Induction of defense isoforms by hexanal and bacterial antagonists in mango

Induced resistance has been recognized as an attractive tool for plant disease management in modern agriculture. Bacterial antagonists such as Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis are known to induce systemic resistance in plants. The present study was taken up to determine the ability of the volatile compound hexanal to induce systemc resistance in plants upon challenge inoculation with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Lasiodiplodia theobromae, the causative agents of mango anthracnose and stem-end rot respectively. Glass house studies were undertaken in mango grafts with six treatments, comprising hexanal and bacterial biocontrol agents in order to examine the expression patterns of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and catalase enzymes. Native PAGE analysis showed that hexanal was able to induce defense enzymes in the grafts, upon challenge inoculation with the pathogen.