Unravelling the influence of wild olive (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. sylvestris) genotype on the tolerance level to Verticillium wilt.

The wild olive tree (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. sylvestris) plays a crucial role in the future of olive cultivation, facing challenges such as climate change and emerging diseases. The selection of resistant varieties is among the most sustainable methods for controlling Verticillium wilt. We compared the transcriptomes from two oleaster cultivars with markedly different responses to V. dahliae, AC15 and AC18, susceptible and tolerant, respectively. The differences in the gene expression profile found between AC15 and AC18 stems may determine susceptibility to the disease in the stem tissue. These differences are reflected in the lignin composition of the cell wall. Overall design: Two certified varieties of wild olive were selected for the development of this study, one that has been classified as tolerant, AC18, and AC15 as susceptible. Total RNA from stems was isolated and purified from three independent biological replicates using an automated extraction system Maxwell® 16 Lev Plant RSC Instrument (manufactured by Promega Corporation, Wisconsin, USA) using a Maxwell® RSC RNA FFPE kit (AS1440, Promega, Wisconsin, USA).