Project description:In order to identify variety-specific differences in defense response induction, Scavina 6 (Sca6) and Imperial College Selection 1 (ICS1) cacao plantlets were treated with 2mM SA or water as control and leaves of three developmental stages (A,C, E) were collected. This process was repeated 3 times yielding 32 samples, (Stage E ICS1 and Stage A Sca6 were collected only twice.) Averaging across developmental stages within each genotype, ICS1 had 436 up- and 601 down-regulated genes and Sca6 had 490 up- and 447 down-regulated genes (Benjamini-Hochberg p-value < 0.05). Analysis of gene annotations and Gene Ontology terms revealed that more PR genes and genes associated with defense response were up-regulated in ICS1, the more pathogen-susceptible genotype, while Sca6 had more genes associated with photosynthesis and energy generation.
