Abstract
Metabolomics, together with analytical methods and chemometric tools, point to new paths for selecting species that are resistant to pests and diseases. In this work, the forage palm species’ metabolomic profile was investigated, and the relation between the chemical composition and resistance to Dactylopius opuntiae (carmine cochineal). The study was performed in cladodes of different non-susceptible cultivars (Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck, Opuntia stricta (Haw.), Nopalea cochenillifera and susceptible cultivar (Opuntia ficus‑indica (L.) Mill.)). Metabolic profile showed 28 metabolites detected in the four species. From these total, 18 metabolites were annotated using UPLC‑QTOF‑MSE (ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization quadrupole time‑of-flight mass spectrometry operating in MSE mode). By comparing the chemical profiles of non-susceptible and susceptible species through the application of chemometric tools, it was possible to obtain biomarkers (quercetin-3‑O‑2’,6’‑dirhamnosylglucoside, quercetin rhamnosyl dihexoside, and isorhamnetin-3-sophoroside-7‑rhamnoside) that may be associated with resistance to carmine cochineal. Metabolomics based on UPLC-QTOF-MSE and chemometric allowed to establish the biomarkers knowledge of the resistance present in forage palm species. These results contribute to developing the initial understanding of flavonoids’ role in the defense mechanisms of cactaceans and can be useful for application in breeding programs; it can increase the chances of success in creating new varieties of plants not susceptible to carmine cochineal.
Highlights
Some forage palm, among which Opuntia spp. and Nopalea spp. (Cactaceae family) are well adapted to the arid and semi-arid conditions; it has a wide variety of germplasm, being cultivated in all the continents, except in Antarctica.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] In Brazil, mainly in semi-arid regions, it is considered one of the primary sources of forage for dairy cattle during the dry period of the year due to the high palatability
This work aims to evaluate the use of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry operating in MSE mode (UPLC-QTOF-MSE, E represents collision energy) to find biomarkers that can distinguish different species of Cactaceae, in addition to identifying secondary metabolites that confer resistance to D. opuntiae
The results showed that further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of action of these biomarkers, mostly flavonoids, found in Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm‐Dyck, Opuntia stricta (Haw.), and Nopalea cochenillifera
Summary
Some forage palm, among which Opuntia spp. and Nopalea spp. (Cactaceae family) are well adapted to the arid and semi-arid conditions; it has a wide variety of germplasm, being cultivated in all the continents, except in Antarctica.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] In Brazil, mainly in semi-arid regions, it is considered one of the primary sources of forage for dairy cattle during the dry period of the year due to the high palatability. Some forage palm, among which Opuntia spp. and Nopalea spp. Opuntia spp. and Nopalea’s chemical composition varies with cultivar, stage of development, fertilization, plant population, and cladode order. They have low content of dry matter (5-20%), the main constituent being water (80-95%), followed by small amounts of carbohydrates (3-7%), fibers (1-2%), and proteins (0.5‐1%).[9,10,11] Besides these nutrients, it presents a significant amount of minerals rich in Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Fe2+,11,12 besides phenolic compounds and flavonoids, carotenoid, and vitamins.[9,10,11,13,14,15,16]
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