A Possible Mode of Action of Methyl Jasmonate to Induce the Secondary Abscission Zone in Stems of Bryophyllum calycinum: Relevance to Plant Hormone Dynamics

Abstract

Plants can react to environmental stresses through the abscission of infected, damaged, or senescent organs. A possible mode of action of methyl jasmonate (JA-Me) to induce the formation of the secondary abscission zone (SAZ) in the stems of Bryophyllum calycinum was investigated concerning plant hormone dynamics. Internode segments were prepared mainly from the second or third internode from the top of plants with active elongation. JA-Me applied to the middle of internode segments induced the SAZ formation above and below the treatment after 5–7 days. At 6 to 7 days after JA-Me treatment, the above and below internode pieces adjacent to the SAZ were excised and subjected to comprehensive analyses of plant hormones. The endogenous levels of auxin-related compounds between both sides adjacent to the SAZ were quite different. No differences were observed in the level of jasmonic acid (JA), but the contents of 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA), a precursor of JA, and N-jasmonyl-leucine (JA-Leu) substantially decreased on the JA-Me side. Almost no effects of JA-Me on the dynamics of other plant hormones (cytokinins, abscisic acid, and gibberellins) were observed. Similar JA-Me effects on plant hormones and morphology were observed in the last internode of the decapitated growing plants. These suggest that the application of JA-Me induces the SAZ in the internode of B. calycinum by affecting endogenous levels of auxin- and jasmonate-related compounds.