Role of Salicylic Acid in Systemic Resistance Induced by Pseudomonas spp. Against Pythium aphanidermatum in Cucumber Roots

Pseudomonas corrugata strain 13 and P. aureofaciens strain 63-28, applied to roots, induced systemic resistance against Pythium aphanidermatum in cucumber roots. Salicylic acid (SA) from bacterial culture or plant tissues was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Both strains produced SA in King's B broth and also induced cucumber root to accumulate endogenous SA one day after bacterial inoculation. Using a split root system, more SA accumulated in roots treated with bacteria than in distant roots on the opposite side of the root system in the first two days, but this difference disappeared after 3–4 days. SA levels were significantly higher in plants treated with bacteria compared to the split control, from one to five days after bacterization. SA did not inhibit mycelial growth of Pythium aphanidermatum at 100–200µgml^–1 in vitro, but higher levels inhibited mycelial growth. Zoospore germination increased at concentrations of 10–500µgml^–1, but decreased at 1000µgml^–1 compared to lower concentrations. Exogenously applied SA failed to induce local or systemic resistance against a challenge infection by the pathogen in planta. The results of this study show that exogenous applied SA does not induce systemic resistance to cucumber root rot caused by P. aphanidermatum, but endogenous SA accumulation in cucumber roots may be involved in induced systemic resistance.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2-induced Systemic Resistance in Tobacco Depends on in planta Salicylic Acid Accumulation but is not Associated with PR1a Expression

Root colonization by rhizobacteria can induce a systemic resistance in plants that is phenotypically similar to systemic acquired resistance induced by a localized pathogen infection. We used the tobacco–tobacco mosaic virus model to investigate whether the systemic resistance induced by the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2 is mediated by the systemic acquired resistance signal transduction pathway. Experiments with nahG-transformed tobacco revealed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2-induced resistance depended on in planta salicylic acid accumulation for its expression but not for its induction and is, in this respect, similar to systemic acquired resistance. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2-induced resistance was, unlike systemic acquired resistance, not associated with PR1a expression at the time of challenge with tobacco mosaic virus. This suggests that Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2 treatment would only potentiate defense gene expression in systemic tissue, which would also explain why its level of resistance is lower than in case of systemic acquired resistance. Because we demonstrated that induced resistance by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2 exclusively depends on the production of salicylic acid by this strain our conclusions might also account for other salicylic acid-producing and resistance-inducing rhizobacteria.     

Implication of Systemic Induced Resistance in the Suppression of Fusarium Wilt of Tomato by Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r and by Nonpathogenic Fusarium oxysporum Fo47

Fluorescent pseudomonads and nonpathogenic Fusarium oxysporum have been shown to suppress fusarium wilts. This suppression has been related to both microbial antagonism and induced resistance.The aim of the present study was to assess the relative importance of systemic induced resistance in the suppression of fusarium wilt of tomato in commercial-like conditions by a reference strain of each type of microorganism (P. fluorescens WCS417r and nonpathogenic F. oxysporum Fo47). The spatial separation of the pathogen and the biocontrol strains excluded any possible microbial antagonism and implicated the involvement of the systemic induced resistance; whereas the absence of any separation between these microorganisms allowed the expression of both mechanisms. Since systemic induced resistance has often been associated with the synthesis of PR-proteins, their accumulation in tomato plants inoculated with WCS417r or with Fo47 was determined.The analysis of the results indicates that the suppression of fusarium wilt by P. fluorescens WCS417r was ascribed to systemic induced resistance without any detection of the PR-proteins tested (PR-1 and chitinases). In contrast, the suppression achieved by nonpathogenic F. oxysporum Fo47 appeared to be mainly ascribed to microbial antagonism but also to a lesser extent to systemic induced resistance. This induced resistance could be related to the accumulation of PR-1 and chitinases.The possible relationship between the ability of Fo47 to suppress fusarium wilt more efficiently than WCS417r and its ability to show both mechanisms is discussed.     

Local and Systemic Activity of BABA (DL-3-aminobutyric Acid) Against Plasmopara viticola in Grapevines

The non-protein amino acid BABA (DL-3-amino-n-butanoic acid, -aminobutyric acid) is reported here to induce local and systemic resistance against downy mildew in grape leaves. Leaf discs of susceptible cultivars placed on BABA solutions and inoculated with Plasmopara viticola on the counter surface produced brownish restricted lesions below the inoculation site (Hypersensitive-like response, HR) which failed to support fungal sporulation. Histochemical analyses of such HR lesions revealed the accumulation of lignin-like deposits in the host cells. In contrast, water-treated inoculated discs produced expanded chlorotic lesions with profuse sporulation in which no lignin accumulation was observed. Mock-inoculated BABA-treated leaf discs showed no HR or lignin accumulation. Concentrations as low as 25µg/ml (0.25mM) of BABA sufficed to prevent tissue colonization with the fungus. Five other isomers of aminobutyric acid, namely L-2 aminobutyric acid, 2-amino isobutyric acid, DL-2-aminobutyric acid (AABA), DL-3-amino isobutyric acid, and 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA) gave no protection against the downy mildew fungus. Of the two (R and S) enantiomers of BABA only the R form was active in producing HR, suggesting a specific stereostructure requirement for activity. BABA could stop fungal colonization even when applied post-infectionally to leaf discs. Resistance of BABA-pulse-loaded leaf discs persisted for more than 14 days. BABA provided systemic protection against the disease when applied via the root system or via the lower leaves of grape plants. Application of ¹⁴C-BABA to a single leaf of intact plants showed the accumulation of the ¹⁴C label in upper leaves (and root tips), suggesting sink-oriented transport.     

Enhancement of Postharvest Disease Resistance in Ya Li Pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) Fruit by Salicylic Acid Sprays on the Trees during Fruit Growth

The Ya Li pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) trees were sprayed three times with 2.5 mM salicylic acid (SA) around 30, 60 and 90 days after full flowering. The fruit were harvested at commercial maturity (about 120 days after full flowering), inoculated with Penicillium expansum, and incubated at 20 °C, 95–100% RH. The results showed that resistance to the pathogen of the mature pear fruit was remarkably enhanced by the SA sprays. Disease incidence in the SA-treated fruit was 58.0% or 26.5%, and lesion diameter on SA-treated fruit was 58.4% or 29.0% lower than that in/on fruit without SA treatment (control) on day 12 or 17 after incubation, respectively. The SA spray applied to the trees around 30 days after full flowering notably enhanced accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the young fruit. Meanwhile, activities of defense enzymes, including peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chitinase or β-1,3-glucanase in the young fruit from SA-treated trees was 29.5%, 60.0%, 24.4% or 35.7% higher than that in the control fruit 4 days after the SA spraying. Furthermore, after harvest, activities of PAL, chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase were still significantly higher in the mature pear fruit from the trees sprayed three times with SA than those of the control fruit. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes including catalase and ascorbate peroxidase in the young fruit were significantly reduced by SA spraying. However, the activity of another antioxidant enzyme, glutathione reductase in the young fruit was significantly enhanced by SA spraying. These results suggest that enzymes exerting their functions in different ways may be coordinately regulated by SA in the pear fruit. Our study indicates that treatment of SA sprays on the trees may provide further protection against postharvest disease of Ya Li pear fruit in practice and could be used as an alternative and economical approach to reduce application of chemical fungicides.     

Induction of Systemic Resistance Against Bacterial Wilt in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus urophylla</Emphasis> by Fluorescent <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> spp

The ability of selected strains of fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. to cause induced systemic resistance (ISR) in Eucalyptus urophylla against bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum was investigated. Four of the five strains used can produce salicylic acid (SA) in vitro and, therefore, chemical SA, that is known to induce resistance in many plant species, was used as a reference treatment. Whereas a soil drench with SA did induce systemic resistance in E. urophylla, infiltration of SA into leaves did not. None of the fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. strains caused ISR against bacterial wilt when applied to the soil, but two strains, P. putida WCS358r and P. fluorescens WCS374r triggered ISR when infiltrated into two lower leaves 3–7 days before challenge inoculation. A mutant of strain WCS358r defective in the biosynthesis of the fluorescent siderophore pseudobactin, did not cause ISR, while the purified siderophore of WCS358r did, suggesting that pseudobactin358 is the ISR determinant of WCS358. A siderophore-minus mutant of WCS374r induced the same level of disease resistance as its parental strain, but the purified siderophore induced resistance as well, indicating that both the siderophore and another, unknown, inducing determinant(s) of WCS374r can trigger ISR in Eucalyptus. A possible role of WCS374r-produced SA remains uncertain. Transformation of a siderophore-minus mutant of WCS358 with the SA biosynthetic gene cluster from WCS374 did not enable this transformant to cause ISR in E. urophylla.     

Interaction of Root-knot Nematodes (RKN) and the Bacterium Agrobacterium Tumefaciens in Roots of Prunus Cerasifera: Evidence of the Protective Effect of the Ma RKN Resistance Genes Against Expression of Crown Gall Symptoms

Agrobacterium tumefaciens (AT) is the causal agent of crown gall, a major problem in the family Rosaceae and particularly for Prunus spp. Crown gall symptoms result from the bacterial infection of the cells damaged mechanically at the collar or by root parasitic nematodes. Myrobalan plum (P. cerasifera) is susceptible to AT and is not a host for the root-knot nematode (RKN), M. hapla. Some clones of this plum carry single Ma resistance genes that control M. arenaria, M. incognita and M. javanica. The four above mentioned RKN and Myrobalan progenies segregating for Ma were used in experiments aimed at obtaining a better knowledge of the interaction between AT and RKN in relation to the RKN resistance genes. Prunus rooted cuttings, naturally infected with the bacterium were repotted, grown and inoculated individually with RKN. In a first experiment, Prunus plants were (i) either inoculated with 10,000 juveniles (J2s) of M. arenaria to provide a short inoculum pressure (SIP) or (ii) inoculated by association with one M. arenaria-galled tomato root system that produced a high and durable inoculum pressure of the same nematode species. Four months after RKN inoculation, plants were rated for nematode and bacterial root galling symptoms. RKN and AT galls were more numerous and more homogenous under DIP than under SIP. Nevertheless, for both inoculum regimes, AT galls were present in the RKN-susceptible clones (= carrying none of the Ma genes) and absent in the RKN-resistant clones. Subsequent experiments, conducted under DIP with M. arenaria, M. incognita, M. javanica and M. hapla, also showed, for the three first species, the presence of AT galls only in RKN-susceptible clones whereas Prunus plants inoculated with M. hapla and nematode-free controls were free of AT galls. Consequently RKN act as a wound agent in the AT infection process of Myrobalan plum only when the plant develops a compatible reaction (i.e. when it lacks the Ma resistance genes). Considering that J2s do penetrate the roots of resistant plants, the absence of crown gall symptoms on this material even under durable inoculum pressure strengthens the hypothesis that this nematode stage has a very weak effect on plant cells during the infection process. This is the first evidence of the protective effect of a RKN resistance gene against the expression of root crown gall consecutive to RKN infection. The protective effect of Ma and presumably of other RKN resistance genes against AT is a strong argument for their introgression into Prunus and other Rosaceae or bacterium-susceptible crops.