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Exudation of Alcohol and Aldehyde Sugars from Roots of Defoliated Lolium perenne L. Grown Under Sterile Conditions

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Abstract

Root exudates were collected over a 27 day period from defoliated and non-defoliated Lolium perenne L. plants grown under sterile conditions in microlysimeters. Eleven individual sugars, including both aldehyde and alcohol sugars, were identified and quantified with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). There was no change in the number of sugars present between 7 and 27 days, but the exudation of alcohol sugars decreased rapidly at about day 12. Xylose and glucose were present in the largest amounts. Defoliation initially increased the total amount of sugars in the exudates, but continuous defoliation reduced total sugar exudation by 16% and induced changes in the exudation patterns of individual sugars. Defoliation enhanced exudation of erythritol, threitol, and xylitol, reduced exudation of glucose and arabitol, but had little effect on the amounts of other sugars exuded. The more complex 6 C, 5 OH aldehyde sugars, especially glucose, showed changes earlier and to a greater extent (17 days), than the 5 C, 4 OH (xylose and ribose) and 6 C 4 OH (fucose) aldehyde groups. These findings confirm the general finding that repeated defoliation reduces the quantity of total sugars exuded, but the pattern of release of individual sugars is complex and variable.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported and jointly funded by the University of Reading and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) North Wyke. North Wyke Research is grant funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the UK.

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Author notes

  1. Stephen J. Clayton

    Present address: Research School of Biological Sciences, Environmental Biology Group, The Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T, 2601, Australia

  2. Peter J. Gregory

    Present address: SCRI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. North Wyke Research, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2SB, UK

    Stephen J. Clayton & Philip J. Murray

  2. School of Human and Environmental Sciences, Department of Soil Science, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, P.O. Box 233, Reading, RG6 6DW, UK

    Stephen J. Clayton, Derek B. Read & Peter J. Gregory

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  1. Stephen J. Clayton
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Correspondence to Peter J. Gregory.

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Clayton, S.J., Read, D.B., Murray, P.J. et al. Exudation of Alcohol and Aldehyde Sugars from Roots of Defoliated Lolium perenne L. Grown Under Sterile Conditions. J Chem Ecol 34, 1411–1421 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9536-x

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