Phosphonate alters the defence responses of Lambertia species challenged by Phytophthora cinnamomi
Therese Suddaby A , Khalaf Alhussaen B , Rosalie Daniel C and David Guest C DA Plant Disease Diagnostic Unit, Royal Botanic Gardens—Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.
B Faculty of Agriculture and Science, Jerash Private University, Al Jubayhah, Amman 11941, Jordan.
C Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: d.guest@usyd.edu.au
Australian Journal of Botany 56(6) 550-556 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT07228
Submitted: 21 December 2007 Accepted: 22 July 2008 Published: 16 September 2008
Abstract
Phytophthora cinnamomi is a destructive pathogen that causes dieback and death in many plant species in Australian native ecosystems. Susceptibility varies widely between related taxa, although the reasons for this variability are poorly understood. In glasshouse studies we confirmed field observations that Lambertia formosa, a New South Wales shrub, is less susceptible to P. cinnamomi than the related Western Australian species, L. inermis. Following inoculation, L. inermis roots are heavily colonised by the pathogen, leading to dieback and high mortality rates. Pathogen restriction in L. formosa correlates with more rapid and intense release of superoxide at the penetration site, and the activation of the phenylpropanoid pathway, than in L. inermis root tissues. Potassium phosphonate reduces symptom severity in inoculated L. formosa, and reduces both mortality and symptom severity in L. inermis. Phosphonate-induced protection in both species is associated with increased superoxide release 8 h after inoculation, and increased phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity 24 h after inoculation.
Acknowledgement
The authors thank Maryann O’Donnell for her assistance with the ordinal logistic regression analysis.
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