Infestation of Field Dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) Promotes Changes in Host Dry Weight and Essential Oil Production in Two Aromatic Plants, Peppermint and Chamomile

Abstract

Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) and chamomile (Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rausch.) are aromatic plants with considerable economic value. These plants and their essential oils are used in medicine, cosmetics, and the food industry. One of the main limiting factors in peppermint and chamomile commercial cultivation is weed competition since weeds are able to decrease both oil amount and biomass yield. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of parasitism by field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) on peppermint and chamomile dry weight and their essential oil yield and composition. Essential oils from both noninfested and infested peppermint and chamomile plants were obtained by hydrodistillation and characterized chemically by gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). The amount of dry matter accumulated by peppermint and chamomile plants infested by field dodder was lower (25% and 63%, respectively) compared to noninfested plants. Essential oil yield increased for peppermint (3.87% (v/w) and 3.63% (v/w)), but decreased for chamomile (0.2% (v/w) and 0.5% (v/w)) both from infested and noninfested plants, respectively. The oil composition profile significantly differed in terms of content. In peppermint plants, field dodder infestation increased menthone content by 23%, and decreased the content of both menthol by 11% and pulegone by 67%. Furthermore, δ-cadinene was detected only in oil extracted from infested peppermint plants. Compared to peppermint, chamomile plants were significantly more affected by field dodder in terms of essential oil yield, as well as oil composition and plant dry weight. In chamomile plants, (E)-dendrolasin was detected in the oil of noninfested plants, and 1,4-dimethyl-7-(1-methylethyl)-azulen-2-ol was detected only in the oil of infested plants.

Variability in Early Seed Development of 26 Populations of Cuscuta campestris Yunck.: The Significance of Host, Seed Age, Morphological Trait, Light, Temperature, and Genetic Variance

“…Only the population Cus62, aged 3 years, was found to germinate more than any other population, including those that were only 1 year old, and the host was the medicinal plant Foeniculum vulgare L. rich in essential oils. Sarić-Krsmanović et al [56] noted a negative impact of C. campestris on essential oil yield from fennel seed, as well as oils isolated from peppermint and chamomile leaves and stems [57]. The study did not include determination of the content of C. campestris essential oil, which could have clarified the matter of exchange of secondary metabolites between the parasite and the host as it could indirectly affect the fruiting and viability of this parasitic flowering plant.…”

Genetic Manipulation of Biosynthetic Pathways in Mint

“…Inoculation with PGPB shows an increase in overall growth, trichome density, stomatal density and secondary metabolites in M. × piperita ( del Rosario Cappellari et al, 2015 ). Infestation of M. × piperita with the parasitic plant Cuscuta campestris Yunck has been shown to reduce overall growth and biomass, but increased EO yield ( Sarić-Krsmanović et al, 2020 ). Infested M. × piperita showed an increase in the menthone content, with a decrease in menthol and pulegone content, in comparison to non-infested plants.…”

Metabolic changes induced by Cuscuta campestris Yunck in the host species Artemisia campestris subsp. variabilis (Ten.) Greuter as a strategy for successful parasitisation

“…Previous experiments identified the VOCs α -pinene, β -phellandrene, and β -myrcene as the main chemo-attractants produced by the host species (Runyon et al 2006 ). Another recent study reported that Cuscuta parasitisation significantly and differentially altered the production of essential oils in two different aromatic plants, resulting in the significant reduction of several terpenoids, such as sesquiterpenes (Sarić-Krsmanović et al 2020 ). In addition, it has been proposed that tropism towards a host can also be dependent on the perception of light transmitted by green parts of a plant, as per the case of Cuscuta and sugarbeet plants (Benvenuti et al 2005 ).…”