Genes, Vol. 15, Pages 273: Effects of Soil Rhizobia Abundance on Interactions between a Vector, Pathogen, and Legume Plant Host

Genes, Vol. 15, Pages 273: Effects of Soil Rhizobia Abundance on Interactions between a Vector, Pathogen, and Legume Plant Host Genes doi: 10.3390/genes15030273 Authors: Pooja Malhotra Saumik Basu Benjamin W. Lee Liesl Oeller David W. Crowder Soil rhizobia promote nitrogen fixation in legume hosts, maximizing their tolerance to different biotic stressors, plant biomass, crop growth, and yield. While the presence of soil rhizobia is considered beneficial for plants, few studies have assessed whether variation in rhizobia abundance affects the tolerance of legumes to stressors. To address this, we assessed the effects of variable soil rhizobia inoculum concentrations on interactions between a legume host (Pisum sativum), a vector insect (Acyrthosiphon pisum), and a virus (Pea enation mosaic virus, PEMV). We showed that increased rhizobia abundance reduces the inhibitory effects of PEMV on the nodule formation and root growth in 2-week-old plants. However, these trends were reversed in 4-week-old plants. Rhizobia abundance did not affect shoot growth or virus prevalence in 2- or 4-week-old plants. Our results show that rhizobia abundance may indirectly affect legume tolerance to a virus, but effects varied based on plant age. To assess the mechanisms that mediated interactions between rhizobia, plants, aphids, and PEMV, we measured the relative expression of gene transcripts related to plant defense signaling. Rhizobia concentrations did not strongly affect the e...
Source: Genes - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research
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