Two potent allelopathic substances in cucumber plants

Since cucumber plants are mostly discarded as large waste after crop harvesting, allelopathy of cucumber plants was investigated for possible weed management options and utilization of the waste. Two potent growth inhibitory substances were isolated from an aqueous methanol extract of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Phung Tuong) plants. These substances were determined as 9-hydroxy-4,7-megastigmadien-9-one (HMO) and (6S,7E,9S)-6,9,10-trihydroxy-4,7-megastigmadien-3-one (THMO) by the analysis of MS, ¹H NMR spectra and optical rotation. HMO inhibited the growth of cress (Lepidium sativum L.) and Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv seedlings at concentrations greater than 0.3 and 1 μM, respectively. THMO inhibited the growth of cress and E. crus-galli seedlings at concentrations greater than 1 and 3 μM, respectively. The concentrations required for 50% growth inhibition on roots and shoots of cress and E. crus-galli were 2.4–29.3 μM for HMO and 8.1–52.2 μM for THMO. The endogenous levels of HMO and THMO in cucumber plants were 31.8 and 43.5 μg g⁻¹ dry weight, respectively. These results suggest that HMO and THMO may be the causal factors for the growth inhibitory effect of cucumber plants. Therefore, cucumber plants may be potentially useful for weed management options in an agricultural setting, such as a cover crop and soil admixture, which should be investigated further in the field.     

电子记录稻飞虱取食和产卵行为及其在植物抗虫性研究中的应用

采用AC型电子记录系统(EMS)对褐飞虱在非寄主植物稗草和具有抗性基因bph4的水稻品种Babawee上的取食行为进行了比较研究.结果表明,褐飞虱口针到达稗草韧皮部以前停止取食,这揭示了在稗草非韧皮部组织中存在拒食剂.而在抗虫品种上,口针到达韧皮部以后取食行为终止.因此,可以清楚地识别两类具有不同抑制取食抗性因子的抗性植物.分析白背飞虱产卵行为的电子记录表明,在大多数情况下,就旺盛生长的水稻植株的下半部分而言,白背飞虱产卵器插入植物组织中但不产卵.这表明旺盛生长的植株能诱导白背飞虱的产卵行为,但由于某些拒避性因素使整个产卵过程不能完成.因此,这一系统可以有效地识别具有产卵抗性的植物上行为序列中受到破坏的步骤.     

Effects of alfalfa leaf extracts and phenolic allelochemicals on early seedling growth and root morphology of alfalfa and barnyard grass

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants contain water-soluble substances that are autotoxic as well as allelopathic to other plants. Laboratory experimentation through a petri dish assay with imbibed seeds was conducted to evaluate the phytotoxic effects of alfalfa cv. “Vernal” leaf extracts, coumarin, trans-cinnamic acid, o-coumaric acid, and hydro-cinnamic acid on the seedling growth and anatomical responses of 6 day-old alfalfa and barnyard grass. With increasing concentration, the alfalfa leaf extracts significantly reduced root lengths of alfalfa and barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli, Beauv. var. oryzicola Ohwi). Coumarin, trans-cinnamic acid, o-coumaric acid, and hydro-cinnamic acid at 10⁻⁴ M significantly reduced root lengths of alfalfa and barnyard grass. The root systems, especially root tips of alfalfa, were stunted and swollen by the aqueous alfalfa leaf extracts at 30 g l⁻¹ and coumarin at 10⁻³ M. This research suggests that alfalfa plant extracts significantly affected root growth and morphological differentiation of susceptible plants, resulting in reduction of their biomass in the presence of either autotoxic or allelopathic compounds. The results may have value in enabling weed control based on natural plant extracts.     

稗草生防菌新月弯孢菌Culvularia lunata菌株J15(2)的安全性和致病力

为了确定生防菌新月弯孢菌Culvularia lunata菌株J15(2)的安全性及防除稗草的潜力,研究了该菌株的寄主范围,接种孢子时稗草叶龄、接种后保湿时间、接种浓度对该菌株致病力的影响,土壤带菌对稗草出苗的影响,以及与化学除草剂的相互作用.结果显示,菌株J15(2)只能在稗草上侵染并扩展;接种孢子后保湿24 h,对2叶期稗草抑制率可达55.6%,对1.5叶期稗草抑制率可达100%;保&48h,对2叶期稗草防效提高至91.6%;接种孢子量需达1012孢子/hm2才能较好地抑制稗草生长;土壤带菌亦可抑制稗草生长.该菌与化学除草剂精噁唑禾草灵或二氯喹啉酸混用能显著提高除稗效果,菌株J15(2) 3.3 × 1012孢子//hm2分别与精噁唑禾草灵有效剂量3.83g/hm2二氯喹啉酸有效剂量250.00g/hm2混用,对稗草防效分别为99.5%和88.6%,远高于这两个除草剂单用时的药效.该试验结果表明,菌株J15(2)具有作为微生物除草剂的开发潜力.     

Cross‐resistance of Echinochloa species to acetolactate synthase inhibitor herbicides

This study was conducted to evaluate the cross‐resistance of acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors with different chemistries, specifically azimsulfuron (sulfonylurea), penoxsulam (triazolopyrimidine sulfonanilide) and bispyribac‐sodium (pyrimidinyl thio benzoate), in Echinochloa oryzicola and Echinochloa crus‐galli that had been collected in South Korea and to investigate their herbicide resistance mechanism. Both Echinochloa spp. showed cross‐resistance to the ALS inhibitors belonging to the above three different chemistries. In a whole plant assay with herbicides alone, the resistant/susceptible ratios for azimsulfuron, penoxsulam and bispyribac‐sodium were 12.6, 28.1 and 1.9 in E. oryzicola and 21.1, 13.7 and 1.8 in E. crus‐galli, respectively. An in vitro ALS enzyme assay with herbicides showed that the I ₅₀‐values of the resistant accessions were approximately two‐to‐three times higher than the susceptible accessions, with no statistical difference, suggesting that the difference in ALS sensitivity cannot explain ALS inhibitor resistance in Echinochloa spp. for azimsulfuron, penoxsulam and bispyribac‐sodium. A whole plant assay with fenitrothion showed that the GR ₅₀‐values significantly decreased in both the resistant E. oryzicola and E. crus‐galli accessions when azimsulfuron, penoxsulam and bispyribac‐sodium were applied with the P450 inhibitor, while no significant decrease was observed in the susceptible accessions when the P450 inhibitor was used. Thus, these results suggest that ALS inhibitor cross‐resistance for azimsulfuron, penoxsulam and bispyribac‐sodium is related to enhanced herbicide metabolism.     

磷肥用量及氮磷钾配合施用对小米草产量的影响

在江汉平原田间条件下研究了磷肥用量及氮、磷、钾肥单施和配合施用对小米草生长及产量的影响.结果表明,在氮钾肥基础上,施磷明显促进小米草株高提高,施磷(P2O5)45,90和135 kg/hm2与不施磷相比产量分别增加23.2%,38.3%和36.3%,分别获得纯利润411.7,624.6和427.9元/hm2,说明施磷明显促进小米草生长,并使产量和经济收益提高,在3个施磷水平中以施磷90 kg/hm2效果最好.不同氮钾肥配合对磷肥效果产生明显的影响,以不施氮、钾肥,仅施氮肥,仅施钾肥和氮、钾肥配合施用为基础,施磷分别提高小米草鲜草产量2 401,5 500,2 051和7 900 kg/hm2,磷与氮钾肥配合施用增产效果最显著.小米草施氮增产效果极显著,其中在磷钾肥基础上施氮的增产效果达1.79倍.在氮、磷肥基础上增施钾肥,增产显著,但若不配合施用氮、磷肥,钾肥施用没有增产效果.在试验条件下,氮、磷、钾肥配合施用对产量具有明显正交互作用,其中氮与磷(在施钾基础上)、氮与磷钾、磷与氮钾的交互值达5 000 kg/hm2以上,说明氮、磷、钾只有配合施用才能充分发挥各种养分的增产作用.     

Allelopathic potential of indigenous Bangladeshi rice varieties

A series of experiments was conducted in the laboratory and greenhouse of the Subtropical Field Science Center, University of the Ryukyus, Japan, from April to October 2015 to assess the allelopathic potential of 50 indigenous Bangladeshi rice varieties by using the donor–receiver bioassay, equal compartment agar method (ECAM), plant residue extract method and pot culture method. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cress (Lepidium sativum L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus‐galli L. Beauv.) and jungle rice (Echinochloa colona L.) were used as the test plants. The highest inhibition effect was given by Boterswar, while the stimulating effect was given by Kartikbalam and Panbira in the donor–receiver bioassay and ECAM tests. Boterswar, Goria, Biron and Kartiksail were selected as the highest allelopathic‐potential varieties by the donor–receiver bioassay and ECAM. In the methanol extract test, Boterswar gave the strongest inhibitory effect on both barnyard grass and jungle rice, while Kartiksail gave the highest inhibitory effect on the jungle rice shoot. The growth parameters and total dry matter of barnyard grass in the greenhouse pot experiment were significantly reduced as a result of the application of aqueous extracts of the selected rice varieties, which was similar to the results of the laboratory experiments. The varieties of Boterswar, Goria, Biron and Kartiksail were selected as the most allelopathic among the 50 indigenous Bangladeshi rice varieties. These rice varieties could be used for the isolation and identification of allelochemicals and to further develop new varieties that are tolerant to weeds.     

Ecological studies on Echinochloa crus-galli and the implications for weed management in direct-seeded rice

Echinochloa crus-galli, a C₄ grass, is one of the world’s most serious weeds. Weed management decisions for this species can be derived from knowledge of its seed biology. Studies were conducted to determine the effects of light on germination; seed burial depth and rice residue on emergence and growth; and flooding time and depth on emergence, survival and growth of this species. Light stimulated seed germination but it was not an absolute requirement for germination. The proportion of seeds germinating was greatest for seeds placed on the soil surface (92%), and emergence declined with increasing burial depth in soil; no seedlings emerged from the depth of 8 cm. A burial depth of only 0.4 cm reduced seedling emergence by 50%. Seedling emergence and seedling biomass were reduced by the addition of high level (6 ton ha⁻¹) of rice residue to the soil surface. Early and deep flooding significantly suppressed growth of E. crus-galli seedlings. In flooded conditions, with increased water depth the weed allocated more biomass to shoots at the expense of roots. The information gained from this study could contribute to improve weed control approaches. Soil inversion by tillage to bury weed seeds below their maximum depth of emergence, use of crop residue as mulch and early flooding of the crop could serve as important tools for managing E. crus-galli and other weed species with similar germination requirements. These management options, however, would need to be compatible with other crop management requirements.     

Strategy of Echinochloa oryzicola Vasing. for survival in flooded rice

Echinochloa oryzicola Vasing. (= Echinochloa phyllopogon Stapf ex Kessenko) is an obligate weed with an elaborated survival strategy in the flooded rice of Japan. In this review various adaptive characters of the weed, which comprise the survival strategy, are discussed through the life cycle. The weed is distributed only in flooded rice. Seeds (spikelets) buried in the soil exhibit annual cycles between dormant and non‐dormant state, and non‐dormant seeds recurrently appear in spring when rice growers start to prepare seedling beds and fields for rice transplanting. The non‐dormant seeds have unique characters metabolically adapted to submerged conditions to germinate and grow by the anaerobic respiration through alcohol fermentation. The weed has seemingly perfect mimicry of the rice plants throughout its development from seedling to heading, by which the weed escapes from manual weeding. In a rice paddy, the weed starts heading coincidentally with the rice plants at the period when the growers are reluctant to walk in the rice paddy to weed. Irrespective of plant height of the rice cultivar, the weed develops a few upper leaves above the rice canopy during the heading period of rice. This phenotypic plasticity of E. oryzicola in plant height is one of the characters conferring its competitive aggressiveness in flooded rice. When weeding is begun again after heading, the dormant weed seeds escape weeding by shattering and join the soil seedbank. The dormant seeds express the gene of an enzyme catalyzing ATP synthesis through the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation more abundantly, and have larger oxygen absorption and enzyme activity of the aerobic respiration than the non‐dormant seeds, suggesting that the dormant seeds maintain viability by the conventional aerobic respiration in the paddy soil drained from rice harvesting in fall to the next early spring. The various adaptive characters comprising the survival strategy of E. oryzicola in flooded rice consist of those inherited from the wild progenitor and those selected by the crop cultivation pressure. It is suggested that both the mimicry of the weed and the heading coincident with the rice plants have been acquired by the large selection pressure of frequent weeding, which has been done over the past hundred years. However, today, the manual weeding is substituted with herbicides, which cannot detect the mimicry and heading photoperiodic sensitivity. As a result, the dominant species of Echinochloa weeds in flooded rice is changing from E. oryzicola to Echinochloa crus‐galli var. crus‐galli that has neither mimicry nor photoperiodic sensitivity synchronizing to that of rice, but is more competitive against rice.     

The impact of cropping on weed species composition in rice after fallow across a hydrological gradient in west Africa

In a 5-year experiment, weed species composition in rice was recorded at different positions along the toposequence, from the rain-fed upland to the irrigated valley bottom. A total of 107 species was recorded, 70 of which occurred in more than 1% of the total of 465 samples. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to explore the changes in weed flora over time in the different rice-growing environments. There were substantial differences in the composition of weed flora between the differing environments and years. On the upland sites, there was a pronounced shift from perennial grasses, including Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel and Pennisetum purpureum Schum., to annual grass weeds, such as Digitaria horizontalis Willd., Chloris pilosa Schum. and Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. The forbs Boerhavia spp. and Euphorbia heterophylla L. also increased in abundance, whereas others, such as Aspilia bussei Hoffm. & Muschl. and Laggera aurita (L.f.) Sch. Bip. ex C. B. Clarke, declined. The total number of species in the upland site declined from 30 to 11 between 1992 and 1996 compared with 11 to eight species in the same period in the irrigated lowlands. Although the numbers of species recorded in the lowlands were lower and more stable over time, there was an increase in problem grass weeds, such as Echinochloa crus-pavonis (Kunth.) Schult. in the irrigated lowlands and Leersia hexandra Sw.in the rain-fed lowlands.