Stimulatory Effect of Tithonya diversifolia-by Products on Plantain Banana Vivoplants in Nursery (A Review)

Plantain banana is an important cash crop that serves as stable food for millions of people around the world and contributes to income generation. Indeed, they provide a major staple food crop for millions of people and play an important role in the social fabric of many rural communities. Plantain banana cultivation encounters major problem of seedlings unavailability that are essential for the creation of new plantations, as well as parasitic constraints. Mycosphaerella fijiensis is the main pathogen attack constraints of banana plant responsible of black Sigatoka disease, and viruses, which can severely reduce the photosynthetic leaf area, leading to banana production losses of more than 80% in plantations with soil fertility problems. The repeated use of synthetic input is the origin of contamination to the environment, different pollution sources of plants and human health, as well as resistance to some strains of pathogens and plant fertilization problems over time. Recent works carried out in nursery have shown that vivoplants of plantains treated with biostimulants based on natural products notably Tithonia diversifolia biopromote good growth and less susceptibility to M. fijiensis. Indeed, an increase in agromorphological characteristics, good accumulation of growth and defense biomarkers was also observed. In this context, Tithonia diversifolia is shown to be involved in the stimulatory effect mechanism of growth promotion and defensive reaction of plantain vivoplants against various pathogens and it is suggested to be acting as a vital stimulator. This article reviews the current state of knowledge on plantain banana cultivation constraints and on the potential of Tithonia diversifolia in relation with its different stimulatory effects on plantain vivoplants.

2,3-Butanediol from the leachates of pine needles induces the resistance of Panax notoginseng to the leaf pathogen Alternaria panax

Compared with the use of monocultures in the field,cultivation of medicinal herbs in forests is an effective strategy to alleviate disease.Chemical interactions between herbs and trees play an important role in disease suppression in forests.We evaluated the ability of leachates from needles of Pinus armandii to induce resistance in Panax notoginseng leaves,identified the components via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS),and then deciphered the mechanism of 2,3-Butanediol as the main component in the leachates responsible for resistance induction via RNA sequencing(RNA-seq).Prespraying leachates and 2,3-Butanediol onto leaves could induce the resistance of P.notoginseng to Alternaria panax.The RNA-seq results showed that prespraying 2,3-Butanediol onto leaves with or without A.panax infection upregulated the expression of large number of genes,many of which are involved in transcription factor activity and the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway.Specifically,2,3-Butanediol spraying resulted in jasmonic acid(JA)-mediated induced systemic resistance(ISR) by activating MYC2 and ERF1.Moreover,2,3-Butanediol induced systemic acquired resistance(SAR) by upregulating pattern-triggered immunity(PTI)-and effector-triggered immunity(ETI)-related genes and activated camalexin biosynthesis through activation of WRKY33.Overall,2,3-Butanediol from the leachates of pine needles could activate the resistance of P.notoginseng to leaf disease infection through ISR,SAR and camalexin biosynthesis.Thus,2,3-Butanediol is worth developing as a chemical inducer for agricultural production.

Colonization by Klebsiella variicola FH-1 stimulates soybean growth and alleviates the stress of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Sclerotinia stem rot,caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum,is a destructive soil-borne disease leading to huge yield loss.We previously reported that Klebsiella variicola FH-1 could degrade atrazine herbicides,and the vegetative growth of atrazine-sensitive crops(i.e.,soybean)was significantly increased in the FH-1-treated soil.Interestingly,we found that FH-1 could promote soybean growth and induce resistance to S.sclerotiorum.In our study,strain FH-1 could grow in a nitrogen-free environment,dissolve inorganic phosphorus and potassium,and produce indoleacetic acid and a siderophore.The results of pot experiments showed that K.variicola FH-1 promoted soybean plant development,substantially improving plant height,fresh weight,and root length,and induced resistance against S.sclerotiorum infection in soybean leaves.The area under the disease progression curve(AUDPC)for treatment with strain FH-1 was significantly lower than the control and was reduced by up to 42.2%within 48 h(P<0.001).Moreover,strain FH-1 rcovered the activities of catalase,superoxide dismutase,peroxidase,phenylalanine ammonia lyase,and polyphenol oxidase,which are involved in plant protection,and reduced malondialdehyde accumulation in the leaves.The mechanism of induction of resistance appeared to be primarily resulted from the enhancement of transcript levels of PR10,PR12,AOS,CHS,and PDF1.2 genes.The colonization of FH-1 on soybean root,determined using CLSM and SEM,revealed that FH-1 colonized soybean root surfaces,root hairs,and exodermis to form biofilms.In summary,K.variicola FH-1 exhibited the biological control potential by inducing resistance in soybean against S.sclerotiorum infection,providing new suggestions for green prevention and control.

Research Progress in Biological Control of Soft Rot of Amorphophallus konjac

In this paper,the main control methods of soft rot of Amorphophallus konjac are reviewed,with a focus on the current research status of using plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for biological control of soft rot of A.konjac,and future research directions are looked forward to.

A change of phenolic acids content in poplar leaves induced by methyl sali-cylate and methyl jasmonate

The contents of seven different phenolic acids such as gallic acid, catechinic acid, pyrocatechol, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid and benzoic acid in the poplar leaves （Populus Simonii×Populus Pyramibalis c.v and Populus deltoids） suffocated by Methyl jasmonate （MeJA） and Methyl salicylate （MeSA） were monitored for analyzing their functions in interplant communications by using high-pressure liquid chromatography （HPLC）.The results showed that the contents of phenolic acids had obviously difference in leaves exposed to either MeSA or MeJA.When P.deltoides leaves exposed to MeJA or MeSA, the level of gallic acid, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and benzoic acid was increased, gallic acid in leaves treated with MeJA comes to a peak at 24 h while to a peak at 12-d having leaves treated with MeSA.When P.Simonii ×P.Pyramibalis c.v leaves were exposed to MeJA or MeSA, the level of gallic acid, pyrocatechol and ferulic acid was increased; The catechinic acid and benzoic acid had a little drop; The caffeic acid and coumaric acid were undetected in both suffocated and control leaves.This changed pattern indicated that MeJA and MeSA can act as airborne signals to induce defense response of plants.

Effects of mechanical damage and herbivore wounding on H2O2 metabolism and antioxidant enzyme activities in hybrid poplar leaves

The changes of hydrogen peroxide （H2O2） metabolism and antioxidant enzyme activities in a hybrid poplar （Populus simonii xp. pyramidalis ＇Opera 8277＇） in response to rnechanical damage （MD） and herbivore wounding （HW） were investigated to determine whether H2O2 could function as the secondary messenger in the signaling of systemic resistance. Results show that H2O2 was generated in wounded leaves through MD and HW treatments and systemically in unwounded leaves around the wounded leaves. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase （SOD）, catalase （CAT） and ascorbate peroxidase （APX） were also enhanced. However, the H2O2 accumulation and antioxidant enzyme activities were inhibited in MD leaves through the pretreatment with DPI （which is a specific inhibitor of NADPH oxidase）. The results of this study suggest that H2O2 could be systemically induced by MD and HW treatments, and H2O2 metabolism was closely related to the change in SOD, APX and CAT activities. A high level of antioxidant enzymes could decrease membrane lipid peroxidation levels and effectively induce plant defense responses.

Effects of β-Amino Butyric Acid Induced Rice Blast Resistance on Reactive Oxygen Metabolism

[Objective] This study was to understand the effects of β-Amino butyric acid(abbreviated as BABA) induced rice blast resistance on reactive oxygen metabolism. [Method] Using the cultivar Chaochan 2 that is highly susceptible to disease as experimental material, the changes of catalase(CAT), and superoxide dismutase(SOD) and MDA activities in rice treated by BABA were investigated. [Result] In rice plants treated by BABA, the activities of CAT and SOD increased, meanwhile the MDA content also rose to some extent, resulting in the disease resistance to rice blast. [Conclusion] By influencing reactive oxygen metabolism, BABA endows rice plants with resistance to rice blast. BABA is safe to environment and has highly resistance-inducing capacity, it could be generalized in production.

Tomato Resistance to Botrytis cinerea Induced by Chitosan

[Objective] The aim was to explore the effect of tomato＇s resistance to Botrytis cinerea induced by exogenous Chitosan.[Method] The leaf spraying method was used to determine the induced resistance effect of Chitosan to tomato B.cinerea and the chlorophyll content,soluble protein,soluble sugar,proline influence,the activities of peroxidase（POD）,malondialdehyde（MDA）and the Proline content in leaves of tomato.[Result] The induced resistance of Chitosan reached 58.26% at 14th d after treatment;Compared with the B.cinerea stress group,the chlorophyll content in leaves of tomato seedlings of B.cinerea stress ＋ Chitosan group had increased by 34.63%,while that of soluble protein content,soluble sugar content,Pro content and POD activity was 5.30%,10.83%,16.21% and 16.88%,respectively（except for the MDA content,which was decreased by 16.54%）.[Conclusion] Exogenous Chitosan could improve photosynthetic efficiency and protect enzymes activity to improve the resistance of tomato seedlings to B.cinerea.

Resistance -induced Effect of Several Chemical Reagents on Cucumber against Pseudoperonospora cubensis

[ Objectlve] The paper was to compare the induced resistance of several chemicals on cucumber against Pseudoperonospora cubensis [ Method ] When the cucumber seedlings grew to 4-leaf stage, the second true leaf was treated with salicylic acid, oxalate, chitosan, calcium nitrate and Na2HPO4, the activity of protective enzymes in the third leaf was determined after 7 d. At the same time, inoculation test was also conducted after induced treatment, and the disease condi- tion was coumed. [ Result ] These chemical treatments promoted protective enzyme activities （POD, SOD, PAL, PPO） in different degree, improved the ultra-weak luminescence, and reduced the disease index of cucumber leaves. [ Conclusion] Five chemical treatments expressed good effects on induced resistance. Among the treatments, oxalate had the best induced effect, followed by salicylic acid, chitosan, Na2 HPO4 and calcium nitrate.

Effects of Exogenous Salicylic Acid Derivative on the Resistance to TMV and Activity of Defense Enzymes of Tobacco

[Objective] This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exogenous salicylic acid derivatives on tobacco resistance to TMV and activity of defense enzymes. [Method] The tobboco leaves were treated by exogenous salicylic acid derivatives. Then, the disease occurrence was observed, and the activity of phenylalanin ammo- nia lyase （PAL） and peroxidase （POX） were measured. [Result] Exogenous salicylic acid derivative increased the activities of PAL and POX, while did not influence the resistance to TMV. [Conclusion] The result provides a theoretical basis for the study of plant disease resistance mechanisms.

Induces Resistance Against Fusarium and Pink Rots by Acibenzolar-S-Methyl in Harvested Muskmelon (cv.Yindi)

Acibenzolar-S-methyl （ASM） is a chemical activator of systematic resistance in many plants. The effect of preharvest and postharvest application of ASM was evaluated for its ability to induce resistance in muskmelon fruit. The results indicated that 50 and 100 mg L^-1 ASM or 1 mL L^-1 imazalil at 1 week or 1 day before harvest were effective in reducing the lesion area with 100 mg L^-1 ASM the most effective. No treatment inhibited the infection rate. The postharvest results showed that 50 and 100 mg L^-1 ASM, and 0.1 mL L^-1 imazalil were effective in reducing the lesion area with 100 mg L^-1 ASM the most effective. No treatment inhibited the infection rate. There was a clear time-dependent response of the fruit to postharvest ASM treatment, in which treatments applied 1, 3, and 5 day before inoculation provided the best results. ASM did not demonstrate any fungicide effect in vitro and suppressed lesion area in treated muskmelons, indicating that disease resistance was induced. The protection of ASM was associated with the activation of peroxidase （POD） in treated muskmelons.

Hot air treatment activates defense responses and induces resistance against Botrytis cinerea in strawberry fruit

The effect of hot air（HA, 45°C, 3.5 h） treatment on reducing gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in strawberry fruit and the possible mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that HA treatment significantly reduced lesion diameter and enhanced activities of chitinase（CHI）, β-1,3-glucanase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase（PAL） in strawberry fruit. Total phenolic contents were also increased by HA treatment. The activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase（SOD）, catalase（CAT） and ascorbate peroxidase（APX） were higher in HA treated strawberry fruit than those in control. Expression of three defense related genes such as CAT, CCR-1 allele and PLA6 was greatly induced in HA treated strawberry fruit with or without inoculation by B. cinerea. In addition, the in vitro experiment showed that HA treatment inhibited spore germination and tube growth of B. cinerea. These results suggested that HA treatment directly activated disease resistance against B. cinerea in strawberry fruit without priming response and directly inhibiting growth of B. cinerea.

Postharvest Chitosan Treatment Induces Resistance in Potato Against Fusarium sulphureum

The effects of chitosan treatment and inoculation on dry rot in tubers and slices of potato were studied. The results showed that chitosan treatment significantly reduced the lesion diameter of potato inoculated with Fusarium sulphureum. The treatment at 0.25% showed the best effect. Chitosan at 0.25% increased the activities of peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase, and the contents of flavonoid compounds and lignin in tissues. Increased activities of 13-1,3-glucanase, and phenylalanine ammonialyase were observed, but there were no significant differences between the treated and the control. These findings suggested that the effects of chitosan could be associated with the induced resistance against Fusarium dry rot in potato.

Postharvest Treatment with β-Aminobutyric Acid Induces Resistance Against Dry Rot Caused by Fusarium sulphureum in Potato Tuber

The effectiveness ofpostharvest β-aminobutyric acid （BABA） treatment was studied for inducing resistance against dry rot caused by Fusarium sulphureum in tubers and slices of two potato cultivars （resistant cultivar Shepody and susceptible cultivar Xindaping）. The results showed that BABA at 100 mmol L-1 significantly reduced lesion diameter in inoculated both tubers and slices. The chemical at 100 mmol L-1 showed an effective reduction in infection ability ofF. sulphureum inoculated 48 and 72 h after treatment in slices of resistant cultivar, and 72 and 96 h in susceptible ones. BABA increased the activitives of peroxidase （POD）, polyphenoloxidase （PPO） and phenylalanine ammonialyase （PAL）, and accumulated the contents of lignin, flavonoids and phenolics in slices. The resistant cultivar had a stronger resistant response than the susceptible one. These findings suggest that the BABA treatment can induce the resistance in potato tubers, however, the inducing degree depends on the original level of resistance present in each cultivar.

Induction of Tolerance to Fusarium Wilt and Defense-Related Mechanisms in the Plantlets of Susceptible Berangan Banana Pre-Inoculated with Pseudomonas sp.(UPMP3) and Burkholderia sp.(UPMB3)

This study is aimed at assessing the ability of two endophytic bacteria originally isolated from healthy oil palm roots, Pseudomonas sp. （UPMP3） and Burkholderia sp. （UPMB3） to induce resistance in susceptible Berangan banana against Fusarium oxysporum race 4 （FocR4）. Increased accumulation of resistance-related enzymes such as peroxidase （PO）, phenylalanine ammonia lyase （PAL）, lignithioglycolic acid （LTGA）, and pathogenesis-related （PR） proteins （ehitinase and β-1,3-glucanase） has been observed in plantlets treated with endophytic bacteria UPMP3 and UPMB3 singly or as mixture under glasshouse conditions. Pre-inoculation of banana plantlets with UPMP3 showed a significant reduction in Fusarium wilt incidence 72 d after challenged inoculation with FocR4. UPMB3 was less effective in suppressing Fusarium wilt compared to UPMP3, whereas, the mixture of both endophytes showed an intermediate effect. Based on these results, it is concluded that UPMP3 could be a promising biological control agent that can trigger resistance against Fusarium wilt in susceptible Berangan banana.

Induced Resistance by the Toxin Filtrate of Bipolaris maydis Race T Cultivation

Resistance to maize southern leaf spot disease was induced by the low-concentration filtrate of Bipolaris maydis race T cultivation in an experiment. The nuclear neterogeny corn C103 was used as the test material. The lesion area on the leaves was significant difference by connalysis. The lesion areas on pretreated leaves were （0.3±0.05）- （0.9±0.5） mm^2, but those on the control were （23.1±8.7） mm^2. At the same time, the changes in peroxidase, phenylalanine, ammonialyase, and malondialdehvde activities were determined. During 0-96 h of inspection, phenylalanine and ammonialyase （PAL） activities increased by 64.2%, peroxidase （POD） activities increased by 41.2%, but the malondialdenvde （MDA） content decreased by 29.7% compared with the control. It seems that the low-concentration filtrate of Bipolaris maydis race T cultivation itself can be used as an elicitor to enhance the induced resistance.

Advances on Rare Earth Application in Pollution Ecology

The use of rare earth for inducing plant resistance was reviewed. The important developments in recent years were described, and rare earth can alleviate the pollution of acid rain, ozone, pesticide, heavy metals etc. in environment. The authors suggest that the mechanism of rare earth to inducing plant resistance and reducing plant injury is to control biochemical metabolism web in plant cell, to adjust its protection system of free radical, to maintain its photosynthesis, to protect cell membrane system and to carry through its function on mineral metabolism. Meanwhile some problems in the field were discussed as well.

Effect of Chaetomium globosum ND35 on Plant Growth and Preliminary Study of Its Biocontrol Efficacy

[Objective] The aim was to study effect of Chaetomium globosum ND35 on plant growth and preliminary study of its biocontrol efficacy, and provide basis for popularization and application of this strain.[ Method] With endophytic fungus C. globosum ND35 as a tested strain, effect of C. globosumND35 on plant growth and its biocontrol on five plant diseases were investigated in the greenhouse and field,[Result]The results showed that ND35 promoted growth of lateral root and diameter of breast height of poplar. ND35 can induce poplar to resist Poplar Valsa Canker caused by Valsa sordida and Poplar Rust caused by Melampsora puplicola. ND35 was also able to induce tomato and bean to resist Botrytis cinera. Biocontrol of Bean Stem Rot Rhizoctonia by ND35 was effective as well. [Conclusion] Induced systemic resistance by endophytic C. globosum ND35 plays an important role in biocontrol of plant diseases.

Postharvest ASM or Harpin Treatment Induce Resistance of Muskmelons Against Trichothecium roseum

Induced resistance was studied in muskmelons （cv. Yindi） inoculated Trichothecium roseum with postharvest 1,2,3- benzothiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester （ASM） （100 mg L^-1） or harpin （50 mg L^-1） treatment. Both ASM and harpin significantly reduced lesion diameter in inoculated fruit. Lesion diameter was limited in the treated and untreated halves of the same fruit, indicating that the local and systemic resistance was induced. Inhibiting efficacy of elicitors lasted 7 and 5 days in the treated and untreated halves. The resistance increased by the chemicals was associated with the activation of peroxidase （POD） and chitinase （CHT）. The elicitors induced a significantly and progressively increasing activity of POD and CHT in the treated and untreated halves, and the activation lasted at least 5 days. The activities of POD isoenzymes increased in the treated fruit. However, no new enzyme band was found in the treated and untreated halves.

Effects of thiamine on Trichothecium and Alternaria rots of muskmelon fruit and the possible mechanisms involved

The effects of thiamine against pink and black spot rots caused by Trichothecium roseum and Alternaria alternata and modulation on the metabolism of reactive oxygen species （ROS） and phenylpropanoid pathway were investigated in this paper. In vitro test indicated that thiamine significantly inhibited mycelia growth and spore germination of T. roseum and A. alternata. Thiamine at 100 mmol L-1 effectively inhibited lesion development of muskmelon fruit inoculated with T. roseum or A. alternata, enhanced production rate of O2; and H2O2 content, activities of catalase （CAT）, ascorbate peroxidase （APX） and glutathione reductase （GR） in muskmelon fruit. Thiamine also affect phenylpropanoid pathway in muskmelon fruit by increasing the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase （PAL） and peroxidase （POD）, the content of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and lignin. These results suggest that the effects of thiamine on pink and black spot rots in muskmelon fruits are associated with its direct fungitoxic against the pathogens and the modulation of O2- and H2O2 production, elimi- nating enzymes and phenylpropanoid pathway.