Bacterial wilt induced changes in nutrient distribution and biomass on acibenzolar-S-methyl treated tomato plants

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a serious disease on tomato and many other crops in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In this study, a series of experiments were carried out to collect quantitative traits on leaf spectral properties along with SPAD, shoot biomass, shoot mineral nutrient content, and wilt incidence. Tomato plants were treated with acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) and inoculated with different concentrations of the pathogen. Bacterial wilt incidence was recorded weekly after inoculation and quantified as percentage of plants wilted. Application of ASM significantly reduced disease incidence when plants were inoculated with lower concentrations of the pathogen. Compared with untreated plants, bacterial wilt dramatically lowered the height, final shoot biomass, and accumulation of several mineral nutrients in the leaves. The accumulation of some elements was significantly influenced by bacterial wilt incidence. Leaf reflectance percentages in the R500 nm region were significantly correlated with percent wilt incidence, hence may be a good indicator of bacterial wilt damage in tomato. The current status of this project and further detailed results will be presented.