Colchicine-induced Jasminum sambac polyploids possessed altered metabolic profile with unique antifungal compounds

Cercospora leaf spot is one of the dangerous foliar fungi that affects the jasmine plant and causes significant yield loss. No cultivars or germplasm accessions show resistance to this fungus or the infection due to which the usage of fungicides remains the primary means of disease management, though it is hazardous to the environment. Polyploidization is one of the most important breeding techniques in jasmine, since the newly-acquired polyploids may have higher resilience or tolerance towards the illnesses, due to altered metabolite synthesis. By administering colchicine, a polyploidizing chemical, to Jasminum sambac cv. Ramanathapuram Gundumalli, 17 putative polyploids were obtained for this study. Among the samples considered, two putative polyploids (ensuing from the wild parent after treatment with 0.25 percent colchicine) did not show any Cercospora leaf spot symptoms, while the control attained the highest mean (63.65) per cent disease index. Non-targeted metabolite profiling assay of these lines inferred that several antifungal chemicals, including 1H-1,2,4-Triazole-1-ethanol, α-butyl-α-(2,4-dichlorophenyl) and Dasycarpidan-1-methanol, acetate (ester) were found only in the two recently-evolved mutants of J. sambac whereas it was not present in the wild parent. The molecular docking results further confirmed that Dasycarpidan-1-methanol and acetate (ester) get successfully attached to the fungi's 7EUS and 7EUT proteins. These proteins play a crucial role in manufacturing cercosporin, a photoactivated toxin that uses the Reactive Oxygen Species in host cells and damage the cell components such as membranes, proteins and lipids. Thus, the current research work immensely contributed to the creation of a natural, environment-friendly strategy for generating and defining the novel Cercospora leaf spot-resistant jasmine lines that may be useful for the farmers in the flower industry.