Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T10:47:42.891Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of Sclerotinia stem infection on morphine production and distribution in poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) plants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. C. Laughlin  and
D. Munro
J. C. Laughlin
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Stoney Rise Centre, P.O. Box 303, Devonport, Tasmania 7310, Australia
D. Munro
Affiliation:
New Town Research Laboratories, Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 192B, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The incidence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary infection in poppies (Papaver somniferum L.) was assessed 9 days before dry maturity in a field experiment which incorporated the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer and fungicidal sprays. Infection occurred mainly on the lower stem in the leaf axils.

Nitrogen fertilizer (100 kg N/ha) had no effect on the incidence of Sclerotinia infection but phosphorus fertilizer (100 kg P/ha) increased the incidence from 19% of plants infected to 39%. Fungicides (2 kg benomyl, 50% a.i., plus 2 kg mancozeb, 80% a.i./ha) applied at 10-day intervals from flowering till harvest reduced the incidence of Sclerotinia infection to one third that of non-sprayed treatments.

Sclerotinia infection occurred late in the crop and had little effect on the dry-matter yields of terminal main-stem capsules, lateral branch capsules or stem and leaves but it did influence the distribution of morphine within the plant. The morphine concentration of terminal capsules was lowered by 13% but the concentration of lateral capsules increased by a similar amount giving a total capsule morphine concentration and yield which was similar in both infected and non-infected plants.

The morphine concentration of the stem and leaves of infected plants was 75% greater than that of uninfected plants but the overall morphine concentration of total plant was similar in both infected and non-infected plants. This distribution pattern was interpreted as a result of the restrictive influence of Sclerotinia infection on the vascular system which disrupted the normal translocation of morphine.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 100 , Issue 2 , April 1983 , pp. 299 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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.)

References

Allan, J. E. (1969). The preparation of agricultural samples for analysis by atomic absorption spectrosoopy. Atomic Absorption Handbook. Varian Pty. Ltd. (Australia).Google Scholar
Clare, N. T. & Stevenson, A. E. (1964). Measurement of feed intake by grazing cattle and sheep. X. Determination of nitrogen in faeces and feeds using an autoanalyser. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 7 (2), 198–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fairbairn, J. W. & Kapoor, L. D. (1960). The laticiferous vessels of Papaver somniferum L. Planta Medica 8(1), 49–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fujioka, Y. (1952). List of crop diseases in Japan. General Headquarters Supreme Commander Allied Powers, Tokyo. Economic and Scientific Section Natural Resources Division, Preliminary Study 73, 1–212.Google Scholar
Fulara, A. (1971). Poppy Culture. Panstivowe Wydawnictwo Rolniczei Lesne, Warsaw (in Polish).Google Scholar
Haas, J. H. & Balwyn, B. (1972). Ecology and epidemiology of Sclerotinia wilt of white beans in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 52, 525–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalymbetov, B. K. (1959). Material for a sac-fungus flora of Zailian Alatai. Akademiya Nauk Khazakhskoi SSR Institut Botaniki Trudy 7, 268–338 (in Russian).Google Scholar
Laughlin, J. C. (1978). The effect of band placed nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser on the yield of poppies (Papaver somniferum L.) grown on krasnozem soil. Acta Horticulturae 73, 165–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laughlin, J. C. (1980). The effect of time of harvest on the yield components of poppies (Papaver somniferum L.). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 95, 667–676.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laughlin, J. C. & Munro, D. (1982). The effect of fungal colonization on the morphine production of poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) capsules. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98, 679–686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masalab, N. A. (1938). Diseases of medicinal and of some industrial plants caused by species of Sclerotinia. Sovetskaya Botanika 1938 (6), 67–83 (in Russian).Google Scholar
Miczulska, L. (1967). Investigations on the effect of infestation of poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) with parasitic fungi on the content of morphine in the poppy heads. Roczniki Nauk Rolniczych 93 (A-l), 189–195 (Polish with English and Russian summaries).Google Scholar
Pride, R. & Stern, E. S. (1954). A specific method for the determination of morphine. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 6, 590–606.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quinlan, K. F. & De Sesa, M. A. (1955). Spectrophotometric determination of phosphorus as molybdovanadophosphoric acid. Analytical Chemistry 10, 1626–1629.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaw, C. G. (1972). Host fungus index for the Pacific Northwest. 1. Washington Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 765.Google Scholar
Skene, K. J. M. (1972). Cytokinin-like properties of the systemic fungicide benomyl. Journal of Horticultural Science 47, 179–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, J. A. L. & Willetts, H. J. (1975). Electrophoretic studies of Australian, North American and European isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and related species. Journal of General Microbiology 90, 355–359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, F. F., Dobberstein, R. H. & Morris, R. W. (1978). The effect of selected fungicides and insecticides on the growth and thebaine production of Papaver bracteatum. Lloydia 41 (4), 355–359.Google ScholarPubMed