Controlled Elicitation and Greenhouse Acclimation Time Effects on Morphological and Biochemical Variables in Collections of Heliopsis longipes from Central México

• Published in: Journal of plant growth regulation 2024-03, Vol.43 (3), p.889-902
• Main Authors: Parola-Contreras, Ixchel, Guzman-Rodriguez, Luis Felipe, Tovar-Perez, Erik Gustavo, Guerrero-Aguilar, Brenda Zulema, Amaro-Gonzalez, Blanca Amalia, Rojas-Molina, Alejandra, Torres-Pacheco, Irineo, Pons-Hernandez, Jose Luis, Gonzalez-Chavira, Mario Martin, Guevara-Gonzalez, Ramon Gerardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acclimation; Acclimatization; Agriculture; Ammonia; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Catalase; Commercialization; Endangered & extinct species; Endemic species; Enzymatic activity; Exploitation; Extinction; Genetic diversity; Genetic variability; Greenhouses; Heliopsis; Hydrogen peroxide; Life Sciences; Liquid chromatography; Morphology; Overexploitation; Phenylalanine; Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plant stress; Population genetics; Population studies; Populations; Roots; Species diversity; Species extinction; Superoxide dismutase; Sustainable production; Valine; Valine decarboxylase
• ISSN: 0721-7595; 1435-8107
• DOI: 10.1007/s00344-023-11147-0

Heliopsis longipes is an endemic species from Sierra Gorda, México. Its collects imply the whole plant destruction due to people only use the root, which contains affinin, a pharmacologically important compound. Thus, H. longipes has been considered as a species in danger of extinction, due to unsustainable exploitation to obtain their roots for affinin commercialization. Moreover, no studies on the genetic diversity of H. longipes have been carried out. Taking together, these aspects suggest that it is urgent to develop strategies for sustainable production and exploitation of H. longipes . Based on the aforementioned, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the greenhouse acclimation time and the controlled elicitation on morphological, and biochemical variables as well as the affinin content in populations of H. longipes from Central Mexico characterized in genetic diversity. Biochemical variables associated with plant stress response like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activities were measured. Moreover, affinin content was quantified by HPLC and the activity of valine decarboxylase (VDC)-associated to affinin contents was also determined. Additionally, genetic variability of H. longipes populations evaluated using DNA markers was also analyzed to determine genetic diversity of accessions before greenhouse studies. Results on genetic diversity were calculated in the populations from Conca (0.27), SJB (0.15) and Beltran (0.11). The average genetic diversity was 0.21, which places this species in the genetic diversity in danger of extinction. Because of the low genetic diversity found among populations of H. longipes in Central México regions, suggests that any one of the H. longipes populations studied might be used for acclimation in a greenhouse to be used in controlled elicitation studies. Controlled elicitation with 200 mM H 2 O 2 dose significantly increased PAL and VDC enzymatic activities as well as the affinin content in the roots of H. longipes at 7-months of acclimation time in greenhouse. Our results displayed that it was possible to increase affinin content after 7-months acclimation in greenhouse in H. longipes accessions from Central México. Thus also contributing to sustainable exploitation of this species and to decrease its danger of extinction for overexploitation.