Abstract
Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS) is a multifactorial disease affecting olive plants. The onset of this economically devastating disease has been associated with a Gram-negative plant pathogen called Xylella fastidiosa (Xf). Liquid chromatography separation coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry detection is one the most widely applied technologies in metabolomics, as it provides a blend of rapid, sensitive, and selective qualitative and quantitative analyses with the ability to identify metabolites. The purpose of this work is the development of a global metabolomics mass spectrometry assay able to identify OQDS molecular markers that could discriminate between healthy (HP) and infected (OP) olive tree leaves. Results obtained via multivariate analysis through an HPLC-ESI HRMS platform (LTQ-Orbitrap from Thermo Scientific) show a clear separation between HP and OP samples. Among the differentially expressed metabolites, 18 different organic compounds highly expressed in the OP group were annotated; results obtained by this metabolomic approach could be used as a fast and reliable method for the biochemical characterization of OQDS and to develop targeted MS approaches for OQDS detection by foliage analysis.
Highlights
The year 2013 will be recorded as the annus horribilis for olive trees of the SalentoPeninsula in south-eastern Italy [1]
The purpose of this work is the development of a global metabolomics mass spectrometry assay able to identify Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS) molecular markers that could discriminate between healthy (HP) and infected (OP) olive tree leaves
Among the differentially expressed metabolites, 18 different organic compounds highly expressed in the OQDS symptoms (OP) group were annotated; results obtained by this metabolomic approach could be used as a fast and reliable method for the biochemical characterization of OQDS and to develop targeted MS approaches for OQDS detection by foliage analysis
Summary
The year 2013 will be recorded as the annus horribilis for olive trees of the SalentoPeninsula in south-eastern Italy [1]. For nearly a decade in the province of Lecce and the southern zones of the Brindisi and Taranto provinces [2], olive trees have been affected by a progressive disease that begins with foliage desiccation, quickly ending up with the death of the whole tree. This condition of unknown etiology was named “olive quick decline syndrome” (OQDS, known in Italy as CoDiRO, Complesso del Disseccamento Rapido dell’Olivo) [3,4]. To avoid an uncontrolled spread of this pathogen, the European Union has introduced mandatory measures of containment mostly via the eradication of plants carrying the infected phenotypes and all the plants growing in their surroundings creating a buffer zone to protect the rest of the Italian Peninsula [8]
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