Articles
Molecular responses of wild blueberry phenotypes to Botrytis cinerea infection
Article number
1357_26
Pages
177 – 184
Language
English
Abstract
Botrytis blight is an important disease of wild blueberry which causes about 20% yield loss annually.
Botrytis damage is often variable throughout commercial wild blueberry fields due to varying levels of genotypic resistance among wild blueberry clones.
However, the molecular basis of plant response to this pathogen is yet to be elucidated.
This study was conducted to investigate the defense response of wild blueberry associated with B. cinerea infection.
The relative expression of pathogenesis-related genes (PR3, PR4), and flavonoid genes (CHS and FLS) at 0, 12, 24 and 48 h post inoculation were studied using qRT-PCR in six wild blueberry phenotypes (Va brown, Va green, Va f. nigrum and Vm, tall, medium and short). The activation of PR genes was found to occur earlier in Va phenotypes compared to the Vm phenotypes.
Among the Va phenotypes, expression of PR genes was remarkably higher and earlier in Va f. nigrum. Short and medium stem Vm revealed a similar pattern as Va. The flavonoid genes studied were mostly suppressed in the early stages of infection followed by an upregulation.
These results suggested that PR genes might play an important role in the defense mechanism of wild blueberry against B. cinerea compared to other stress related genes.
This study may provide a starting point for achieving a better understanding of the wild blueberry-B. cinerea pathosystem.
Botrytis damage is often variable throughout commercial wild blueberry fields due to varying levels of genotypic resistance among wild blueberry clones.
However, the molecular basis of plant response to this pathogen is yet to be elucidated.
This study was conducted to investigate the defense response of wild blueberry associated with B. cinerea infection.
The relative expression of pathogenesis-related genes (PR3, PR4), and flavonoid genes (CHS and FLS) at 0, 12, 24 and 48 h post inoculation were studied using qRT-PCR in six wild blueberry phenotypes (Va brown, Va green, Va f. nigrum and Vm, tall, medium and short). The activation of PR genes was found to occur earlier in Va phenotypes compared to the Vm phenotypes.
Among the Va phenotypes, expression of PR genes was remarkably higher and earlier in Va f. nigrum. Short and medium stem Vm revealed a similar pattern as Va. The flavonoid genes studied were mostly suppressed in the early stages of infection followed by an upregulation.
These results suggested that PR genes might play an important role in the defense mechanism of wild blueberry against B. cinerea compared to other stress related genes.
This study may provide a starting point for achieving a better understanding of the wild blueberry-B. cinerea pathosystem.
Publication
Authors
J. Abbey, S. Jose, D.C. Percival, L. Jaakola, S.K. Asiedu
Keywords
wild blueberry, Botrytis cinerea, real-time RT-PCR, gene expression
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