Page 249 - Plant Canada 2024 Proceeding

PLANT CANADA 2024

[P91] PURIFICATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND INVESTIGATION OF THE BIOSYNTHETIC
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PATHWAYS OF MONOTERPENOID INDOLE ALKALOIDS IN HAMELIA PATENS. Alyssa Seveck and
Yang Qu . Department of Chemistry, University of New Brunswick, 3 Bailey Drive, Fredericton, NB,
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Canada, E3B 5A3
Correspondence to: aseveck@unb.ca

Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) are specialized metabolites naturally produced by plants when they
face abiotic or biotic stressors. There are over 3000 of these bioactive alkaloids that have been identified,
and they can be found in plant families including:
Rubiaceae, Apocynaceae, and Loganiaceae. Some MIAs have been found to have numerous therapeutic
benefits. One such example is the MIA vinblastine, a commercial chemotherapeutic drug that derives
from the plant, Catharanthus roseus. In Hamelia patens–a plant species that falls in the Rubiaceae
family–several of these MIAs can be found. Hamelia patens, a plant that is native to southern Florida,
Mexico, Central and South America has been employed over the centuries to treat things such as
inflammation, menstrual disorders, and wound healing. Due to the possible medicinal benefits of these
MIAs present in Hamelia patens, it is advantageous to study the biosynthetic pathway(s) of these
compounds. In this study, several MIAs are/have been successfully extracted and identified using LC-MS,
1D and 2D NMR data. These isolated MIAs will be later used as standards. To identify the biosynthesis of
these MIAs, candidate CYPs will be utilized to perform a possible oxidation reaction(s) on potential
substrates.
[P92] ELONGATION OF THE BASAL INTERNODES OF SOYBEAN AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH
THE EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF GIBBERELLIN METABOLISM GENES. Ankita Thapar , Pham Anh
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Tuan , Deepak Sharma , and Belay T. Ayele . Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba,
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Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Correspondence to: deepak.sharma@umanitoba.ca

Lowest pod height, which refers to the distance between the tip of the lowest/first pod and the soil
surface, in crops such as soybean is closely associated with the length of basal internodes. Lowest/first
pods that are lower than the reach of the combine cutter are usually lost during harvesting and this results
in significant yield loss. Therefore, it is necessary to develop strategies that enhance the elongation of
basal internodes or develop soybean cultivars with longer basal internodes that are able to set their first
pods at higher heights. This study investigated the role of gibberellin in the elongation of basal internodes
using a cultivar characterized by short pod height and also examined the transcriptional regulation of
gibberellin biosynthesis and catabolism genes in the basal internodes of two cultivars exhibiting shorter
and longer first pod heights. Seed treatment with biologically active gibberellin increased the lengths of
the basal internodes in the cultivar with short pod height as compared to the control plants derived from
untreated seeds. However, the same treatment did not have significant effect on the thickness of the
internodes and their bending strength. Basal internodes of the two cultivars with contrasting first pod
height showed variation in their elongation, and this variation in internode lengths is associated with the
expression patterns of GA biosynthesis genes including GA20ox and GA3ox and those involved in its
catabolism, the GA2oxs.

*[P93] BIOCONTROL ACTIVITY OF BACILLUS SP. OF PHYTOMICROBIOME AGAINST BOTRYTIS
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CINEREA IN CANNABIS SATIVA. Haleema Tariq , Anja Geitmann , and Donald Smith . Department of
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Plant Science, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Correspondence to: donald.smith@mcgill.ca

Cannabis is a promising medicinal plant that is used for relieving pain, relaxing muscles, improving sleep,
and treating many neurological disorders. Cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD) and
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are important secondary metabolites produced by Cannabis and have been
used as analgesics. Botrytis cinerea is a fungal pathogen that affects a wide range of crops worldwide
including Cannabis. It compromises the ability of Cannabis producers to achieve the desired secondary
metabolite profiles and overall productivity. Controlling this fungus using fungicides costs more than $1
billion annually, and the residual fungicides on plants lead to health concerns for consumers. Gray mold
caused by B. cinerea causes significant losses in both indoor and outdoor production systems and
decreases Cannabis yield by up to 32%. With the rapid expansion of the cultivation of Cannabis,
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