FUNGAL SUPERNATANT INDUCES DEFENSE RESPONSES IN STRAWBERRY PLANTS AGAINST Botrytis cinerea, THE CAUSAL AGENT OF GREY MOLD

TOMAS GRAU, RODRIGO H; HAEL CONRAD, VERÓNICA; REQUENA SERRA, FERNANDO J.; MOSCHEN, SEBASTIAN N.; SALAZAR, SERGIO M; DIAZ RICCI, JUAN C

Tafi del Valle

Jornada; 35º Jornadas Científicas de la Asociación de Biología de Tucumán.; 2018

Asociación de Biología de Tucumán

The global trend towards sustainable agriculture aims at reducing the use of agrochemicals and replacing them by natural products. In this sense, the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory at INSIBIO together with INTA-Famaillá study biological alternatives to control grey mold caused by Botrytis, which is one of the main diseases that affect strawberry crops. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential of a 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 0.2μm 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.