Hydrogen peroxide induces vessel occlusions and stimulates sesquiterpenes accumulation in stems of Aquilaria sinensis

Agarwood is highly valuable resinous and fragrant heartwood, produced principally from tropical tree species in the genus Aquilaria, which is used widely in countries of the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Japan. Generally, healthy trees will not produce agarwood, but wounding of the tree initiates...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant growth regulation 2014, Vol.72 (1), p.81-87
Main Authors: Zhang, Zheng, Zhang, Xingli, Yang, Yun, Wei, Jian-he, Meng, Hui, Gao, Zhi-hui, Xu, Yan-hong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Aquilaria sinensis
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biosynthesis
heartwood
Hydrogen peroxide
Life Sciences
Original Paper
Plant Anatomy/Development
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Plant species
pruning
saplings
sesquiterpenoids
Stems
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Summary:Agarwood is highly valuable resinous and fragrant heartwood, produced principally from tropical tree species in the genus Aquilaria, which is used widely in countries of the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Japan. Generally, healthy trees will not produce agarwood, but wounding of the tree initiates the production of agarwood. In this study, the pruning of actively growing saplings of Aquilaria sinensis resulted in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) burst, which was followed by formation of vessel occlusions and sesquiterpene biosynthesis in the pruned stems. Treatment of the pruned stems with scavenger of H₂O₂ (ascorbate, AsA) greatly reduced the amount of H₂O₂ released, the number of vessel occlusions, and the amount of sesquiterpenes produced. In addition, exogenous H₂O₂ also induced A. sinensis plants to form vessel occlusions and produce sesquiterpenes as pruning treatment. The results indicated that H₂O₂ may be an important post-wounding signal in A. sinensis that leads to the induction of vessel occlusions formation and sesquiterpene biosynthesis, and thus H₂O₂ might play a vital role in agarwood formation in pruned stems of A. sinensis.
ISSN:0167-6903
1573-5087
DOI:10.1007/s10725-013-9838-z