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Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology Society
Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Exogenous application of phenylacetic acid promotes root hair growth and induces the systemic resistance of tobacco against bacterial soft-rot pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum

Marilyn S. Sumayo A B , Jin-Soo Son A and Sa-Youl Ghim A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus Kyungpook National University Creative BioResearch Group and Research Institute for Dokdo and Ulleung-do Island, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakru, Bukgu, Daegu 41566, Korea.

B Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo, 5023, Philippines.

C Corresponding author. Email: ghimsa@knu.ac.kr

Functional Plant Biology 45(11) 1119-1127 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP17332
Submitted: 22 November 2017  Accepted: 14 May 2018   Published: 2 July 2018

Abstract

Phenylacetic acid (PAA) was evaluated for its capability to promote plant growth and induce systemic resistance in tobacco (Nicotianum tabacum L cv. Xanthi) against the bacterial soft rot pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (PCC). Exogenous application of PAA influenced root formation, the activities of defence-related enzymes and the expression of defence and growth-related genes. Increased formation of lateral roots can be observed in tobacco treated with higher PAA concentrations. The highest elicitation of induced systemic resistance (ISR) was found in plants treated with 0.5 mM PAA, where the phytotoxic effect was minimal. The activities of the defence enzymes phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD) and polyphnenoloxidase (PPO) were modulated upon treatment with different PAA concentrations. Reverse transcription–PCR analyses showed that 0.5 mM PAA modulated the expression of the growth-related genes NtEXP2 and NtEXP6, and the defence-related genes Coi1, NPR1, PR-1a and PR-1b. These results showed that different concentrations of PAA can elicit different responses and effects on tobacco growth and resistance. This study presents the important role of PAA not only on plant growth but also for plant immunity against phytopathogens.

Additional keywords: defence enzymes, defence genes, induced systemic resistance, Nicotiana tabacum.


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