Deciphering the defense response in tomato against by strain A10 through gene expression analysis.

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Biological control agents are preferred over chemicals for managing plant diseases, with species being particularly effective against soil-borne pathogens. This study examines the use of a highly antagonistic strain, A10, and a virulent strain, Sr38, identified and confirmed through ITS, β-tubulin (), TEF 1α, and RPB2 () sequences. In vitro and in planta experiments compared the antagonistic potential of A10 with other antagonistic fungi and fungicides against . A10 achieved 94.66% inhibition of in dual culture assays. In greenhouse trials with tomato variety Pusa Ruby, A10 showed significant pre- and post-inoculation effectiveness, with disease inhibition of 86.17 and 80.60%, respectively, outperforming , Propiconazole, and Carbendazim. Additionally, microbial priming with A10 was explored to enhance plant defense responses. Pre-treatment of tomato plants with A10 led to significant upregulation of several defense-related genes, including PR1, PR2, PR3, PR5, PR12, thioredoxin peroxidase, catalase, polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, isochorismate synthase, laccase, prosystemin, multicystatin, WRKY31, MYC2, lipoxygenase A, lipoxygenase C, proteinase inhibitor I, proteinase inhibitor II, and ethylene response 1 associated with various signaling pathways such as salicylic acid (SA)-mediated and jasmonic acid/ethylene (JA/ET)-mediated responses. This upregulation was particularly evident at 48 h post-inoculation in A10-primed plants challenged with , inducing resistance against collar rot disease. This study underscores the effectiveness of A10 in controlling collar rot and highlights its potential for inducing resistance in plants through microbial priming, providing valuable insights into sustainable disease management strategies.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-024-04040-4.