Irrigation with saline water on pineapple grown in the semi-arid of bahia state / Irrigação com água salina na cultura do abacaxizeiro no semiárido baiano

We aimed to evaluate the effects of different irrigation depths with saline water on growth, yield, water-use efficiency, and fruit quality of 'Pérola' pineapple plant grown in the semi-arid of Bahia state. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with five treatments which represented the irrigation depths: 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) with irrigation water of 0.75 dS m-1 in electrical conductivity (ECiw); and 50, 75,100, and 125% of ETc with water of 3.6 dS m-1 in ECiw. Pineapples were grown under field conditions watered by drip irrigation in which pressure compensating emitters had 8 L h-1 flow rate. We observed that the irrigation depth 100% of ETc with water of 0.75 and 3.6 dS m-1 in ECiwprovides higher pineapple yields under the semi-arid conditions of this study, and the chemical quality of the fruits are up to commercial standards, except when applying 125% of ETc with water of 3.6 dS m-1 in ECiw.

Objetivou-se avaliar o uso de diferentes lâminas de irrigação com água salina nas características de crescimento, produtividade, eficiência de uso da água e qualidade do abacaxizeiro 'Perola' no semiárido baiano. O experimento foi conduzido em blocos casualizados com cinco tratamentos representados pelas lâminas de irrigação: 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura (ETc) com água de condutividade elétrica (CEa) de 0,75 dS m-1 e 50, 75, 100 e 125% da ETc com aplicação de água de CEa de 3,6 dS m-1. A cultura foi conduzida em condições de campo com a utilização do sistema de irrigação por gotejamento, com gotejadores autocompensantes de vazão nominal de 8 L h-1. Verificou-se que a lâmina de irrigação referente a 100% da ETc com água de CEa de 0,75 e 3,6 dS m-1 proporciona as melhores produtividades nas condições do presente estudo e as características de qualidade química do fruto do abacaxi 'Pérola' estão dentro dos padrões de comercialização, exceto com aplicação de lâmina referente a 125% da ETc com água de CEa de 3,6 dS m-1.

Functional Signatures of the Epiphytic Prokaryotic Microbiome of Agaves and Cacti.

Microbial symbionts account for survival, development, fitness and evolution of eukaryotic hosts. These microorganisms together with their host form a biological unit known as holobiont. Recent studies have revealed that the holobiont of agaves and cacti comprises a diverse and structured microbiome, which might be important for its adaptation to drylands. Here, we investigated the functional signatures of the prokaryotic communities of the soil and the episphere, that includes the rhizosphere and phyllosphere, associated with the cultivated Agave tequilana and the native and sympatric Agave salmiana, Opuntia robusta and Myrtillocactus geometrizans by mining shotgun metagenomic data. Consistent with previous phylogenetic profiling, we found that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the main represented phyla in the episphere of agaves and cacti, and that clustering of metagenomes correlated with the plant compartment. In native plants, genes related to aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy and photosynthesis were enriched in the phyllosphere and soil, while genes coding for biofilm formation and quorum sensing were enriched in both epiphytic communities. In the episphere of cultivated A. tequilana fewer genes were identified, but they belonged to similar pathways than those found in native plants. A. tequilana showed a depletion in several genes belonging to carbon metabolism, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and xenobiotic degradation suggesting that its lower microbial diversity might be linked to functional losses. However, this species also showed an enrichment in biofilm and quorum sensing in the epiphytic compartments, and evidence for nitrogen fixation in the rhizosphere. Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic markers were represented by Rhizobiales (Methylobacterium) and Rhodospirillales (Belnapia) in the phyllosphere, while photosystem genes were widespread in Bacillales and Cyanobacteria. Nitrogen fixation and biofilm formation genes were mostly related to Proteobacteria. These analyses support the idea of niche differentiation in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of agaves and cacti and shed light on the potential mechanisms by which epiphytic microbial communities survive and colonize plants of arid and semiarid ecosystems. This study establishes a guideline for testing the relevance of the identified functional traits on the microbial community and the plant fitness.

A Rapid and Reliable Method for Total Protein Extraction from Succulent Plants for Proteomic Analysis.

Crassulacean acid metabolism plants have some morphological features, such as succulent and reduced leaves, thick cuticles, and sunken stomata that help them prevent excessive water loss and irradiation. As molecular constituents of these morphological adaptations to xeric environments, succulent plants produce a set of specific compounds such as complex polysaccharides, pigments, waxes, and terpenoids, to name a few, in addition to uncharacterized proteases. Since all these compounds interfere with the analysis of proteins by electrophoretic techniques, preparation of high quality samples from these sources represents a real challenge. The absence of adequate protocols for protein extraction has restrained the study of this class of plants at the molecular level. Here, we present a rapid and reliable protocol that could be accomplished in 1 h and applied to a broad range of plants with reproducible results. We were able to obtain well-resolved SDS/PAGE protein patterns in extracts from different members of the subfamilies Agavoideae (Agave, Yucca, Manfreda, and Furcraea), Nolinoideae (Dasylirion and Beucarnea), and the Cactaceae family. This method is based on the differential solubility of contaminants and proteins in the presence of acetone and pH-altered solutions. We speculate about the role of saponins and high molecular weight carbohydrates to produce electrophoretic-compatible samples. A modification of the basic protocol allowed the analysis of samples by bidimensional electrophoresis (2DE) for proteomic analysis. Furostanol glycoside 26-O-ß-glucosidase (an enzyme involved in steroid saponin synthesis) was successfully identified by mass spectrometry analysis and de novo sequencing of a 2DE spot from an Agave attenuata sample.

The Cacti Microbiome: Interplay between Habitat-Filtering and Host-Specificity.

Cactaceae represents one of the most species-rich families of succulent plants native to arid and semi-arid ecosystems, yet the associations Cacti establish with microorganisms and the rules governing microbial community assembly remain poorly understood. We analyzed the composition, diversity, and factors influencing above- and below-ground bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities associated with two native and sympatric Cacti species: Myrtillocactus geometrizans and Opuntia robusta. Phylogenetic profiling showed that the composition and assembly of microbial communities associated with Cacti were primarily influenced by the plant compartment; plant species, site, and season played only a minor role. Remarkably, bacterial, and archaeal diversity was higher in the phyllosphere than in the rhizosphere of Cacti, while the opposite was true for fungi. Semi-arid soils exhibited the highest levels of microbial diversity whereas the stem endosphere the lowest. Despite their taxonomic distance, M. geometrizans and O. robusta shared most microbial taxa in all analyzed compartments. Influence of the plant host did only play a larger role in the fungal communities of the stem endosphere. These results suggest that fungi establish specific interactions with their host plant inside the stem, whereas microbial communities in the other plant compartments may play similar functional roles in these two species. Biochemical and molecular characterization of seed-borne bacteria of Cacti supports the idea that these microbial symbionts may be vertically inherited and could promote plant growth and drought tolerance for the fitness of the Cacti holobiont. We envision this knowledge will help improve and sustain agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions of the world.

Ecophysiology of xerophytic and halophytic vegetation of a coastal alluvial plain in northern Venezuela: I. Site description and plant communities.

This paper describes the ecology of a coastal alluvial plain at Chichiriviche in northern Venezuela. The area supports a great diversity of plant communities, ranging from mangroves on the seaward edge of the plain to non-halophytic, fresh-water communities on the landward side. Small differences on topography result in a mosaic of saline and less-saline environments. Rainfall is strongly seasonal, causing superficial flooding of the alluvial plain in the rainy season and the creation of a hypersaline Substratum during the dry season. As a consequence, much of the plain is devoid or vegetation. Towards the landward side of the plain there are numerous small 'vegetation islands', fringed by halophilic succulent herbs, and made up of deciduous and semi-deciduous shrubs and trees together with non-halophytic CAM plants such as cacti and bromeliads. In subsequent papers the results of ecophysiological studies of these diverse plant species are presented.