Induction of systemic resistance and defense-related enzymes in tomato plants using Pseudomonas fluorescens CHAO and salicylic acid against root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are the most economically important group of plant parasitic nematodes on many crops worldwide. Resistance-based management is considered as one of the most sound and effective strategies against these pathogens. Plant-mediated systemic resistance against the M. javanica in tomato cv. CALJN3 was triggered using salicylic acid (SA) and Pseudomonas fluorescens CHAO as elicitors. The effect of each elicitor was assayed by (1) the calculation of nematode indices including the number of nematode galls, egg masses and eggs/egg mass; (2) the analysis of changes in the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS); and (3) monitoring the activities of their scavenging enzymes viz. superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), and catalase (CAT). The results indicated that SA/bacterial elicitors induced the removal of high concentrations of the toxic ROS via an increase in the activity of their scavenging antioxidant enzymes, especially that of catalase. Moreover, pre- or post-treatment application of the elicitors significantly reduced the number of galls, egg masses or eggs of M. javanica in infected tomato plants as compared to the control. The results of the present study support the involvement of the elicitor-induced ROS and related scavenging enzymes for stimulating plant defense reactions in a moderately resistant tomato challenged with M. javanica