Journal
MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY
Volume 16, Issue 1, Pages 27-37Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12158
Keywords
disease resistance; glycerol application; oleic acid; Phytophthora capsici; PR genes; Theobroma cacao
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Funding
- Pennsylvania State University
- College of Agricultural Sciences
- Huck Institutes of Life Sciences
- American Research Institute Penn State Endowed Program in the Molecular Biology of Cacao
- National Science Foundation BREAD program [NSF0965353]
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Previous work has implicated glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) as a mobile inducer of systemic immunity in plants. We tested the hypothesis that the exogenous application of glycerol as a foliar spray might enhance the disease resistance of Theobroma cacao through the modulation of endogenous G3P levels. We found that exogenous application of glycerol to cacao leaves over a period of 4 days increased the endogenous level of G3P and decreased the level of oleic acid (18:1). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were produced (a marker of defence activation) and the expression of many pathogenesis-related genes was induced. Notably, the effects of glycerol application on G3P and 18:1 fatty acid content, and gene expression levels, in cacao leaves were dosage dependent. A 100mm glycerol spray application was sufficient to stimulate the defence response without causing any observable damage, and resulted in a significantly decreased lesion formation by the cacao pathogen Phytophthora capsici; however, a 500mm glycerol treatment led to chlorosis and cell death. The effects of glycerol treatment on the level of 18:1 and ROS were constrained to the locally treated leaves without affecting distal tissues. The mechanism of the glycerol-mediated defence response in cacao and its potential use as part of a sustainable farming system are discussed.
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