Trypsin inhibitors (TI) have crucial functions in plant defense against pests, and recent studies reveal their diversity in stress response. Disease and herbivore infestations are harmful to plant growth, but the response of TI in Cicer arietinum (L.) in Central India has been less studied. In the present study, we partially characterized the TI from Cicer arietinum (L.) seeds and evaluated its insecticidal potential against Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). A 20 kDa trypsin inhibitor was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and chromatographies with Sephadex G-100 and diethylaminoethyl cellulose (DEAE-cellulose-52) ion-exchange column. TI assay categorized 17 cultivars in three groups: with high (more than 70%), intermediate (16-70%) and very low (0-15%) TI activity. Moreover, results from the TI activity coincided with herbivore attack studies carried out in J.N.K.V.V. fields earlier. Together, our results suggest that the presence of TI triggers a signal that leads the dynamics of stress response and, in turn, regulates pest resistance in plants. Feeding experiments conducted with 5th instar larvae suggested dose-dependent decrease for both the larval weight and the survival of the larva.

Oito linhagens de arroz (CNA 8983, IAC-1732, IAC-1733, IAC-1748, IAC-1736, IAC-201, Volano e Arborea) foram avaliadas em casa de vegetação para a resistência contra a brusone causada por Magnoparthe gracea. As linhagens CNA 8983, IAC 1732, IAC 1733 e IAC 1748 foram satisfatoriamente resistentes contra o fungo; IAC 1736 e IAC 201 foram intermediárias e Volano e Arbórea, suscetíveis. Em todas as linhagens não ocorreu atividade de lipoxigenase aumentada pela exposição ao ácido metiljasmônico, no entanto, a atividade enzimática mostrou correlação positiva com a resistência.

Eight rice lines viz. CNA 8983, IAC-1732, IAC-1733, IAC-1748, IAC-1736, IAC-201, Volano and Arborea were evaluated in greenhouse for resistance against the leaf blast disease caused by Magnoparthe gracea. Lines CNA 8983, IAC 1732, IAC 1733 and IAC 1748 showed satisfactory resistance against the blast fungus while IAC 1736 and IAC 201 were intermediate and Volano and Arborea susceptible. All lines did not have lipoxygenase activity increased by methyljasmonic acid, however enzyme activity showed a positive relationship with resistance.

Pilocarpina é um alcalóide imidazólico encontrado exclusivamente em plantas do gênero Pilocarpus, sendo que as folhas de P. microphyllus acumulam o maior conteúdo deste alcalóide. Não há na literatura nenhum relato sobre a variabilidade do conteúdo de pilocarpina nesse gênero. Uma população de 20 plantas de P. microphyllus do estado do Maranhão, Brasil, foi analisada por marcadores Aplicação de DNA polimórfico randomica (RAPD) e quanto ao conteúdo de pilocarpina. Apesar de não ter sido possível estabelecer uma associação entre as variáveis estudadas, a ausência ou a presença de alguns loci marcadores em certos genótipos puderam ser associados ao teor do alcalóide.

Pilocarpine is an imidazol alkaloid exclusively found in Pilocarpus genus and P. microphyllus accumulates its highest content in the leaves. There is no report in the literature on the variability of the pilocarpine content in this genus. A population of 20 genotypes of P. microphyllus from the state of Maranhão, Brazil, was analyzed for Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and pilocarpine content. Although it was not possible to establish any correlation between these features, the absence or presence of some markers could indicate in some genotypes a possible association with the content of the alkaloid.