Abstract
Verticillium dahliae Kleb., the causal pathogen of vascular wilt, can seriously reduce the yield and quality of many crops, including cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). To control the harm caused by V. dahliae, considering the environmental pollution of chemical fungicides and their residues, the strategy of plant nutrition regulation is becoming increasingly important as an eco-friendly method for disease control. A new compound micronutrient fertilizer (CMF) found in our previous study could reduce the damage of cotton Verticillium wilt and increase yield. However, there is little information about the mode of action of CMF to control this disease. In the present study, we evaluated the role of CMF against V. dahliae and its mechanism of action in vitro and in vivo. In the laboratory tests, we observed that CMF could inhibit hyphal growth, microsclerotia germination, and reduce sporulation of V. dahliae. Further studies revealed that the biomass of V. dahliae in the root and hypocotyl of cotton seedlings treated with CMF were significantly reduced compared with the control, and these results could explain the decline in the disease index of cotton Verticillium wilt. Furthermore, those key genes involved in the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway, resistance-related genes defense, and nitric oxide signaling pathway were induced in cotton root and hypocotyl tissue when treated with CMF. These results suggest that CMF is a multifaceted micronutrient fertilizer with roles in inhibiting the growth, development, and pathogenicity of V. dahliae and promoting cotton growth.
Highlights
Verticillium dahliae Kleb. is a devastating soilborne fungal pathogen with worldwide distribution, which threatens agricultural production in the long term
To analyze the function of compound micronutrient fertilizer (CMF) in fungal growth and microsclerotia production, V. dahliae strain Vd080 was grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA)
At 9 days post inoculation, all treatments of different concentrations of CMF led to a significant inhibition in hyphal growth and a significant reduction in melanin and microsclerotia production
Summary
Verticillium dahliae Kleb. is a devastating soilborne fungal pathogen with worldwide distribution, which threatens agricultural production in the long term. Much research has been made to understand the interaction between cotton-V. dahliae and to control Verticillium wilt [6], such as breeding resistant cultivars [7], crop rotation [8], developing soil fumigants [9], and the use of chemical fungicides [10], as well as biological control [3]. Chemical fungicides have to be selected as the principal method to control V. dahliae in agricultural production [1]. Long-term use of chemical fungicides poses a threat to the ecological environment and human health and improves the resistance of V. dahliae [14]. There is an urgent need to develop environmentally-friendly strategies for effective control of Verticillium wilt disease
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