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Weed–pathogen interactions and elevated CO 2 : growth changes in favour of the biological control agent
Author(s) -
Shabbir A,
Dhileepan K,
Khan N,
Adkins S W
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
weed research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-3180
pISSN - 0043-1737
DOI - 10.1111/wre.12078
Subject(s) - rust (programming language) , photosynthesis , weed , biomass (ecology) , horticulture , chemistry , agronomy , biology , botany , computer science , programming language
Summary In this study, we used P arthenium hysterophorus and one of its biological control agents, the winter rust ( P uccinia abrupta var. partheniicola ) as a model system to investigate how the weed may respond to infection under a climate change scenario involving an elevated atmospheric CO 2 (550 μ mol mol −1 ) concentration. Under such a scenario, P. hysterophorus plants grew significantly taller (52%) and produced more biomass (55%) than under the ambient atmospheric CO 2 concentration (380 μ mol mol −1 ). Following winter rust infection, biomass production was reduced by 17% under the ambient and by 30% under the elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration. The production of branches and leaf area was significantly increased by 62% and 120%, under the elevated as compared with ambient CO 2 concentration, but unaffected by rust infection under either condition. The photosynthesis and water use efficiency ( WUE ) of P . hysterophorus plants were increased by 94% and 400%, under the elevated as compared with the ambient atmospheric CO 2 concentration. However, in the rust‐infected plants, the photosynthesis and WUE decreased by 18% and 28%, respectively, under the elevated CO 2 and were unaffected by the ambient atmospheric CO 2 concentration. The results suggest that although P . hysterophorus will benefit from a future climate involving an elevation of the atmospheric CO 2 concentration, it is also likely that the winter rust will perform more effectively as a biological control agent under these same conditions.