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Plants can produce numerous natural products, many of which have been shown to confer protection against microbial attack. In this way, we identified 1-methyltryptophan (1-MT), a natural compound produced by tomato plants in response to Pseudomonas syringae attack, whose application by soil drench provided protection against this pathogen. In the present work, we have studied the mechanisms underlying this protection. The results demonstrated that 1-MT can be considered a new activator of plant defense responses that acts by inhibiting the stomatal opening produced by coronatine (COR) and could thereby, prevent bacteria entering the mesophyll. Besides, 1-MT acts by blocking the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway that, could avoid manipulation of the salicylic acid (SA) pathway by the bacterium, and thus hinder its growth. Although the concentration of 1-MT reached in the plant did not show antimicrobial effects, we cannot rule out a role for 1-MT acting alone because it affects the expression of the fliC gene that is involved in synthesis of the flagellum. These changes would result in reduced bacterium motility and, therefore, infective capacity. The results highlight the effect of a tryptophan derivative on induced resistance in plants.

[EN] Taste and aroma related compounds have been analyzed in a collection of four traditional varieties and two tomato hybrids, representing a wide variability in fruit shape and color, grown in different environments: screenhouse and open field. Protected cultivation tended to show lower sugar concentration (fructose and glucose) but similar acid contents (citric, malic, and glutamic acids). The decreased levels of sucrose equivalents and the similar ratios of sucrose equivalents to citric or glutamic acid contents indicated that protected cultivation, despite being useful to reduce the incidence of pests and viral diseases, reduces the organoleptic quality. Additionally, it doubles the interaccession variability and increased the level of intra-accession variability. In the case of aroma, the genotypic effect was considerably higher than the environmental component on the 12 main volatiles analyzed. Only hexanal and methyl salicylate were significantly affected by environment, while 10 out of 12 volatiles were affected by the genotype. Biplot analysis showed that, even in considerably different environments, it is possible to identify genotype-dependent main aroma profiles. In the case of 13 background volatiles, the environment showed no significant effects and the genotypic effect was lower, though it is possible to identify genotypic trends in background notes.