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Induction of resistance to Sclerotium rolfsii in different varieties of onion by inoculation with Trichoderma asperellum

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Abstract

We evaluated the ability of Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckfeldt & Nirenberg to induce resistance to the fungal plant pathogen, Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo, in three onion (Allium cepa L.) varieties. Both the severity of disease and the activities of glucanase, chitinase and peroxidase (enzymes involved in plant resistance) were evaluated in onions inoculated with T. asperellum alone, S. rolfsii alone, or both T. asperellum and S. rolfsii (dual-inoculation) and compared to uninoculated (control) plants. In dual inoculations, the presence of T. asperellum reduced the severity of disease symptoms caused by S. rolfsii. Inoculation with T. asperellum alone increased glucanase, chitinase and peroxidase activity in bulbs, roots and leaves of all three onion varieties compared to uninoculated controls; bulbs of the variety Red Satan (RS) had the highest enzyme activity. In plants inoculated with S. rolfsii alone, enzyme activity was only increased in bulbs and roots compared to uninoculated controls. The highest levels of enzyme activity also occurred only in bulbs and roots of plants that had been dual-inoculated with T. asperellum and S. rolfsii. Plants of the RS variety showed the highest enzyme activities (both constitutive and induced) and showed the lowest severity of disease. Therefore, application of T. asperellum has potential as a biological control alternative to synthetic fungicides for protection of onion crops against infection by S. rolfsii. This protection depends on both constitutive and induced defence responses and varies amongst onion varieties.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financed by Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (SIP-IPN, Grant 20121204). LBL, RMB and GSJ thank EDI and/or SIBE-IPN. PGV is indebted to CONACyT for the Master in Sciences fellowship awarded and PIFI-IPN.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Interacciones Planta-Insecto, Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CeProBi 8, San Isidro, Yautepec, Morelos, México

    Patricia Guzmán-Valle & Leticia Bravo-Luna

  2. Departamento de Biotecnología, Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CeProBi 8, San Isidro, Yautepec, Morelos, México

    Roberto Montes-Belmont & Gabriela Sepúlveda-Jiménez

  3. Centro de Investigación para los Recursos naturales, Antigua Normal Rural, Salaices, Chihuahua, México

    César Guigón-López

Authors
  1. Patricia Guzmán-Valle
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  2. Leticia Bravo-Luna
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  3. Roberto Montes-Belmont
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  4. César Guigón-López
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  5. Gabriela Sepúlveda-Jiménez
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Correspondence to Gabriela Sepúlveda-Jiménez.

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Guzmán-Valle, P., Bravo-Luna, L., Montes-Belmont, R. et al. Induction of resistance to Sclerotium rolfsii in different varieties of onion by inoculation with Trichoderma asperellum . Eur J Plant Pathol 138, 223–229 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-013-0336-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-013-0336-y

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