Seed Treatment with Live or Dead Fusarium verticillioides Equivalently Reduces the Severity of Subsequent Stalk Rot. Issue 3 (14th September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martins, Vitor F.; Vaughan, Martha M.; Huffaker, Alisa; Schmelz, Eric A.; Christensen, Shawn; Sims, James; Benda, Nicole D.; Swerbilow, Jay; Alborn, Hans; Teal, Peter E.
• Is Part Of: Journal of phytopathology. Volume 162:Issue 3(2014:Mar.)
• Page Start: 201
• Page End: 204
• Publication Date: 2013-09-14
• Subjects: Plant diseases -- Periodicals; 632
• DOI: 10.1111/jph.12177
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0931-1785

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jph12177-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Fusarium verticillioides</italic> is a widely distributed fungus that can associate with maize as a deleterious pathogen and an advantageous endophyte. Here, we show that seed treatment with live <italic>F</italic>. <italic>verticillioides</italic> enhances maize resistance to secondary stalk rot infection and further demonstrate that dead <italic>F</italic>. <italic>verticillioides</italic> is sufficient to equivalently reduce <italic>F</italic>. <italic>verticillioides</italic> biomass. Seed treatment with live or dead <italic>F</italic>. <italic>verticillioides</italic> primes maize plants, and upon subsequent stalk infection, terpenoid phytoalexins accumulate faster than control‐treated plants. Seed treatment did not constitutively activate plant defences nor did it impact plant growth. These results suggest that seed treatment with dead <italic>F</italic>. <italic>verticillioides</italic> can be used as a 'vaccination' method to decrease the severity of stalk rot and potentially pathogen infection throughout the plant.</p> </abstract>