Unveiling Fatty Acid Profiles of the Parasitic Plants <i>Orobanche foetida</i> Poiret. and <i>Orobanche crenata</i> Forsk. and Modulation of Faba Bean (<i>Vicia faba</i> L.) Fatty Acid Composition in Response to Orobanche Infestation
Amal Bouallegue,
Siwar Thebti,
Faouzi Horchani,
Taoufik Hosni,
Issam Nouairi,
Haythem Mhadhbi,
Najla Trabelsi,
Moez Amri,
Mohamed Kharrat,
Zouhaier Abbes
Affiliations
Amal Bouallegue
Laboratoire des Grandes Cultures, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie (INRAT), University of Carthage, Rue Hédi Karray, Menzah 1004, Tunisia
Siwar Thebti
Laboratoire des Grandes Cultures, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie (INRAT), University of Carthage, Rue Hédi Karray, Menzah 1004, Tunisia
Faouzi Horchani
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Biomonitoring of the Environment and Oasis Ecosystems (LBBEEO), Faculty of Sciences of Gafsa, University of Gafsa, Zarroug, Gafsa 2112, Tunisia
Taoufik Hosni
Laboratoire des Grandes Cultures, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie (INRAT), University of Carthage, Rue Hédi Karray, Menzah 1004, Tunisia
Issam Nouairi
Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj Cedria (CBBC), Laboratoire des Légumineuses et des Agrosys-Tèmes Durables, PB 901, Hammam Lif 2050, Tunisia
Haythem Mhadhbi
Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj Cedria (CBBC), Laboratoire des Légumineuses et des Agrosys-Tèmes Durables, PB 901, Hammam Lif 2050, Tunisia
Najla Trabelsi
Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj Cedria (CBBC), Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l’Olivier, PB 901, Hammam Lif 2050, Tunisia
Moez Amri
AgroBioSciences Program, College of Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Science (SAES College), University Mohammed 6 Polytechnic (UM6P), Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Mohamed Kharrat
Laboratoire des Grandes Cultures, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie (INRAT), University of Carthage, Rue Hédi Karray, Menzah 1004, Tunisia
Zouhaier Abbes
Laboratoire des Grandes Cultures, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie (INRAT), University of Carthage, Rue Hédi Karray, Menzah 1004, Tunisia
Broomrapes (Orobanche spp.) are root parasitic plants that threaten agricultural production in many parts of the world. In this study, the effect of two orobanche species, Orobanche crenata and O. foetida, on faba bean plants was studied in Tunisia. The two orobanche species inhibited both biomass production and pod formation, decreased the chlorophyll (Chl) content and total lipid (TL), and enhanced electrolyte leakage (EL) and lipid peroxidation. Concomitantly, orobanche parasitism induced a lower degree of fatty acid (FA) unsaturation due to a shift in the FA composition. On the other hand, with regard to orobanche seeds, oleic and linoleic acids were the predominant FA in the two orobanche species. After orobanche seed germination and penetration of host tissues, all the orobanche development stages showed a decrease in the TL content and changes in the FA composition in comparison to orobanche seeds. The level of TL was equal to or lower in all parasite development stages (except for S4) than that in the roots and leaves of healthy faba bean plants. These results suggest that the negative effect of orobanche infestation on faba bean development can be attributed to the reduced chlorophyll content and alteration in membrane stability attested by the reduced TL level and FA unsaturation.
