, and 12 dS/m) and mycorrhizal arbuscular inoculation with two species (three levels consist of non-inoculation, and inoculation with Glomus intraradices and G. moseae) were applied on two cultivars of safflower (Goldasht and Padide) in this experiment. Some important biochemical, mineral, and growth traits were measured in this study. Salinity had a significant negative effect on all growth and morphological parameters including shoot and root dry weight, stem and root height. On the other hand, colonized plants showed better growth parameters under saline conditions compared with the control. The colonization of both mycorrhizal species decreased with salinity. Sugar and pigment content decreased with salinity, but their levels in colonized plants under saline conditions were higher than that in non-colonized plants. Mineral elements including phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and magnesium (Mg) were higher in colonized plants, while salinity decreased the absorption of these elements in both inoculated and non-inoculated plants. Higher activity of the enzymatic antioxidant means higher removal of these compounds and higher resistance to stress condition. Overall, it is clear that salinity had a negative effect on both cultivars of safflower, but these negative effects were lower in inoculated plants than in the non-inoculated ones; so, the use of mycorrhizal inoculation is a proper way to control the effect of salinity and maintain plant production.     

Role of rhizobial EPS in the evasion of peanut defense response during the crack-entry infection process

Roles of rhizobial exopolysaccharides (EPS) in symbiotic nodulation have been most thoroughly studied in legumes infected by the infection thread (IT) mechanism. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) differs from other legumes in that rhizobial penetration and spreading inside the nodule occur without IT formation but rather by crack-entry infection. By using a defined mutant (NET30-M1024) affected in the EPS production, we have previously shown that peanut symbionts require these molecules for efficient nodulation. In this work, we monitored the relationship between the symbiotic behavior of this mutant and the EPS level production, and evaluated ex planta if these molecules could play a role in protecting the microsymbiont against plant defense reactions.     

Investigations into the biochemical basis for nematode resistance in roots of three musa cultivars in response to Radopholus similis infection

The Musa cultivars, Dwarf Cavendish, Yangambi Km5 and Kunnan, exhibit considerable differences in resistance to Radopholus similis. Infection resulted in significant increases in condensed tannins and flavan-3,4-diols in roots (P < 0.001). The highly resistant cultivar Kunnan had the highest levels of condensed tannins before and after infection. The preinfection levels were similar to the postinfection levels of the two other cultivars. Tannins had mostly procyanidin character, but Kunnan also contained propelargonidins; these compounds may be involved in the resistance mechanism. It is suggested that the butanol/HCl assay be used as a rapid test in screening for resistance to R. similis.     

Ca2+在磷酸盐营养诱导黄瓜幼叶系统抗病中的作用

黄瓜第 2叶喷施 75mmol/L K2HPO4 溶液以后 ,每天采取叶片 ,用去离子水、1mol/L氯化钠、2 %醋酸和 5%盐酸 4种浸提液连续提取不同形态的钙 ,其中水溶性钙和果胶酸钙的含量减少而磷酸钙含量明显上升 ,同时 ,叶片中相关的抗病酶活性也持续升高。用焦锑酸钙沉淀的电镜细胞化学方法研究了叶片内Ca2+定位分布的变化后发现 ,与对照比较 ,喷施K2HPO4处理 ,液泡和叶绿体出现大量的钙颗粒分布 ,同时细胞间层中的钙沉淀也变得更为密集。用X 射线能谱仪测得细胞壁上Ca/P明显下降。上述现象表明 ,叶片细胞液泡和叶绿体含钙量增加以及磷酸钙沉淀的形成使得中间层的钙桥键断裂 ,从而引起抗病酶的产生 ,并导致细胞壁分解形成寡聚半乳糖醛酸 ,可诱导黄瓜苗产生系统抗病能力     

Distribution of betalain pigments in red blood cells after consumption of cactus pear fruits and increased resistance of the cells to ex vivo induced oxidative hemolysis in humans

Betalain pigments are bioavailable phytochemicals recently acknowledged as natural radical scavengers. This work, which extends previous research on the postabsorbitive fate of dietary betalains, investigated the distribution of betanin and indicaxanthin in red blood cells (RBCs) isolated from healthy volunteers (n = 8), before and during the 1-8 h interval after a cactus pear fruit meal, and the potential antioxidative activity of the pigments in these cells. A peak concentration of indicaxanthin (1.03 +/- 0.2 microM) was observed in RBCs isolated at 3 h after fruit feeding, whereas the concentration at 5 h was about half, and even smaller amounts were measured at 8 h. Indicaxanthin was not detected at 1 h. Betanin (30.0 +/- 5.2 nM) was found only in RBCs isolated at 3 h from fruit feeding. In comparison with homologous RBCs before fruit ingestion, a significant delay (P < 0.05) of the onset of an ex vivo cumene hydroperoxide (cumOOH)-induced hemolysis was evident in the RBCs isolated at 3 h (33.0 +/- 4.5 min) and at 5 h (16.0 +/- 2.0 min). Neither vitamins C and E nor GSH was modified in the RBCs at any time point. Blood collected from the same volunteers after a 12-h fasting was incubated with the purified betalains in the range of 5-25 microM, to enrich the erythrocytes with either betanin or indicaxanthin, and then the cells were exposed to cumOOH. When compared to the relevant nonenriched cells, the betalain-enriched erythrocytes exhibited an enhanced resistance to the cumOOH-induced hemolysis, which was positively correlated (r (2) = 0.99) to the amount of the incorporated compound. On a micromolar basis, betanin and indicaxanthin showed a comparable effectiveness. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that human RBCs incorporate dietary betalains and support the concept that these phytochemicals may offer antioxidative protection to the cells.     

2000-2020年黄河流域国土空间格局演变及生态响应

黄河流域国土空间格局变化将深刻影响生态系统服务价值(ecosystem service value,ESV)和功能，科学揭示其响应规律是构建高质量国土空间体系的应有之义。为此，从“三生空间”视角切入构建了两级衔接的国土空间分类体系，借助转移矩阵和修正的ESV评估模型，刻画了黄河流域2000–2020年间多级自然边界的国土空间格局及ESV演变特征，并采用图谱法揭示了ESV的时空响应规律。结果表明：1)2000–2020年间，一级空间中的生产空间持续减少，生活空间逐渐增加，生态空间较为稳定；二级空间中，除了农业生产空间和其他生态空间面积减少外，其他均呈上升态势。转化类型以草地生态空间与农业生产空间、其他生态空间以及林地生态空间的相互转换为主，集中分布在流域中上游地区。2)近20a间生态系统服务价值总体看涨，由2000年的10 976.59×10⁸元上升至2020年的11 210.96×10⁸元，草地生态空间、林地生态空间贡献最大。空间格局呈现“中部及西南部最高，东北部和东南部较高，西北部最低”的特征，显著增加的区域逐渐增多。3)生态增值区范围分布...     

Carotenoid content of the varieties Jaranda and Jariza (Capsicumannuum L.) and response during the industrial slow drying and grinding steps in paprika processing

Fruits of the pepper varieties Jaranda and Jariza (Capsicum annuum L. ) ripen as a group, enabling a single harvesting, showed a uniform carotenoid content that is high enough (7.9 g/kg) for the production of paprika. The drying system at mild temperature showed that fruits with moisture content of 85-88% generated a dry product with carotenoid content equal to or higher than the initial one. Those high moisture levels allowed the fruits to have a longer period of metabolic activity, increasing the yellow fraction, the red fraction, or both as a function of what biosynthetic process was predominant. This fact indicates under-ripeness of the fruits in the drying step. The results obtained allow us to establish that both varieties, Jaranda and Jariza, fit the dehydration process employed, yielding a dry fruit with carotenoid concentration similar to that the initial one. During the grinding step of the dry fruit, the heat generated by the hammers of the mill caused degradation of the yellow fraction, while the red fraction is maintained. The ripeness state of the harvested fruits and the appropriateness or severity of the processing steps are indicated by the ratio of red to yellow (R/Y) and/or red to total (R/T) pigments, since fluctuations in both fractions and in total pigments are reflected in and monitored by these parameters.     

Variations in concentrations and bioavailability of heavy metals in rivers during sediment suspension-deposition event induced by dams: insights from sediment regulation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir in the Yellow River

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The variations of concentrations, speciation, and bioavailability of heavy metals during large-scale sediment suspension-deposition events caused by dams in rivers...     

Quercetin-dependent inhibition of nitration induced by peroxidase/H2O2/nitrite systems in human saliva and characterization of an oxidation product of quercetin formed during the inhibition

Local pH in the oral cavity can decrease to below 7 at the site where acid-producing bacteria are proliferating. Effects of pH on nitration of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid were studied using dialyzed human saliva. Dialyzed saliva nitrated 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetic acid in the presence of nitrite and H(2)O(2). The rate of the nitration was dependent on pH, and the maximal rate was observed between pH 5.5 and 7.2. The optimum pH seemed to reflect rates of formation of nitrogen dioxide and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid radicals. Quercetin inhibited the nitration. The quercetin-dependent inhibition might be due to scavenging of nitrogen dioxide and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid radicals, which were formed by salivary peroxidase-dependent oxidation of nitrite and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, respectively, and competition with nitrite and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid for peroxidase in saliva. An oxidation product of quercetin was formed during inhibition of the nitration by quercetin. The oxidation product was identified as 2-(3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl)-2,4,6-trihydroxy-3(2H)-benzofuranone. This component could also be oxidized by salivary peroxidase and nitrogen dioxide radicals. The oxidation products were 2,4,6-trihydroxyphenylglyoxylic and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acids. On the basis of the results, the significance of quercetin for inhibition of nitrogen dioxide formation and for scavenging of nitrogen dioxide radicals in the oral cavity is discussed.     

Use of landslide-dammed lake deposits and pollen tracing techniques to investigate the erosional response of a small drainage basin in the Loess Plateau, China, to land use change during the late 16th century

A major landslide that occurred in 1569 in the Huangtuwa gully catchment within the Rolling Loess Plateau region of China, resulted in the creation of a landslide-dammed lake at the outlet of the small 0.1 km² tributary valley of the Houxiaotan Gully. All the sediment transported to the outlet of this catchment was deposited in the lake. After about 30 years the dam failed and the lake deposits were dissected as the stream cut down to its former base level. Substantial remnants of the sediment deposits that accumulated over the ca. 30 year period are, however, preserved as terraces near the outlet of the catchment and a vertical section through these sediment deposits was investigated using stratigraphic and pollen tracing techniques. Individual flood couplets could be clearly distinguished and these permitted the establishment of a chronology for the sediment deposits and the estimation of the sediment yields associated with individual events and individual years. Pollen analysis undertaken on samples collected from the individual flood couplets also provided information on the variation of the pollen content of the sediment and the proportion of Artemisia pollen during the period represented by the deposits. Interpretation of the information assembled from the sediment section has made it possible to reconstruct the erosional history of the Houxiaotan catchment during the 31 year period following the landslide. The average sediment yield of the catchment in the late 16th century was very similar to its present-day sediment yield. The sediment yield from the catchment and the relative contribution of the inter-gully areas, as compared to the gully system, declined immediately after the landslide as a result of abandonment of the cultivated land within the catchment. The restoration of cultivation in the catchment after about 17 years resulted in an increase in sediment yield from ca. 9000 t km^− 2 yr^− 1 to ca. 30,000 t km^− 2 yr^− 1 and a substantial increase in the proportion of sediment contributed by the cultivated inter-gully areas. Scope exists to apply a similar approach to the sediment deposits that accumulated in other former landslide-dammed lakes within the Rolling Loess Plateau region of China, in order to develop an improved understanding of the erosion history of the region.     

Use of landslide-dammed lake deposits and pollen tracing techniques to investigate the erosional response of a small drainage basin in the Loess Plateau,China, to land use change during the late 16th century

A major landslide that occurred in 1569 in the Huangtuwa gully catchment within the Rolling Loess Plateau region of China, resulted in the creation of a landslide-dammed lake at the outlet of the small 0.1 km² tributary valley of the Houxiaotan Gully. All the sediment transported to the outlet of this catchment was deposited in the lake. After about 30 years the dam failed and the lake deposits were dissected as the stream cut down to its former base level. Substantial remnants of the sediment deposits that accumulated over the ca. 30 year period are, however, preserved as terraces near the outlet of the catchment and a vertical section through these sediment deposits was investigated using stratigraphic and pollen tracing techniques. Individual flood couplets could be clearly distinguished and these permitted the establishment of a chronology for the sediment deposits and the estimation of the sediment yields associated with individual events and individual years. Pollen analysis undertaken on samples collected from the individual flood couplets also provided information on the variation of the pollen content of the sediment and the proportion of Artemisia pollen during the period represented by the deposits. Interpretation of the information assembled from the sediment section has made it possible to reconstruct the erosional history of the Houxiaotan catchment during the 31 year period following the landslide. The average sediment yield of the catchment in the late 16th century was very similar to its present-day sediment yield. The sediment yield from the catchment and the relative contribution of the inter-gully areas, as compared to the gully system, declined immediately after the landslide as a result of abandonment of the cultivated land within the catchment. The restoration of cultivation in the catchment after about 17 years resulted in an increase in sediment yield from ca. 9000 t km^− 2 yr^− 1 to ca. 30,000 t km^− 2 yr^− 1 and a substantial increase in the proportion of sediment contributed by the cultivated inter-gully areas. Scope exists to apply a similar approach to the sediment deposits that accumulated in other former landslide-dammed lakes within the Rolling Loess Plateau region of China, in order to develop an improved understanding of the erosion history of the region.