Phytoalexin Accumulation in Colombian Bean Varieties and Aminosugars as Elicitors

The accumulation of isoflavonoid phytoalexins was studied in several Colombian bean cultivars resistant and susceptible to Colletotrichum lindemuthianum fungus, the causal agent of anthrachnose disease. A time-course accumulation analysis on seedlings treated with CuCl2 showed that phaseollin production was higher in resistant cultivars than in susceptible ones. Also, a defensive role of phytoalexins was demostrated when extracts containing this pterocarpan exhibited antifungal activity against C. lindemuthianum. In addition, the elicitor activity of some aminosugars was also established.