PSU-P1 Induced Expression of Pathogenesis-Related Protein Genes against Gummy Stem Blight of Muskmelon () in Field Evaluation.

Gummy stem blight caused by is the most destructive disease of muskmelon cultivation. This study aimed to induce disease resistance against gummy stem blight in muskmelon by PSU-P1. This study was arranged into two crops. Spore suspension at a concentration of 1 × 10 spores/mL of PSU-P1 was applied to muskmelon to investigate gene expression. The expression of PR genes including chitinase () and β-1,3-glucanase () were determined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and enzyme activity was assayed by the DNS method. The effects of PSU-P1 on growth, yield, and postharvest quality of muskmelon fruit were measured. A spore suspension at a concentration of 1 × 10 spore/mL of PSU-P1 and was applied to muskmelons to determine the reduction in disease severity. The results showed that the expression of and genes in PSU-P1-treated muskmelon plants was 7-10-fold higher than that of the control. The enzyme activities of chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase were 0.15-0.284 and 0.343-0.681 U/mL, respectively, which were higher than those of the control (pathogen alone). Scanning electron microscopy revealed crude metabolites extracted from PSU-P1-treated muskmelon plants caused wilting and lysis of hyphae, confirming the activity of cell-wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs). Application of PSU-P1 increased fruit weight and fruit width; sweetness and fruit texture were not significantly different among treated muskmelons. Application of PSU-P1 reduced the disease severity scale of gummy stem blight to 1.10 in both crops, which was significantly lower than that of the control (2.90 and 3.40, respectively). These results revealed that application of PSU-P1 reduced disease severity against gummy stem blight by overexpressed PR genes and elevated enzyme activity in muskmelon plants.