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Stenospermocarpy Biological Mechanism That Produces Seedlessness in Some Fruits (Many Table Grapes, Watermelon)

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Phytohormones

The growth and development of a plant are influenced by:

•ꢀGeneꢀc factors •ꢀExternal environmental factors •ꢀChemical hormones inside the plant

Secondary messengers 1.ꢀ Involve in the transfer informaꢀon from sources to targets

2.ꢀ Amplify the signal produced by the phytohormone

Phytohormones

Plant hormones are organic compounds that are effecꢀve at very low concentraꢀon

(1g 20,000 tons-1)

They interact with specific target ꢀssues to cause physiological responses
•ꢀGrowth •ꢀFruit ripening

Phytohormones

•ꢀHormones sꢀmulate or inhibit plant growth Major groups of hormones:

1.ꢀ Auxins 2.ꢀ Gibberellins 3.ꢀ Ethylene 4.ꢀ Cytokinins 5.ꢀ Abscisic acid

6.ꢀ Brassinostereoids 7.ꢀ Salicylic acid 8.ꢀ Polyaminas 9.ꢀ Jasmonates 10.ꢀSystemin 11.ꢀNitric oxide

Arabidopsis thaliana

Phytohormones

EARLY EXPERIMENTS ON PHOTROPISM SHOWED THAT A STIMULUS (LIGHT) RELEASED CHEMICALS THAT INFLUENCED GROWTH

Auxins

Auxin causes several responses in plants:
* Phototropism * Geotropism * Promoꢀon of apical dominance * Flower formaꢀon * Fruit set and growth * Formaꢀon of advenꢀꢀous roots * Differenꢀaꢀon of vascular ꢀssues
(de novo or repairing existent vascular ꢀssue)

Auxins

Addiꢀon of auxins produce parthenocarpic fruit.

Stenospermocarpy

Biological mechanism that produces seedlessness in some fruits (many table grapes, watermelon)

diploid + tetraploid parent = triploid seeds

vegetaꢀve parthenocarpy

Plants that do not require pollinaꢀon or other sꢀmulaꢀon to produce parthenocarpic fruit (cucumber)

Auxins

Syntheꢀc auxins
Widely used in agriculture and horꢀculture
•ꢀ prevent leaf abscission •ꢀ prevent fruit drop •ꢀ promote flowering and fruiꢀng •ꢀ control weeds

Agent Orange - 1:1 raꢀo of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T Dioxin usually contaminates 2,4,5-T, which is linked to miscarriages, birth defects, leukemia, and other types of cancer.

Cytokinins

In 1964, zeaꢀn was the first naturally occurring cytokinin isolated from corn.

Zeaꢀn and zeaꢀn riboside are found in coconut milk.

Natural

Syntheꢀc

Cytokinins

Lateral bud development
•ꢀshoot iniꢀaꢀon •ꢀroots •ꢀseeds
Callus development <[auxin] = roots <[kineꢀn] = buds
Move non-polarly in xylem, phloem, and parenchyma cells.

•ꢀfruits •ꢀyoung leaves •ꢀchloroplast development

Ethylene

•ꢀIs found only in the gaseous form •ꢀInduces ripening (e.g., green bananas). •ꢀEpinasty (causes leaves to droop in the fall ) •ꢀCauses abscission of fruits and flowers

Ethylene

Most produced organic compound 107 million metric tons in 2005

Once fruit iniꢀated red coloraꢀon, ethylene release becomes elevated in a linear fashion (without diurnal fluctuaꢀons).

Abscisic acid (ABA)

Abscisin is made from carotenoids and moves non-polarly through plant ꢀssue.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a general plant-growth inhibitor.

Induces dormancy Prevents seeds from germinaꢀng

Viviparous mutants Reduced sensiꢀvity for ABA

Gibberellins

In 1930's, Ewiꢀ Kurosawa and colleagues were studying plants suffering from bakanae, or "foolish seedling" disease in rice.
•ꢀSynthesized in apical porꢀons of stems and roots

Thompson seedless grapes (Viꢀs vinifera)

Can be readily obtained in large quanꢀꢀes from

fermentaꢀons of the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi

•ꢀcell division and elongaꢀon •ꢀbreak seed dormancy •ꢀspeed germinaꢀon

Gibberellins

bolꢀng

External factors and plant growth. Tropic responses

Tropic responses Direcꢀonal movements by growth in response to a direcꢀonal sꢀmulus

Phototropism is a

response to blue light

Phytphormone: Auxin Second messenger: Calcium

Geotropism or gravitropism Phytphormones: cytokinin and auxin

External factors and plant growth. Thigmotropism

Thigmotropism is direcꢀonal growth response to contact with an object.

Greek thigma = touch

Rapid response Diferenꢀaꢀon in the elongaꢀon of the cells

tendrils

External factors and plant growth. Nasꢀc movements and heliotropism

Nasꢀc movements are independent of the sꢀmulus' posiꢀon

Touch, mechanical, electrical, thermal or chemical

Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula. Acid growth (cells that to elongate or expand quickly at low pH) and turgor

External factors and plant growth. Heliotropism

Heliotropism is the diurnal moꢀon of plant parts (flowers or leaves) in response to the direcꢀon of the sun.

During the night, the flowers may assume a random orientaꢀon Heliotropism is a response to blue light.

External factors and plant growth. Circadian rhythms

Roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological, or behavioral organisms’ processes

Hours of light

  • Day
  • Night

Endogenous and synchronized by the environment Biological clock

Photosynthesis Movement

External factors and plant growth. Photoperiodism

According to their photoperiods, plants can be classified into three groups: a)ꢀ Short day plants. Examples: Nico8ana tabacum, soybean, strawberry, and chrysanthemum. b) Long day plants. Examples: Onion, carrot and spinach. c)ꢀ Day neutral plants. Examples: Tomatoes, cucumbers, sunflower, dandelions and coꢁon.

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