Abstract
Woolly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth) is a new invasive weed in Hungary. This study was conducted to elucidate the effects of this weed on the biochemistry and growth of maize (Zea mays L. cv. Armagnac) under greenhouse conditions. Activities of the antioxidative enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD)), the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein were measured in the shoots and roots, whereas the content of the photosynthetic pigments was measured only in the shoots. The measured growth parameters included plant height, root length, root volume, root and shoot dry weight, and stem diameter. Results showed the allelopathic effects of woolly cupgrass on maize, with significant decreases in plant height, root length, root volume, and root dry weight. Woolly cupgrass infestation (WCI) induced significantly higher activities of APX and SOD in the shoots, whereas POD was only induced in the roots. The contents of chlorophyll-a, total chlorophyll (including relative chlorophyll), carotenoids, and root protein were substantially reduced by WCI, except for the leaf chlorophyll-b. The results suggest that high APX and SOD activities in the shoots could be involved in stabilizing the leaf chlorophyll-b, chlorophyll a/b, shoot protein, and shoot dry weight because all of these parameters were not inhibited when these two enzymes were induced. In contrast, high activity of POD in the roots is not effective in counteracting allelopathy. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to further investigate if an increase in the activities of APX and SOD in the shoots of WCI maize is responsible for stabilizing leaf chlorophyll-b, shoot protein, and shoot dry weight, which could contribute to improved maize yield under WCI.
Highlights
Invasive alien plant species negatively affect ecosystem structure and function at multiple tiers [1,2]
The relative-chlorophyll content of maize leaves was significantly decreased by woolly cupgrass at both sampling times (approximately 20%, 14 d.a.s. and 19%, 21 d.a.s.) (Figure 1)
The allelopathic effect of woolly cupgrass was observed on the fifth leaf where the relative-chlorophyll content decreased by 18.20%
Summary
Invasive alien plant species negatively affect ecosystem structure and function at multiple tiers [1,2]. Cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth) is an invasive weed species with immense ecological and agricultural impacts [8] It is an annual C4 grass of East Asian origin (China and bordering countries) [9] and is classified as a T4 group plant. Allelochemicals usually affect the plant roots (root length and mean root diameter) They influence the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [18] such as singlet oxygen (1O2), superoxide anion (O2−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radical (OH-). This study investigated the influence of woolly cupgrass on the root and shoot lipid peroxidation, protein contents, activities of the antioxidative enzymes (ascorbate oxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), leaf photosynthetic pigments, and growth parameters (plant height, root length, root volume, root and shoot dry weight, and stem diameter) of a Hungarian maize hybrid The results may identify valuable parameters that could assist in the future breeding for tolerance of woolly cupgrass infestation
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