Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology最新文献

{"title":"First evidence of Corynespora cassiicola-induced disease in Chia: A new challenge for Indian Chia cultivation","authors":"H. Manjunatha ,&nbsp;Geetha Govind ,&nbsp;C. Channakeshava ,&nbsp;A.S. Shashi Kiran ,&nbsp;Prakash Koler","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102917","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102917","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chia (<em>Salvia hispanica</em> L.) is a nutrient-rich crop recently introduced to India to diversify diets and improve nutrition. In August 2020, a severe foliar disease was observed in chia fields in Karnataka, South India, with over 50 % incidence across 1.5 ha, causing necrotic leaf spots, inflorescence blight, and premature defoliation. This study aimed to identify the causal pathogen and confirm its pathogenicity. The fungus isolated from diseased tissues was identified as <em>Corynespora cassiicola</em> based on morphological characteristics and multi-locus sequence analysis (ITS, TEF-1α, and β-tubulin). Pathogenicity tests, using detached leaf and whole-plant assays, reproduced the symptoms as observed in the field, and the pathogen was re-isolated, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed report of <em>C. cassiicola</em> infecting chia in India. The occurrence of this pathogen poses a potential threat to chia production, highlighting the need for research on its epidemiology and integrated disease management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102917"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anthracnose triggers diosgenin biosynthesis via CYP90 modulation in Dioscorea composita","authors":"Palak Arora ,&nbsp;Rubeena Tabssum ,&nbsp;Fariha Chowdhary ,&nbsp;Ritu Devi ,&nbsp;Bhawna Verma ,&nbsp;Shahnawaz Hussain ,&nbsp;Nagaraju Nekkala ,&nbsp;Bijender Kumar Bajaj ,&nbsp;Zabeer Ahmed ,&nbsp;Suphla Gupta","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102927","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102927","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anthracnose, caused by species within the Colletotrichum genus, poses a significant biotic threat to <em>Dioscorea composita</em>, a medicinally important yam species known for its high diosgenin content. This study characterizes three Colletotrichum isolates (PP1, PP2, and PP3) obtained from infected <em>D. composita</em> leaves using multilocus sequencing of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and β-tubulin regions. Molecular identification revealed that isolate PP1 shares 99 % sequence similarity with <em>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</em>, while PP2 and PP3 are closely related to <em>Colletotrichum siamense</em>. Pathogenicity assays confirmed all isolates as virulent, with PP3 inducing the most severe symptoms. Biochemical profiling under pathogen stress revealed treatment-specific modulation of secondary metabolites. Notably, PP2 elicited the highest diosgenin (181.6 μg/g) and phenolic accumulation, while PP1 significantly enhanced flavonoid content, indicating distinct metabolic fluxes triggered by each isolate. Expression analysis of CYP90, a key enzyme in steroidal saponin biosynthesis, revealed differential regulation: mild upregulation by PP1, slight downregulation by PP2, and strong suppression by the highly virulent PP3, suggesting a trade-off between pathogenic stress intensity and diosgenin biosynthetic gene expression. These findings highlight the dualistic role of Colletotrichum as both a pathogen and a potential metabolic elicitor, demonstrating that moderate biotic stress can activate specialized metabolite pathways in <em>D. composita</em>. This study offers the first comprehensive link between anthracnose severity, CYP90 regulation, and diosgenin biosynthesis, providing novel insights for leveraging pathogen-induced elicitation in plant metabolic engineering and sustainable pharmaceutical crop production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102927"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in agriculture: Mechanisms and application strategies for management of plant diseases","authors":"Aneeza Ishfaq ,&nbsp;Muhammad Shahid ,&nbsp;Sabir Hussain ,&nbsp;Tanvir Shahzad ,&nbsp;Yumna Rasheed ,&nbsp;Faizah Amer Altihani ,&nbsp;Mohamed Hashem ,&nbsp;Faisal Mahmood","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102926","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102926","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Globally, effective disease management and improved agricultural crop yields are crucial for meeting the food requirements of the growing population. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained attention as promising nanomaterials for controlling agricultural crop diseases because of their unique characteristics. The MOFs show potential in managing fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases in agricultural crops. This review explores the disease-control mechanisms of the MOFs and their application strategies for sustainable crop protection, highlighting their potential to enhance plant health. Further research is needed to enhance MOF formulations for practical use in large-scale agricultural settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102926"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of the mode of action and cytotoxicity of prothioconazole on Fusarium phytopathogens","authors":"Mehmet Arslan ,&nbsp;Gülruh Albayrak","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prothioconazole's effects on <em>Fusarium graminearum</em> PH-1 and <em>F. culmorum</em> FcUK99 reference strains were investigated at the cellular level and via genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and chromatographic approaches. Prothioconazole's minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) on them were determined as 1.2 μg/mL and 1 μg/mL, respectively. Its MIC₂₅ and MIC₅₀ doses (0.3 μg/mL and 0.6 μg/mL for PH-1; 0.25 μg/mL, and 0.5 μg/mL for FcUK99, respectively) reduced linear growth rates and cell viabilities in both strains. Additionally, MIC₅₀ stimulated the macroconidia production of FcUK99 and swelled them. Oxidative stress effect of prothioconazole was demonstrated by 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining, monitoring of lipid peroxidation levels, and detection of alterations of antioxidant enzyme activities and expression levels of their transcripts. Apoptosis-like cell death was shown by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, determination of specific gene expression changes, and monitoring of caspase-3 activity. The correlation analysis revealed that apoptosis-like cell death could have resulted from prothioconazole-induced oxidative stress. Coupled restriction enzyme digestion-random amplification and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that prothioconazole reduced the 5-mC content and the genomic template stability. The thin layer chromatography indicated that prothioconazole did not affect deoxynivalenol production in both strains while reducing 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol production in FcUK99. Real-time PCR findings demonstrated that prothioconazole upregulated <em>tri5</em> expression in PH-1, downregulated it in FcUK99. Moreover, this compound was not toxic to HEK293 and L929 cells. The study showed that prothioconazole was a suitable antifungal compound for controlling <em>Fusarium</em> spp. because of its strong, complex, and species-specific effects on these two phytopathogens while maintaining non-toxicity towards mammalian cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102918"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-throughput sequencing and RT-PCR-based viromics revealed the presence of multiple viruses and viroids in the leaves and fruits of four lemon varieties in Türkiye","authors":"Vahid Roumi ,&nbsp;Aydin Uzun ,&nbsp;Anil Baltaci ,&nbsp;Duygu Kaya ,&nbsp;Kahraman Gürcan","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102910","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102910","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the last decade, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been extensively employed in the field of plant virology. Here, the transcriptome data of eight samples from leaves and fruits of four lemon varieties, including ‘Alata’, ‘Gulşen’, ‘Kütdiken’, and ‘Uzun’, were utilized for virus and viroid detection. Three viruses (citrus chlorotic dwarf-associated virus (CCDaV), citrus virus A (CiVA), and citrus endogenous pararetrovirus (CitPRV)) and five viroids (hop stunt viroid (HSVd), citrus dwarfing viroid (CDVd), citrus bent leaf viroid (CBLVd), citrus bark cracking viroid (CBCVd), and citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd)) were identified through bioinformatics analysis. However, distinct disparities were observed in the presence and abundance of viral/viroid sequences found in every variety and sample type. Among the detected pathogens, CiVA, CitPRV viruses, and HSVd and CDVd viroids were consistently detected across the various varieties and sample types. In contrast, the remaining viruses and viroids were only presented in specific host-sample type combinations. Several surveys were conducted, and the samples were tested by PCR using specific primer pairs. The data indicated that CitPRV was the most prevalent virus detected, followed by CDVd, CBLVd, CEVd, and CCDaV. Multiple virus-viroid co-infections were detected in 59.2 percent of the samples, with the CDVd + CEVd + CBLVd combination representing the most prevalent association, identified in 33 samples. The findings validated the effectiveness of applying NGS technologies for quick, accurate, and reliable detection of viruses and viroids in sanitation and certification schemes for citrus plants. However, the results can be influenced by tissue type and variety of plants, highlighting the crucial need for establishing standardized procedures for sampling, library preparation, as well as downstream data analysis and validation measures to enable accurate diagnosis of pathogens during routine screening. The findings of this study are essential for the development of effective management strategies aimed at excluding viral diseases, thereby safeguarding the overall health and productivity of crops.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102910"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epigenetic modifications in pathogenic filamentous fungus: a deep insight from Magnaporthe oryzae","authors":"Chandra Prakash,&nbsp;Prashant Khare","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102904","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102904","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Epigenetic modification plays a crucial role at transcriptional and translational levels in the cell, leading to various altered functions of genes without alteration at the genetic levels. In eukaryotes, the best-studied modifications are Histone modification and DNA methylation, demethylation, acetylation, deacetylation, protein ubiquitination and sumoylation which further serves a role in activation, inhibition, or unknown functions in the various developmental stages. The involvement of epigenetic modification in the infectious growth of <em>Magnaporthe oryzae</em> is a largely unexplored segment. The epigenetic modification is critically regulating various developmental stages in <em>M. oryzae</em> e.g. MoSet1, a H3K4 methyltransferase directly or indirectly control wide range of cell wall degrading enzyme (CWDEs) and affect appressorium mediated cuticular penetration, histone deacetylases (HDACs) MoRpd3 and MoHst4 regulate conidial formation and conidial cell death, a prerequisite for the appressorial mediated fungal invasion. Chip-seq and RNA-seq <em>in planta</em> analysis showed a dynamic histone modification at H3K27 contribute to the fungal genome regulation specifically during infection. Deubiquitinating enzyme MoUbp14 required for stress response, nutrient utilisation, pathogenesis and MoUbp8 required for infection related development like septum formation and carbon catabolite repression in <em>M. oryzae</em>. A well organised small ubiquitin like modifier (SUMO) pathways (including MoSmt3, MoAos1, MoUba2, MoUbc9) play key roles in colony growth, conidia formation (four septins found to be SUMOylated), virulence and cell cycle related phenotypes in <em>M. oryzae</em>. The involvement of short non-coding RNA (sRNA) regulation in <em>M. oryzae</em> is impeccable and act as a master modulator that negatively regulate gene expression either at transcription or posttranscription level. A plethora of sRNA biogenesis pathway genes like MoDcl2, MoAgo1, MoAgo2, MoAgo3, MoRdRP2, MoRdRP3 shows a well stablished sRNA biogenesis system controlling the growth and development of the <em>M. oryzae</em>. Apart from fungal development regulation the interaction of sRNA between <em>M. oryzae</em> and rice regulate the expression of microRNA in rice to supress the immune response in rice. Autophagic cell death is an important phenomenon during appressoria maturation. <em>M. oryzae</em> histone acetyltransferase (HAT) Gcn5 and MoSnt2 regulates autophagy induction along with other aspect of pathogenicity like stress response, energy metabolism, cell toxicity and death via epigenetic regulation and post translational modifications. Here we provide recent advancements in our understanding of epigenetic modification and cellular biology in the pathogenic growth of <em>M. oryzae</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102904"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145026787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trichoderma ear rot: Insights into grain quality degradation, trichothecene risk and metabolic alterations in maize","authors":"K.N. Pallavi ,&nbsp;M.K. Prasannakumar ,&nbsp;R. Karan ,&nbsp;J. Harish ,&nbsp;H.B. Mahesh ,&nbsp;N. Kavya ,&nbsp;D.C. Balasundara ,&nbsp;N. Vamsidharreddy ,&nbsp;R. Noor Ayesha","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102911","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102911","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maize is increasingly affected by ear rot diseases that compromise grain quality and yield. Although <em>Trichoderma</em> is commonly used as a biocontrol agent, this study reports the pathogenic strains of Trichoderma from Karnataka, India. Pathogenic strains were identified as <em>Trichoderma asperellum</em> and <em>T. atroviride</em> through morphological and molecular characterisation. Pathogenicity assays yielded disease severity scores ranging from 80.00 % to 92.00 %. Notably, <em>T. asperellum</em> showed rapid green conidiation and dense colonization, while <em>T. atroviride</em> exhibited slow sporulation. Amplification of the <em>TRI5</em> gene in <em>T. asperellum</em> indicated a potential for trichothecene production, posing additional risks to food and feed safety. Trichothecene contamination in maize thus poses significant health risks to animals and humans by impairing immunity, growth and gut function, highlighting the need for strict feed monitoring and control. Infected kernels showed significant starch degradation: <em>T. atroviride</em> reduced total starch to 38.12 % and amylose to 7.77 %, while <em>T. asperellum</em> reduced them to 44.94 % and 9.11 %, respectively, compared to 70.10 % and 11.43 % in healthy kernels. Germination assays revealed reduced seedling vigor, with <em>T. atroviride</em> more strongly affecting germination rate and <em>T. asperellum</em> reducing root growth and biomass. LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics identified 572 compounds, including 92 unique to infected kernels, with major disruptions in amino acid, vitamin B6, glutathione, and sulfur metabolism, especially in samples with visible mycelial mats. These findings highlight the dual role of <em>Trichoderma</em> spp. as both biocontrol agents and potential pathogens, underscoring the importance of careful strain selection and environmental monitoring in their use in agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102911"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144925295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of nitrate transporters in plant defense","authors":"Janvi Vashi ,&nbsp;Archana Pathak ,&nbsp;Aakanksha Wany,&nbsp;Ashutosh Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102912","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102912","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plants face constant environmental threats from various diseases, jeopardizing global food security. Over millions of years, plants have evolved sophisticated, multi-layered adaptive defense mechanisms to detect and combat several pathogens. Nitrogen (N) nutrition plays a crucial role in influencing plant defense, in the either forms of nitrogen, whether nitrate (NO₃⁻) or ammonium (NH₄⁺). Both these forms are tightly linked to nitrate transporters, a group of proteins vital for absorbing and transporting NO₃⁻ throughout the plant. While much research has been focused on their role in NO₃⁻ uptake, less is known about how these transporters reallocate NO₃⁻ in response to biotic (disease) and abiotic (environmental) stressors. Interestingly, plants often show improved stress tolerance when less NO₃⁻ is transported to their shoots. The varying amounts of NO₃⁻ translocated from roots to shoots under different environmental cues can, in turn, impact a plant's nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), either positively or negatively. This review explores the dual functionality of nitrate transporters in both nitrate metabolism and plant immunity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102912"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis of plant secondary metabolites under the influence of elicitors, application in stress management and in vitro techniques to enhance their production","authors":"Taruni Bajaj ,&nbsp;Hina Alim ,&nbsp;Ahmad Ali ,&nbsp;Nimisha Patel","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102905","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102905","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A wide range of secondary metabolites are produced by plants, which aid in their ability to adapt to environmental stressors and interaction with microorganisms. The primary functions of these bioactive compounds, which comprise flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenolics, include ecological communication, defense, and development in plants. Various metabolic pathways, such as the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP), shikimate, and mevalonate (MVA) pathways are involved in their production. They are frequently triggered by biotic and abiotic stressors. The use of elicitors, which are chemical or biological agents that mimic stress signals, is one of the key strategies to boost the synthesis of these metabolites. Elicitors set off certain signal transduction cascades that lead to transcriptional control of the key biosynthetic genes, including the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), calcium influx, and MAPK activation. The taxonomy and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, their role in stress adaptation, and recent advances in elicitor-based techniques for upregulating their production are highlighted in this review. The effects of elicitors on metabolite biosynthesis, their integration into plant defense signaling, and their application in sustainable agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry are highlighted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102905"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First report of Fusarium brachygibbosum in sunflower in Iraq and the protective role of methyl jasmonate in enhancing antioxidant defense mechanisms","authors":"Ayoob Obaid Alfalahi ,&nbsp;Sehrish Manan ,&nbsp;Saoulajan Charfi ,&nbsp;Ahlam Khalofah ,&nbsp;Noor Abdulmajeed Zaki ,&nbsp;Rashid Mushrif Theer ,&nbsp;Kutayba Farhan Dawood ,&nbsp;Eilyn Mena ,&nbsp;Fouad Mokrini","doi":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pmpp.2025.102907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant pathogenic fungi are constantly evolving and spreading into new host plants, raising the importance of efficient pathogen control methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of methyl jasmonic acid (MeJA) in enhancing defense mechanisms of sunflower plants (<em>Helianthus annuus</em> L.) affected by wilting disease. Three fungal pathogens were isolated from infected plants and identified using morphological and molecular characterization. Sunflower genotypes Sakha, Ishaqi, and Aqmar were then inoculated with the pathogens separately and treated exogenously with MeJA at 1, 2, and 3 mM. Parameters of seed germination, plant biomass, fungal pathogenicity, and antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene expression and activities were evaluated. Results showed that wilting disease was caused by <em>Macrophomina phaseolina</em> and <em>Rhizoctonia solani,</em> along with first-time reported <em>Fusarium brachygibbosum</em> on sunflowers in the Iraqi region. Pathogenicity assays indicated that <em>F. brachygibbosum</em> exhibited the highest pathogenicity, decreasing significantly all assessed parameters, while <em>R. solani</em> was the least pathogenic. The Sakha genotype was the most resistant to fungal infection, showing the highest growth, reproduction, and defense. Additionally, treatment with MeJA significantly improved seed germination, biomass, and CAT and SOD activity, with 1 mM MeJA significantly upregulating these antioxidant enzymes in the Sakha genotype. These findings underscore the intricate interactions between sunflower genotypes, fungal pathogens, and MeJA treatment, suggesting that strategic MeJA application and the selection of resistant genotypes could enhance crop resilience and improve disease management strategies in agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20046,"journal":{"name":"Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 102907"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}