Impact of the facultative parasitic weed Rhamphicarpa fistulosa (Hochst.) Benth. on photosynthesis of its host Oryza sativa L

Rhamphicarpa fistulosa is a facultative root parasitic annual forb, of the family Orobanchaceae that is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Parasitism results in yield reductions by the host plants but it is not known how exactly R. fistulosa affects its host or how the host responds physiologically. In three pot experiments, we investigated whether and when the parasite affects photosynthesis of rice, whether the level of impact was parasite density dependent and explored mechanisms underlying the response of rice photosynthesis to parasitism. Photosynthesis and related parameters were measured at a range of light use intensities. Host photosynthesis was negatively affected while light use efficiency was negatively affected only later on in the growth process. Except for dark respiration rates, which were never affected by parasite infection, suppression of host photosynthesis at light saturation, the initial light-use efficiency, chlorophyll content, specific leaf area and shoot weight were parasite density dependent with a stronger effect for higher parasite densities. Only at 56 days after sowing, the slope of the linear relationship between light adapted quantum efficiency of PSII electron transport (Φ_PSII) and the quantum yield of CO₂ assimilation (Φ_CO2) of infected plants was less than those of un-infected plants. There was a considerable time lag between the parasite's acquisition of benefits from the association, in terms of growth (previously observed around 42 DAS), and the reduction of host photosynthesis (around 56 DAS). Expression of relative reductions in host growth rates started at the same time as the relative suppression of host photosynthesis. This indicated that R. fistulosa affects host growth by first extracting assimilates and making considerable gains in growth, before impacting host photosynthesis and growth.

Heritability of growth and leaf loss compensation in a long-lived tropical understorey palm

Introduction

Defoliation and light competition are ubiquitous stressors that can strongly limit plant performance. Tolerance to defoliation is often associated with compensatory growth, which could be positively or negatively related to plant growth. Genetic variation in growth, tolerance and compensation, in turn, plays an important role in the evolutionary adaptation of plants to changing disturbance regimes but this issue has been poorly investigated for long-lived woody species. We quantified genetic variation in plant growth and growth parameters, tolerance to defoliation and compensation for a population of the understorey palm Chamaedorea elegans. In addition, we evaluated genetic correlations between growth and tolerance/compensation.

Methods

We performed a greenhouse experiment with 711 seedlings from 43 families with twelve or more individuals of C. elegans. Seeds were collected in southeast Mexico within a 0.7 ha natural forest area. A two-third defoliation treatment (repeated every two months) was applied to half of the individuals to simulate leaf loss. Compensatory responses in specific leaf area, biomass allocation to leaves and growth per unit leaf area were quantified using iterative growth models.

Results

We found that growth rate was highly heritable and that plants compensated strongly for leaf loss. However, genetic variation in tolerance, compensation, and the individual compensatory responses was low. We found strong correlations between family mean growth rates in control and defoliation treatments. We did not find indications for growth-tolerance/compensation trade-offs: genetic correlation between tolerance/compensation and growth rate were not significant.

Implications

The high genetic variation in growth rate, but low genetic variation in tolerance and compensation observed here suggest high ability to adapt to changes in environment that require different growth rates, but a low potential for evolutionary adaptation to changes in damage or herbivory. The strong correlations between family mean growth rates in control and defoliation treatments suggest that performance differences among families are also maintained under stress of disturbance.

Evaluation of field resistance to Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. The relationship with strigolactones

BACKGROUND

Significant losses in sorghum biomass and grain yield occur in sub-Saharan Africa owing to infection by the root-parasitic weed Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. One strategy to avoid these losses is to adopt resistant crop varieties. For further delineation of the role of germination stimulants in resistance, we conducted a field experiment employing six sorghum genotypes, in eastern Sudan, and in parallel analysed the strigolactone levels in the root exudates of these genotypes under controlled conditions in Wageningen.

RESULTS

The root exudates of these genotypes displayed large differences in strigolactone composition and Striga-germination-inducing activity. Korokollow, Fakimustahi and Wadfahel exuded the highest amounts of 5-deoxystrigol. Fakimustahi was by far the highest sorgomol producer, and Wadbaco and SRN39 produced the highest amount of orobanchol. The concentration of 5-deoxystrigol in the root exudate showed a significant positive correlation with in vitro Striga germination and was positively associated with Striga infection in the field experiments, whereas orobanchol was negatively associated with Striga infection in the field experiments.

CONCLUSION

For the first time a close association is reported between strigolactone levels analysed under laboratory conditions and Striga infection in the field in sorghum genotypes. These genotypes may be used for further study of this resistance mechanism and for the introgression of the low germination trait in other sorghum varieties to breed for a strigolactone composition with low stimulant activity. The use of such improved varieties in combination with other Striga management tools could possibly alleviate the current Striga problem on the African continent. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Genetic variation in strigolactone production and tillering in rice and its effect on Striga hermonthica infection

Tillering in cereals is a complex process in the regulation of which also signals from the roots in the form of strigolactones play an important role. The strigolactones are signalling molecules that are secreted into the rhizosphere where they act as germination stimulants for root parasitic plants and hyphal branching factors for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. On the other hand, they are also transported from the roots to the shoot where they inhibit tillering or branching. In the present study, the genetic variation in strigolactone production and tillering phenotype was studied in twenty rice varieties collected from all over the world and correlated with S. hermonthica infection. Rice cultivars like IAC 165, IAC 1246, Gangweondo and Kinko produced high amounts of the strigolactones orobanchol, 2'-epi-5-deoxystrigol and three methoxy-5-deoxystrigol isomers and displayed low amounts of tillers. These varieties induced high S. hermonthica germination, attachment, emergence as well as dry biomass. In contrast, rice cultivars such as Super Basmati, TN 1, Anakila and Agee displayed high tillering in combination with low production of the aforementioned strigolactones. These varieties induced only low S. hermonthica germination, attachment, emergence and dry biomass. Statistical analysis across all the varieties confirmed a positive correlation between strigolactone production and S. hermonthica infection and a negative relationship with tillering. These results show that genetic variation in tillering capacity is the result of genetic variation in strigolactone production and hence could be a helpful tool in selecting rice cultivars that are less susceptible to S. hermonthica infection.