Inga Mewis

• Dr.
• Research Associate at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Integrating plant production with insect farming, termed "entomoponics," involves using plant waste as a substrate for insect rearing, while returning insect frass to fertilise the plants. In this study, vegetative wastes from strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa), and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), were incorporated into a wheat bran-based substrate...

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) can increase the nutritional quality of low value substrates for insects. In this study, SSF using different fungal species was applied on a hemp waste substrate, and the fermentation was followed by a black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) feeding experiment during which 300 larvae were grown on 200 g (20.1% DM) substrate f...

The authors would like to make the following corrections to the published paper [...]

Introduction The circular bioeconomy concept revolves around biological production cycles that reintroduce products or waste from one production system to another, aiming to maximize resource utilization while minimising environmental impact. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the element flow when integrating black soldier fly l...

The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is a notorious swarm-forming agricultural pest widely collected for its use as food and feed. Its ability to grow on tomato leaf waste as a sole nutritional source was investigated given its ability to consume a wide range of plants. The growth and nutrient composition of desert locusts and their generated...

Crop wild relatives (CWR) represent valuable sources of traits that can enhance the abiotic and biotic stress tolerance of crops. Due to climate change and expansion of land use, they may suffer from population decline, which increases the risk of losing these resources. The in situ conservation of CWR is receiving growing attention to preserve the...

Determining plant responses to hazardous air pollutants is critical in predicting food security programs and challenges in the future. This study aimed to determine the effects of various ozone levels on plant growth responses (leaf area, dry matter, and number of leaves) and biochemical quality (photopigments and glucosinolates) on Brassica campes...

Source-separated, nitrified, and decontaminated human urine constitutes a promising plant fertilizer that contains a large share of the nitrogen and phosphorus in household wastewater, and other plant nutrients. However, human urine contains high levels of sodium and chloride that can affect salt-sensitive greenhouse crops. Replacing mineral fertil...

The growth and nutritional profile of the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) is usually investigated and compared when the larvae feed on substrates that differ in the chemical composition as well as physical properties. This study compares BSFL growth on substrates that differ primarily in physical properties. This was achieved by using various fibre...

Four silica-based acaricides were examined in laboratory tests for their effectiveness against poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae. All acaricides resulted in 100% mite mortality. Two groups of active ingredients could be differentiated. The products Silicosec® and Ewazid®, based on naturally occurring diatomaceous earth (DE), killed 100% of adu...

The proper treatment of cannabis agricultural wastes can reduce the environmental impact of its cultivation and generate valuable products. This study aimed to test the potential of cannabis agricultural wastes as a substrate for the rearing of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) and yellow mealworms (MW). In the case of BSFL, replacing the fibre compo...

With the worldwide industrialization of black soldier fly (BSF) production, it is necessary to better understand how the rearing scale and larvae density influence the performance of larvae and the quality of the final product. In this study, a factorial experiment was conducted to test the effect of rearing scale and density on the growth and comp...

Herbal preparations of willow bark (Salix cortex) are available in many countries as non-prescription medicines for pain and inflammation, and also as dietary supplements. Currently only little information on toxicity and drug interaction potential of the extracts is available. This study now evaluated the effects of two Salix cortex extracts on hu...

Salix cortex-containing medicine is used against pain conditions, fever, headaches, and inflammation, which are partly mediated via arachidonic acid-derived prostaglandins (PGs). We used an activity-guided fractionation strategy, followed by structure elucidation experiments using LC-MS/MS, CD-spectroscopy, and 1D/2D NMR techniques, to identify the...

The usefulness of anti-inflammatory drugs as an adjunct therapy to improve outcomes in COVID-19 patients is intensely discussed in this paper. Willow bark (Salix cortex) has been used for centuries to relieve pain, inflammation, and fever. Its main active ingredient, salicin, is metabolized in the human body into salicylic acid, the precursor of th...

Willow bark is traditionally used for pharmaceutical purposes. Evaluation is so far based on the salicylate content, however, health promoting effects of extracts might be attributed to the interaction of those salicylates with other compounds, which support and complement their action. So far, only S. purpurea, S. daphnoides, and S. fragilis are i...

Four silica-based acaricides were examined in laboratory tests for their effectiveness against poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae. All acaricides resulted in 100% mite mortality. Two groups of active ingredients could be differentiated. The products Silicosec® and Ewazid®, based on naturally occurring diatomaceous earth (DE), killed 100% of adu...

Tropospheric ozone is an important ambient atmospheric pollutant component in urban areas. Determining plant reactions to ozone in plant growth and biochemical quality contents plays an important role in understanding plant metabolism. This study aimed to provide an understanding of the effect of ozone on early vegetative growth stage Pak-Choi (Bra...

Determining plant reactions to atmospheric pollutants is important in predicting and planning for new horticultural production management programs and challenges in the future. A high level of ozone in the troposphere is considered the most phototoxic air pollutant, and has strong oxidative potential. This study aimed to provide understanding on th...

We previously showed that purified 1-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl (1-MIM) glucosinolate, a secondary plant metabolite in Brassica species, is mutagenic in various in vitro systems and forms DNA and protein adducts in mouse models. In the present study, we administered 1-MIM glucosinolate in a natural matrix to mice, by feeding a diet containing pak choi...

Main conclusion This study demonstrates that the application of the PGPB strain, Kosakonia radicincitans enhances a plant’s resistance against phloem-feeding and chewing insects in Arabidopsis thaliana. The plant growth-promoting bacterial strain K. radicincitans DSM 16656 applied to A. thaliana reduced the number of phloem-feeding insects of both...

Glucosinolates (GS) are secondary plant metabolites comprising different subgroups with opposing effects on human health. Hairy root cultures (HRC) are potent biotechnological tools allowing the biosynthesis of special substances under defined conditions. HRC of Eruca sativa, a brassicaceaous plant, were used to test different strategies to enhance...

An increasing amount of greenhouse vegetables is produced using hydroponic systems. The used mineral fertilizers are often generated in energy consuming processes (esp. nitrate in Haber-Bosch) or gained from finite resources (esp. phosphate rock). Recovering the respective nutrients from waste streams is a promising option to make crop production m...

Scope: Nasturtium plants contain the glucosinolate glucotropaeolin and its corresponding breakdown product benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), the latter being intensively studied with regard to cancer chemoprevention and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, recent research has shown that isothiocyanates are able to activate the release of several...

Epidemiological studies have revealed an inverse association between a high consumption of vegetables and a lower risk of both cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This protective effect is mostly due to secondary plant metabolites present in plant tissues. In this context, it has become increasingly clear during the last decade that UV-B radiation...

Leaves of Moringa oleifera are used by tribes as biological cancer medicine. Scientific investigations with M. oleifera conducted so far have almost exclusively used total plant extracts. Studies on the activity of single compounds are missing. Therefore, the biological effects of the two main aromatic multi-glycosylated glucosinolates of M. oleife...

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.) contains high concentrations of benzylglcosinolate. We found that a hydrolysis product of benzyl glucosinolate—the benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC)—modulates the intracellular localization of the transcription factor Forkhead box O 1 (FOXO1). FoxO transcription factors can antagonize insulin effects and trigger a variet...

The spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch and the aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) both infest a number of economically significant crops, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Although used for decades to control pests, the impact of green lacewing larvae Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) on plant biochemistry was not investigated. Here, we used profil...

C. carnea larva on a leaf of tomato S. lycopersicum “Ailsa Craig.”.

Mean (±SD) peak area of the most abundant volatiles emitted by tomato S. lycopersicum “Ailsa Craig” leaves after four weeks of treatment with spider mites T. urticae and/or aphids M. persicae in the presence/absence of predaceous C. carnea larvae.

Targeted-analysis of free amino acids. (A) Mean (±SD) concentration of free amino acids in the leaves of tomato S. lycopersicum “Ailsa Craig” after 4 weeks of treatment with spider mites T. urticae and/or aphids M. persicae in the presence/absence of predaceous C. carnea larvae (ng/g dry weight). (B) Mean (±SD) concentration of free amino acids in...

Tentative identification (±10 ppm) of tomato metabolites (S. lycopersicum “Ailsa Craig”) significantly impacted after four weeks of treatment with spider mites T. urticae and/or aphids M. persicae in the presence/absence of predaceous C. carnea larvae (p ≤ 0.01, one-way ANOVA, fold change ≥ 2, N = 7).

Aggregations of the striped flea beetle Phyllotreta striolata on their crucifer host plants are mediated by volatiles emitted from feeding males. The male-specific sesquiterpene, (6R,7S)-himachala-9,11-diene (compound A), was shown previously to be physiologically and behaviorally active, but compound A was attractive only when combined with unnatu...

60. Pflanzenschutztagung, 20. – 23.9.2016 in Halle, Julius-Kühn-Archiv 454: p. 493.

Each plant has its own native epiphytic population which is distinct from that of other plants in the vicinity. Their high tolerance to physical and chemical stresses renders them unique from other bacterial population. Phyllosphere being considered most nutrient scarce terrestrial habitat provoked us to understand the underlying mechanisms of sele...

Spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and aphids, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Pterygota: Aphididae) share many host-plants, similar abiotic conditions and are world-wide distributed therefore, they often occur simultaneously in crops. However, the effects of interspecific interactions on the biology of these pests were poorly i...

The legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata, is a pantropical pest on leguminous crops. (E,E)-10,12-Hexadecadienal, (E,E)-10,12-hexadecadienol, and (E)-10-hexadecenal were described previously as sex pheromone components for this nocturnal moth. A blend of these components in a ratio of 100:5:5 attracted males in field trapping experiments in Benin, but n...

Copyright © 2015 American Chemical Society

Link to full-text: http://pubs.acs.org/articlesonrequest/AOR-VQdfStJcVWnPy7ZASYKY Tomato is susceptible to pest infestations by both spider mites and aphids. The effects of each individual pest on plants are known, whereas multiple-pest infestations have received little interest. We studied the effects of single- versus multiplepest infestation by...

Urban horticulture, the intensive production and cultivation of plants in dense populated areas exists since the first cities have been established by mankind. The earliest reports date back 4000 years, but the role urban horticulture has played has changed since in time and space. During periods of hunger urban horticulture is and has been product...

Background and aims: Glucotropaeolin is the major glucosinolate in Indian cress (nasturtium; Tropaeolum majus L.). Its highly reactive breakdown product, benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), demonstrated antibacterial, antitumorigenic, and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in rodent studies. The aim of this study was to investigate acute effects o...

Moringa oleifera is widely cultivated in plantations in the tropics and subtropics. Previous cultivation studies with M. oleifera focused primarily only on leaf yield. In the present study the contents of potentially health-promoting secondary metabolites, (glucosinolates, phenolic acids, and flavonoids) were also investigated. Six different ecotyp...

Glucosinolates are the characteristic secondary metabolites of plants in the order Brassicales. To date the common DIN extraction ‘desulfo glucosinolates’ method remains the common procedure for determination and quantification of glucosinolates. However, the desulfation step in the extraction of glucosinolates from Moringa oleifera leaves resulted...

Poultry red mite infestation still is an unsolved problem in poultry farms. Legal regulations, residue risks, and resistances limit chemical control of mites. Alternatives to chemical acaricides for control of poultry red mite are silica-based products, which have as a main constituent silicon dioxide. The acaricidal effect is attributed to sorptiv...

Two cytochrome P450 proteins, CYP79F1 and CYP79F2, are involved in the biosynthesis of aliphatic glucosinolates (GSs) in brassicaceous species. In order to increase aliphatic GS levels in Arabidopsis thaliana hairy root cultures (HRCs) with the aim of biomanufacturing GSs, CYP79F1 and CYP79F2 from either Arabidopsis thaliana or Brassica rapa were f...

Significance Associations of plants and herbivores are regarded as the result of coevolution, which has produced an astonishing diversity of plant defenses and corresponding insect counteradaptations. We focus on the leaf beetle Phyllotreta striolata , which is adapted to the glucosinolate-myrosinase system present in its cruciferous host plants. W...

High consumption of Brassica vegetables is considered to prevent especially colon carcinogenesis. The content and pattern of glucosinolates (GSLs) can highly vary among different Brassica vegetables and may, thus, affect the outcome of Brassica intervention studies. Therefore, we aimed to feed mice with diets containing plant materials of the Brass...

Moringa is a mycorrhizal crop cultivated in the tropics and subtropics and appreciated for its nutritive and health-promoting value. As well as improving plant mineral nutrition, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can affect plant synthesis of compounds bioactive against chronic diseases in humans. Rhizophagus intraradices and Funneliformis mosseae...

In Colombia, the cape gooseberry is grown in salt-affected areas. The effect of increasing sodium chloride (0, 60 and 120 mM NaCl) stress was investigated on the growth, proline content and total antioxidant activity (TAA) in leaves of cape gooseberry plants kept in 2 L pots and grown under greenhouse conditions. Plant leaves were analyzed 45, 55,...

Hairy root cultures transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes or undifferentiated callus cultures are used for production of plant secondary metabolites. Glucosinolates (GS) are a group of secondary metabolites that produce a variety of bioactive compounds upon hydrolysis. Several studies report the successful production of high concentrations of s...

1-Methoxy-3-indolylmethyl (1-MIM) glucosinolate, a secondary metabolite of Brassicales species, and its breakdown product 1-MIM alcohol are mutagenic in cells in culture after activation by plant β-thioglucosidase and human sulphotransferase, respectively. In the present study, we administered these compounds orally to mice to study time course, do...

Die stark zunehmende Luftverschmutzung urbaner Räume durch Feinstaub stellt ein Problem für die menschliche Gesundheit dar. Pflanzen besitzen die Eigenschaft, Luftpartikel an ihre Oberfläche zu binden und somit aus dem Luftraum zu entfernen. Dachbegrünungen können dazu beitragen, die Feinstaubbelastungen in der Stadt zu reduzieren. Um Dachbegrünung...

A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to determine the concentration of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) metabolites in human plasma and urine. In this study, the following BITC metabolites have been considered: BITC–glutathione, BITC–cysteinylglycine, BITC–cysteine, and BITC–N-acetyl-l-cysteine....

To obtain healthy plant material from Moringa oleifera regardless of season, weather, and degree of infestation, a procedure to establish an in vitro culture of M. oleifera from nodes using 0.2 % mercury chloride was developed. It was not possible to create an in vitro culture of M. oleifera from seeds. Nodes were cultivated on MS medium with diffe...

Modern research on the insecticidal effects of inert dusts as a stored-grain protectant and for plant protection purposes began in the 1920's. The main advantage of inert dusts is their low environmental thread. One group of inert dusts used for pest control is amorphous silica. Amorphous silica has been tested as a whole and is according to the In...

Die insektizide Wirkung inerter Stäube ist bereits seit Jahrhunderten bekannt, jedoch wurde der genaue Wirkmechanismus vieler Stäube erst in den letzten Jahrzehnten untersucht. Die insektizide Eigenschaft von Silikatstäuben wird auf die Physisorption von Cuticularlipiden und damit einhergehende Zerstörung der Wachsschichtder Epicuticula sowie folge...

Although some study have established hairy root cultures from brassicaceous plants with glucosinolates (GS) as characteristic secondary metabolite, studies are missing which compare hairy roots with the corresponding mother plants. Therefore, two different plant species-Sinapis alba and Brassica rapa subsp. rapa pygmeae teltoviensis-were transforme...

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) affect plant cellular processes in various ways. The endophytic bacterial strain Enterobacter radicincitans DSM 16656 has been shown to improve plant growth and yield in various agricultural and vegetable crops. Besides its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, produce phytohormones, and solubilize phosphate co...

Little is known about how drought stress influences plant secondary metabolite accumulation and how this affects plant defense against different aphids. We therefore cultivated Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) plants under well-watered, drought, and water-logged conditions. Two aphid species were selected for this study: the generalist Myzus persicae (Sul...

Primers list of genes associated with glucosinolate, camalexin biosynthesis or signaling pathways. (PDF)

UV-spectra of desulfo GS from Arabidopsis (Col-0). (PDF)

The larvae of the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), cause severe damage on economically important legume crops in the tropics. The female moth produces volatile components to attract males for mating. The so-called sex pheromones are species-specific multi-component blends and are used as lures in crop protection for pest m...

Parthenium is an exotic invasive weed that originated in tropical America, but now occurs widely in India, Australia, and Africa. In Ethiopia, it is growing in different ecological zones, covering altitudes between 900 and 2500 m above sea level. We analyzed secondary metabolites in Parthenium grown in different regions of Ethiopia. Sesquiterpene l...

In Brassica vegetables, heating processes lead to thermally induced degradation of glucosinolates (GSLs), resulting in the formation of nitriles and isothiocyanates (ITCs). To date, the mechanism is not yet satisfyingly elucidated. Thermally induced degradation of the model GSL sinigrin was studied in dry as well as aqueous medium at different pH v...

Plants encounter multiple stresses in the field and drought is a major environmental stress that can alter their chemical composition, which influence their tolerance to insect herbivory. Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck (broccoli) was grown under well-watered and drought conditions and artificially infested with two aphid species, the special...

Glucosinolates, present in Brassica vegetables, are thought to contribute to human health prevention because of their enzymatically induced breakdown products, primarily isothiocyanates (ITCs). ITCs are reactive substances that readily react with nucleophilic (food) compounds. The reactivity of allyl-ITC and 4-(methylsulfinyl)butyl-ITC (sulforaphan...

Only a few environmental factors have such a pronounced effect on plant growth and development as ultraviolet light (UV). Concerns have arisen due to increased UV-B radiation reaching the Earth’s surface as a result of stratospheric ozone depletion. Ecologically relevant low to moderate UV-B doses (0.3–1 kJ m–2 d–1) were applied to sprouts of the i...

Epidemiological studies have revealed an inverse association between the consumption of fruit, vegetables, and herbs and the risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease. This protective effect is mostly due to secondary metabolites present in plant tissues. During the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that UV-B radiation is an import...

Plants contain variable chemical compositions which play a role in direct defense against phytophagous insects. Glucosinolates (GSs) are the predominant secondary metabolites and defense compounds in brassicaceous species. As a consequence of co-evolution between adapted crucifer-feeding specialists and their associated host-plants, specific plant-...

Processing reduces the glucosinolate (GSL) content of plant food, among other aspects due to thermally induced degradation. Since there is little information about the thermal stability of GSL and formation of corresponding breakdown products, the thermally induced degradation of sulfur-containing aliphatic GSL was studied in broccoli sprouts and w...

There is a growing need for virus sensors with improved sensitivity and dynamic range for disease diagnosis, pharmaceutical research, agriculture and homeland security. Membrane-engineered animal cells bearing antibodies against viral antigens have been previously used for biorecognition biosensors for the ultrarapid (3 min), sensitive (1 ng⁄ml) de...

Glucosinolates are secondary plant metabolites occurring in Brassica vegetables. Food processing significantly reduces glucosinolate content, among other things due to thermal degradation. As there is only little information about thermal glucosinolate breakdown, the influence of the chemical structure as well as the influence of different pH to th...

Water stress conditions can alter the composition of secondary plant metabolites. We have evaluated the effect of drought stress and water logging on the level of glucosinolates (GS) in broccoli, Brassica oleracea L., and their consequences for aphid feeding. Plants grown for two weeks under drought stress showed decreased levels of GS when compare...

Glucosinolates (GS) are the main secondary metabolites in brassicaceous plants that play an important role in plant defense and plant–insect communication. GS biosynthesis in plants and their accumulation may be influenced by biotic and abiotic stressors from the environment. In the present study, GS levels in broccoli plants, Brassica oleracea var...

The aim of this study was to determine changes within flavonoid levels in broccoli plants (Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck) induced by water stress conditions and aphid herbivory. Three water treatments, well-watered, drought, and water-logged, were applied to plants. Two aphid species, the specialist Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) and the genera...

Glucosinolates (GSs) are part of a two-component defence system, characteristic for the Brassicales, including the model species Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. The defence activity of GSs is associated with different side chain structures. The AOP genes are central in side-chain modification. AOP2 mediates formation of alkenyl GS from a methylsul...

In this work we examined the chemical elicitors streptomycin, activated charcoal and ethephon, and the elicitor-like effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HP) on plant cells with respect to the induction of plant defense responses and secondary metabolites production. The effects of HP and elicitors on growth and secondary metabolism, particularly...

Cell cultures established from plants represent an attractive alternative to whole plants for effective production of bioactive secondary metabolites. Cell culture from Vitis vinifera L. cv. Gamay Fr,aux accumulated high amounts of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and anthocyanins. Two new compounds were identified: 3-O-glucosylresveratrol, a stilb...

Juices from Brassicales are mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium and characteristic adducts are formed with the endogenous DNA in Brassicales homogenates. These effects require myrosinase activity, suggesting an involvement of breakdown products of glucosinolates (GLs). We aimed to identify GLs congeners producing these effects. We investigated twel...

The effects of yeast extract and selected polysaccharide elicitors on secondary metabolite production, particularly of anthocyanin and phenolic acid, in cell suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera were investigated. All elicitors either maintained or promoted cell growth in culture. Overall, secondary metabolite production in V. vinifera cell suspen...