Induced resistance in Solanum lycopersicum by algal elicitor extracted from Sargassum fusiforme

ScientificWorldJournal. 2015:2015:870520. doi: 10.1155/2015/870520. Epub 2015 Feb 24.

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production relies heavily on the use of chemical pesticides, which is undesired by health- and environment-concerned consumers. Environment-friendly methods of controlling tomato diseases include agroecological practices, organic fungicides, and biological control. Plants' resistance against pathogens is induced by applying agents called elicitors to the plants and would lead to disease prevention or reduced severity. We investigated the ability of a novel elicitor extracted from the brown sea algae (Sargassum fusiforme) to elicit induced resistance in tomato. The studied elicitor induced hypersensitive cell death and O2 (-) production in tomato tissues. It significantly reduced severities of late blight, grey mold, and powdery mildew of tomato. Taken together, our novel elicitor has not shown any direct antifungal activity against the studied pathogens, concluding that it is an elicitor of induced resistance.

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / isolation & purification
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Ascomycota / drug effects
  • Ascomycota / pathogenicity
  • Biological Control Agents / isolation & purification
  • Biological Control Agents / pharmacology*
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology
  • Plant Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Plant Immunity / drug effects
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Sargassum / chemistry*
  • Solanum lycopersicum / drug effects
  • Solanum lycopersicum / microbiology*
  • Solanum lycopersicum / physiology

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Biological Control Agents
  • Reactive Oxygen Species