Induction of oxidants in tomato leaves treated with DL-β-Amino butyric acid (BABA) and infected with Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. michiganensis

Abstract

Bacterial canker is an economically important disease of tomato. Resistance induced by DL-β-Amino butyric acid against bacterial canker caused by Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. michiganensis in tomato plants was investigated. Different doses of DL-β-Amino butyric acid (250–1000 μg ml−1 doses) were tested on 3-week old plants inoculated with a 108 CFU ml−1 bacterial suspension, and disease development was evaluated after inoculation and treatment. Although in vitro growth of the bacteria was not affected by DL-β-Amino butyric acid treatment, foliage sprays of 500 μg ml−1 DL-β-Amino butyric acid significantly suppressed disease development up to 54% by day 14 after inoculation at the four different doses tested. Bacterial populations were reduced by 84% in BABA-treated plants compared to water-treated plants by day 4 after inoculation. Inoculated BABA-treated plants showed significantly higher phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity, peroxidase activity, and H2O2 concentration than inoculated water-treated plants during day 1 after treatment. These findings suggest that the DL-β-Amino butyric acid treatment resulted in an increase of these enzymes and in H2O2 concentration in planta, and was associated with induction of resistance to bacterial canker.