Seasonal Variation of Plant Defense Inductor Ellagitannins in Strawberry Leaves under Field Conditions for Phytosanitary Technological Applications

Abstract

Many natural compounds can activate the plant immunity, and for this reason, they have attracted special interest in crop disease management. Previously, we isolated from strawberry leaves an ellagitannin (HeT), which elicits plant defense responses. In this research, we investigated bioactive compounds from field-collected strawberry leaves capable of inducing defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana against a bacterial pathogen. Methanolic extracts of strawberry leaves sampled at different months were obtained and compared. The highest content of total soluble phenolic compounds was found in the methanolic extracts of leaves sampled in December (DME). The defense response induced in A. thaliana by DME was attributed to two ellagitannins, the HeT and galloyl-HHDP-glucose. Both compounds exhibited phytoprotective effects against Pseudomonas viridiflava and induced the expression of PDF1.2 and PR1 genes. These results provide an economic value to strawberry leaves, normally discarded at the end of the harvest stage of the crop, as a raw material for plant health enhancer bioinputs.

Keywords: Fragaria x ananassa; crop wastes; elicitors; leaves; sustainability.