Use of Lentinan To Control Sharp Eyespot of Wheat, and the Mechanism Involved

Integrated non-targeted and targeted metabolomics analysis reveals the mechanism of inhibiting lignification and optimizing the quality of pea sprouts by combined application of nano-selenium and lentinans

BACKGROUND

Lignification causes a detrimental impact on the quality of edible sprouts. However, the mechanism of inhibition of lignification of edible sprouts by nano-selenium and lentinans remains unclear.

RESULTS

To reveal the mechanism of lignification regulation of sprouts by nano-selenium and lentinans, this study investigated the changes in antioxidant indicators, phytohormones, polyphenols, and metabolites in the lignin biosynthesis in pea sprouts following sprays of nano-selenium or/and lentinans twice. There was an overall increase in the aforementioned indices following treatment. In particular, the combined application of 5 mg L-1 nano-selenium and 20 mg L-1 lentinans was more effective than their individual applications in enhancing peroxidase, catalase, DPPH free-radical scavenging rate, luteolin, and sinapic acid, as well as inhibiting malondialdehyde generation and lignin accumulation. Combined with the results from correlation analysis, nano-selenium and lentinans may inhibit lignification by enhancing antioxidant systems, inducing phytohormone-mediated signaling, and enriching precursor metabolites (caffeyl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol, 4-coumaryl alcohol). In terms of the results of non-targeted metabolomics, the combined application of 5 mg L-1 nano-selenium and 20 mg L-1 lentinans mainly affected biosynthesis of plant secondary metabolites, biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism, and linoleic acid metabolism pathways, which supported and complemented results from targeted screenings.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the combined sprays of nano-selenium and lentinans showed synergistic effects in delaying lignification and optimizing the quality of pea sprouts. This study provides a novel and practicable technology for delaying lignification in the cultivation of edible sprouts. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative Analysis of the Expression of Resistance-Related Genes Respond to the Diversity Foliar Pathogens of Pseudostellaria heterophylla

The foliar disease, which is the primary complex disease of Pseudostellaria heterophylla, can be caused by multiple co-infecting pathogens, resulting in a significant reduction in yield. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between co-infection of various pathogens and the response of resistance-related genes in P. heterophylla. Through the use of 18S rDNA sequencing and pathogenicity testing, it has been determined that Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Arcopilus aureus, Botrytis cinerea, Nemania diffusa, Whalleya microplaca, and Cladosporium cladosporioides are co-infecting pathogens responsible for foliar diseases in P. heterophylla. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR analysis revealed that F. oxysporum, A. alternata, B. cinerea, A. aureus, N. diffusa, Schizophyllum commune, C. cladosporioides, and Coprinellus xanthothrix upregulated ten, two, three, four, seven, thirteen, five, one, and six resistance-related genes, respectively. These findings suggest that a total of 22 resistance-related genes were implicated in the response to diverse fungi, and the magnitude and frequency of induction of resistance-related genes varied considerably among the different fungi. The aforementioned gene associated with resistance was found to be implicated in the response to multiple fungi, including PhPRP1, PhBDRN15, PhBDRN11, and PhBDRN3, which were found to be involved in the resistance response to nine, five, four, and four fungi, respectively. The findings indicate that the PhPRP1, PhBDRN15, PhBDRN11, and PhBDRN3 genes exhibit a broad-spectrum resistance to various fungi. Furthermore, the avirulence fungi C. xanthothrix, which is known to affect P. heterophylla, was found to prime a wide range of resistance responses in P. heterophylla, thereby enhancing its disease resistance. This study provided insight into the management strategies for foliar diseases of P. heterophylla and new genetic materials for disease-resistant breeding.

Control efficiency of hexaconazole-lentinan against wheat sharp eyespot and wheat crown rot and the associated effects on rhizosphere soil fungal community

The use of polysaccharides to induce the systemic immune response of plants for disease resistance has become an effective plant protection measure. Sharp eyespot wheat and crown rot wheat are serious diseases of wheat. In this study, the control effects of hexaconazole and lentinan (LNT) seed dressing of the two wheat diseases were evaluated by field experiments, and the effects of the seed dressing on plant growth, soil enzyme activity, and community diversity in the wheat rhizosphere were discussed. The results showed that the combined seed dressing of hexaconazole at 0.5 a.i. g·100 kg⁻¹ and LNT at 4 a.i. g·100 kg⁻¹ could significantly improve the control effect of the two wheat diseases. The combined treatment of hexaconazole and LNT had little effect on wheat soil enzyme activities. Different seed dressing treatments changed the fungal community structure in the wheat rhizosphere soil, and the combination of LNT and hexaconazole reduced the relative abundance of Rhizoctonia, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Bipolaris, and Gibberella in wheat planting soils. These findings suggested that the combined seed dressing of hexaconazole and LNT could effectively control soilborne diseases of wheat, concurrently could change in rhizosphere fungal community, and reduce in potential soilborne pathogens.

Burkholderia ambifaria XN08: A plant growth-promoting endophytic bacterium with biocontrol potential against sharp eyespot in wheat

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have been considered promising biological agents to increase crop yields for years. However, the successful application of PGPB for biocontrol of sharp eyespot in wheat has been limited, partly by the lack of knowledge of the ecological/environmental factors affecting the colonization, prevalence, and activity of beneficial bacteria on the crop. In this study, an endophytic bacterium XN08 with antagonistic activity against Rhizoctonia cerealis (wheat sharp eyespot pathogenic fungus), isolated from healthy wheat plants, was identified as Burkholderia ambifaria according to the sequence analysis of 16S rRNA. The antibiotic synthesis gene amplification and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) analyses were used to characterize the secondary metabolites. The results showed that the known powerful antifungal compound named pyrrolnitrin was produced by the strain XN08. In addition, B. ambifaria XN08 also showed the capacity for phosphate solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), protease, and siderophore production in vitro. In the pot experiments, a derivate strain carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was used to observe its colonization in wheat plants. The results showed that GFP-tagged B. ambifaria could colonize wheat tissues effectively. This significant colonization was accompanied by an enhancement of wheat plants' growth and an induction of immune resistance for wheat seedlings, which was revealed by the higher activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). As far as we know, this is the first report describing the colonization traits of B. ambifaria in wheat plants. In addition, our results indicated that B. ambifaria XN08 might serve as a new effective biocontrol agent against wheat sharp eyespot disease caused by R. cerealis.

Effect of Piriformospora indica-Induced Systemic Resistance and Basal Immunity Against Rhizoctonia cerealis and Fusarium graminearum in Wheat

Wheat is among the top 10 and most widely grown crops in the world. However, wheat is often infected with many soil-borne diseases, including sharp eyespot, mainly caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis, and Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, resulting in reduced production. Piriformospora indica is a root endophytic fungus with a wide range of host plants, which increases their growth and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, the capability of P. indica to protect wheat seedlings against R. cerealis and F. graminearum was investigated at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Our results showed that P. indica significantly reduced the disease progress on wheat caused by F. graminearum and R. cerealis in vivo, but not showed any antagonistic effect on F. graminearum and R. cerealis in vitro. Additionally, P. indica can induce systemic resistance by elevating H₂O₂ content, antioxidase activity, relative water content (RWC), and membrane stability index (MSI) compared to the plants only inoculated with F. graminearum or R. cerealis and control. RNA-seq suggested that transcriptome changes caused by F. graminearum were more severe than those caused by R. cerealis. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the transcriptome can be reduced by the addition of P. indica: for F. graminearum reduced by 18% and for R. cerealis reduced 58%. The DEGs related to disease resistance, such as WRKY and MAPK, were upregulated by P. indica colonization. The data further revealed that the transcriptional resistance to F. graminearum and R. cerealis mediated by P. indica is quite different.

Use of resistant Rhizoctonia cerealis strains to control wheat sharp eyespot using organically developed pig manure fertilizer

The effects of Rhizoctonia cerealis resistant strains to control wheat sharp eyespot in pig manure developed organic fertilizer were investigated. Organic fertilizer was produced in a self-built aerated static composting box (0.37 m³) and later assessed using values of temperature, moisture, pH, C/N ratio, nitrogen transformation, fluvic- and humic acid composition and germination index. Together, these assessments indicated that disposed pig manure could be considered as a non-hazardous fertilizer. By adding R. cerealis resistant strains (Bacillus flexus, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. licheniformis and Paenibacillus sp.), we were successfully able to develop wheat sharp eyespot inhibiting bio-organic fertilizer. Our results showed that soil applied with 10 t/hm² of the developed bio-organic fertilizer significantly improved the dry weight of the wheat, promoted chlorophylls and soluble protein composition and effectively prevented the wheat from sharp eyespot. The protection rate (77.1%) of our developed bio-organic fertilizer is 42.3% higher than the tested commercially available organic fertilizer (34.8%), and the disease index is significantly lower (P < 0.001) than both the control and commercial organic fertilizer. In conclusion, the prevention and control effects of our developed bio-organic fertilizer on wheat sharp eyespot were both significant and promising.

Use of Ganoderma Lucidum polysaccharide to control cotton fusarium wilt, and the mechanism involved

Induced resistance is an effective measure for controlling plant diseases by utilizing the natural defense of the host and meets the strategic needs of pesticide application and safety for agricultural products worldwide. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide (GLP), which is the main active molecule of G. lucidum, has been widely used in functional food and clinical medicine. However, there are few reports of the use of GLP for the prevention and control of plant diseases. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of GLP and its mechanism of inducing plant resistance. In this study, we found that GLP spray and irrigation root treatments can promote growth in cotton. After soaking in GLP, theseedling height and cotton fusarium wilt resistance both increased to some extent, effects that were dose dependent. After treatment of cotton with GLP, the activities of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in leaves increased significantly, whereas the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased. In addition, QRT-PCR results showed significantly increased relative expression of genes related to the jasmonic acid pathway in cotton. Therefore, we speculate that GLP can induce plant resistance by stimulating the jasmonate pathway.