Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-jswmv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-15T12:20:11.529Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Water Stress Increases Alkaloid Concentrations in Threadleaf Groundsel (Senecio longilobus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

David D. Briske and
Bennie J. Camp
David D. Briske
Affiliation:
Dep. Range Sci. and Vet. Physiol. and Pharmacol., Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX 77843
Bennie J. Camp
Affiliation:
Dep. Range Sci. and Vet. Physiol. and Pharmacol., Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX 77843
Get accessRights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The influence of water stress on toxic alkaloid concentrations in threadleaf groundsel (Senecio longilobus Benth.) was investigated in a controlled environment by monitoring leaf xylem water potential during a 32-day period, and then analyzing for alkaloid concentration by plant part. Total plant alkaloid concentration increased with increasing severity of water stress. The most severe water stress (−2.0 MPa) for the 32-day period increased alkaloid concentration by 4.6 times, compared to the least stress imposition (−1.0 MPa). Averaged across watering regimes, alkaloid concentrations (percent dry weight) were highest in threadleaf groundsel roots (0.088%) and occurred in similar concentrations in stems (0.046%) and leaves (0.050%). These results indicate the importance of considering the influence of plant water stress when investigating secondary plant compounds.

Keywords

Drought effectssecondary plant compoundstoxic plants

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Science , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , January 1982, pp. 106 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © 1982 by the Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Literature Cited

1. Adams, R. and Govindachari, T. R. 1949. Senecio alkaloids: α- and β-longilobine from Senecio longilobus . J. Am. Chem. Soc. 71:1180–1186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Adams, R. and Govindachari, T. R. 1949. Senecio alkaloids: The alkaloids of Senecio douglasii, cartbamoides, eremuphilus, ampullaceus and parksii . J. Am. Chem. Soc. 71:1956–1960.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Ball, D. M. and Hoveland, C. S. 1978. Alkaloid levels in Phalaris aquatica L. as affected by environment. Agron. J. 70:977–981.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Camp, B. J. and Norvell, M. J. 1966. The phenylethylamine alkaloids of native range plants. Econ. Bot. 20:274–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Correll, D. S. and Johnston, M. C. 1970. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas. Texas Research Foundation. Renner, Texas. 1881 pp.Google Scholar
6. Levin, D. A. 1976. Alkaloid-bearing plants: An ecogeographic perspective. Am. Nat. 110:261–284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Majak, W., McDiarmid, R. E., van Ryswyk, A. L., Broersma, K., and Bonin, S. G. 1979. Alkaloid levels in reed canarygrass grown on wet meadows in British Columbia. J. Range Manage. 32:322–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Marten, G. C., Barnes, R. F., Simons, A. B., and Wooding, F. J. 1973. Alkaloids and palatability of Phalaris arundinacea L. grown in diverse environments. Agron. J. 65:199–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Marten, G. C., Jordan, R. M., and Hovin, A. W. 1976. Biological significance of reed canarygrass alkaloids and associated palatability variation to grazing sheep and cattle. Agron. J. 68:909–914.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Molyneux, R. J., Johnson, A. E., Roitman, J.N., and Benson, M. E. 1979. Chemistry of toxic range plants. Determination of pyrrolidine alkaloid content and composition in Senecio species by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. J. Agric. Food Chem. 27:494–499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11. Robinson, T. 1974. Metabolism and function of alkaloids in plants. Science 184:430–435.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Sperry, O. E., Dollahite, J. W., Hoffman, G. O., and Camp, B. J. 1977. Texas plants poisonous to livestock. Tex. Agric. Exp. Stn. Bull. 1028. 57 pp.Google Scholar
13. Steel, R.G.D. and Torrie, J. H. 1960. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York. 481 pp.Google Scholar
14. Waller, G. R. and Nowacki, E. K. 1978. Alkaloid Biology and Metabolism in Plants. Plenum Press, New York. 294 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15. Waring, R. H. and Cleary, B. D. 1967. Plant water stress: Evaluation by pressure bomb. Science 155:1248–1254.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16. Williams, J. D. 1972. Effects of time of day, moisture stress, and frosting on the alkaloid content of Phalaris tuberosa . Aust. J. Agric. Res. 23:611–621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar