The plant secondary metabolite citral alters water status and prevents seed formation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Based on previous results, which showed that the secondary metabolite citral causes disturbances to plant water status, the present study is focused on demonstrating and detailing these effects on the water-related parameters of Arabidopsis thaliana adult plants, and their impact on plant fitness. Clear evidence of effects on water status and fitness were observed: plants treated with 1200 and 2400 μm citral showed decreased RWC, reduced Ψs , increased Ψw and reduced stomatal opening, even 7 days after the beginning of the experiment. Plant protection signals, such as leaf rolling or increased anthocyanin content, were also detected in these plants. In contrast, 14 days after beginning the treatment, treated plants showed signs of citral-related damage. Moreover, the reproductive success of treated plants was critically compromised, with prematurely withered flowers and no silique or seed development. This effect of citral on fitness of adult plants suggests a promising application of this natural compound in weed management by reducing the weed seed bank in the soil.

Terpenoid trans‐caryophyllene inhibits weed germination and induces plant water status alteration and oxidative damage in adult Arabidopsis

“…Taken together, the results obtained suggest that TC induced an alteration in water status followed by oxidative damage, as also observed by Moran et al (1994) for drought stress in pea plants. Graña et al (2015) found similar results for A. thaliana treated with citral. This hypothesis was also supported by altered leaf morphology (spiralisation) after exposure to the highest TC concentration.…”

“…The increase in malondialdehyde, an end product of lipid peroxidation and indicative of cell damage; the decrease in protein content, probably due to the strong Zn 2+ content reduction, an essential element for protein biosynthesis (Eide 2006); and degradation of photosynthetic pigments sustain this hypothesis (Graña et al 2013b(Graña et al , 2015. Further, several elements affected by TC could be responsible for lipid peroxidation onset.…”

Allelopatic Potential of Dittrichia viscosa (L.) W. Greuter Mediated by VOCs: A Physiological and Metabolomic Approach

“…viscosa VOCs revealed a strong presence of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, well known as allelopathic compounds, able to affect plant growth generally causing oxidative stress followed by a cascade effect on many physiological processes of receptor plants [57]. Both of them affected mitochondrial respiration [58, 59] and microtubule distribution and organization [38, 60], destroyed cell membranes [61] and altered hormone balance and plant water status [36, 62]. The sesquiterpenes trans -caryophyllene was able to affect the germination and growth of several weeds as well as of Arabidopsis adult plants inducing the alteration of plant water status [36].…”

“…The sesquiterpenes trans -caryophyllene was able to affect the germination and growth of several weeds as well as of Arabidopsis adult plants inducing the alteration of plant water status [36]. Graña et al [62] observed similar effects with the monoterpene citral. Singh et al [63] reported that α- Pinene was able to inhibit root growth of several weeds causing oxidative stress and destroying cell membrane integrity.…”

“…Under allelochemicals exposure, the oxidative stress was induced by plant water status alteration [36, 62]. For example, menthol and camphor, two terpenoids, enhanced the transpiration of Arabidopsis thaliana fully developed rosette dewaxing the lipophilic layers at leaf surface.…”