Unlocking plant defenses: Harnessing the power of beneficial microorganisms for induced systemic resistance in vegetables – A systematic review

Plants are susceptible to pathogen attacks, which employ strategies that overcome plant defenses and result in damage and losses. The use of beneficial microorganisms can induce systemic plant resistance, leading to greater efficiency in disease control. The objective of this study was to identify the main microorganisms that induce systemic resistance and the genes and metabolites involved in this process. A bibliographic search was conducted on the Scopus and Web of Science platforms, and the metadata were evaluated using the Bibliometrix package in R software. Subsequently, an investigation was carried out on the microorganisms and their interactions with gene expression and metabolites involved in plant defense systems. In studies of induced systemic resistance, the most cited beneficial microorganisms were Trichoderma, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas, and the most used plant were Solanum lycopersicon L. followed by Arabidopsis thaliana. Among the pathogens, the most employed were Botrytis cinerea, Pseudomonas syringae, Rhizoctonia solani, and Fusarium oxysporum. Beneficial microorganisms influence the expression of genes responsible for signaling jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene, and the production of enzymes involved in the complex of reactive oxygen species as mediators of protection.