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Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2004

Abstract

Border cells from the seedling root tips were added to the conidium suspensions of two soilborne rootpathogens, Fusarium sp. and Cylindrocarpon sp. The presence of border cells in the suspension clearly stimulated germination of fungal conidia. Conidia of Fusarium sp. and Cylindrocarpon sp.started to germinate within 3 hours after inoculation.When border cells were washed off, the stimulating effect disappeared. Addition of malt extract caused similar stimulation as border cells. Germination of conidia was suppressed in Al-treated plants.

Abstract

The study of conifer chemical defense has been dominated by investigations of oleoresin and its components. However, the actual function of resin components in plant defense and their mode of action is still uncertain, and the role of other defense compounds is relatively unexplored.We are studying the biochemical and molecular bases of chemical defenses, including terpenes, phenolics and chitinases, in Norway spruce (Picea abies) to learn more about how the accumulation of defense compounds is regulated, with the long-term goal of manipulating defense levels to test their function.Manipulation can be crudely accomplished by treatment with methyl jasmonate, which often mimics the general increases in defenses seen following herbivore or pathogen attack. Such treatment was shown to increase resistance to a fungal associate of bark beetles.To more conclusively test function, isolated genes of defense biosynthetic pathways are being transformed into Norway spruce to produce plants whose defense profiles are altered more precisely.

Abstract

When conifers such as Picea abies (Norway spruce) are attacked by insects or pathogens, they often produce increased quantities of terpenoid oleoresin. This response can be mimicked in young P. abies seedlings by treatment with methyl jasmonate. In this study, we determined the effect of methyl jasmonate on the terpenoids and other chemical defenses of mature P. abies, and investigated if this treatment protected trees against attack by the blue-stain fungus Ceratocystis polonica, the most important fungal associate of the bark beetle Ips typographus. Methyl jasmonate treatment induced the formation of traumatic resin ducts in the developing xylem, enhanced resin flow, and stimulated increased accumulation of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpene resin acids. However, almost no significant changes in terpene composition were detected. In addition, no changes in soluble phenolic content were observed. There was a very high variability both among and within clones in the timing and degree of response to methyl jasmonate. These chemical and anatomical changes were correlated with increased resistance to C. polonica, suggesting that terpenoid oleoresin may function in defense against this pathogen.