Transcriptional analysis and histochemistry reveal that hypersensitive cell death and H2O2 have crucial roles in the resistance of tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) to anthracnose

Abstract

Plant defence: pathways for tea protection A comparison of gene activity in resistant and susceptible tea cultivars provides insights into mechanisms of defence against one of the most devastating tea diseases: anthracnose. Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an important crop in many tropical countries; however, yields can be devastated by the fungus Colletotrichum, the causal agent of anthracnose. Xinchao Wang and Yajun Yang, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Tea Research Institute in Hangzhou, explored the defence response in tea cultivars infected with Colletotrichum. Discrepancies in the genes activated in resistant and susceptible cultivars suggest resistance is mediated by specific molecular signalling pathways, known resistance (R) genes, and involves the production of hydrogen peroxide and initiation of programmed cell death around sites of infection. These mechanisms could be harnessed to develop tea cultivars with greater resistance to anthracnose.