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Biochar mediates systemic response of strawberry to foliar fungal pathogens

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Abstract

Background and Aims

Various biochars added to soil have been shown to improve plant performance. Moreover, a wood biochar was found to induce tomato and pepper plant systemic resistance to two foliar fungal pathogens. The aim of this study was to explore the ability of wood biochar and greenhouse waste biochar to induce systemic resistance in strawberry plants against Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum acutatum and Podosphaera apahanis, and to examine at the molecular level some of their impacts on plant defense mechanisms.

Methods

Disease development tests on plants grown on 1 or 3% biochar-amended potting mixture, and quantification of relative expression of 5 plant defense-related genes (FaPR1, Faolp2, Fra a3, Falox, and FaWRKY1) by real-time PCR were carried out.

Results

Biochar addition to the potting medium of strawberry plants suppressed diseases caused by the three fungi, which have very different infection strategies. This suggests that biochar stimulated a range of general defense pathways, as confirmed by results of qPCR study of defense-related gene expression. Furthermore, primed-state of defense-related gene expression was observed upon infection by B. cinerea and P. aphanis.

Conclusion

The ability of biochar amendment to promote transcriptional changes along different plant defense pathways probably contributes to its broad spectrum capacity for disease suppression.

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Abbreviations

qPCR:

real time quantitative PCR

RT:

reverse transcription

IR:

induced resistance

ISR:

induced systemic resistance

SAR:

systemic acquired resistance

HR:

hypersensitive reaction

PR:

pathogenesis related proteins

SA:

salicylic acid

PGPR:

plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

PGPF:

plant growth-promoting fungi

ET:

ethylene

JA:

jasmonic acid

MeJA:

methyl jasmonate

CW:

biochar produced from citrus wood

GHW-450:

biochar produced from greenhouse waste at 450°C

AUDPC:

area under the disease progress curve

Ct:

cycle threshold

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Dr. Nir Dai and Dr. David Ezra for their help with the molecular work. This work was supported by grants from The Autonomous Province of Trento, Call for Proposal Major Projects 2006, Project ENVIROCHANGE and by the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel, project number 301-0693-10. This paper is contribution no. 506/11 of the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Israel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Weed Research, Institute of Plant Protection, The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Yael Meller Harel, Yigal Elad, Dalia Rav-David, Menachem Borenstein & Ran Shulchani

  2. Department of Growing, Production and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Beni Lew

  3. Department of Soil Chemistry, Plant Nutrition and Microbiology, Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Ellen R. Graber

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  1. Yael Meller Harel
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  2. Yigal Elad
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  4. Menachem Borenstein
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  5. Ran Shulchani
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  6. Beni Lew
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  7. Ellen R. Graber
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Correspondence to Yigal Elad.

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Responsible Editor: Johannes Lehmann.

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Meller Harel, Y., Elad, Y., Rav-David, D. et al. Biochar mediates systemic response of strawberry to foliar fungal pathogens. Plant Soil 357, 245–257 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1129-3

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