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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #321417

Title: Metabolome profiling to understand the defense response to sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) to Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 IIIB

Author
item Webb, Kimberly
item Freeman, Claire
item BROECKLING, CORY - Colorado State University

Submitted to: Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/9/2016
Publication Date: 3/11/2016
Citation: Webb, K.M., Freeman, C.N., Broeckling, C.D. 2016. Metabolome profiling to understand the defense response to sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) to Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 IIIB. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology. 94:108-117.

Interpretive Summary: Rhizoctonia crown and root rot, caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kühn AG 2-2 IIIB, is an economically important disease affecting sugar beet production by reducing root quality and sugar yield. Understanding the sugar beet metabolites that are involved during resistant and susceptible interactions with R. solani may lead to novel management strategies. Two sugar beet germplasm; one susceptible and one resistant lines to R. solani AG 2-2 IIIB were infected with R. solani isolate “R-9” or left mock inoculated. At 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after inoculation the roots and leaves of inoculated plants were harvested, kept separate, and then used for metabolite extractions. Nontargeted metabolomics was performed on the metabolite extracts via GS-MS and UHLC-MS and examined differential abundance during comparisons between compatible and incompatible interactions. 143 metabolites were identified and clear differences were seen in germplasm, tissue type, and in response to pathogen infection.

Technical Abstract: Rhizoctonia crown and root rot, caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kühn AG 2-2 IIIB, is an important disease of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). The molecular processes that mediate sugar beet resistance to R. solani are largely unknown and identifying the metabolites associated with R. solani infection may provide novel targets to utilize in breeding programs for enhanced resistance. The metabolic changes that occurred during susceptible and resistant R. solani interactions were compared with mock treatments and characterized using nontargeted metabolomic profiling. Metabolites from infected and healthy root and leaf tissue were taken at 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after infection (or mock inoculated) and detected using nontargeted reversed-phase UHPLC-MS and GC-MS workflows. More than 900 compounds were detected in either sugar beet roots or leaves, of which 143 were annotated. There was a clear distinction between tissue type and genotype, and more subtle changes in response to inoculation.