Making healthier or killing enemies? Bacterial volatile-elicited plant immunity plays major role upon protection of Arabidopsis than the direct pathogen inhibition.

Bacterial volatiles protect plants either by directly inhibiting a pathogenic fungus or by improving the defense capabilities of plants. The effect of bacterial volatiles on fungal growth was dose-dependent. A low dosage did not have a noticeable effect on Botrytis cinerea growth and development, but was sufficient to elicit induced resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Bacterial volatiles displayed negative effects on biofilm formation on a polystyrene surface and in in planta leaf colonization of B. cinerea. However, bacterial volatile-mediated induced resistance was the major mechanism mediating protection of plants from B. cinerea. It was responsible for more than 90% of plant protection in comparison with direct fungal inhibition. Our results broaden our knowledge of the role of bacterial volatiles in plant protection.