Jawad Aarrouf

Salt stress mitigation by seed priming with UV-C in lettuce plants: growth, antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds.

Seeds of Lactuca sativa L. Romaine were subjected to priming treatments with UV-C radiation at 0.85 or 3.42xa0kJxa0m(-2). Seedlings obtained from both primed (Pr) and non-primed (NPr) seeds were grown in an hydroponic culture system supplemented with 0 (control) or 100xa0mM NaCl. After 21 days of NaCl treatment, root and leaf biomass, root lengths, leaf numbers, and leaf surface area were measured. Ions (Na(+) and K(+)) accumulation was determined in roots and leaves. Total phenolic compound and flavonoid concentrations, as well as antioxidant and antiradical activities were measured in L.xa0sativa leaves. Salt stress resulted in a lower increase in fresh weight of roots and leaves, which was more pronounced in roots than in leaves, due to reduced root elongation, leaf number and leaf expansion, as well as leaf thickness. The lower increase in fresh weight was accompanied by a restriction in tissue hydration and K(+) ion uptake, as well as an increase in Na(+) ion concentrations in all organs. These effects were mitigated in plants from the UV-C primed seeds. The mitigating effect of UV-C was more pronounced at 0.85 than at 3.42xa0kJxa0m(-2). Salt stress also resulted in an increase in total phenolic compounds and flavonoid concentrations and in the total antioxidant capacity in leaves. The highest diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging activity was found in the leaves of plants from both Pr seeds. Our results suggest that plants grown from seed primed by exposure to moderate UV-C radiation exhibited a higher tolerance to salinity stress.

Understanding the physiological effects of UV-C light and exploiting its agronomic potential before and after harvest

There is an abundant literature about the biological and physiological effects of UV-B light and the signaling and metabolic pathways it triggers and influences. Much less is known about UV-C light even though it seems to have a lot of potential for being effective in less time than UV-B light. UV-C light is known since long to exert direct and indirect inhibitory and damaging effects on living cells and is therefore commonly used for disinfection purposes. More recent observations suggest that UV-C light can also be exploited to stimulate the production of health-promoting phytochemicals, to extent shelf life of fruits and vegetables and to stimulate mechanisms of adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses. Clearly some of these effects may be related to the stimulating effect of UV-C light on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to the stimulation of antioxidant molecules and mechanisms, although UV-C light could also trigger and regulate signaling pathways independently from its effect on the production of ROS. Our review clearly underlines the high potential of UV-C light in agriculture and therefore advocates for more work to be done to improve its efficiency and also to increase our understanding of the way UV-C light is perceived and influences the physiology of plants.

Agrobacterium rhizogenes-dependent production of transformed roots from foliar explants of pepper (Capsicum annuum): a new and efficient tool for functional analysis of genes

Pepper is known to be a recalcitrant species to genetic transformation via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. A. rhizogenes-mediated transformation offers an alternative and rapid possibility to study gene functions in roots. In our study, we developed a new and efficient system for A. rhizogenes transformation of the cultivated species Capsicum annuum. Hypocotyls and foliar organs (true leaves and cotyledons) of Yolo Wonder (YW) and Criollo de Morelos 334 (CM334) pepper cultivars were inoculated with the two constructs pBIN-gus and pHKN29-gfp of A.rhizogenes strain A4RS. Foliar explants of both pepper genotypes infected by A4RS-pBIN-gus or A4RS-pHKN29-gfp produced transformed roots. Optimal results were obtained using the combination of the foliar explants with A4RS-pHKN29-gfp. 20.5% of YW foliar explants and 14.6% of CM334 foliar explants inoculated with A4RS-pHKN29-gfp produced at least one root expressing uniform green fluorescent protein. We confirmed by polymerase chain reaction the presence of the rolB and gfp genes in the co-transformed roots ensuring that they integrated both the T-DNA from the Ri plasmid and the reporter gene. We also demonstrated that co-transformed roots of YW and CM334 displayed the same resistance response to Phytophthora capsici than the corresponding untransformed roots. Our novel procedure to produce C. annuum hairy roots will thus support the functional analysis of potential resistance genes involved in pepper P.capsici interaction.

Assessing the Effects of Water Deficit on Photosynthesis Using Parameters Derived from Measurements of Leaf Gas Exchange and of Chlorophyll a Fluorescence

Water deficit (WD) is expected to increase in intensity, frequency and duration in many parts of the world as a consequence of global change, with potential negative effects on plant gas exchange and growth. We review here the parameters that can be derived from measurements made on leaves, in the field, and that can be used to assess the effects of WD on the components of plant photosynthetic rate, including stomatal conductance, mesophyll conductance, photosynthetic capacity, light absorbance, and efficiency of absorbed light conversion into photosynthetic electron transport. We also review some of the parameters related to dissipation of excess energy and to rerouting of electron fluxes. Our focus is mainly on the techniques of gas exchange measurements and of measurements of chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF), either alone or combined. But we put also emphasis on some of the parameters derived from analysis of the induction phase of maximal ChlF, notably because they could be used to assess damage to photosystem II. Eventually we briefly present the non-destructive methods based on the ChlF excitation ratio method which can be used to evaluate non-destructively leaf contents in anthocyanins and flavonols.

Effects of nitrogen supply and of UV-C irradiation on the susceptibility of Lactuca sativa L to Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia minor

AimsWe tested here the effect of low nitrogen (N) availability and of UV-C radiations (a physical agent) on the susceptibility of Lactuca sativa L. towards Botrytis cinerea (BC 87) and Sclerotinia minor (SM).MethodsWe assessed first that a dose of UV-C radiation of 0.85xa0kJ. m−2 is effective in triggering a positive effect without entailing any negative effect on plants. We then tested the effect of this dose on 62-day-old lettuce plants grown at three N concentrations: 2 (low), 10 (normal) and 20xa0mM (high). Plants were inoculated 24xa0h after exposure to UV-C radiation and monitored for 4xa0days.ResultsAnalysis of lesion areas showed that leaf susceptibility towards Botrytis cinerea (BC 87) and Sclerotinia minor (SM) substantially increased with the increasing N concentrations. Results also showed that the UV-C treatment can reduce MDA and H2O2 concentrations and lesion areas. Reduction of lesion areas reached 67xa0% on day 4 in the Sclerotinia minor (SM)-10xa0mM N trial and 52xa0% in the Botrytis cinerea (BC 87)-20xa0mM N trial. The UV-C treatment also resulted in an increase in the concentration of total phenolics in leaves which could be observed on days 1, 2 and 4 in Sclerotinia minor SM trial and days 1 and 2 in Botrytis cinerea BC 87 trial.ConclusionsTaken together, our observations suggest that UV-C irradiationxa0 stimulate the capacity of lettuce plants to resist against Sclerotinia minor (SM) and Botrytis cinerea (BC 87) and that phenolic compounds may be involved in this resistance.

Juvenile Coffee Leaves Acclimated to Low Light Are Unable to Cope with a Moderate Light Increase

The understorey origin of coffee trees and the strong plasticity of Coffea arabica leaves in relation to contrasting light environments have been largely shown. The adaptability of coffee leaves to changes in light was tested under controlled conditions by increasing the illumination rate on C. arabica var. Naryelis seedlings acclimated to low light conditions and observing leaf responses at three different developmental stages (juvenile, growing and mature). Only mature leaves proved capable of adapting to new light conditions. In these leaves, different major mechanisms were found to contribute to maintaining a good photosynthetic level. With increased illumination, a high photosynthetic response was conserved thanks to fast nitrogen remobilization, as indicated by SPAD values and the photorespiration rate. Efficient photoprotection was accompanied by a great ability to export sucrose, which prevented excessive inhibition of the Calvin cycle by hexose accumulation. In contrast, in younger leaves, increased illumination caused photodamage, observable even after 9 days of treatment. One major finding was that young coffee leaves rely on the accumulation of chlorogenic acids, powerful antioxidant phenolic compounds, to deal with the accumulation of reactive oxygen species rather than on antioxidant enzymes. Due to a lack of efficient photoprotection, a poor ability to export sucrose and inadequate antioxidant protection, younger leaves seemed to be unable to cope with increased illumination. In these leaves, an absence of induced antioxidant enzyme activity was accompanied, in growing leaves, by an absence of antioxidant synthesis or, in juvenile leaves, inefficient synthesis of flavonoids because located in some epidermis cells. These observations showed that coffee leaves, at the beginning of their development, are not equipped to withstand quick switches to higher light levels. Our results confirm that coffee trees, even selected for full sunlight conditions, remain shade plants possessing leaves able to adapt to higher light levels only when mature.