Document Type
Honors Project - Open Access
Abstract
In a pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) relay-cropping system, one concern for farmers is the effects of pennycress allelochemicals on soybean growth and yield. Pennycress root exudates are known to contain sinigrin, a glucosinolate which hydrolyzes to form the harmful compound allyl isothiocyanate (AITC). In addition to serving as defense against herbivory, glucosinolates are also known to have allelopathic effects on surrounding plants by possibly affecting traits like germination, biomass accumulation, nutrient uptake, mycorrhizal symbioses, and nitrogen fixation. This is not ideal in a relay cropping system, where the presence of pennycress can decrease soybean yields by nearly half after only 6 to 8 weeks of resource competition. It may be possible to develop soybeans that are more tolerant to this system if researchers can identify the genetic architecture of this allelopathy tolerance. Here I demonstrate the efficacy of using an aqueous solution of sinigrin or AITC to assess juvenile allelopathy tolerance of different soybean genotypes, while also determining phenotypes potentially impacted by glucosinolate presence. I found that biomass accumulation and chlorophyll were significantly negatively affected by treatments, whereas height, internode distances, and developmental stages were not consistently affected. By determining which phenotypes are most affected by treatment, researchers can use this protocol to breed soybeans that are tolerant to these allelochemicals.
Recommended Citation
Jonaus, A., "Developing a novel assay for quantifying allelopathy tolerance in soybeans to pennycress glucosinolates in a controlled environment" (2024). Biology Honors Projects. 28.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/biology_honors/28
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