Hydroxamic acids: New players in the multifactorial mechanisms of maize resistance to Striga hermonthica

• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.108134
• Publication Date: 2023-10-22T13:49:36Z
• Authors: Angelo Raffaele M...; Anna Vittoria Car...; Nnanna Unachukwu; Seun Raheemat Adeoti; Toyin Abdulsalam; Melaku Gedil; Abebe Menkir; Andreas Gisel; Livia Stavolone
• Keywords: Striga hermonthica; Parasitic plant

Striga hermonthica is the most widespread and destructive plant parasite infesting maize other major crops in sub-Saharan Africa where it causes severe yield losses threatens food security. Several tolerant lines supporting reduced S. emergence have been deployed. However, molecular bases of such resistance are yet poorly understood. Based on a time course comparative gene expression analysis between susceptible resistant we confirmed mechanisms known to be activated upon infestation identified potential novel players worth further investigation e.g. iron homeostasis mitochondrial respiration-related genes. Most intriguingly, show previously unknown strategy post-attachment based DIMBOA accumulation hermonthica-infested roots. triggers positive regulation hydroxamic acid (HA) pathway culminating with an benzoxazinoids (BX), for their antifeedant, insecticidal, antimicrobial, allelopathic activities. We demonstrate that HA root content positively correlated parent its progenies unrelated lines. Downregulation genes increased susceptibility loss-of-function mutants. While mechanism BX action parasitic uncovered, this discovery developing effective control breeding strategies enormous.