1. Investigación

Two plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were tested to evaluate their capacity to prime rice seedlings against stress challenge (salt and Xanthomonas campestris infection). As is accepted that plants respond to biotic and abiotic stresses by generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), enzyme activities related to oxidative stress (ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX, EC 1.11.1.7), glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2) and superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1)) as well as the pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs) ß-1,3-glucanase (PR2, EC 3.2.1.6) and chitinase (PR3, EC 3.2.1.14) weremeasured at 3 timepoints after stress challenge.Inaddition,photosyntheticparameters related with fluorescence emission of photosystem II (F0, Fv/Fm, PSII and NPQ) were also measured although they were barely affected. Both strains were able to protect rice seedlings against salt stress. AMG272 reduced the salt symptoms over 47% with regard to control, and L81 over 90%. Upon pathogen challenge, 90% protection was achieved by both strains.All enzyme activities related to oxidative stress were modified by the two PGPR, especially APX and SOD upon salinity stress challenge, and APX and GR upon pathogen presence. Both bacteria induced chitinase activity 24 and 48 h after pathogen inoculation, and L81 induced ß-1,3-Glucanase activity 48 h after pathogen inoculation, evidencing the priming effect. These results indicate that these strains could be used as bio-fortifying agents in biotechnological inoculants in order to reduce the effects of different stresses, and indirectly reduce the use of agrochemicals.

A phyto-rhizoremediation system using corn and esparto fiber as rooting support to remediate degraded metal working fluids (dMWFs) has been developed in the present study. In order to improve the process, plants were inoculated at the root level with bacteria either individually, and with a consortium of strains. All strains used were able to grow with MWFs. The results show that this system significantly lowers the Chemical Oxygen Demand below legal limits within 5 days. However, results were only improved with the bacterial consortium. Despite the effectiveness of the phyto-rhizoremediation process, plants are damaged at the photosynthetic level according to the photosynthetic parameters measured, as well as at the ultrastructure of the vascular cylinder and the Bundle Sheath Cells. Interestingly, the bacterial inoculation protects against this damage. Therefore, it seems that that the inoculation with bacteria can protect the plants against these harmful effects.

Blackberries (Rubus spp.) are among the high added value food products relevant for human health due to the increasing evidence of the beneficial effects of polyphenols, which are very abundant in these fruits. Interestingly, these compounds also play a role on plant physiology, being especially relevant their role in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stress. Hence, we hypothesize that since blackberry fruits have high amounts of flavonols and anthocyanins, leaves would also have high amounts of these compounds, and can be studied as a source of active molecules; furthermore, leaf synthesis would support their high contents in fruits. To explore this hypothesis, the present study reports a de novo transcriptome analysis on field grown blackberry leaves and fruits at the same time point, to establish the metabolic relationship of these compounds in both organs. Transcripts were aligned against Fragaria vesca genome, and genes were identified and annotated in different databases; tissue expression pattern showed 20,463 genes common to leaves and fruits, while 6,604 genes were significantly overexpressed only in fruits, while another 6,599 genes were significantly overexpressed in leaves, among which flavonol-anthocyanin transporter genes were present. Bioactives characterization indicated that total phenolics in leaves were three-fold, and flavonols were six-fold than in fruits, while concentration of anthocyanins was higher in fruits; HPLC-MS analysis indicated different composition in leaves and fruits, with cyanidin-3-glucoside as the only common compound identified. Next, RT-qPCR of the core genes in the flavonol anthocyanin pathway and regulatory MYB genes were carried out. Interestingly, genes in the flavonol-anthocyanin pathway and flavonol-transport families were overexpressed in leaves, consistent with the higher bioactive levels. On the other hand, transcription factors were overexpressed in fruits anticipating an active anthocyanin biosynthesis upon ripening. This suggests that, in addition to the biosynthesis taking place in the fruits during ripening, translocation of flavonols from leaves to fruits contributes to the high amounts of bioactives starting to accumulate in fruits.

The aim of this study is focused on determining the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QV15 priming fingerprint in two different plant species, Arabidopsis and blackberry as a crop of agronomic interest, associated with protection upon pathogen challenge. To achieve this goal, Arabidopsis thaliana plants were challenged with Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 under controlled conditions, and field-grown blackberries were challenged by a powdery Mildew outbreak, finding plant protection in plants treated with QV15, in both conditions. Changes in ROS scavenging enzymes’ activity, defense-related enzymes’ activity and gene expression were evaluated in both plant species, before and after pathogen challenge, revealing the ability of this strain to prime both. As a result of this analysis, the priming fingerprint induced by QV15 was defined by a decrease in ROS scavenging enzymes’ activity in pre- and post-challenged plants, an increase in glucanase and chitinase activity after pathogen challenge, significantly increasing the expression of PR1, indicating a salicylic acid (SA)-mediated pathway activation. These results suggest an excellent potential of B. amyloliquefaciens QV15 to protect different plant species against different pathogens in field conditions.