Hall Rea Maria, Markovic Dimitrije, Kaul Hans-Peter, Wagentristl Helmut, Urban Bernhard, Durec Nora, Renner-Martin Katharina, Ninkovic Velemir
Institute of Agronomy, University of Natural Resources and Life Science, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria.
Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Science, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
Plants (Basel). 2023 Sep 18;12(18):3298. doi: 10.3390/plants12183298.
Communication through airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and root exudates plays a vital role in the multifarious interactions of plants. Common ragweed ( L.) is one of the most troublesome invasive alien species in agriculture. Below- and aboveground chemical interactions of ragweed with crops might be an important factor in the invasive species' success in agriculture. In laboratory experiments, we investigated the contribution of intra- and interspecific airborne VOCs and root exudates of ragweed to its competitiveness. Wheat, soybean, and maize were exposed to VOCs emitted from ragweed and vice versa, and the adaptation response was measured through plant morphological and physiological traits. We observed significant changes in plant traits of crops in response to ragweed VOCs, characterized by lower biomass production, lower specific leaf area, or higher chlorophyll contents. After exposure to ragweed VOCs, soybean and wheat produced significantly less aboveground dry mass, whereas maize did not. Ragweed remained unaffected when exposed to VOCs from the crops or a conspecific. All crops and ragweed significantly avoided root growth toward the root exudates of ragweed. The study shows that the plant response to either above- or belowground chemical cues is highly dependent on the identity of the neighbor, pointing out the complexity of plant-plant communication in plant communities.
通过空气传播的挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）和根系分泌物进行的交流在植物的多种相互作用中起着至关重要的作用。普通豚草（L.）是农业中最麻烦的外来入侵物种之一。豚草与作物在地下和地上的化学相互作用可能是该入侵物种在农业中成功的一个重要因素。在实验室实验中，我们研究了豚草种内和种间空气传播的VOCs以及根系分泌物对其竞争力的贡献。将小麦、大豆和玉米暴露于豚草排放的VOCs中，反之亦然，并通过植物形态和生理特征来测量适应反应。我们观察到作物的植物特征因豚草VOCs而发生显著变化，其特征是生物量产量降低、比叶面积降低或叶绿素含量升高。暴露于豚草VOCs后，大豆和小麦的地上部干质量显著减少，而玉米则没有。当豚草暴露于作物或同种植物的VOCs中时，其不受影响。所有作物和豚草都显著避免根系朝着豚草的根系分泌物生长。该研究表明，植物对地上或地下化学信号的反应高度依赖于邻居的身份，这指出了植物群落中植物间交流的复杂性。
