Salicylic acid regulates sugar metabolism that confers tolerance to salinity stress in cucumber seedlings

Salicylic acid (SA) plays a critical role in plant development and defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Sugars can act as osmotic adjustors or nutrient and metabolic signals in the activation of plant defense responses. To uncover the effects of SA on sugar metabolism, we assayed the altered components and levels of sugars in cucumber seedlings treated with SA. After SA treatment, the levels of glucose, fructose, raffinose and stachyose were increased in both leaves and roots. In contrast, sucrose and starch responded differently in leaves and root, decreasing in leaves but accumulating in roots. These changes could be due to the effects of SA on the activities of metabolism-related enzymes. In leaves, SA promoted the activities of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), sucrose synthase (SS) and amylases, while the SA-treated root showed a reduced amylase activity and an unchanged activity in SPS. The changes in various sugar contents resulted in the accumulation of soluble sugars in SA-treated cucumber seedlings, especially non-reducing sugars in roots. These increased sugars could function as osmotic regulators and facilitate water uptake and retention in plant cells, thereby conferring seedlings an enhanced tolerance to salinity stresses caused by NaCl treatment. Taken together, our findings provide an important insight into the effects of SA on sugar metabolism, and a protective mechanism for SA against water deficiency is discussed.     

Brown spot caused by Sphingomonas sp. on yellow Spanish melon fruits in Spain*

Brown fruit spot symptoms were observed on yellow Spanish melons ( Cucumis melo var. inodorus ) grown in greenhouses at Almeria in Spain. Nonsporing, motile, rod-shaped bacteria were isolated from diseased fruits, which on nutrient agar produced small yellow colonies. Two bacterial isolates, used for further investigations, were pathogenic on fruits but not on cotyledons of Spanish melon plants. They provoked disease symptoms similar to those observed in the greenhouse. Both isolates were Gram-negative, catalase-positive, weakly oxidase-positive and phenylalanine deaminase-negative. They hydrolysed esculin but not gelatin and they utilized glucose oxidatively. Fatty acid analysis revealed that both isolates belong to the genus Sphingomonas . In addition, 16S rDNA sequence analysis, performed on one isolate, demonstrated that it had a significant sequence similarity (more than 98%) with Sphingomonas pruni and Sphingomonas mali , nonphytopathogenic bacteria isolated from plants. Although enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR and repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR seem to indicate that the Sphingomonas isolates from Spanish melon fruits may belong to a new species, DNA–DNA hydridization analysis is necessary to verify this hypothesis.     

Crop residue destruction strategies that enhance rather than inhibit reproduction of Monosporascus cannonballus

Destruction of infected crop residue is a management strategy commonly recommended for the control of many plant diseases. Based upon knowledge of the biology of the root-infecting fungus Monosporascus cannonballus , this strategy is a likely candidate for use in the management of vine decline of melons caused by this pathogen. Specifically, ascospores, the primary survival structure and inoculum for root infection, are produced on infected melon roots primarily after crop termination. Thus, destruction of infected roots prior to reproduction would be a very practical method of preventing inoculum build-up in soil. Results from this study demonstrated that two plant residue destruction methods commonly used by growers at crop termination [i.e. foliar application of a herbicide (glyphosate) and mechanical destruction of vines] significantly enhanced, relative to untreated controls, the rapidity and extent of pathogen reproduction on infected roots left in field after harvest.     

Characterization of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum attacking melon under natural conditions in Greece

A severe root and stem rot disease of melon was observed during the 2001 growing season on four glasshouse crops in Heraklio, Greece. A total of 43 isolates of F. oxysporum , obtained in Crete from glasshouse-grown melon and showing fusarium wilt or root and stem rot symptoms, were characterized by pathogenicity and vegetative compatibility. The majority of these isolates was also fingerprinted via amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) analysis. Of the total number of isolates, 22 were identified by pathogenicity tests as F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis , 20 as F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum , while one isolate was nonpathogenic on cucumber, melon, sponge gourd and pumpkin. All 22 isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis were assigned to vegetative compatibility group (VCG) 0134, and all 20 isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum to VCG 0260. Isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum were incompatible with isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis. AFLP fingerprinting allowed for the clustering of the isolates of the two formae speciales of F. oxysporum along two separate phenetic groups: f. sp. melonis to AFLP major haplotype I, and f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum to AFLP major haplotype II. Overall, pathogenicity, vegetative compatibility grouping and AFLP analysis were correlated and effectively distinguished isolates of F. oxysporum from melon. This appears to be the first report of natural infection of melon by F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum worldwide.     

厚皮甜瓜品种离体培养再生植株能力的基因型差异研究

以6个厚皮甜瓜品种为材料,对其子叶外植体的再生能力进行了比较。结果表明:在诱导不定芽分化培养基MS+6-BA1.0mg/L上,不同品种的不定芽分化频率差异显著,其中绿宝石品种的不定芽分化频率最高,达到100%,西域1号和黄河蜜次之,分别为96.67%和73.33%,玉金香和黄醉仙较低,分别为33.33%和16.67%,白兰瓜品种最低,为6.67%。在不定芽伸长培养基MS+6-BA0.05mg/L上,分化完全的不定芽能够长大伸长,当高度达到2cm左右时,切下转接于MS+IAA0.5mg/L培养基上诱导生根,形成完整再生植株。试验结果还表明,组培环境中光照条件的改变对不定芽分化频率影响较大,外植体置于黑暗处进行5d预培养,6个品种的不定芽分化频率均有所降低,但愈伤组织的生长更加旺盛或不受影响。     

黄河蜜甜瓜CMV CP基因转化及其抗病性鉴定

利用整合有CMVCP基因及NPT-II基因的改建质粒pBim438,以农杆菌为载体,对黄河蜜甜瓜子叶进行转化,以75mg/L卡那霉素筛选转化体,获得了完整的转基因植株。Southern杂交证明转化植株整合了CMVCP基因,Western杂交证明转基因获得了表达。温室CMV攻毒试验及病毒含量测定表明,转基因甜瓜对CMV的侵染表达了较高的抗病性,能够推迟系统症状显症发生,减轻病害发生程度,转基因植株体内病毒含量低于对照。转基因植株抗病性存在差异,筛选出的2个抗性株系中,TM0-1抗性高于TM0-2。     

Distribution of two groups of melon landraces and inter-group hybridization enhanced genetic diversity in Vietnam

To understand the genetic diversity and differentiation of Vietnamese melon (Cucumis melo L.), we collected 64 landraces from the central and southern parts of the country and assessed molecular polymorphism using simple sequence repeat and random amplified polymorphic DNA markers. The Vietnamese melon was divided into seven cultivar groups, namely “Dua le”, “Dua vang”, “Dua bo”, “Dua gang-andromonoecious”, “Dua gang-monoecious”, “Dua thom”, “Montok”, and the weedy-type melon “Dua dai”. Among these, Dua le, Dua vang, Dua bo, and Dua gang-andromonoecious are cultivated on plains and they formed cluster II along with the reference accessions of Conomon and Makuwa. Based on genetic distance, Dua le and Dua vang were regarded as Makuwa and Dua bo and Dua gang-andromonoecious as Conomon. In contrast, Dua thom and Montok are cultivated in highlands, and they formed cluster III along with landraces from the southern and eastern foot of the Himalayas. Dua gang-monoecious which is commonly cultivated in the southern parts of Vietnam, exhibited the greatest genetic diversity, as explained by its possible origin through the hybridization between Dua gang-andromonoecious and Montok. Genetic differences in melon landraces between plains and highlands and hybridization between these two geographical groups have contributed to the enhancement of genetic diversity in Vietnamese melon.     

69份薄皮甜瓜材料的多样性及亲缘关系

为了更深入地了解不同薄皮甜瓜材料间的相互关系,采用多样性指数、变异系数及分子标记等方法,对69份薄皮甜瓜材料的18个田间性状及SSR分子标记数据进行分析。结果发现,描述型性状多样性指数范围为0.076~1.332,平均值为0.847,其中最高的是种子颜色,为1.332,最低的是果皮斑点,为0.076;数字型性状变异系数范围从最低的果实横径10.56%到最高的单果质量34.11%,平均值为23.88%;多样性指数范围为6.03~6.10,平均值为6.07,最高的是果实横径。所有数字型性状多样性指数均高于描述型性状。综合分析可知,供试材料由于收集和选育原因多为果肉较厚的长果形材料;田间性状及分子标记分别聚类分析后发现2种方法分别从不同角度对材料进行描述,只有充分结合2者的结果,才能最大可能地选择出强优组合。     

黄瓜靶斑病菌接种体的繁殖

黄瓜靶斑病是近年来严重为害保护地黄瓜生产的一种新病害,为了促进靶斑病的抗病育种和防治,开展了12种固体和液体培养基配方、病菌移植方式、菌落颜色、光照条件、培养时间对黄瓜靶斑病菌繁殖效果的研究。结果表明,靶斑病菌菌落颜色深的菌株孢子产量大于菌落颜色浅的菌株;采用菌块涂抹法移植靶斑病菌效果最佳;繁殖靶斑病菌适宜的培养基为CZA120g,CZA80g,液体培养不适合靶斑病菌的繁殖;连续光照和黑暗处理对菌丝生长无显著影响,暗培养比光、暗交替和连续光照更有利于孢子的产生;28℃恒温、黑暗培养5 d是靶斑病菌产孢高峰期,分生孢子数量可达20.7×105个/mL。     

黄瓜及其近缘种对南方根结线虫的抗性及酶响应变化的研究

 选取6份黄瓜品种和2份近缘种(非洲角和酸黄瓜) 进行了南方根结线虫病抗性鉴定, 2份 近缘野生种高抗南方根结线虫病, 6份黄瓜品种为感病类型。接种前后根系酶活性与病情指数相关性分析表明, 超氧化物歧化酶( SOD) 、过氧化物酶( POD) 、苯丙氨酸解氨酶( PAL) 活性变化与其病情指数分别呈显著正相关( r = 0.8278*) 、极显著负相关( r = - 0.9679** ) 和显著负相关( r = - 0.8499*) 。POD同工酶电泳分析表明, 抗病材料酸黄瓜较未接种对照增加了3 条酶带(相对迁移率Rf = 0.126, 0.188,0.944) , 而感病材料北京截头只增加了1条弱带(Rf = 0.396) 。SOD、POD及PAL活性水平可作为甜瓜属作物抗根结线虫病鉴定的生化指标及常规抗性鉴定方法的补充。