Fig. 9
From: ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ interferes with the distribution and uptake of iron in tomato
Model summarizing the effect of phytoplasma infection and/or Fe deficiency on Fe content and Fe acquisition. In healthy tomato plants grown on Fe-sufficient conditions (H/+Fe), Fe is distributed in the whole leaf. In Fe-sufficient, infected leaf (I/+Fe), Fe content is increased in the midrib, concentrating in the phloem tissue. This shift towards the infection site does not induce any root response. Independent of their health status, Fe-deficient plants H/−Fe and I/−Fe) show an extremely reduced Fe content, with no peculiar distribution. In these conditions, the Fe acquisition mechanism is induced, but less induced when the phloem is infected. An impairment of the phloem mass flow and/or an interference with signals moving in the phloem are suggested for phytoplasma infection