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Sugar beet extract induces defence against Phytophthora infestans in potato plants

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to find a natural and cheap agent that could induce defence responses in potato plants to combat Phytophthora infestans, which causes late blight disease that is one of the most devastating plant pathogens in agriculture. We tested whether a sugar beet extract (SBE), derived through a simple extraction procedure from a large-scale plant waste product, induced resistance under green-house conditions. In three potato genotypes differing in their level of resistance to P. infestans (two susceptible genotypes: Desiree and Bintje and one partially resistant: Ovatio), treatment with SBE resulted in significant reduction of the size of the infection lesions in a pattern similar to that seen with application of a known defence-inducing compound, β-aminobutyric acid (BABA). Lower sporangial production was also observed on SBE-treated leaves, but the reduction in sporangial production was more pronounced after BABA treatment. SBE had no apparent toxic effect on the hyphal growth of the pathogen or on the germination of sporangia. Instead, SBE triggered pathogenesis-related protein (PR-1 and PR-2) induction which suggests that the protection conferred by SBE could be via induced resistance. An array of phenolic metabolites was found in the SBE that may contribute to the defence response.

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Abbreviations

BABA:

β-aminobutyric acid

Dpi:

Days post inoculation

IPM:

Integrated pest management

PAMP:

Pathogen-associated molecular patterns

PR-1 protein:

Pathogenesis-related protein 1

SBE:

Sugar beet extract

SDS-PAGE:

Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) and the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences, and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) for financial support, Mia Mogren for excellent technical help and William Walker for manuscript review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 222 00, Lund, Sweden

    Laith Ibrahim Moushib

  2. Department of Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 49, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden

    Johanna Witzell

  3. Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 102, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden

    Marit Lenman, Erland Liljeroth & Erik Andreasson

Authors
  1. Laith Ibrahim Moushib
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  2. Johanna Witzell
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  3. Marit Lenman
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  4. Erland Liljeroth
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  5. Erik Andreasson
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Correspondence to Erik Andreasson.

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Moushib, L.I., Witzell, J., Lenman, M. et al. Sugar beet extract induces defence against Phytophthora infestans in potato plants. Eur J Plant Pathol 136, 261–271 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-012-0160-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-012-0160-9

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