Peach leaf curl disease: Study of Taphrina deformans - Prunus persica Interaction

BUSTAMANTE, CLAUDIA; SVETAZ, LAURA; GOLDY, CAMILA; VALENTINI, GABRIEL; BUDDE, CLAUDIO; FERNIE, A; DRINCOVICH, FABIANA; LARA, MARÍA VALERIA

Rosario, Argentina

Congreso; L Reunión SAIB 50 años; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Taphrina deformans is the causative of Peach Leaf Curl, a disease that affects orchards throughout the world. It is an important threat to the tree, shoots and fruits. Only a few cultivars are considered tolerant. To characterize the plantfungus interaction a resistant and two susceptible genotypes were inoculated with blastospores (yeast phase) and histological, biochemical and metabolic profiling by GC-MS were conducted during 120 hpi. Confocal microscopy revealed the induction of fungal dimorphism, accounted by hyphae entering stomata at 24 hpi in either resistant or susceptible genotypes. In contrast, metabolic profiling showed important differences between the resistant and the susceptible genotypes, with main differences observed at early times (6-12 hpi) and later at 96 hpi. In susceptible genotypes, most amino acids increased at 6-12 hpi, probably serving as nutrients for fungus reproduction and development, while tryptophan greatly decreased during the first day, in agreement with T. deformans active synthesis of auxins. Differences in organic acids, sugars, alcohol sugars, flavonoids and phenolic compounds were also observed among genotypes. Plant defenses were activated earlier in the resistant than in the susceptible genotypes. Together, a picture of early events during T. deformans infection is currently being constructed in both tolerant and susceptible genotypes.