Application of exogenous salicylic acid reduces disease severity of Plasmodiophora brassicae in pakchoi (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis Makino)

PLoS One. 2021 Jun 24;16(6):e0248648. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248648. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Clubroot is one of the most serious diseases affecting Brassicaceae plants worldwide. However, there is no effective control method for clubroot. Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant hormone that plays a critical role in plant defense. In our study, we found the disease severity of a clubroot-sensitive cultivar of pakchoi, Xinxiaqing, was reduced with 0.6mM exogenous SA after the infection of P. brassicae. To investigate the mechanism of SA-reduced disease severity against clubroot, then we analyzed the plant growth, alteration of antioxidant enzyme system, and related gene expression of Xinxiaqing. Results showed that the clubroot incidence rate and disease index were decreased after being treated with 0.6 mM exogenous SA. Furthermore, plant growth, reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents, and membrane lipid peroxidation were changed. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbic acid-peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GR), were increased. Additionally, the production rates of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion (O2·-) were also inhibited. The expression levels of genes, encoding SOD, APX, CAT, and GR, were increased. By summering all results, we conclude that 0.6 mM SA contributes to the reduction of disease severity to clubroot by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, abilities of osmotic regulation, and ROS scavenging to reduce the clubroot-induced damage in pakchoi.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Antioxidants / metabolism
  • Brassica / drug effects*
  • Brassica / growth & development
  • Brassica / parasitology
  • Catalase / metabolism
  • Genes, Plant
  • Plant Diseases / parasitology
  • Plant Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Plasmodiophorida / drug effects*
  • Plasmodiophorida / physiology
  • Salicylic Acid / pharmacology*
  • Severity of Illness Index*
  • Superoxide Dismutase / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Antioxidants
  • Catalase
  • Superoxide Dismutase
  • Salicylic Acid

Grants and funding

Hongfang Zhu received the Agriculture Research System of Shanghai, China (Grant No. 202002) and the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No.2017YFD0101803) The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.