SAR in sweet cherry

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is the main fruit tree cultivated in Chile, with a surface around 70 thousands hectares (ODEPA, 2024). Disease control is traditionally realized by applications of copper based compounds, antibiotics, and synthetic fungicides, which in situations of improper use could produce phytotoxicity, environmental damage, and rapid resistance development (Alengebawy et al., 2021; Beltrán et al., 2021). As an alternative free of these problematics, the use of beneficial microorganisms is suggested (Köhl et al., 2019). Among these microorganisms, Pseudomonas protegens, a Gram negative bacteria, is capable to induce plant resistance (Ashrafi et al., 2021). However, mechanisms involved in the systemic induction resistance process aren't at all dilucidated. In this regard, the objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of P. protegens strains to induce the expression of genes related to plant resistance in sweet cherry plants.