Species Of Cruciferae Research Articles

Content of glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables grown at the same site for two years under different climatic conditions.

Individual glucosinolates (GLS) were determined in vegetables of three Cruciferae species: Brassica oleracea L. (white cabbage, red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi), Brassica rapa L. (turnip), and Raphanus sativus L. (red radish, black radish, and white radish) produced in two years. The cultivars were compared for the contents of total-, indole-, and aliphatic GLS. In both years, the total content of GLS was highest in black radish, and all examined R. sativus vegetables contained the greatest amount of aliphatic GLS. Neither the level nor the identity of GLS differentiated among the vegetables of the other cultivars grown in the same year. Comparison of the GLS contents of the same cultivar in two production years, which differed in temperature and rainfall rate, showed that low average 10-day rainfall and high average temperature during the vegetation period significantly increased the GLS content of vegetables. This suggests that the year x cultivar interaction modified the GLS content of vegetables.

Evolution of SINE S1 retroposons in Cruciferae plant species.

The S1 element is a plant short interspersed element (SINE) that was first described and studied in Brassica napus. In this work, we investigated the distribution and the molecular phylogeny of the S1 element within the Cruciferae (= Brassicaceae). S1 elements were found to be widely distributed within the Cruciferae, especially in species of the tribe Brassiceae. The molecular phylogeny of S1 elements in eight Cruciferae species (Brassica oleracea, Brassica rapa, Brassica napus, Brassica nigra, Sinapis, arvensis, Sinapis pubescens, Coincya monensis, and Vella spinosa) was inferred using 14-36 elements per species. Significant neighbor-joining and maximum-parsimony phylogenetic clusters, supported by high bootstrap P values and/or represented in 100% of the most-parsimonious trees, were observed for each species. Most of these clusters probably correspond to recent species-specific bursts of S1 amplification. Since these species diverged recently, S1 amplification in Cruciferae plants is proposed to be a highly dynamic process that could contribute to genome rearrangements and eventually lead to reproductive isolation. S1 sequence analysis also revealed putative gene conversion events that occurred between different S1 elements of a given species. These events suggest that gene conversion is a minor but significant component of the molecular drive governing S1 concerted evolution.

Nutrient evaluation of some arid range plants in Saudi Arabia

Sixty-one desert range plant species collected from the Harrat al Harra Protected Area of the Al-Jauf region in the northern Saudi Arabia were analysed to evaluate nutritional status and to identify the suitability potentials of some of the species for rehabilitation in the arid region. Plant samples were analysed for N, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn concentrations. The study showed higher nitrogen concentration in the Cruciferae species than the leguminous species. Of the species examined, 90% were palatable out of which 11% showed a high to very high class index for the NPK group of macro nutrients. The annual herbs Carrichtera annua, Diplotaxis acris (Cruciferae), Centaurea pseudosinaica (Compositae) and Hyoscyamus desertorum (Solanceae) showed high to very high NPK levels. Phagnalon barbeyanum , a perennial herb, had the highest concentration of all micro-nutrients followed by Astragalus kahiricus , an annual herb. Astragalus kahiricus and Atriplex leucoclada had high indices of total nutrient concentration. Three of these species were, however, rare in occurrence on the scale of abundancy ratings and face the possible threat of extinction.

Investigation of “mustard oil” glucosinolates in cell cultures of three species of cruciferae

AbstractThe occurrence of series of indole glucosinolates in callus cultures of Brassica napus var. napobrassica L. and B. oleracea var. botrotys L. was demonstrated by GC of trimethylsilyl derivatives. Neither callus nor suspension cultures of Hirschfeldia incana L. accumulated any of the glucosinolates present in the mature plant; however, feeding of 2‐propenyl glucosinolate to suspensions of the latter was shown to lead to production of the isothiocyanate.

Studies of pollen grain germination, pollen tube growth, micropylar penetration and seed set in intraspecific and intergeneric crosses within three Cruciferae species

Pollen grain germination, pollen tube growth and micropylar penetration were investigated in intraspecific and intergeneric crosses involving Brassica napus L. ssp. oleifera (Metzg.) Sinsk. (oil-seed rape or fodder rape), xBrassicoraphanus Sageret (Raparadish) and diploid (2x) and tetraploid (4x) accessions of Sinapis alba L.(white mustard). For the reciprocal intergeneric crosses between B. napus and xBrassicoraphanus no effective barriers to pollen tube growth on stigmata or in styles were observed. The resulting low frequency of hybrid plants was mainly associated with a low rate of ovules with micropylar penetration per siliqua or with embryo abortion. Hybrid plants could be obtained without use of embryo rescue. In reciprocal crosses between B. napus and S. alba 2x or 4x incongruity barriers were observed on the stigma, in the style, and in the ovary resulting in a low frequency of ovules with micropylar penetration per siliqua. Open flower-pollination compared to bud-pollination generally was the more favourable procedure for pollen grain germination and pollen tube growth in crosses involving S. alba, but for micropylar penetration and seed set no differences were observed. Crosses between S. alba 2x (♀) and B.napus (♂) were found to result in a higher frequency of ovules with micropylar penetration as compared to reciprocal crosses or crosses with S. alba 4x. All reciprocal crosses between B. napus and S. alba 2x or 4x were unsuccessful when no embryo rescue was applied. Embryo rescue shortly after pollination, i.e. 2 to 5 days, however, resulted in hybrid seeds and plants, but only when applied to crosses between S. alba 2x (♀) and B. napus (♂). The possible effects of the genome constitution, taxonomic distance and the parthenogenetic and parthenogenesis inducing ability of the parental genotypes on the observed malfunctions at the pre-and/or post-zygotic stage of the pollen grain-pistil interactions are discussed.

Differentiation of freezing tolerance and vernalization responses in Cruciferae exposed to a low temperature

ABSTRACTHigh levels of freezing tolerance were induced in leaves of different Cruciferae species including Brassica napus, Arabidopsis thaliana, Barbarea vulgaris, Thlaspi arvenses and Descurainia sophia by low‐temperature acclimation. Concomitantly, the amount of total RNA doubled in these three species. Analyses of methylation patterns and dosage of rRNA genes were carried out to determine whether or not alterations occur in this DNA during development of freezing tolerance. Hybridizations of Southern transfers with an rDNA probe revealed two additional EcoRI sites in purified DNA isolated from freezing‐tolerant leaves of winter B. napus cv Jet Neuf and D. sophia (both of which require low temperatures for vernalization), but not in isolates of A. thaliana or spring B. napus cv Topas. An increase of rDNA cistrons was also observed in both B. napus cv Jet Neuf and D. sophia but not in A. thaliana or B. napus cv Topas upon cold acclimation. These results suggest that low temperature induced amplification of rDNA and the differential methylation of EcoRI sites may possibly be related to the vernalization process but may not be related to the development of freezing tolerance. However, the higher activity of RNA polymerase (2.5 times more) observed upon cold acclimation may explain the concomitant increase in total RNA and may be related to the development of freezing tolerance in the Cruciferae.

Differences in fatty acid composition of oils of wild cruciferae seed

Seeds from 15 Cruciferae species, native to Israel, were collected and examined for fatty acids in order to identify species rich in fatty acids with potential for industrial use from the wild gene collection. In species rich in erucic acid (22:1), such as Crambe and Sinapis a low content of polyunsaturated linolenic acid (18:3) was found; the same negative correlation was observed in species low in erucic acid ( Matthiola, Lepidium), in which 64 and 42% linolenic acid, respectively was found. No correlation was detected between the content of erucic and oleic acids, as opposed to the situation in cultivated rape seeds. Plants with different oil compositions were found in the same natural habitat. Fatty acid profiles could not be related to ecological conditions.

Intracellular translocation of phosphatidate phosphatase in maturing safflower seeds: a possible mechanism of feedforward control of triacylglycerol synthesis by fatty acids

Phosphatidate phosphatase activity was found both in the cytosol and in the microsomal membrane of maturing safflower seeds. The combined and relative activities of these two forms varied with seed maturation. During the period of rapid triacylglycerol accumulation in the cell, most of the phosphatidate phosphatase activity was membrane-bound; at the initial and last stages of seed development when triacylglycerol synthesis was at an insignificant level, the majority of the activity was soluble. The potassium salts of palmitic, stearic and oleic acids, which are the fatty acid products of proplastids, caused the translocation of the cytosolic phosphatidate phosphatase to the microsomal membrane, while laurate and linoleate, which are not products of proplastids, showed no effect. Oleoyl-CoA did not convert the soluble form of the enzyme into the membrane-bound form. The translocation induced by oleate was reversible. The cytosolic phosphatidate phosphatase of safflower seeds was not transferred to the microsomal membranes prepared from soybean, a plant species of Leguminosae, and from rapeseed, a species of Cruciferae, but was transferred to that from sunflower, which belongs to the same family as safflower, Compositae. These observations suggest that in maturing oil seeds the rate of fatty acid synthesis in proplastids may regulate the species-specific translocation of phosphatidate phosphatase between the cytosol and the endoplasmic reticulum membrane where triacylglycerol synthesis occurs and that in turn the translocation of this ambiquitous enzyme could control the rate of triacylglycerol synthesis in the cell.

An immunologically related family of apolipoproteins associated with triacylglycerol storage in the Cruciferae

The major apolipoproteins associated with oil-storage bodies have been isolated from the mature seeds of six different species of the family Cruciferae. The apolipoproteins were all of molecular mass 19–20 kDa. They were highly abundant in mature seed tissue, accounting for up to 20% total seed proteins, and were localized exclusively on the membranes of oil-storage bodies. Antibodies were raised in rabbits and mice against the six purified apolipoproteins. In each case, the antibodies specifically recognized 19–20 kDa polypeptides on immunoblots of total seed proteins from 15 different species of the Cruciferae. The extent of the immunological cross-reactivity among the six purified seed apolipoproteins of the Cruciferae was investigated quantitatively using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Very high levels of cross-reactivity were obtained, in contrast to a complete lack of cross-reactivity observed when the major seed apolipoprotein of a non-crucifer, Glycine max, was assayed. Peptide mapping studies showed that the different crucifer seed apolipoproteins gave rise to similar proteolytic cleavage products following treatment with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, Lysobacter enzymogenes Lys-C endoprotease, and trypsin. The patterns of immunogenic proteolytic cleavage products of the different apolipoproteins were also similar. We propose that there is a family of abundant 19–20 kDa apolipoproteins in mature seeds of oil-bearing Cruciferae. These apolipoproteins are all major components of the membranes of oil-storage bodies. The apolipoproteins are therefore very closely related with respect to their structure, function, and immunological properties.

Allelopathic effects of volatiles from some Cruciferae species on lettuce, barnyard grass and wheat growth

Exposure of germinating seeds of lettuce, barnyard grass and wheat to volatile substances released from pulverised leaves of some Cruciferae species resulted in delay of germination and reduction of overall growth.B. juncea andB. nigra volatiles were the most damaging to all of the tested species. It is suggested that degradation products of glucosinolates occuring in cruciferous plants caused this allelopathic action.

Distribution and chemotaxonomic significance of glucosinolates in certain Middle-Eastern cruciferae

Eighty-four collections of 51 species of Middle-eastern Cruciferae were analysed by paper and gas-liquid chromatography for seed glucosinolates. Thirty-two species were investigated for the first time. Thirty compounds were identified and three unknowns of limited occurrence were found, p-Hydroxybenzylglucosinolate was found in six species of various tribes. 4-Methylsulfinyl-3-butenyl, 3-methoxycarbonylpropyl, and p-rhamnopyranosyloxybenzyl glucosinolates, which are rare in the Cruciferae, were found in Sinapis aucheri two species of Erysimum and Thlaspi perfoliatum, respectively. The biosynthetic precursors of all but one of the 30 glucosinolates are protein amino acids and at least 20 glucosinolates are derived from methionine. The distribution of glucosinolates is very useful at the species and genus levels but may provide only minimal support to the tribal alliance of certain genera. It supports the removal of Sinapis aucheri from the genus, the recognition of Fibigia clypeata and F. macrocarpa as distinct species, and the alliance of Ochthodium with Euclidium and Arabis with Drabopsis.

GERMINATION OF CORYLUS AVELLANA L. (HAZEL) POLLEN: HYDRATION AND THE FUNCTION OF THE ONCUS

SUMMARY As reported by Schoch-Bodmer fifty years ago, the onci play an important part in accommodating volume changes in the 3-porate pollen of Corylus avellana L. during cycles of dehydration and rehydration. The onci, which are rich in pectins judging from their cytochemical properties, possess a remarkable fine-structure, characterised by densely packed, convoluted lamellae. Staining responses suggest that the protein content of the body of the oncus is low, although esterase activity is distributed throughout. During germination a granular sporopollenin seal at the preferred aperture is disrupted by the gelatinisation of underlying pectins, and the pollen tube emerges as an outgrowth from the inner cellulosic layer of the intine. This process is preceded by the release of proteins from each aperture site. The source of this outflow is a protein-rich umbonate cap, 1–3 μm in thickness, lying beneath the pore over the body of the oncus and extending under the encompassing exine annulus. The nexine is absent from the annulus, so that the apertural proteins are continuous with the interbacular material. This implies that in this pollen type there are no clearly separate “gametophytic” and “sporophytic” domains. As in species of Compositae and Cruciferae with a similar sporophytic type of self-incompatibility (SI) system, incompatible pollen of C. avellana is inhibited on the stigma surface, the stigma papillae responding rapidly to the presence of the incompatible pollen by synthesis of internal callose. This suggests that the S-factors are held in the pollen wall, and it is possible that they form one component of the poral proteins. In the light of recent reports of sporophytic proteins held at the apertural sites in various angiosperm pollens, the possibility is considered that the poral proteins of C. avellana are also of sporophytic origin, at least in part. Should they contain tapetum-derived S-factors a ready explanation of the sporophytic control of the SI system is at hand.

Correlations Among Stigma Depth, Style Length, and Pollen Grain Size: Do They Reflect Function or Phylogeny?

There is a positive correlation between stigma depth-our approximation of the distance a pollen tube has to grow to reach exogenous resources in the transmission tissue-and pollen grain size, but not between style length and pollen grain size among six species in Umbelliferae, eight species in Cruciferae, six species in Solanum, and 10 unrelated species whose pollen grains contain starch. The lack of a correlation between pollen volume and style length in comparisons of both related and unrelated species is inconsistent with the hypothesis that pollen grains must contain sufficient resources to sustain the growth of a pollen tube to an ovule. Positive correlations among style length, pollen grain size, and stigma depth in Polygonum suggest that correlations between style length and pollen grain volume among related species may reflect a phyletic rather than a functional relationship.

Seed survival and periodicity of seedling emergence in eight species of Cruciferae

SUMMARYSeeds of eight species of Cruciferae were collected, usually in each of 3 years, and mixed with the top 7‐5 cm of sterilised soil confined in cylinders sunk in the ground outdoors and cultivated three times yearly. The seedlings emerging were recorded for 5 yr and the numbers of viable seeds remaining then determined. Emergence of Alliaria petiolata was almost entirely restricted to February and March. That of Erysimum cheiranthoides, Lepidium campestre, Sinapis arvensis and Raphanus raphanistrum took place mainly in March and April, but seedlings continued to appear until late autumn. Some seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana, Cardamine hirsuta and Sisymbrium officinale appeared in spring, but most did so in summer (C. hirsuta and S. officinale) or early autumn (A. thaliana). Seed survival in A. petiolata was of short duration and there were few seedlings after the second year, whereas 18% of the seeds of R. raphanistrum were still present and viable after 5 yr. Seed survival at this time for the other six species ranged from 1 ‐6% (C. hirsuta) to 6‐1% (S. arvensis).

Co-occurrence of c-24 epimeric 24-methyl-Δ 5,22 -sterols in the seeds of some brassica and raphanus species of cruciferae

Reverse-phase HPLC has shown that the 24-methyl-Δ 5,22-sterol fractions isolated from 27 seed and seed oil samples of Brassica and Raphanus species (Cruciferae) consist of ca 10–40% of the 24α-epimer, 22-dehydrocampesterol, in addition to the 24β-epimer, brassicasterol.

AN EFFECT OF PARASITISM BY MICROCTONUS VITTATAE (HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE) ON EMERGENCE OF PHYLLOTRETA CRUCIFERAE AND PHYLLOTRETA STRIOLATA (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE) FROM OVERWINTERING SITES

AbstractAdults of the two main rape-infesting flea beetle species in Manitoba, Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze) and Phyllotreta striolata (F.), that were parasitized by Microctonus vittatae Mues., emerged earlier from overwintering sites than unparasitized adults of the same species. Early emergence of parasitized beetles ensures early emergence of parasite adults and thereby probably increases the impact of the parasite on the host's population.

Coevolution of pierid butterflies and their cruciferous foodplants

The suitability of several Cruciferae species for the survival and development of the larvae of Anthocharis cardamines, which are seed and flower predators, was investigated. Large differences, consistent in time and space, were observed between the survival of sub-populations on different hostplants. Foodplants influenced A. cardamines survival and development by allelochemical and mechanical defences, which may also weaken a larva against pathogen attack. Oviposition by females appeared surprisingly maladaptive however with proportionately most eggs being laid on the hostplants yielding poorest larval survival, in opposition to previous expectations of coevolutionary theory. The evolutionary consequences of butterfly predation for Cruciferae are discussed, and juxtaposed to the needs of pollination.

THE SUITABILITY OF NINE SPECIES OF CRUCIFERAE AS HOSTS FOR THE LARVAE OF THE RED TURNIP BEETLE, ENTOMOSCELIS AMERICANA (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE)

AbstractThe suitability of nine species of Cruciferae as hosts for the larvae of the red turnip beetle, Entomoscelis americana Brown, was tested in the laboratory using excised cotyledons or true leaves as food and rape (Brassica campestris L.) as the standard. The three types of commercial mustards grown in Canada (yellow-seeded (oriental mustard) and brown-seeded (brown mustard) forms of Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.; and yellow mustard, B. hirta Moench) and three weeds (Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medic, shepherd’s purse; Erucastrum gallicum (Willd.) O.E. Schulz, dog mustard; and Sinapis arvensis L., wild mustard) were suitable food plants. Brassica nigra (L.) Koch (black mustard), Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb (flixweed), and Sisymbrium loeselii L. (tall hedge mustard) were marginally suitable. Thlaspi arvense L. (stinkweed) was a non-host plant. These observations suggest that an important element of the pest management system for the red turnip beetle should be the elimination of volunteer commercial mustards and the cruciferous weeds, except T. arvense, in April and May to prevent population build-up.

Glucosinolates of nine cruciferae and two capparaceae species

Autolysis products of nine species of the Cruciferae and two species of the Capparaceae were analysed by high sensitivity GC/MS. Four of the Cruciferae species were examined for glucosinolates for the first time. One new glucosinolate, 9-methylthiononylglucosinolate, was identified in Arabis purpurea and many known glucosinolates were identified for the first time in previously studied plant species. 5-Methylthiopentylglucosinolate appears to be characteristic of the genus Alyssum.

Size and Shape of the Chloroplasts Existed in and Isolated from Mesophyll Cell and their Surface Proportion contacted with Cell Wall in Several Crops

Comparative studies on size, shape and disposition of the chloroplasts located in the mesophyll cells were carried out with electron microscope in five cultivated species of Gramineae, viz. rice, barnyard millet, wheat, barley and corn, and in three cultivated Brassica species of Cruciferae, viz. B. campestris, B. oleracea and B. napus. Besides, the size and shape of the isolated chloroplasts as well as the isolated mesophyll cells were observed with light microscope. 1. The size (the area observed with microscope, S) of isolated mesophyll cells of rice was found to be the smallest among cereal crops studied. Compared to rice, the area (S) was 20 times more in wheat, 10 times in corn and 5 times in barnyard millet. The average size of mesophyll cells in Brassica species was the same as in barnyard millet. Among them, B. napus, a tetraploid species was observed to have larger mesophyll cells than diploid species, B. campestris and B. oleracea. The ratio of circumferential length to area of the mesophyll cell (l / S) was remarkably large in rice as compared with other species of Gramineae and Brassica species. 2. Light microscopy on the size of isolated chloroplasts showed that rice had the smallest chloroplasts among Gramineae, and that B. napus had the largest among Brassica species. In spite of the different sizes of chloroplasts in Gramineae and Brassica, the ratio of long and short diameter of the isolated chloroplasts was almost the same, about 1.4-1.5 in all species. 3. Electron microscopy revealed that the average ratio of long and short diameter of the chloroplasts located in the mesophyll cells was 3.25 in Gramineae and 3.20 in Brassic as pecies. The short diameter observed in this case was remarkably smaller than that observed on isolated chloroplasts with light microscope. It may be reasonable to infer that the chloroplasts existed in the mesophyll cells attaching their broad surface to the cell wall and that we observed the thickness of the chloroplast as short diameter in this case. 4. Electron microscopy revealed that the ploportion of the chloroplast surface contacted with the cell wall was around 43% (in a range of 40-47%), throughout the all species of cereals and Brassicas studied. This figure also suggests that the chloroplasts existed in the mesophyll cells attaching their broad surface to the cell wall. 5. The chloroplast surface contacted with the cell wall seems to be important as the site of gas exchange. If the proportion of the chloroplast surface contacted with the cell wall is almost equal throughout different species as observed above, the values of the chloroplast area index (CAI) defined by KARIYA and TSUNODA (1972, 73) may be important, not only from the view point of ligllt reception, but also from the view point of gas exchange.