In order to further understand the corresponding mechanism of pepper plants in different infection stages.The blocks of fungal mycelia were inoculated on the soil surface about 2 cm away from the base of stem of the pepper plants at the six-leaf stage. After getting rid of the hyphae on stem surface, stem tissues (1 cm long pepper stem segments above the soil surface) that fungal hyphae just contacted (T1, about 24 h after inoculation) or surrounded (T2, about 48 h after inoculation) with pepper stems were harvested together to be taken as a sample of a different stage of fungal infection. Mock samples were taken at the same time as T1 but without inoculation of S. rolfsii. The samples were gently dried and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -80 °C for the following experiments. Each sample was composed of stem tissues from 12 plants.