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Sulphur supply impairs spread of Verticillium dahliae in tomato

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Abstract

Vascular wilt caused by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae is a major yield and quality-limiting disease across a broad spectrum of crop plants worldwide. Sulphur-enhanced plant defence mechanisms provide an opportunity to effectively and environmentally safely constrain the wilt disease levels in planta. To evaluate the influence of sulphur nutrition on the protective potential of these mechanisms, two near-isogenic tomato genotypes differing in fungal susceptibility, were treated with low or supra-optimal sulphur supply. Microscopic analysis revealed a significant sulphur-induced decrease in the amount of infected vascular cells in both genotypes. However, plant shoot and severely pathogen-affected root growth did not display this distinct alleviating influence of sulphur nutrition. Rates of leaf photosynthesis were impeded by Verticillium dahliae infection in both genotypes especially under low sulphur nutrition. However, assimilate transport rates in the phloem sap were enhanced by fungal infection more in the resistant genotype and under high sulphur nutrition suggesting a stronger sink for assimilates in infected plant tissues possibly involved in sugar-induced defence. A SYBR Green-based absolute quantitative Real-Time assay using a species-specific primer was developed which sensitively reflected sulphur nutrition-dependent changes in fungal colonization patterns. High sulphur nutrition significantly reduced fungal spread in the stem in both tomato genotypes. Concentrations of selected sulphur-containing metabolites revealed an increase of the major anti-oxidative redox buffer glutathione under high sulphur nutrition in response to fungal colonization. Our study demonstrates the existence of sulphur nutrition-enhanced resistance of tomato against Verticillium dahliae mediated by sulphur-containing defence compounds.

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Acknowledgments

The valuable contribution to S0 analysis of R. Frankfurter in the Lab of Prof. C. Vogt (Institute for Analytical Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover) is highly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Plant Nutrition, Leibniz University Hannover, Herrenhäuserstraße 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany

    Katharina Bollig, André Specht, Marc Zahn & Walter J. Horst

  2. Department of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Yezin Agricultural University, Naypyidaw, Myanmar

    San Shwe Myint

Authors
  1. Katharina Bollig
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  2. André Specht
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  3. San Shwe Myint
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  4. Marc Zahn
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  5. Walter J. Horst
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Correspondence to Walter J. Horst.

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ESM 1

Regression line showing the obtained cycle threshold values plotted against the serial-dilution of V. dahliae gDNA using the LeVD primer pair. Values represent means ± SD n = 3 (JPEG 834 kb)

ESM 2

Effect of S supply on S concentrations in leaves of V. dahliae-infected tomato genotypes. (After 3 weeks of pre-culture at 5 mM or 1 mM SO4-S plants were root inoculated and harvested 7 dpi. Data represent means ± SD n = 3. Results of the analysis of variance are given according to their level of significance as *, **, ***, for P ≤ 0.05, 0.01, 0.001, respectively, n.s. non-significant.) (JPEG 62 kb)

ESM 3

Total root systems of (a) the sensitive tomato genotype GCR 26 and (b) the resistant tomato genotype GCR 218. Root systems were washed out of substrate and total root length was determined with the WinRHIZO Software (Regent Instruments Inc., Canada). Bar represents 5 cm (JPEG 117 kb)

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Bollig, K., Specht, A., Myint, S.S. et al. Sulphur supply impairs spread of Verticillium dahliae in tomato. Eur J Plant Pathol 135, 81–96 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-012-0067-5

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