BACKGROUND
Tomato is an important food item and a cocktail of phytonutrients. In the current study, metabolites from a nonâpathogenic fungal species Penicillium oxalicum have been exploited to obtain nutritionally augmented tomato fruits from the plants to better withstand against Alternaria alternata infection.
RESULTS
Initially, bioactivityâguided assay and chromatographic analyses identified the bioactive metabolites of P. oxalicum [benzenedicarboxylic acid (BDA) and benzimidazole]. Then, â„3 times elevated quantities of vitamins and other nutritional elements (protein, fat, fibers, and carbohydrates) were achieved by the foliar application of BDA. The maximum increase (625.81%) was recorded in riboflavin contents; however, thiamine showed the second highest enhancement (542.86%). Plant metabolites analysis revealed that jasmonic acid contents were boosted 121.53% to significantly enhance guaiacyl lignin defenses along with the reduction in coumarin contents. The protein profile analysis explored three most actively responding protein species toward BDA applications, (i) palmitoyltransferase protein Q9FLM3; (ii) serine/threonineâprotein kinase O48814; and (iii) E3 ubiquitinâprotein ligase Q9FJQ8. The O48814 improved plant defenses; whereas, Q9FJQ8 protein was negatively regulating cysteineâtype endopeptidase activity and assisted plant to resist schedule alterations. Tomato cultivar with more active innate metabolism was found to be more responsive toward BDA. Furthermore, the bioactive compounds were enriched by using the twoâstep extraction method of ethyl acetate and chloroform, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Penicillium oxalicum a nonâpathogenic fungal species, produced BDA, induced nutritional contents in tomato and protected it against Alternaria alternata. The current study is the first report on the bioactivity of BDA and benzimidazole concerning the nutritional enhancement and plant defense improvement. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry