Saccharin Provides Protection and Activates Defense Mechanisms in Wheat Against the Hemibiotrophic Pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

Defense Pathways of Wheat Plants Inoculated with Zymoseptoria tritici under NaCl Stress Conditions: An Overview

Due to being sessile, plants develop a broad range of defense pathways when they face abiotic or biotic stress factors. Although plants are subjected to more than one type of stress at a time in nature, the combined effects of either multiple stresses of one kind (abiotic or biotic) or more kinds (abiotic and biotic) have now been realized in agricultural lands due to increases in global warming and environmental pollution, along with population increases. Soil-borne pathogens, or pathogens infecting aerial parts, can have devastating effects on plants when combined with other stressors. Obtaining yields or crops from sensitive or moderately resistant plants could be impossible, and it could be very difficult from resistant plants. The mechanisms of combined stress in many plants have previously been studied and elucidated. Recent studies proposed new defense pathways and mechanisms through signaling cascades. In light of these mechanisms, it is now time to develop appropriate strategies for crop protection under multiple stress conditions. This may involve using disease-resistant or stress-tolerant plant varieties, implementing proper irrigation and drainage practices, and improving soil quality. However, generation of both stress-tolerant and disease-resistant crop plants is of crucial importance. The establishment of a database and understanding of the defense mechanisms under combined stress conditions would be meaningful for the development of resistant and tolerant plants. It is clear that leaf pathogens show great tolerance to salinity stress and result in pathogenicity in crop plants. We noticed that regulation of the stomata through biochemical applications and some effort with the upregulation of the minor gene expressions indirectly involved with the defense mechanisms could be a great way to increase the defense metabolites without interfering with quality parameters. In this review, we selected wheat as a model plant and Zymoseptoria tritici as a model leaf pathogen to evaluate the defense mechanisms under saline conditions through physiological, biochemical, and molecular pathways and suggested various ways to generate tolerant and resistant cereal plants.

Join the green team: Inducers of plant immunity in the plant disease sustainable control toolbox

BACKGROUND

Crops are constantly attacked by various pathogens. These pathogenic microorganisms, such as fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes, threaten global food security by causing detrimental crop diseases that generate tremendous quality and yield losses worldwide. Chemical pesticides have undoubtedly reduced crop damage; however, in addition to increasing the cost of agricultural production, the extensive use of chemical pesticides comes with environmental and social costs. Therefore, it is necessary to vigorously develop sustainable disease prevention and control strategies to promote the transition from traditional chemical control to modern green technologies. Plants possess sophisticated and efficient defense mechanisms against a wide range of pathogens naturally. Immune induction technology based on plant immunity inducers can prime plant defense mechanisms and greatly decrease the occurrence and severity of plant diseases. Reducing the use of agrochemicals is an effective way to minimize environmental pollution and promote agricultural safety.

AIM OF REVIEW

The purpose of this workis to offer valuable insights into the current understanding and future research perspectives of plant immunity inducers and their uses in plant disease control, ecological and environmental protection, and sustainable development of agriculture.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW

In this work, we have introduced the concepts of sustainable and environment-friendly concepts of green disease prevention and control technologies based on plant immunity inducers. This article comprehensively summarizes these recent advances, emphasizes the importance of sustainable disease prevention and control technologies for food security, and highlights the diverse functions of plant immunity inducers-mediated disease resistance. The challenges encountered in the potential applications of plant immunity inducers and future research orientation are also discussed.

Why Do We Need Alternative Methods for Fungal Disease Management in Plants?

Fungal pathogens pose a major threat to food production worldwide. Traditionally, chemical fungicides have been the primary means of controlling these pathogens, but many of these fungicides have recently come under increased scrutiny due to their negative effects on the health of humans, animals, and the environment. Furthermore, the use of chemical fungicides can result in the development of resistance in populations of phytopathogenic fungi. Therefore, new environmentally friendly alternatives that provide adequate levels of disease control are needed to replace chemical fungicides-if not completely, then at least partially. A number of alternatives to conventional chemical fungicides have been developed, including plant defence elicitors (PDEs); biological control agents (fungi, bacteria, and mycoviruses), either alone or as consortia; biochemical fungicides; natural products; RNA interference (RNAi) methods; and resistance breeding. This article reviews the conventional and alternative methods available to manage fungal pathogens, discusses their strengths and weaknesses, and identifies potential areas for future research.

Decrypting the multi-functional biological activators and inducers of defense responses against biotic stresses in plants

Plant diseases are still the main problem for the reduction in crop yield and a threat to global food security. Additionally, excessive usage of chemical inputs such as pesticides and fungicides to control plant diseases have created another serious problem for human and environmental health. In view of this, the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for controlling plant disease incidences has been identified as an eco-friendly approach for coping with the food security issue. In this review, we have identified different ways by which PGPRs are capable of reducing phytopathogenic infestations and enhancing crop yield. PGPR suppresses plant diseases, both directly and indirectly, mediated by microbial metabolites and signaling components. Microbial synthesized anti-pathogenic metabolites such as siderophores, antibiotics, lytic enzymes, hydrogen cyanide, and several others act directly on phytopathogens. The indirect mechanisms of reducing plant disease infestation are caused by the stimulation of plant immune responses known as initiation of systemic resistance (ISR) which is mediated by triggering plant immune responses elicited through pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The ISR triggered in the infected region of the plant leads to the development of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) throughout the plant making the plant resistant to a wide range of pathogens. A number of PGPRs including Pseudomonas and Bacillus genera have proven their ability to stimulate ISR. However, there are still some challenges in the large-scale application and acceptance of PGPR for pest and disease management. Further, we discuss the newly formulated PGPR inoculants possessing both plant growth-promoting activities and plant disease suppression ability for a holistic approach to sustaining plant health and enhancing crop productivity.

Nematicidal Activities of Saccharin and Erythritol Against Pinewood Nematode

The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner & Bührer), causes pine wilt disease (PWD) resulting in severe environmental damage to pine forest ecosystems worldwide. To develop alternative strategies for managing PWD, the nematicidal activities of two sweeteners, erythritol and saccharin, were investigated. Among these two sweeteners, saccharin induced higher mortality in a dose-dependent manner. The LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of saccharin were estimated to be 0.321 M and 0.615 M, respectively. However, erythritol did not exhibit nematicidal activities. The results of our study demonstrated that saccharin is lethal to PWN and shows nematicidal effects in a dose-dependent manner. Although the mechanisms of saccharin toxicity are not yet investigated, saccharin could be used as an effective alternative for the management of PWN.

Chemical induction of leaf senescence and powdery mildew resistance involves ethylene-mediated chlorophyll degradation and ROS metabolism in cucumber

Timely initiation of leaf senescence is an integral part of plant development and, importantly, an adaptive strategy by which plants cope with various stresses, e.g. to limit the spread of pathogens. Powdery mildew is a major cucumber disease that promotes the initiation/progression of leaf senescence and reduces leaf photosynthesis, resulting in severe losses of yield and quality. However, how powdery mildew induces leaf senescence and how cucumber plants respond to enhance their resistance remain unclear. Here, with established agrochemical induction and pathogen inoculation systems, we demonstrate that both probenazole (PBZ) and powdery mildew activate ethylene (ET) biosynthesis and signal transduction, consequently promoting leaf senescence and enhancing plant resistance to powdery mildew through CsEIN3 to directly upregulate the expression of CsCCGs and CsRBOHs. Our analysis convincingly suggests that the regulation of leaf senescence and powdery mildew resistance is interconnected and mediated mainly by ET in cucumber.