It has been suggested that salicylic acid (SA) is a signal in acquired resistance to pathogens in several plants. Also, it has been suggested that infestation of plants causes an increase in the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), a key phenolic biosynthesis enzyme. The purpose of this work was to investigate whether the induction of SA and PAL activity is related to the susceptibility of barley to aphid infestation. The induction of free and conjugated SA in two barley cultivars that differ in susceptibility to aphids was analyzed. Analyses of several physiological parameters showed that cv. UNA-80 was more susceptible to the aphid Schizaphis graminum than cv. LM-109. Salicylic acid was not detected in noninfested plants. Levels of free and conjugated SA in cv. LM-109 and of conjugated SA in cv. UNA-80 increased with aphid infestation, whereas the levels of free SA in cv. UNA-80 remained high under all infestation degrees. Maximum values reached in both cultivars were not significantly different. With respect to PAL activity, cv. LM-109 showed a significantly higher specific activity than cv. UNA-80, the more susceptible cultivar. The relationship between the susceptibility of a plant to aphid and SA induction and PAL activity is discussed.

The purpose of this work was to investigate whether ethylene is involved in the oxidative and defensive responses of barley to the aphids Schizaphis graminum (biotype C) and Rhopalophum padi. The effect of aphid infestation on ethylene production was measured in two barley cultivars (Frontera and Aramir) that differ in their susceptibility to aphids. Ethylene evolution was higher in plants infested for 16 hr than in plants infested for 4 hr in both cultivars. Under aphid infestation, the production of ethylene was higher in cv. Frontera than in Aramir, the more aphid susceptible cultivar. Ethylene production also increases with the degree of infestation. Maximum ethylene evolution was detected after 16 hr when plants were infested with 10 or more aphids. Comparing the two species of aphids, Schizaphis graminum induced more ethylene evolution than Rhopalosiphum padi. Infestation with S. graminum increased hydrogen peroxide content and total soluble peroxidase activity in cv. Frontera, with a maximum level of H2O2 observed after 20 min of infestation and the maximum in soluble peroxidase activity after 30 min of infestation. When noninfested barley seedlings from cv. Frontera were exposed to ethylene, an increase in hydrogen peroxide and in total peroxidase activity was detected at levels similar to those of infested plants from cv. Frontera. When noninfested plants were treated with 40 ppm of ethylene, the maximum levels of H2O2 and soluble peroxidase activity were at 10 and 40 min, respectively. Ethylene also increased the activity of both cell-wall-bound peroxidases types (ionically and covalently bound), comparable with infestation. These results suggest that ethylene is involved in the oxidative responses of barley plants induced by infestation.

Peroxidase enzymes have been found in soluble, ionically bound, and covalently bound forms and have been implicated in several physiological processes in plants. This paper investigates the effect of aphid infestation on soluble and bound-cell wall peroxidase activity and bound-cell wall isoform changes of barley plants. Peroxidase activity was measured in control plants and plants infested with the aphid Schizaphis graminum (Rondani). The activity of soluble peroxidases increased with time of infestation, older plants being more affected than younger ones. The increase in bound-cell wall peroxidase activity as a function of age was higher in infested than in control plants, being higher in ionically bound than in covalently bound peroxidases. When the aphids were removed from plants, the activities of both types of peroxidases decreased to control levels. Isoelectrofocusing analyses of the ionically bound peroxidases showed changes in the isoform pattern. A new isoform was induced by infestation. The activities of all covalently bound isoforms increased after infestation. The physiological implications of these changes are discussed.

The genus Staphylococcus comprises many species which can be isolated from many sources and could display plant growth-promoting properties. Moreover, Capsicum species are important export crops in Peru, which have gained greater interest in recent years. Therefore, the objective of this research was to identify Staphylococcus isolates from rhizospheric soil samples of C. annuum cv. Piquillo in La Libertad, Peru. Bacterial isolates were identified by genomic analysis targeting the 16s rRNA gene. Bacteria were isolated from samples by serial dilutions and cultured in solid medium agar plates. Then, genomic DNA extraction from pure and morphologically distinct isolates, 16s rRNA gene amplification, sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed. We found four bacterial isolates from the genus Staphylococcus not previously reported in C. annuum rhizospheric soils: Isolate Ca2 and Ca5 which both match to Staphylococcus sp., isolate Ca6 to Staphylococcus arlettae and isolate Ca7 to Staphylococcus xylosus. Further studies to assess these isolates' impact on crops as well as their potential applications in other fields of research such as antimicrobial development, food processing and pesticide biodegradation are recommended.