Biology subjects

Ghadamgahi, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Ghadamgahi, F..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Provides Insights into the Growth Promotion Activity of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain SLU99 in Tomato and Potato Plants

The use of biocontrol agents with plant growth-promoting activity has emerged as an approach to support sustainable agriculture. During our field evaluation of potato plants treated with biocontrol rhizobacteria, four bacteria were associated with increased plant height. Using two important solanaceous crop plants, tomato and potato, we carried out a comparative analysis of the growth-promoting activity of the four bacterial strains: Pseudomonas fluorescens SLU99, Serratia plymuthica S412, S. rubidaea AV10, and S. rubidaea EV23. Greenhouse and in vitro experiments showed that P. fluorescens SLU99 promoted plant height, biomass accumulation, and yield of potato and tomato plants, while EV23 promoted growth in potato but not in tomato plants. SLU99 induced the expression of plant hormone-related genes in potato and tomato, especially those involved in maintaining homeostasis of auxin, cytokinin, gibberellic acid and ethylene. Our results reveal potential mechanisms underlying the growth promotion and biocontrol effects of these rhizobacteria and suggest which strains may be best deployed for sustainably improving crop yield.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Spray-induced gene silencing as a potential tool to control potato late blight disease

Phytophthora infestans causes late blight disease on potato and tomato and is currently controlled by resistant cultivars or intensive fungicide spraying. Here, we investigated an alternative means for late blight control by spraying potato leaves with double-stranded RNAs (dsRNA) that target P. infestans genes that are essential for infection. Through confocal microscopy, we show that the sporangia of P. infestans expressing Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) can take up in vitro synthesized dsRNAs homologous to GFP directly from their surroundings, including leaves, which leads to the reduced relative expression of GFP. We further demonstrate the potential of spray induced gene silencing (SIGS) in controlling potato late blight disease by targeting developmentally important genes in P.infestans such as guanine-nucleotide binding (G) protein {beta}-subunit (PiGPB1), haustorial membrane protein (PiHmp1), cutinase (PiCut3), and endo-1,3(4)-{beta}-glucanase (PiEndo3). Our results demonstrate that SIGS can be potentially used to mitigate potato late blight; however, the degree of disease control is dependent on the selection of the target genes.

plant biology↗