Abstract:
Ralstonia solanacearum is a highly destructive soil-borne pathogen that induces bacterial wilt by infiltrating plant vascular systems, leading to extensive wilting and mortality in economically vital crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, and causing significant global economic losses. Conventional chemical controls are increasingly ineffective due to the pathogen’s rapid resistance evolution and the environmental hazards they entail. The rhizosphere microenvironment, as the first line of defense against pathogen invasion, has attracted growing attention, particularly for its metabolite-mediated disease resistance. Rhizosphere metabolites, sourced from plant root exudates and microbial activities, not only directly modulate the virulence and colonization ability of
R. solanacearum but also restructure the rhizosphere microbial community to form inhibitory barriers, acting as pivotal elements in the plant-pathogen-microbe interaction network. This article systematically reviewed current research on rhizosphere metabolites, summarizing their dynamic changes during
R. solanacearum’s invasion. We further examined the mechanisms by which these metabolites inhibit pathogen invasion, focusing on preventing pathogen recruitment and colonization in the rhizosphere, and suppressing root invasion and in planta proliferation. To advance our understanding of rhizosphere metabolite-mediated inhibition of
R. solanacearum invasion, future research should: explore rhizosphere metabolites in major crops and their temporal-spatial dynamics in response to the pathogen; clarify how plant immune signaling feedback regulates rhizosphere metabolite profiles and the microinterface mechanisms of pathogen suppression; apply rhizosphere metabolites in field disease control by enhancing their persistence and targeting in the rhizosphere, identifying key biosynthetic genes and regulatory pathways, and enabling precise manipulation of metabolite-pathogen interactions.