Concepts and Direction of Induced Systemic Resistance in Plants and its Application

Resistance to plant disease is often specific and metabolites and receptors contributing to this specificity may have specific structures. However, simple, structurally-unrelated compounds induce systemic resistance in unrelated plants to diverse pathogens including fungi, bacteria and viruses. Both resistance and induced systemic resistance (ISR) are associated with the rapid accumulation of the same structurally unrelated putative defense compounds that have diverse functions. It has been suggested that cultivar (race)-specific resistance is initiated by the specific interaction of a pathogen product (or pathogen induced product) and a plant receptor. However, restricted infection by pathogens can result in ISR and many different compounds can cause ISR. It is thus evident that there are both specific and non-specific routes to the master switch for ISR and there may be more than one master switch. Are reactive oxygen species and free radicals regulating the master switch(es) via both routes? It is also evident there are many switches, other than the master switch. Adding to the complexity of resistance and ISR are the observations that different compounds and pathways may mediate different biochemical resistances. Activation of one of the pathways may antagonize or enhance the activation or effectiveness of another. The review will address these complexities and questions and propose directions of research which require high priority. Factors which encourage and suppress the application of ISR in agriculture will also be addressed.     

Design and Synthesis of Novel Phenylahistin Derivatives Based on Co-Crystal Structures as Potent Microtubule Inhibitors for Anti-Cancer Therapy

Phenylahistin is a naturally occurring marine product with a diketopiperazine structure that can bind to the colchicine site of microtubulin as a possible anticancer agent. To develop more potent microtubule inhibitors, novel phenylahistin derivatives were designed and synthesized based on the co-crystal complexes of phenylahistin derivatives and microtubulin. We established a focused library of imidazole-type molecules for the introduction of different groups to the C-ring and A-ring of phenylahistin. Structure–activity relationship studies indicated that appropriate hydrocarbon substituents and unsaturated alkenyl substituents at the 1-position of the imidazole group are important for improving the activity of such compounds. In addition, this study found that propylamine groups could maintain the activity of these compounds, as exemplified by compound 16d (IC₅₀ = 5.38 nM, NCI-H460). Compound 15p (IC₅₀ = 1.03 nM, NCI-H460) with an allyl group exhibited potent cytotoxic activity at the nanomolar level against human lung cancer cell lines. Immunofluorescence assay indicated that compound 15p could efficiently inhibited microtubule polymerization and induced a high expression of caspase-3. 15p also displayed good pharmacokinetic characteristics in vitro. Additionally, the growth of H22 transplanted tumors was significantly inhibited in BALB/c mice when 15p alone was administered at 4 mg/kg, and the tumor inhibition rate was as much as 65%. Importantly, the continuous administration of 15p resulted in a lower toxicity than that of docetaxel (10 mg/kg) and cyclophosphamide (20 mg/kg). Overall, the novel allyl-imidazole-diketopiperazine-type derivatives could be considered safe and effective potential agents for cancer treatment.     

SAR数据与光学数据融合在土地覆盖分类中的应用研究

采用ALOS 1 PALSAR数据的强度信息、HV/HH极化比值信息和HV & HH相干系数与TM影像融合,以支持向量机 （SVM） 的方法对土地覆盖进行分类,对比了TM影像、TM+SAR强度影像、TM+HV/HH比值影像、TM+相干影像的分类结果。结果表明：分类精度由高到依次为TM+相干影像＞TM+HV/HH比值影像＞TM+SAR强度影像＞TM影像;采用SAR数据与光学数据融合,可以在不同程度上提高土地利用覆盖分类的精度。     

植物免疫诱抗剂的作用机理和应用研究进展

植物免疫诱抗剂除了能诱导植物免疫反应以使植物获得或提高对病菌的抗性外,也可以激发植物体内代谢调控过程,促进植物生长,增加作物产量。植物免疫诱抗剂可以诱导植物产生系统获得抗性以使植物对病原菌产生广泛、长期的抗性。本综述全面、系统地介绍了植物免疫诱抗剂的种类及其目前在生产、病害防治上的应用状况,阐述了其作用机理,并展望了植物免疫诱抗剂的应用前景。通过对植物免疫诱抗剂发展历史和应用现状的分析,旨在为植物免疫诱抗剂未来的开发和应用提供一定的理论和实践依据。     

内蒙古杭锦旗北部盐碱田温湿盐动态与生产利用

为探析水-热-盐关系以及植被对盐碱田改良的意义,利用2008年8月2日-8月6日在内蒙古杭锦旗黄河灌区盐碱田进行的试验观测数据,主要通过方差分析与典型相关分析方法对3个样地(裸地、紫花苜蓿地和玉米地)土壤温度(0-30cm土层)、湿度(0-20cm土层)、盐度(0-100cm土层)的动态变化进行了分析。结果表明,3个样地的温(度)-湿(度)-盐(度)动态基本呈现裸地苜蓿地玉米地的格局;0-5cm地温与耕作层(0-20cm)的土壤水分具有显著相关关系,是0-30cm土层内地温驱动水盐动态的主要热力因子;植物能够减少土壤表层积盐,并可以降低碱化度;苜蓿地比玉米地具有更低的钠吸附比值。在盐碱地区选择耐盐碱牧草品种开展草田轮作,有益于盐碱土壤的改良与利用。     

Integration of soil applied neonicotinoid insecticides and acibenzolar-S-methyl for systemic acquired resistance (SAR) control of citrus canker on young citrus trees

Soil application of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides for control of psyllid vectors of Huanglongbing disease on young citrus trees also produces season-long SAR control of citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri Schaad et al. The neonicotinoids imidacloprid (IMID) and thiamethoxam (THIA) were compared with soil or sprinkler applications of the commercial SAR inducer acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) and foliar sprays of copper hydroxide (CH) and/or streptomycin (STREP) to evaluate their effects on the percentage of canker-infected leaves on 2-yr-old ‘Vernia’ orange and 3-yr-old ‘Ray Ruby’ grapefruit trees in Southeast Florida. All treatments significantly reduced the incidence of foliar canker compared to the untreated check. Soil drenches of ASM and season long rotations with IMID and THIA were highly effective for suppressing foliar canker on young grapefruit and orange trees under weather conditions absent of high intensity rains or tropical storms. Sprinkler application of ASM was less effective than soil drench. The level of control for SAR treatments was comparable to eleven 21-day interval sprays of CH and/or STREP. SAR induced by soil-applied insecticides provides substantial benefits for canker disease management on young citrus trees that may be augmented with ASM.     

The Ecological Concept of Costs of Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR)

Plant defence is thought to provide benefits for the defended plants. Theoretical concepts must, therefore, explain why there is variation in defensive traits, which naively might be assumed to be present constitutively in fixed high amounts. Explanations are mainly based on the assumption of fitness costs. Investment in defence is thought to reduce the fitness of plants in enemy-free environments. Fitness costs often result from allocation costs, i.e. allocation of limited resources to defence, which then cannot be used for growth or other fitness-relevant processes. This theoretical concept can provide a useful tool for the interpretation of induced plant responses against pathogens, named induced systemic (or systemic acquired) resistance (ISR or SAR). Phenotypic plasticity, leading to induced responses, might have evolved mainly to reduce costs, since investment in defence is restricted to situations actually requiring defence. ISR can incur allocation costs and other, indirect costs, which ultimately may lead to fitness costs. Evolution of any defensive trait depends on both what a plant ideally 'should do and what it actually 'is able to do. Costs of defence constrain its expression. This might have important influences on the evolution of plant defensive traits, as well as on the exploitation of natural defences in agricultural crop protection.     

Induced Disease Resistance in Plants by Chemicals

Plants can be induced locally and systemically to become more resistant to diseases through various biotic or abiotic stresses. The biological inducers include necrotizing pathogens, non- pathogens or root colonizing bacteria. Through at network of signal pathways they induce resistance spectra and marker proteins that are characteristic for the different plant species and activation systems. The best characterized signal pathway for systemically induced resistance is SAR (systemic acquired resistance) that is activated by localized infections with necrotizing pathogens. It is characterized by protection against a broad range of pathogens, by a set of induced proteins and by its dependence on salicylic acid (SA) Various chemicals have been discovered that seem to act at various points in these defense activating networks and mimic all or parts of the biological activation of resistance. Of these, only few have reached commercialization. The best- studied resistance activator is acibenzolar-5-methyl (BION). At low rates it activates resistance in many crops against a broad spectrum of diseases, including fungi, bacteria and viruses. In monocots, activated resistance by BION typically is very long lasting, while the lasting effect is less pronounced in dicots. BION is translocated systemically in plants and can take the place of SA in the natural SAR signal pathway, inducing the same spectrum of resistance and the same set of molecular markers. Probenazole (ORYZEMATE) is used mainly on rice against rice blast and bacterial leaf blight. Its mode of action is not well understood partly because biological systems of systemically induced resistance are not well defined in rice. Treated plants clearly respond faster and in a resistant manner to infections by the two pathogens. Other compounds like beta-aminobutyric acid as wdl as extracts from plants and microorganisms have also been described as resistance inducers. For most of these, neither the mode of action nor reliable pre-challenge markers are known and still other pathways for resistance activation are suspected. Resistance inducing chemicals that are able to induce broad disease resistance offer an additional option for the farmer to complement genetic disease resistance and the use of fungicides. If integrated properly in plant health management programs, they can prolong the useful life of both the resistance genes and the fungicides presently used.     

Possible involvement of salicylic acid in systemic acquired resistance ofCucumis sativus againstSphaerotheca fuliginea

The possible involvement of salicylic acid in systemic acquired resistance ofCucumis sativus againstSphaerotheca fuliginea was studied. Cucumber plants were inoculated with tobacco necrosis virus on the cotyledons and the level of endogenous salicylic acid in the first true leaf was determined by gas chromatography. Salicylic acid increased continously from the second day after virus inoculation to the fifth day, when the same leaf was inoculated withSphaerotheca fuliginea. In healthy plants, the efficiency of exogenous salicylic acid in inducing resistance was assayed by applying aqueous solutions at different times beforeSphaerotheca fuliginea inoculation. To evaluate the level of induced resistance, the following parameters were examined by light microscopy: percentage of conidial germination, length of the hyphae derived from single conidia, number of haustoria, percentage of epidermal cells with lignified walls and of necrotic cells underlying fungal hyphae. In treated plants conidial germination was reduced, the total length of the hyphae was shorter, the number of haustoria was lower and the haustorium-containing epidermal cells had more frequently lignified walls. Moreover, an evident increase in callose deposition was observed leading to the formation of oversized papillae around the penetration pegs. These results indicate that the application of salicylic acid before inoculation withSphaerotheca fuliginea reduces the intensity of the infectious process and that salicylic acid is involved in the expression of systemic resistance in cucumber challenged by the biotrophic pathogenSphaerotheca fuliginea.     

Effects of Plant Defence Activators on Anthracnose Disease of Cashew

The plant defence activators acibenzolar-S-methyl (Benzo[1,2,3]thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid-S-methyl ester, ASM), 2,6-dichloro-isonicotinic acid (DCINA), salicylic acid (SA), and dibasic potassium phosphate (K₂HPO₄) were tested for their ability to protect cashew (Anacardium occidentale) seeds and leaves from anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. No inhibition of the early stages of pathogen development was caused by concentrations equal to or lower than 1.1mM a.i. ASM, 1.2mM a.i. DCINA, 5mM SA and 50mM K₂HPO₄. Maximum reduction of the disease in detached leaves, without phytotoxic effects, was obtained with 0.07mM a.i. ASM and DCINA, 5mM SA, and 50mM K₂HPO₄, with a time interval of at least 72h between application of the activator and inoculation with the pathogen. On attached leaves, foliar sprays were slightly more efficient than soil drench treatments, with 5mM SA being the most effective treatment, while 50mM SA as well as 0.3mM a.i. ASM and DCINA caused phytotoxic effects. In field-grown plants, protection was conferred by a soil drench of concentrations as low as 12.6M a.i. ASM and DCINA and 2.6mM SA. These concentrations were not phytotoxic suggesting that plant defence activators have potential for control of anthracnose disease in the field.