John L. Jifon

Use of physiological parameters as fast tools to screen for drought tolerance in sugarcane

Drought is one of the major limitations to plant productivity worldwide. Identifying suitable screening tools and quantifiable traits would facilitate the crop improvement process for drought tolerance. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of four relatively physiological parameters (variable-to-maximum chlorophyll a fluorescence ratio, F v/F m; estimated leaf chlorophyll content via SPAD index; leaf temperature, LT; and, leaf relative water content, RWC) to distinguish between drought tolerant and susceptible sugarcane genotypes subjected to a 90-d drought cycle. Eight field-grown genotypes were studied. By 45 d after the onset of treatments, the F v/F m, SPAD index and RWC of drought-stressed plants had declined significantly in all genotypes compared to values at the onset of well-watered treatments. However, the reductions were more severe in leaves of susceptible genotypes. Under drought stress, the tolerant genotypes as a group, maintained higher F v/F m (8%), SPAD index (15%), and RWC (16%) than susceptible genotypes. In general, LT of drought-stressed plants was higher (~4oC) than that of well-watered plants but the relative increase was greater among drought susceptible genotypes. Under drought stress, LT of tolerant genotypes was on average 2.2oC lower than that of susceptible genotypes. The results are consistent with the tolerant-susceptible classification of these genotypes and indicate that these tools can be reliable in screening for drought tolerance, with F v/F m, SPAD index and LT having the added advantage of being nondestructive and easily and quickly assessed.

Yield components as indicators of drought tolerance of sugarcane

Water deficit is one of the major factors limiting the production of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). A study of the effects of limited water condition on yield components and their relationship with productivity can aid breeding programs in selecting for high yielding genotypes under this condition. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships among the parameters stalk number, stalk height, stalk diameter, and stalk weight with cane yield in sugarcane growing in a field under moderate water stress during its grand growth period, in order to provide information to help breeders in adopting traits for selecting drought tolerant varieties. Seventy-eight genotypes plus two controls, one drought-tolerant and one drought-susceptible, were grown under a moderate water deficit condition in the field in 2005/2006 at Weslaco, TX. Productivity and yield components were measured. Under stress, the tolerant control (TCP93-4245) showed higher productivity, stalk number, stalk height and stalk weight than the susceptible one (TCP87-3388). However, the susceptible control showed higher stalk diameter. Linear association was found between productivity and its yield components, but stalk diameter showed to be fairly unstable among genotypes. Stalk height showed significant correlation with stalk number, stalk diameter and stalk weight. Stalk diameter also showed positive correlation with stalk weight. Therefore, during the selection procedure, when one of these traits is enhanced by drought tolerance, the correlated trait should also increase, making it feasible to select genotypes with high productivity, stalk number, stalk height, and stalk weight under water deficit.

Variation of antioxidant activity and the levels of bioactive compounds in lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts from hot pepper (Capsicum spp.) cultivars.

Peppers (Capsicum spp.) are a rich source of diverse bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. This study investigated the extraction efficiency of five solvents on antioxidant activities from cayenne (CA408 and Mesilla), jalapeño (Ixtapa) and serrano (Tuxtlas) pepper cultivars. Freeze-dried peppers were extracted using a Soxhlet extractor with five solvents: hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, and methanol:water (80:20). The levels of specific bioactive compounds (phenolics, capsaicinoids, carotenoids and flavonoids) were determined by HPLC and antioxidant activities were assayed by three methods. For all pepper cultivars tested, hexane extracts had the highest levels of capsaicinoids and carotenoids, but methanol extracts had the maximum levels of flavonoids. Hexane extracts showed higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-pricrylhydrozyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and higher reducing power, and acetone extracts (from Mesilla pepper) had a high reducing power. All pepper extracts, except hexane, were effective in preventing deoxyribose degradation, and the inhibition was increased by high concentrations of extracts. The results of the present study indicated that, among the different measures of antioxidant activity, DPPH radical-scavenging activity was strongly correlated with total bioactive compounds (capsaicinoids, carotenoids, flavonoids and total phenolics) in pepper cultivars.

Impact of potassium nutrition on postharvest fruit quality: Melon (Cucumis melo L) case study

Among the many plant mineral nutrients, potassium (K) stands out as a cation having the strongest influence on quality attributes that determine fruit marketability, consumer preference, and the concentration of critically important human-health associated phytonutrients. However, many plant, soil, and environmental factors often limit adequate uptake of K from the soil in sufficient amounts to satisfy fruit K requirements during development to optimize the aforementioned quality attributes. The objectives of this review are 1) to summarize published study abstracts on the effects of soil and/or foliar K fertilization as well as diverse K forms, on fruit phytonutrient concentrations; and 2) to illustrate the important role of K forms on fruit quality with a case study of Cucumis melo L (muskmelon) fruit produced with optimal soil applied K . The muskmelon studies will compare commercial sources (forms) of K applied to examine seasonal effects (spring vs. autumn) and the number of foliar K applications during fruit development on fruit marketability (maturity, yield, firmness, soluble solids, sugars, relative sweetness), consumer preference attributes (sugar content, sweetness, texture), and phytochemical concentrations (K, ascorbic acid, and β-carotene concentrations). Numerous studies have consistently demonstrated that specific K fertilizer forms, in combination with specific application regimes, can improve fruit quality attributes. Potassium fertilizer forms in order of effectiveness (Glycine (Gly)-complexed K = K2SO4 ≥ KCl > no K > KNO3) when applied wet (foliar or hydroponic) vs. dry (soil) were generally superior in improving fruit marketability attributes, along with many human-health nutrients. The muskmelon case study demonstrated that two K forms: Gly-complexed K and K2SO4, combined with a silicone-based surfactant, applied weekly, as a foliar spray, during fruit development, from both autumn and spring-grown plants, had the greatest impact on improving fruit marketability attributes (maturity, yield, firmness, and sugars), as well as fruit quality attributes (human-health bioactive compounds K, ascorbic acid, and β-carotene). Among several foliar applied K salts studied under field conditions so far, salts with relatively low salt indices appeared to have the greatest impacts on fruit quality when applied during the mid- to late-season fruit development periods.

Characterization of Shortday Onion Cultivars of 3 Pungency Levels with Flavor Precursor, Free Amino Acid, Sulfur, and Sugar Contents

This study was conducted to characterize shortday onions of 3 pungency levels with regard to the composition of flavor related compounds. A total of 9 onion breeding lines/cultivars were selected, per each of low, medium, and high pungency level, with pyruvic acid contents of 1.9 to 2.8, 4.8 to 5.4, and 7.2 to 8.3 micromoles/mL, respectively. The contents of flavor precursors (S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide [1-PeCSO] and S-methyl-L-cysteine-sulfoxide [MCSO]), free amino acids, free sugars, soluble solids (SSC), and total sulfur (S) in onion bulbs were measured. The flavor precursor contents ranged from 0.03 to 0.16 mg/g fresh weight (FW) for MCSO, 0.07 to 0.65 mg for 1-PeCSO, and 0.12 to 0.77 mg in total, and precursor contents increased with the pungency levels. Onions of different pungency levels did not differ in the contents of individual or total free amino acids, and the most abundant amino acids were glutamine and arginine. The total sugar contents ranged from 50 to 75 mg/g FW, and total S contents (3.5 to 5.1 mg/g dry weight) were not correlated with the pungency levels. However, pungency levels were correlated inversely with bulb weight and positively with SSC, presumably by the effect of dilution. This study indicates that onion pungency is primarily determined by the content of flavor precursor compounds and not by total S, total sugars, or individual/total free amino acids in shortday bulbs.

Photosynthetic Capacity and Water Use Efficiency in Sugarcane Genotypes Subject to Water Deficit During Early Growth Phase

The objective of this study was to compare the gas exchange, photosynthetic capacity and water potential of sugarcane genotypes cultivated under water deficit conditions imposed during the initial growth phase. Experiments were performed in a greenhouse using two sugarcane genotypes namely: HoCP93-776 (drought susceptible) and TCP02-4587 (drought tolerant). Sixty days after planting, two different water treatments were applied (i.e., with or without water deficit). At 0,30 and 60 days after the treatment, gas exchange variables were evaluated for their relationship with water use, intrinsic instantaneous water use efficiency and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency. The SPAD index, photosynthetic pigments, water potential and relative water content in the leaves were also analyzed. The genotype HoCP93-776 was more sensitive to drought treatment as indicated by the significantly lower values of SPAD index, photosynthetic pigments, water potential (Ψw) and relative water content (RWC) variables. The genotype TCP02-4587 had higher water potential, stomatal control efficiency, water use efficiency (WUE), intrinsic instantaneous water use efficiency (WUEintr), instantaneous carboxylation efficiency and photosynthetic capacity. The highest air vapor pressure deficit during the drought conditions could be due to the stomatal closing in the HoCP93-776, which contributed to its lower photosynthetic capacity.

Responses of Jatropha curcas to Salt and Drought Stresses

Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to quantify growth responses of Jatropha curcas to a range of salt and drought stresses. Typical symptoms of salinity stress such as leaf edge yellowing were observed in all elevated salinity treatments and the degree of the foliar salt damage increased with the salinity of irrigation water. Total dry weight (DW) of Jatropha plants was reduced by 30%, 30%, and 50%, respectively, when irrigated with saline solutions at electrical conductivity of 3.0, 6.0, and 9.0 dS m − 1 compared to that in the control. Leaf Na + concentration was much higher than that observed in most glycophytes. Leaf Cl − concentrations were also high. In the drought stress experiment, plants were irrigated daily with nutrient solution at 100%, 70%, 50%, or 30% daily water use (DWU). Deficit irrigation reduced plant growth and leaf development. The DW of leaves, roots, and total were reduced in the 70%, 50%, and 30% DWU compared to the 100% DWU control treatment. In summary, salinity stress and deficit irrigation significantly reduced the growth and leaf development of greenhouse-grown Jatropha plants.

Optimization of flavanones extraction by modulating differential solvent densities and centrifuge temperatures

Understanding the factors influencing flavonone extraction is critical for the knowledge in sample preparation. The present study was focused on the extraction parameters such as solvent, heat, centrifugal speed, centrifuge temperature, sample to solvent ratio, extraction cycles, sonication time, microwave time and their interactions on sample preparation. Flavanones were analyzed in a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and later identified by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The five flavanones were eluted by a binary mobile phase with 0.03% phosphoric acid and acetonitrile in 20 min and detected at 280 nm, and later identified by mass spectral analysis. Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and dimethyl formamide (DMF) had optimum extraction levels of narirutin, naringin, neohesperidin, didymin and poncirin compared to methanol (MeOH), ethanol (EtOH) and acetonitrile (ACN). Centrifuge temperature had a significant effect on flavanone distribution in the extracts. The DMSO and DMF extracts had homogeneous distribution of flavanones compared to MeOH, EtOH and ACN after centrifugation. Furthermore, ACN showed clear phase separation due to differential densities in the extracts after centrifugation. The number of extraction cycles significantly increased the flavanone levels during extraction. Modulating the sample to solvent ratio increased naringin quantity in the extracts. Current research provides critical information on the role of centrifuge temperature, extraction solvent and their interactions on flavanone distribution in extracts.

Simultaneous Quantification of Capsaicinoids and Ascorbic Acid from Pungent Peppers

The development of simultaneous extraction and determination of bioactive molecules from natural products is becoming more popular. The present study reports the development of a method for the simultaneous extraction and determination of both capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid in peppers. Capsaicin (341.61 µg/g), dihydrocapsaicin (119.91 µg/g) and ascorbic acid (2,109.60 µg/g) were extracted with 3% metaphosphoric acid-ethanol (2:8) as a solvent. The efficient extraction of capsaicinoids (412.61 µg/g) and ascorbic acid (2,785.93 µg/g) was achieved at a sample-to-solvent ratio of 1:8 after 30 minutes of sonication. Simultaneous separation of capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid was achieved using a Gemini C18 column with a gradient elution of 0.03M phosphoric acid and methanol. Capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid were simultaneously detected at 282 and 254 nm, respectively. The recovery of capsaicinoids ranged from 96.21 to 108.71%, and the recovery of ascorbic acid ranged from 97.01 to 98.83%. The limits of detection for capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin and ascorbic acid were 0.24, 0.21 and 0.26 µg, respectively. Relative standard deviation for the intra-day and inter-day variability in the results was less than 3%, indicating that the method produced highly reproducible results. Therefore, this method enables the reproducible, simultaneous separation and quantification of capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid from peppers.

Enhanced Acquisition Rates of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in the Presence of Vegetative Flush Growth in Citrus

Abstract The Asian citrus psyllid preferentially feeds and exclusively reproduces on young, newly emerged flush shoots of citrus. Asian citrus psyllid nymphs feed and complete their life stages on these flush shoots. Recent studies conducted under greenhouse conditions have shown that the transmission rates of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the putative causal agent of huanglongbing disease of citrus, are enhanced when flush shoots are present. However, it is unclear if CLas acquisition by migrant adult Asian citrus psyllids is similarly enhanced. To address this knowledge gap, cohorts of Asian citrus psyllid adults were allowed 1-wk acquisition access period (AAP) on flushing and nonflushing shoots of qPCR-tested symptomatic (CLas+) and asymptomatic (CLas–) 10-yr-old sweet orange trees under field conditions. After the AAP, they were tested for CLas by qPCR. Progeny Asian citrus psyllid adults that emerged 4 wk post-AAP were similarly retrieved and tested. Eighty percent of flushing and 30% of nonflushing CLas+ trees produced infective Asian citrus psyllid adults, indicating that flush shoots have greater potential to be inoculum sources for CLas acquisition. Concomitantly, 21.1% and 6.0% infective adults were retrieved, respectively, from flushing and nonflushing CLas+ trees, indicating that Asian citrus psyllid adults acquire CLas more efficiently from flush shoots relative to mature shoots. In addition, 12.1% of infective Asian citrus psyllid adult progeny were obtained from 70% of flushing CLas+ trees. Significantly lower mean Ct values were also obtained from infective adults retrieved from flushing relative to nonflushing trees. The results underscore the role of flush shoots in CLas acquisition and the need to protect citrus trees from Asian citrus psyllid infestations during flush cycles.