Rhizobium tropici Metabolites Induce Defence-Related Genes and Promote Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum Stem Rot Control in Chickpeas
de Sousa et al., 2025
Brazil has seen a steady increase in domestic chickpea production, and the crop is expected to gain growing importance across the country. However, solutions for effective pest and disease management remain limited. Many soil-borne phytopathogens that affect other crops can also infect chickpeas, increasing disease incidence due to higher initial inoculum levels. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of concentrated metabolites produced by Rhizobium tropici (CM-RT) on resistance induction and control of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in chickpeas. Different CM-RT application methods were tested and disease incidence was assessed. Additionally, the relative expression of several defence-related genes was analyzed in CM-RT treated plants. Our results show that root application of CM-RT significantly reduced disease incidence and was statistically equivalent to the commercial elicitor based on acibenzolar-S-methyl. Gene expression analysis revealed the upregulation of key defence genes involved in jasmonic acid, ethylene, and oxidative stress pathways, suggesting a priming effect. These findings suggest that CM-RT can serve as an effective and eco-friendly alternative for disease control by resistance induction in chickpeas.
