Dissection of molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to virus and viroid infection in grafted tomato plants (DiVInGrafT)

PROGETTI DI RICERCA DI RILEVANTE INTERESSE NAZIONALE (PRIN)– Bando 2022; Finanziato dall’Unione Europea – Next Generation EU

The DiVInGrafT research project aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms of grafting in the activation of defence mechanisms against biotic stress, in order to develop sustainable protection strategies of tomato plants crops from diseases induced by viruses and viroids.

It has long been known that grafted plants show greater resilience to stresses. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still largely unknown. The hypothesis is that grafting does not confer total resistance, but tolerance: the plant learns to coexist with the pathogen, limiting the damages they may induce.

The DiVInGrafT project will study how grafted tomato plants respond to infection by a virus (PVY) and a viroid (PSTVd), two very different intracellular pathogens. Using cutting-edge technologies, such as high-throughput sequencing and phenotyping techniques, the research team will investigate sophisticated plant defence systems, such as small interfering RNAs and epigenetic modifications, which could be enhanced by grafting.

The main objectives of DiVInGrafT are:

to investigate the role of RNA silencing and epigenetic modifications in graft-induced antiviral defenses in tomato;
to assess the role of grafting in plant-viroid interaction;
to test the tolerance generated by novel rootstock/scion combinations, including some traditional tomato varieties or landraces from Southern Italy;
to elucidate the effect of grafting on the efficiency of photosynthesis and its possible correlation with the increased vigor observed in scion/rootstock combinations.

In line with the guidelines of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for circular agriculture, the results of DiVInGrafT will pave the way for environmentally friendly strategies to protect tomatoes from viral and sub-viral agents, thus contributing to develop sustainable defense strategies against viral and sub-viral agents of tomato, one of the most important crops for the Italian agri-food production chain.

Project Leader: Francesco Di Serio
CNR-IPSP personnel: Nicola Centorame, Michela Chiumenti, Annalisa Cozzolino, Concetta Mottura, Beatriz Navarro, Roberta Spanò
Start: 12/10/2023
End: 28/02/2026

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