Saccharin-induced protection against powdery mildew in barley: effects on growth and phenylpropanoid metabolism

Treatment of barley (Hordeum vulgare) with 3 mM saccharin, applied as a foliar treatment to the first leaf or as a soil drench, provided significant control of powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei) on first and second leaves. This was unlikely to be the result of a direct effect of saccharin on the fungus, as application of the chemical to first leaves 2 h before inoculation did not affect conidial germination or formation of appressoria. Saccharin treatment had no significant effect on plant growth, except for a reduction in total leaf area in plants treated with a saccharin drench 14 days before inoculation with mildew. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity was reduced significantly in second leaves 18 and 48 h after inoculation in plants treated with saccharin 14 days earlier. Peroxidase activity increased significantly in plants challenged with mildew within 6 days of saccharin application, although changes were not apparent until 48 h after pathogen challenge. On these occasions, treatment with saccharin resulted in a 33% increase in peroxidase activity compared with controls. In plants inoculated 10 or 14 days after saccharin application, cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) activity increased prior to, and 18, 24 and 48 h after, inoculation of the barley plants with mildew. CAD activity increased approximately twofold compared with controls. However, in contrast to peroxidase, CAD activity was significantly higher in saccharin-treated plants prior to and after inoculation with powdery mildew, suggesting that saccharin primes CAD activity prior to pathogen challenge.