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Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), one of the most widely cultivated crops across the globe, is predisposed to this disease, which is caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato The recent discovery of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHL) can apply to plants as a means of growth promotion and induced systemic resistance to pests and disease. The Awajun community of Peru has used this technique with great success and demonstrates its potential as a sustainable alternative to other chemical pesticides from a wider use perspective. Effects of Exogenous N-Octanoyl-l-homoserine Lactone (C8-HSL) on Tomato Seedling Properties, Root System Architecture, and Defence Activation Against P. syringae: A Study. Tomato seeds were surface sterilized, primed with C8-HSL at 3 µM or 5 µM concentration, and then germinated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium at 25 ± 2°C with a 16/8 h light/dark photoperiod (60–70% humidity). Ten days after priming, root morphology was quantified, whereas the shoot biomass, leaf area and disease progression was assessed four weeks post-infection. The expression of defense-related genes such as PDF1.2, which is responsive to jasmonic acid/ethylene, and PR2, which is responsive to salicylic acid, was measured using a semi-quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) method post a challenge to the plants using the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. Priming with 5 µM C8-HSL increased total root length by 35-40%, induced lateral root initiation, and promoted root hair elongation compared to untreated controls. At the same time, fresh biomass of shoots increased around 25% and leaf area around 30%. Most importantly, the C8-HSL-primed plants had 65–70% reduced disease severity upon challenge with P. syringae, as compared to non-primed controls. Molecular profiling results revealed high upregulation of PDF1.2 and PR2 transcripts in primed plants post inoculation at 24 h and 48 h respectively. This suggests the simultaneous activation of both jasmonic acid and salicylic acid signalling pathways. This paper can serve as important benchmark for researchers examining roles of bacterial signals in plants, focusing on C8-HSL's role in tomato growth and immunity. This AHL-mediated strategy has the potential to be an environment-friendly non-antibiotic tool for improving crop tolerance and yield against a respective bacterial pathogen

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