Pseudomonas simiae-induced resistance in barley is subject to pathogen-dependent gene expression regulation and not associated with major changes in the phyllosphere microbiome.
Interactions of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria with plant roots
can trigger induced resistance (IR) protecting above-ground tissues from
disease, a process that is increasingly recognized for its potential to
support sustainable crop protection strategies. Although the molecular
basis of IR has been extensively studied in Arabidopsis thaliana, considerably less is known about the underlying mechanisms in cereal crops. Here, we show that Pseudomonas simae WCS417r triggers IR in barley (Hordeum vulgare), reducing the propagation of Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei,
the causative agent of barley powdery mildew. Analysis of
defense-associated marker genes revealed pathogen-dependent
transcriptional responses during IR: HvPATHOGENESIS-RELATED1 (HvPR1) was induced by powdery mildew but not by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas translucens pathovar cerealis, whereas HvPR5 responded to both pathogens, with its induction by X. translucens
depending on WCS417r-IR. To improve our molecular understanding of IR,
transcriptomic responses to methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid and
abscisic acid were characterized and used to identify hormone-responsive
genes. Notably, several jasmonate-responsive genes were suppressed
during powdery mildew infection, and this suppression was more
pronounced in plants undergoing IR, indicative of priming. Finally,
metabarcoding of the phyllosphere microbiome demonstrated that IR was
not associated with major shifts in bacterial community composition.
Alpha and beta diversity remained largely unchanged, while a limited
number of amplicon sequence variants differed in abundance between
treatments. Together, these results show that P. simiae WCS417r
induces resistance against powdery mildew in barley through priming
pathogen-dependent transcriptional changes while leaving the overall
phyllosphere microbiome structure largely intact.