Molecules (Apr 2018)

Role of Phenolic Acids from the Rhizosphere Soils of Panax notoginseng as a Double-Edge Sword in the Occurrence of Root-Rot Disease

  • Ya-Meng Zhao,
  • Yong-Xian Cheng,
  • Yu-Nan Ma,
  • Chuan-Jiao Chen,
  • Fu-Rong Xu,
  • Xian Dong

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23040819
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 4
p. 819

Abstract

Read online

Chemical agents in the rhizosphere soils of plants might have an influence on root-rot disease, which therefore might reveal the mechanism of root rot in Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng). With this hypothesis the alterations of phenolic acids (PAs) in the rhizosphere soils of P. notoginseng after pathogen infection were determined. The effects of PAs on the growth of Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum), a fungal pathogenic factor for P. notoginseng, as well as production of fusaric acid, a wilting agent for the plants, were also examined. The results indicate the presence of five PAs (ferulic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-coumaric acid, and vanillic acid) in the rhizosphere soils of P. notoginseng, whose contents in the rhizosphere soils of healthy plants are higher than those of the diseased ones. Further we found that individual PA could inhibit the mycelium growth and spore production of F. oxysporum, but stimulate fusaric acid production as well, disclosing the double-edge sword role of PAs in the occurrence of root rot of P. notoginseng and paving the way for the intervention of P. notoginseng root rot via balancing PAs.

Keywords