Temporal accumulation of salicylic acid activates the defense response against Colletotrichum in strawberry

GRELLET-BOURNONVILLE, C; MARTINEZ-ZAMORA, M.G.; CASTAGNARO AP.; DIAZ RICCI, J.C.

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER FRANCE-EDITIONS SCIENTIFIQUES MEDICALES ELSEVIER

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2012 vol. 54 p. 10 - 16

0981-9428

Many authors have reported interactions between strawberry cultivars and pathogenic microorganisms,yet little is known about the mechanisms triggered in the plant. In this paper we examine the participationof the salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway involved in the response of Fragaria x ananassa cv.Pájaro plants to pathogens. Strawberry plants were challenged with the virulent strain M11 of Colletotrichumacutatum, or with the avirulent strain M23 of Colletotrichum fragariae which confers resistance tothe former. Our study showed that the isolate M23 induced a temporal SA accumulation that wasaccompanied with the induction of PR-1 gene expression in strawberry plants. Such events occured afterthe oxidative burst, evaluated as the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion, andmany hours before the protection could be detected. Similar results were obtained with exogenouslyapplied SA. Results obtained supports the hypothesis that strawberry plants activate a SA mediateddefense mechanisms that is effective against a causal agent of anthracnose. In contrast, plants inoculatedwith M11 did not show oxidative burst, SA accumulation or PR1 gene induction. This is the first reportabout a defense response signaling pathway studied in strawberry plants