Fungal supernatant induces defense responses in strawberry plants against Botrytis cinerea, causal agent of grey mold

HAEL CONRAD, VERÓNICA; SALAZAR, SERGIO; REQUENA SERRA FERNANDO JOSÉ; DIAZ RICCI JUAN CARLOS; TOMAS-GRAU, RODRIGO HERNÁN; MOSCHEN, SEBASTIÁN

Tafí del Valle, Tucumán

Jornada; XXXIV Jornadas Científicas de la Asociación de Biología de Tucumán; 2018

Asociación de Biología de Tucumán

The global trend towards sustainable agriculture tries to reduce the use of agrochemicals and replace them by natural products. In this sense, Plant Biotechnology Laboratory at INSIBIO together with INTA-Famaillá study biological alternatives to control grey mold, one of the main diseases affecting strawberry crop, caused by Botrytis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential of culture supernatant of Colletotrichum acutatum M11 isolate (M11-CF) to biocontrol B. cinerea in Fragaria x ananassa cv. Pájaro plants. M11-CF was obtained by filtration through 0.2 μm pore-size membrane of the 10 d-static fungal culture. M11-CF was applied on one leaf by spray until run-off. Induced plants were challenged towards B. cinerea 1, 2 or 5 days post treatment (dpt). Water, Switch (0,0008%, commercial botrycide, Syngenta) and flg22 (200 nm) were used as controls. Grey mold symptoms were quantified over time and it was observed that when plants were induced 1 d prior to infection the maximum local and systemic defense were achieved. M11-CF did not inhibit B. cinerea in vitro germination or mycelial growth in comparison to Switch control. It neither inhibited Arabidopsis seed germination nor in vitro growth when compared to flg22 treatment, which inhibited 60% of seedlings growth. In conclusion, M11-CF induces protection against B. cinerea in strawberry plants and the defense response induction is not in detriment of plant growth, as many elicitors do.