PROTECTION EFFICACY AND MODES OF ACTION OF TWO RESISTANCE INDUCERS ON WHEAT AGAINST SEPTORIA TRITICI BLOTCH

Septoria tritici blotch caused by Mycosphaerella graminicola is one of the most devastating foliar diseases of wheat. Disease control relies heavily on fungicides, but frequent development of fungal resistance and the negative impact of their extensive use on the environment and human health increasingly compromise this control strategy. Plant resistance inducers could be an alternative to conventional fungicides to control in a more durable manner this pathogen. Here, we tested in the greenhouse two resistance inducers (FSOV7 and FSOV10) on two wheat cultivars, Alixan (susceptible) and Altigo (resistant), against M. graminicola. FSOV7 conferred a significant protection level on both cultivars, while FSOV10 conferred a significant protection level on the resistant cv. Altigo only. Furthermore, the modes of action of the two inducers were examined using cytological, biochemical and molecular approaches. In planta, investigation of the infection process showed that FSOV10 significantly reduced fungal spore germination, whereas FSOV7 did not. An association of protection efficacy with a decrease of fungal biomass and fungal β-1, 4-endoxylanase and protease activities was observed in both cultivars. However, no association of plant peroxidase activity with protection efficacy was recorded, whatever the cultivar and the resistance inducer. A RT-qPCR assay revealed significant inductions of the expression of genes involved in different defence pathways; further statistical analyses should determine which genes are associated with the observed protection efficacies. This study showed significant inducer-cultivar interactions on wheat against M. graminicola and allowed us to investigate the modes of action on wheat of the two studied resistance inducers.