Unraveling the Chemical Dialogue: The Impact of Volatiles on the Interaction Between PGPR and Verticillium dahliae in Pepper Plants
5 affiliations
- 1School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece
- 2Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO) DIMITRA Thermi Greece
- 3Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Sciences University of Western Macedonia Florina Greece
- 4Department of Botany, School of Biology Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece
- 5Department of Food Science and Technology School of Geoscience, International Hellenic University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece
Abstract
Plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have attracted increasing scientific interest due to their potential to enhance crop productivity and alleviate plant stress. An important trait of PGPR is the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can play crucial roles in plant–microbe and interspecies communication. This study investigates the volatilome composition of a novel PGP strain, Chryseobacterium sp. SAESo14, and its impact during interactions with the soilborne pathogen Verticillium dahliae and pepper plants. First, volatiles from SAESo14 and V. dahliae co‐inoculated in dual cultures were analyzed by Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). A diverse set of VOCs, including alcohols, ketones, esters, and sulfur‐containing compounds, was detected. Among these, VOCs with known antifungal activity, such as 2‐heptanone, ethyl propionate, and ethyl acetate, were identified. To further investigate the role of VOCs in tripartite interactions, volatilomes of a pepper–V. dahliae pathosystem treated with SAESo14 were analyzed. Seedlings treated with SAESo14 showed viable root cells and enhanced terpenoid metabolism, leading to the emission of 1,8‐cineole, β‐elemene, and sclarene, whereas V. dahliae‐inoculated seedlings released 4,5‐di‐epi‐aristolochene. When tested in planta, pepper plants treated with SAESo14 exhibited increased net photosynthesis and improved growth, along with a 25% reduction in disease index compared to pathogen‐inoculated plants, in which distinct metabolic and transcriptomic reprogramming was observed. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of VOC‐mediated signaling in plant–microbe–pathogen interactions in a tripartite system and support the potential of a novel Chryseobacterium strain and its derived VOCs as sustainable alternatives for improving plant performance and disease management.
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BibTeX
@article{triantafyllou2026unraveling,
title = {{Unraveling the Chemical Dialogue: The Impact of Volatiles on the Interaction Between PGPR and Verticillium dahliae in Pepper Plants}},
author = {Aikaterini Triantafyllou and Nathalie Kamou and Ifigeneia Mellidou and Stefanos Testempasis and George Komis and Nick Anagnostou and Anastasia Lagopodi and Katerina Karamanoli},
journal = {Physiologia Plantarum},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/ppl.71160},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.71160},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Unraveling the Chemical Dialogue: The Impact of Volatiles on the Interaction Between PGPR and Verticillium dahliae in Pepper Plants
AU - Aikaterini Triantafyllou
AU - Nathalie Kamou
AU - Ifigeneia Mellidou
AU - Stefanos Testempasis
AU - George Komis
AU - Nick Anagnostou
AU - Anastasia Lagopodi
AU - Katerina Karamanoli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Physiologia Plantarum
DO - 10.1111/ppl.71160
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.71160
AB - Plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have attracted increasing scientific interest due to their potential to enhance crop productivity and alleviate plant stress. An important trait of PGPR is the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can play crucial roles in plant–microbe and interspecies communication. This study investigates the volatilome composition of a novel PGP strain, Chryseobacterium sp. SAESo14, and its impact during interactions with the soilborne pathogen Verticillium dahliae and pepper plants. First, volatiles from SAESo14 and V. dahliae co‐inoculated in dual cultures were analyzed by Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). A diverse set of VOCs, including alcohols, ketones, esters, and sulfur‐containing compounds, was detected. Among these, VOCs with known antifungal activity, such as 2‐heptanone, ethyl propionate, and ethyl acetate, were identified. To further investigate the role of VOCs in tripartite interactions, volatilomes of a pepper–V. dahliae pathosystem treated with SAESo14 were analyzed. Seedlings treated with SAESo14 showed viable root cells and enhanced terpenoid metabolism, leading to the emission of 1,8‐cineole, β‐elemene, and sclarene, whereas V. dahliae‐inoculated seedlings released 4,5‐di‐epi‐aristolochene. When tested in planta, pepper plants treated with SAESo14 exhibited increased net photosynthesis and improved growth, along with a 25% reduction in disease index compared to pathogen‐inoculated plants, in which distinct metabolic and transcriptomic reprogramming was observed. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of VOC‐mediated signaling in plant–microbe–pathogen interactions in a tripartite system and support the potential of a novel Chryseobacterium strain and its derived VOCs as sustainable alternatives for improving plant performance and disease management.
SN - 0031-9317
SN - 1399-3054
ER -