In article
> Organic, and Tastier
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/dining/03curi.html
>
> . . . Plants sense and respond to any kind of attack by means of
> chemical signals. Cells in the attacked area first detect telltale
> molecules from the invader. Then they respond by releasing warning
> molecules that trigger the rest of the plant and even neighboring
> plants to start producing chemical defenses. Biologists discovered
> many years ago that they could induce the plantıs defensive response
> without any live insect or fungus. All they had to do was supply the
> initial chemical signals the invader molecules or the plantıs warning
> chemicals.
>
> At Clemson University, Dr. Hyun-Jin Kim and Professor Feng Chen recently
> exploited this fact to intensify the flavor of basil plants. They
> induced a defensive response in the plants by exposing them to a
> material derived from chitin, a long chainlike molecule that funguses
> use to reinforce their cell walls. Insects and crustaceans also build
> their hard exoskeletons out of chitin. The chitin from crab and shrimp
> waste is processed industrially to make a shortened form called
> chitosan, and this is what the Clemson food scientists used.
>
> They soaked basil seeds for 30 minutes in a chitosan solution, then
> soaked the roots again when they transferred the seedlings to larger
> pots. After 45 days, they compared the chemical composition of leaves
> from treated and untreated plants. They found that at the optimum
> chitosan concentration, the antioxidant activity in treated plants was
> greater by more than three times. The overall production of aroma
> compounds was up by nearly 50 percent, and the levels of clove-like and
> flowery components doubled.
>
> Chitosan is readily available as a dietary supplement that supposedly
> encourages weight loss. When I asked Professor Chen by e-mail if
> chitosan capsules from the health food store dissolved in water would
> work as well as his lab-grade chemical, he replied, ³I would guess they
> will have the same or similar effect.² He added, ³I would like to
> encourage master gardeners to try them for fresh aromas.² . . .
> -----
>
> http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0480804
>
> . . . The total amount of the phenolic and terpenic compounds increased
> after the chitosan treatment. Especially, the amounts of rosmarinic acid
> (RA) and eugenol increased 2.5 times and 2 times, respectively, by 0.1%
> and 0.5% chitosan treatment. . . .
>
> . . . Moreover, after the elicitor chitosan treatment, the growth in
> terms of the weight and height of the sweet basil significantly
> increased about 17% and 12%, respectively. Our study demonstrates that
> an elicitor such as chitosan can effectively induce phytochemicals in
> plants, which might be another alternative and effective means instead
> of genetic modification.
> -----
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitosan
> -----
>
> http://www.yeacrops.com/Elicitor%20-%20Ethylene%20Reduction.pdf
> -----
>
> http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Chitosan-9927494
> -----
>
> Has anybody heard of this before? I'm scratching my head, wondering why
> I've never heard of it.
>
> Some how, it seems like cheating. Morality aside, I'm pondering if I
> could just pour some chitosan solution "into my potted basil". Think
> I'll high-tail it on out of here to my local health food store before
> it's to late in the season. Our first pesto dinner of the year is
> already on the menu for Saturday. I'm running out of time (again).
Just another data point. When I was trying to introduce whole food to
my kids 30 years ago I got lots of resistance. Responding to the ideas
in the URL.
So I got some sprouted whole grain bread. Essene bread no longer
available (?) and some wonder bread from the same folks that recycled
paperback books as fiber in bread. I kid you not.
Anyway having a few cats about I placed both breads on the floor and
waited for the cats to decide. My kids got the message and I got to
spend more on stables. Tis worth it.
Bill whose basil is strong but chitosan sounds like a neat experiment.
Weird science.
--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
Bill who putters wrote:
> So I got some sprouted whole grain bread. Essene bread no longer
> available (?) and some wonder bread from the same folks that recycled
> paperback books as fiber in bread. I kid you not.
> Anyway having a few cats about I placed both breads on the floor and
> waited for the cats to decide. My kids got the message and I got to
> spend more on stables. Tis worth it.
So you are a rider then? I would have thought horses would be better judges
of bread than cats, why not use them?
David
XML site map
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/dining/03curi.html
>
> . . . Plants sense and respond to any kind of attack by means of
> chemical signals. Cells in the attacked area first detect telltale
> molecules from the invader. Then they respond by releasing warning
> molecules that trigger the rest of the plant and even neighboring
> plants to start producing chemical defenses. Biologists discovered
> many years ago that they could induce the plantıs defensive response
> without any live insect or fungus. All they had to do was supply the
> initial chemical signals the invader molecules or the plantıs warning
> chemicals.
>
> At Clemson University, Dr. Hyun-Jin Kim and Professor Feng Chen recently
> exploited this fact to intensify the flavor of basil plants. They
> induced a defensive response in the plants by exposing them to a
> material derived from chitin, a long chainlike molecule that funguses
> use to reinforce their cell walls. Insects and crustaceans also build
> their hard exoskeletons out of chitin. The chitin from crab and shrimp
> waste is processed industrially to make a shortened form called
> chitosan, and this is what the Clemson food scientists used.
>
> They soaked basil seeds for 30 minutes in a chitosan solution, then
> soaked the roots again when they transferred the seedlings to larger
> pots. After 45 days, they compared the chemical composition of leaves
> from treated and untreated plants. They found that at the optimum
> chitosan concentration, the antioxidant activity in treated plants was
> greater by more than three times. The overall production of aroma
> compounds was up by nearly 50 percent, and the levels of clove-like and
> flowery components doubled.
>
> Chitosan is readily available as a dietary supplement that supposedly
> encourages weight loss. When I asked Professor Chen by e-mail if
> chitosan capsules from the health food store dissolved in water would
> work as well as his lab-grade chemical, he replied, ³I would guess they
> will have the same or similar effect.² He added, ³I would like to
> encourage master gardeners to try them for fresh aromas.² . . .
> -----
>
> http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0480804
>
> . . . The total amount of the phenolic and terpenic compounds increased
> after the chitosan treatment. Especially, the amounts of rosmarinic acid
> (RA) and eugenol increased 2.5 times and 2 times, respectively, by 0.1%
> and 0.5% chitosan treatment. . . .
>
> . . . Moreover, after the elicitor chitosan treatment, the growth in
> terms of the weight and height of the sweet basil significantly
> increased about 17% and 12%, respectively. Our study demonstrates that
> an elicitor such as chitosan can effectively induce phytochemicals in
> plants, which might be another alternative and effective means instead
> of genetic modification.
> -----
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitosan
> -----
>
> http://www.yeacrops.com/Elicitor%20-%20Ethylene%20Reduction.pdf
> -----
>
> http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Chitosan-9927494
> -----
>
> Has anybody heard of this before? I'm scratching my head, wondering why
> I've never heard of it.
>
> Some how, it seems like cheating. Morality aside, I'm pondering if I
> could just pour some chitosan solution "into my potted basil". Think
> I'll high-tail it on out of here to my local health food store before
> it's to late in the season. Our first pesto dinner of the year is
> already on the menu for Saturday. I'm running out of time (again).