Resistance induced in cucumber and tomato by a non-pathogenic Pseudomonas putida strain

Some plant growth promoting rhizobacteria are able to stimulate inducible defense mechanisms that render the host plant less susceptible to a subsequent pathogen attack. This phenomenon, called induced systemic resistance (ISR), can occur in several plant species against a wide range of bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. Despite extensive work, many aspects of the molecular basis underlying this rhizobacteria-mediated ISR remain unclear. In this context, we have studied for several years the ISR-mediated protective effect of a particular
strain, Pseudomonas putida BTP1. In this paper, we present the results obtained by using BTP1 for disease reduction against anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum lagenarium on cucumber and grey mold caused by Botrytis cinerea on tomato. As a result of cucumber treatment with BTP1, we observed an enhanced hydroperoxide lyase activity that could restrict pathogen ingress since this enzyme, acting downstream in the so-called oxylipin pathway, forms short chain aldehydes considered as “volatile phytoalexins”. By contrast, this phenomenon is not involved in the protective effect afforded by the strain in tomato. In this case, disease reduction is more seemingly associated with an early accumulation of antifungal compounds stimulated by the bacterium, showing that specific ISR-related metabolic pathways may be activated in different plants by the same microorganism.