Metabolic Aspects of Lentil- Interactions.

f. sp. () is considered the most destructive disease for lentil ( Medik.) worldwide. Despite the extensive studies elucidating plants' metabolic response to fungal agents, there is a knowledge gap in the biochemical mechanisms governing -resistance in lentil. Τhis study aimed at comparatively evaluating the metabolic response of two lentil genotypes, with contrasting phenotypes for -resistance, to -inoculation. Apart from gaining insights into the metabolic reprogramming in response to -inoculation, the study focused on discovering novel biomarkers to improve early selection for -resistance. GC-MS-mediated metabolic profiling of leaves and roots was employed to monitor changes across genotypes and treatments as well as their interaction. In total, the analysis yielded 178 quantifiable compounds, of which the vast majority belonged to the groups of carbohydrates, amino acids, polyols and organic acids. Despite the magnitude of metabolic fluctuations in response to -inoculation in both genotypes under study, significant alterations were noted in the content of 18 compounds, of which 10 and 8 compounds referred to roots and shoots, respectively. Overall data underline the crucial contribution of palatinitol and L-proline in the metabolic response of roots and shoots, respectively, thus offering possibilities for their exploitation as metabolic biomarkers for -resistance in lentil. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first metabolomics-based approach to unraveling the effects of -inoculation on lentil's metabolome, thus providing crucial information related to key aspects of lentil- interaction. Future investigations in metabolic aspects of lentil- interactions will undoubtedly revolutionize the search for metabolites underlying -resistance, thus paving the way towards upgrading breeding efforts to combat fusarium wilt in lentil.