Characterization of data observing Meloidogyne incognita, Neofusicoccum parvum, and Xylella fastidiosa infection effects on development of grapevine phenolic compound levels and resistance to subsequent Neofusicoccum parvum

Authors: Wallis, Christopher

Submitted to: Data in Brief
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/4/2024
Publication Date: 3/8/2024
Citation: Wallis, C.M. 2024. Characterization of data observing Meloidogyne incognita, Neofusicoccum parvum, and Xylella fastidiosa infection effects on development of grapevine phenolic compound levels and resistance to subsequent Neofusicoccum parvum. Data in Brief. 54. Article 110301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.110301.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.110301

Interpretive Summary: Little is understood about what occurs when one plant host, such as grapevine, is infected by multiple pathogens, such as the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa, the fungus Neofusicoccum parvum, and the nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Grapevines were inoculated with one of these pathogens and then the fungal canker pathogen Neofusicoccum parvum eight weeks later to observe if the prior inoculation affected lesion development. Previous infections by X. fastidiosa, N. parvum or M. incognita reduced the lesion sizes from the subsequent N. parvum inoculations. The role of phenolics in this phenomenon was explored, but conclusions were variable. Overall, these results suggest that previous inoculations by certain but not all pathogens can alter the course of another, with implications on integrated pest management programs.

Technical Abstract: Grapevines encounter many different pathogens throughout their lifespans, including the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, which causes Pierce’s disease that results in vascular occlusion and eventual plant host death, the fungal pathogen Neofusicoccum parvum, which causes stem cankers that kill individual vines and reduce fruit yields, and the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, which destroys root tissues that impacts host vigour. To date, little research has been conducted to examine how one infection could impact subsequent infections by the same or different pathogens despite this is important to ensure healthy vineyards. Therefore, grapevines initially infected with either X. fastidiosa, N. parvum, or M. incognita were subsequently infected with N. parvum eight weeks later to observe developing lesion lengths, which were assessed to determine grapevine resistance to infections. Collected data shows that when prior infections were present, the N. parvum lesions lengths were smaller. This suggests grapevines had induced resistance to combat infections. Further, defence-associated phenolics were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography to determine roles in observed resistance to the secondary N. parvum infections. Data shows that of the different phenolics examined, only stilbenoids were different due to infections, with lowered levels observed in plants that were infected compared with non-infected controls. These data provide insight into how infections by different pathogens could impact grapevine host resistance to new, subsequent pathogen infections.