Transcriptomic analysis of betel vine (Piper betle L.) in response to Phytophthora parasitica

The betel vine is a therapeutic herb with dark green cardio leaves that have an appealing, distinct. The betel vine is a valuable revenue crop in India. The betel farming activities can generate employment opportunities for throughout the year. This perennial crop is found to be infected by various fungal and bacterial diseases. To date, there is no such report on efficient controlling method for these diseases. Many researchers have focused on the betel vine in past decades due to its scientific and economic value. Many of these studies have been dedicated on molecular phylogeny, sex determination, nutritional and pharmacological activities. The genetics of betel vine, on the other hand, are little understood. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, transcriptome sequencing offers much data with tremendous coverage and more sequence depth. RNASeq can help to better understand significant variations in metabolic processes, which is beneficial for gene discovery, comparative transcriptomics and evolutionary genomics. Plants use a variety of defence strategies to protect themselves against pathogen induced damage, including complex sensing, transducing, and exchanging signals. The expression profiles of genes in plants during defending could be studied in a systematic way by using recently developed deep sequencing technology. The data generated from this study will provide fundamental information in controlling plant production and disease protection in betel vine.