Rosemary extract primes cultivar-dependent defense responses in potato against pathogen attack.

Ana Paula Martin, Lucila Garcia, María Florencia Martínez, Paula Burdisso, Liara Villalobos-Piña, Marcelo Ezequiel Juarez, Catalina Feuli, Iván Gurovich, María Cristina Mondino, Hugo Marcelo Atencio, Pavel Kerchev, María Eugenia Segretin, María Inés Zanor, María Rosa Marano

Journal: Plant cell reports 2026;45(4):

PMID: 41902970

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Abstract

Constitutive defense profiles underlie potato resistance to PVX ROTH1 and P. infestans. Treatment with aqueous rosemary extract (ARE) primes susceptible cultivars, enhancing their defense and offering a sustainable strategy to boosts resilience against these major foliar pathogens. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major global food crop increasingly threatened by viral and oomycete pathogens, such as potato virus X (PVX) and Phytophthora infestans, whose impact is exacerbated under changing environmental conditions. Although priming strategies offer a sustainable approach to enhance disease resistance, it remains unclear how cultivar-specific metabolic states influence priming efficiency. Infection responses to PVX (strain ROTH1) and a P. infestans isolate were evaluated in four commercial cultivars. Cultivar-dependent differences were observed: Innovator exhibited higher resistance, Kennebec and Spunta greater susceptibility, and Frital-INTA was resistant to PVX ROTH1 but susceptible to P. infestans. ¹H NMR metabolomics combined with defense gene expression analysis under non-inoculated conditions revealed distinct cultivar-specific signatures. Resistant and susceptible cultivars segregated into separate clusters, identifying metabolites associated with constitutive defense states. These results indicate that basal metabolic configuration contributes to differential pathogen susceptibility and may influence responsiveness to priming. Spunta, due to its broad cultivation and susceptibility, was selected to assess aqueous rosemary extract (ARE)-mediated priming. ARE treatment reduced PVX ROTH1 accumulation by ~ 70% and decreased P. infestans lesion size by ~ 30%, demonstrating that it enhances potato immunity by integrating both constitutive and inducible defense mechanisms.

Address: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Ocampo y Esmeralda S/N, S2002 FHN, Rosario, Argentina.; Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Suipacha 590, S2002LRK, Rosario, Argentina.; Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Ocampo y Esmeralda S/N, S2002 FHN, Rosario, Argentina.; Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Ocampo y Esmeralda S/N, S2002 FHN, Rosario, Argentina.; Plataforma Argentina de Biología Estructural y Metabolómica (PLABEM), S2002LRK, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.; Laboratorio de Biotecnología Vegetal, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI)-CONICET, Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Agencia de Extensión Rural, San Martin 528, S2128, Arroyo Seco, Santa Fe, Argentina.; Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Estación Experimental Agropecuaria, Ruta 226 Km 73.5, 7620, Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Profesor Albareda 1, 18008, Granada, Spain.; Laboratorio de Biotecnología Vegetal, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI)-CONICET, Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EGA, Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Ocampo y Esmeralda S/N, S2002 FHN, Rosario, Argentina. [email protected].; Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Suipacha 590, S2002LRK, Rosario, Argentina. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1007/s00299-026-03787-9

MeSH Terms: Solanum tuberosum, Rosmarinus, Plant Diseases, Phytophthora infestans, Plant Extracts, Disease Resistance, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Potexvirus