Plant Pathology Science

Introduction: Changes in the resistance to bacterial soft rot in potatoes can be linked to the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the accumulation of PR genes and the induction of resistance through infection of potato tuber cells with pathogenic bacteria at different temperatures in order to effectively combat bacterial soft rot disease in potatoes. Materials and Methods: Pectobacterium carotovorum 2A, Pectobacterium atrosepticum 36A, and Dickeya dadantii ENA49 were used in this study. For bacterial infection, the potato cultivars semi-resistant cultivar Scarab  and susceptible cultivar Vesnianka, were used. The factorial experiment with three replications was carried out according to a completely randomized design. The relative level of mRNA copies of PR genes was determined by RT-PCR using primers of these genes. The mean values were compared according to the LSD test. Results: The experiments demonstrated the induction of PR-3, PR-5t and PR-10 in potato tuber cells in response to infection with  P. carotovorum 2A, P. atrosepticum 36A  and D. dadantii ENA49. It has been shown that the degree of induction of resistance genes depends on the temperature and the potato cultivar. Conclusion: It can be concluded that significant changes in potato resistance to bacterial soft rot at temperatures of 28 and 33 ° C are associated with the expression of these PR genes.