Effect of Chitosan on Induction of Resistance in Cucumber Against Cucumber Mosaic Virus

Cucumber is one of the most important cucurbits in Iran. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the plant pathogen viruses with widest host range. Resistance induction in plants is one of the most effective methods in combating viral diseases. The effects of foliar spraying of chitosan (0, 500, 1000 and 1500 ppm(on molecular, biochemical, disease severity and virus concentration was investigated in greenhouse conditions through spraying of chitosan on cucurbit seedlings at two foliage stages, in a completely randomized design with three replicates. The results of enzyme linked immunosrobent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) proved systemic infection status of plants. The lowest amounts of virus concentration and disease severity were estimated as 0.46 and 40.7, respectively. Chitinase gene expression levels in chitosan foliar treatments with 500, 1000 and 1500 ppm, increased as 6.229, 11.703 and 14.19 times more than healthy control, respectively. The results of present study showed that chitosan treatment causes induced resistance, reduction of the concentration of virus and disease severity through increasing the expression of chitinase and peroxidase enzymes belonging to the families of pathogenesis-related protein, This study can be an introduction of chitosan usage for increasing expression (over expression) of these gens and providing induced resistance of cucumber to CMV.