Antagonism between acibenzolar-S-methyl-induced systemic acquired resistance and jasmonic acid-induced systemic acquired susceptibility to Colletotrichum orbiculare infection in cucumber

In cucumber, we show salicylic acid only induce local acquired resistance (LAR), whereas acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) can induce LAR and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) to plant diseases. Jasmonic acid (JA) can induce local acquired susceptibility (LAS) and systemic acquired susceptibility (SAS). ASM treatment of lower first leaves leads to the accumulation of cucumber acidic class III chitinase (CHI2) in untreated upper leaves and effectively suppresses lesion formation on those leaves. In contrast, JA treatment completely suppresses CHI2 gene expression and causes plants to be more susceptible to Colletotrichum orbiculare. ASM-induced SAR can effectively antagonize the JA-induced SAS, providing a response that is midway between what would be expected with either JA or ASM by themselves.