Key metabolic traits of Pisum sativum maintain cell vitality during Didymella pinodes infection: cultivar resistance and the microsymbionts' influence.

Ascochyta blight causes severe losses in field pea production and the search for resistance traits towards the causal agent Didymella pinodes is of particular importance for farmers. Various microsymbionts have been reported to shape the plants' immune response. However, regardless their contribution to resistance, they are hardly included in experimental designs. We delineate the effect of symbionts (rhizobia, mycorrhiza) on the leaf proteome and metabolome of two field pea cultivars with varying resistance levels against D. pinodes and, furthermore, show cultivar specific symbiont colonisation efficiency. The pathogen infection showed a stronger influence on the interaction with the microsymbionts in the susceptible cultivar, which was reflected in decreased nodule weight and root mycorrhiza colonisation. Vice versa, symbionts induced variation of the host's infection response which, however, was overruled by genotypic resistance associated traits of the tolerant cultivar such as maintenance of photosynthesis and provision of sugars and carbon back bones to fuel secondary metabolism. Moreover, resistance appears to be linked to sulphur metabolism, a functional glutathione-ascorbate hub and fine adjustment of jasmonate and ethylene synthesis to suppress induced cell death. We conclude that these metabolic traits are essential for sustainment of cell vitality and thus, a more efficient infection response. SIGNIFICANCE: The infection response of two Pisum sativum cultivars with varying resistance levels towards Didymella pinodes was analysed most comprehensively at proteomic and metabolomic levels. Enhanced tolerance was linked to newly discovered cultivar specific metabolic traits such as hormone synthesis and presumably suppression of cell death.