Calcium reducesBotrytis c1nerea damages to plants ofRuscus hypoglossum

Plants ofRuscus hypoglossum L. were grown in containers with perlite, an inert medium, or with soil, under similar-to-commercial conditions, for three winter seasons. Constant fertilization with soluble calcium [Ca(NO₃)₂] through the root zone resulted in a reduction of up to 78% in postharvest rot caused by artificial inoculation withBotrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. Control plants were treated by fertilization with N,P,K and all other elements, identical to the fertilizer containing calcium. Foliar application of Ca(NO₃)₂ to ruscus bushes or application of this compound or of CaCl₂ or CaSO₄ to mature cut branches standing in water, resulted also in a significant reduction in postharvest phylloclade rot. Application of CaSO₄ and Ca(H2PO₄)₂ + CaSO₄ to ruscus plants, from fertilizers containing 22% Ca and releasing the cation gradually, effectively reduced the susceptibility of cut branches to infection by_{B. cinerea.}     

Biological control ofBotrytis cinerea in residues and flowers of Rose (Rosa hybrida)

Microbial isolates from living petals, petal residues and leaf residues of rose, and from laboratory collections, were evaluated for control ofBotrytis cinerea in rose. In leaf residues artificially infested withB. cinerea, isolates of the filamentous fungiGliocladium roseum, FR136 (unidentified) andTrichoderma inhamatum reduced sporulation of the pathogen by >90%, other filamentous fungi were 25–90% effective, and those of yeasts and bacteria were <50% effective. In artificially inoculated petal residues, no microbe reduced sporulation ofB. cinerea by >75%, but isolates ofCladosporium oxysporum and four yeasts were 51–75% effective, and three filamentous fungi, eight yeasts andBacillus subtilis isolates were 26–50% effective. Isolates ofT. inhamatum, C. oxysporum andG. roseum performed best againstB. cinerea among isolates evaluated in leaf residues naturally infested with the pathogen and indigenous microorganisms. Totals of ten isolates of filamentous fungi (includingC. oxysporum andC. cladosporioides), two of yeasts and five ofBacillus subtilis completely prevented lesion production byB. cinerea in detached petals, and a further six isolates of filamentous fungi (includingG. roseum) and six yeasts were 90–99% effective. Isolates ofC. oxysporum, C. cladosporioides andB. subtilis, the most effective microorganisms againstB. cinerea in flower buds, reduced number of lesions in the range of 42–65% compared with 59–89% for à standard fungicide (vinclozolin). It is suggested that application of leading antagonists Jo living rose leaves and flowers should optimize control of inoculum production byB. cinerea when the tissues die. Optimal biocontrol of lesion production in flower buds requires a better understanding of the microenvironment of petals.     

四种杀菌剂对烟草灰霉病菌的毒力及对烟草灰霉病的抑制作用

为筛选防治烟草灰霉病的有效药剂,采用菌丝生长速率法和孢子萌发法测定氟啶胺、咪鲜胺、苯醚甲环唑及代森锰锌4种杀菌剂对烟草灰霉病菌Botrytis cinerea的毒力,同时通过离体叶片评价这4种杀菌剂对烟草灰霉病的保护和治疗作用。结果表明,氟啶胺和咪鲜胺对菌丝生长活性抑制最强,有效抑制中浓度ECjs50平均值分别为0.02、0.03 mg/L,苯醚甲环唑次之,代森锰锌最弱,EC_(js50)平均值分别为0.39、7.86 mg/L;氟啶胺对孢子萌发活性抑制最强,代森锰锌次之,有效抑制中浓度EC_(mf50)平均值分别为0.06、0.16 mg/L,咪鲜胺和苯醚甲环唑最弱,ECmf50平均值均大于25.00 mg/L。离体试验表明,氟啶胺对烟草灰霉病保护作用最强,浓度为50 mg/L时,防治效果为100.00%,咪鲜胺和苯醚甲环唑次之,防治效果分别为88.62%和76.46%,代森锰锌最弱,浓度为1 000 mg/L时防治效果仅为75.81%;氟啶胺对烟草灰霉病治疗作用最强,浓度为100 mg/L时的防治效果为85.75%,咪鲜胺和苯醚甲环唑次之,浓度为200 mg/L时的防治效果分别为85.47%和76.48%,代森锰锌最弱,浓度为1 000 mg/L时防治效果为70.24%。表明氟啶胺和咪鲜胺更适合烟草灰霉病的防治。     

Survival of dicarboximide-resistant strains ofBotrytis cinerea in plant debris during summer in Israel

Survival- ofBotrytis cinerea was monitored during two summer seasons. Mycelium and conidia were found dead on the surface of plant debris within 2 months of incubation, whereas a high level of viability was detected in thallus of the pathogen which was 1–2 mm inside the dry host tissue. Of the 148 samples of infected senescing cucumber female fruits, 8% survived seven warm months; half of these isolates ofB. cinerea were resistant to dicarboximides (5 (μ/ml iprodione). Of the stems of cucumber infected withB. cinerea in winter, 18% yielded the pathogen at the beginning of the following winter; 15% of the surviving isolates were resistant to dicarboximides. Cucumber seedlings artificially infected byB. cinerea did not yield the pathogen longer than 9 weeks after establishment of infection, even when incubated in the shade. Plant debris with symptoms of gray mold were kept in the shade during the summer; at the beginning of winter it was possible to establish infection ofB. cinerea from the dry debris.     

An inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis — Difluoromethylornithine — and the polyamine spermidine for the control of gray mold(Botrytis Cinerea)

Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) — an inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, and the polyamine spermidine (Spd) reduced gray mold of tomato, pepper, eggplant, bean andSenecio sp. leaves, and of rose petals by 37–88% when applied at 0.1–1.0 mM each. Higher doses did not result in better control. The disease was also reduced significantly on tomato fruits by 1.0 inM DFMO and by 0.1–1.0 mM Spd, and on cucumber fruits by 0.1–1.0 mM of both compounds, but not on grape berries. The combination of 0.2 mM DFMO with 1.0 mM Spd controlled gray mold ofSenecio sp. and tomato leaves additively better than either treatment alone, whereas this effect was not observed in leaves of lettuce and pepper. Ethylene production was reduced significantly by Spd applied to leaves of tomato and pepper, but not by DFMO. Linear growth and germination of the fungus were affected by lower concentrations of DFMO (ED50 0.12–0.97 and 1.4, respectively) as compared with Spd. Spermidine and DFMO controlled white mold(Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) as effectively as did the fungicide benomyl. Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization. No. 3195-E, 1991 series.     

Fungicide resistance inBotrytis cinerea isolates from strawberry crops in Huelva (southwestern Spain)

The severity of disease caused byBotrytis cinerea in strawberries is very high and chemical control is common practice; low residue levels of chemical products are required. Thus, it is important to be aware of the development of fungicide resistance in order to choose the best strategies of chemical control. In the present study we evaluated the response of 36B. cinerea isolates against eight different fungicides. The isolates were sampled twice, at the beginning and the end of the season, in 11 commercial strawberry fields located in the area of Huelva (Spain). In addition, two reference isolates, SAS56 and SAS405, were evaluated. The proportion of isolates resistant to benomyl was very high (86%). Resistance to dicarboximides was detected in 44% of the isolates and resistance to pyrimethanil in 25% of the isolates. Different degrees of sensitivity to captan and dichlofluanid were recorded. No resistance was found to diethofencarb plus carbendazim. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Sept. 18, 2002.     

The involvement of ethylene and calcium in gray mold of pelargonium,ruscus, and rose plants

Leaves ofPelargonium domesticum andRuscus hypoglossum infected byBotrytis cinerea Pers., produced 12 and 1.5 nl ethylene/h/g, respectively, 34 days after inoculation; wounded or healthy leaves and phyloclades of them produced much lower amounts. When the fungus was grown on dead leaves it produced negligible amounts of the gas even when supplemented with methionine. Exogenous ethylene enhanced gray mold development in both hosts. Silver thiosulfate, aminooxyacetic acid (AOA) and aminoethoxyvinylglycine significantly inhibited disease development in pelargonium, and the latter two compounds inhibited ethylene production. AOA inhibited disease development and ethylene production in cut rose flowers; calcium ions inhibited disease development whereas the chelator EGTA [ethylene glycol bis-(β-aminoethyl ether)N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid] enhanced it. Disease suppression by an excess of Ca²⁺ was correlated with repression of ethylene production by the flowers, whereas deficiency in Ca²⁺ increased disease severity. Publication of the Agricultural Research Organization. No. 2413-E, 1988 series.     

Studies on the Inherent Resistance Risk to Fenhexamid in Botrytis cinerea

After chemical mutagenesis with N-methyl-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) two phenotypes that were highly or moderately resistant to fenhexamid, were isolated from a wild-type strain of Botrytis cinerea, at a mutation frequency of 0.9 × 10^–5. Resistance factors, based on EC⁵⁰ values, were 460–570 and 10–15, respectively. The mutation(s) for resistance to fenhexamid did not affect the sensitivity of mutant strains to the benzimidazole benomyl, the phenylpyridinamine fluazinam, the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil, the guanidine iminoctadine or to the sterol-biosynthesis-inhibiting fungicides fenarimol, fenpropimorph and tridemorph. On the contrary, an increased sensitivity (EC⁵⁰ ratios of 0.2–0.6) of fenhexamid-resistant strains to the phenylpyrrole fludioxonil and the dicarboximide iprodione was observed. Study of fitness parameters of fenhexamid-resistant isolates of both phenotypic classes showed that these mutation(s) had no effect on mycelial growth and sensitivity to high osmolarity, but they did affect one or more of some other characteristics, such as sporulation, conidial germination and sclerotia production. In tests on cucumber seedlings under greenhouse conditions, all highly fenhexamid-resistant isolates tested presented decreased infection ability compared with the wild-type. Preventive applications of a commercial formulation of fenhexamid, Teldor 50 WP, were effective against lesion development on cotyledons by the wild-type, but ineffective, even in high concentrations, against disease caused by the fenhexamid-resistant isolates. The risk of resistance problems arising during commercial use of fenhexamid is discussed.     

Transgenic cucumber expressing an endogenous class III chitinase gene has reduced symptoms from Botrytis cinerea

A class III chitinase gene (CHI2) is induced in cucumber plants (Cucumis sativa L.) in response to infection by pathogenic microorganisms. Infection of Botrytis cinerea, causal agent of gray mold disease on cucumber, also induces CHI2 expression. To investigate whether CHI2 is involved in resistance to gray mold disease, transgenic cucumber plants were produced to overexpress the CHI2 gene. One line was analyzed in detail in terms of disease resistance. The transgenic cucumber plant (CC2) constitutively expressed CHI2 and reduced the symptoms of B. cinerea for 4 days after inoculation compared with nontransgenic plants. However, this inhibitory effect was not absolute, and CC2 eventually developed serious disease symptoms. Chitinase activity of the crude extract from CC2 leaves was higher than that from nontransgenic plants. A high-molecular-weight fraction containing CHI2 from CC2 leaves had fungistatic activity against B. cinerea. Interestingly, the low-molecular-weight fraction from CC2 leaves with CHI2 removed also had fungistatic activity against B. cinerea. Not only the introduced chitinase activity but also the endogenous defense reactions activated by overexpression of CHI2 may be involved in the enhanced gray mold disease resistance in CC2.     

Relationships of aphid and mite infestations to control ofBotrytis cinerea byClonostachys rosea in rose(Rosa hybrida) leaves

Infestations of aphids(Macrosiphum rosae L.) and of twospotted spider mites(Tetranychus urticae Koch) were examined in relation to growth and sporulation ofClonostachys rosea andBotrytis cinerea, and to suppression of the pathogen by the agent, in green rose leaves. Leaves were infested artificially with 10 aphids/leaflet for 3 h, or naturally with 15-30 aphids/leaflet for 7-12 days or with undetermined numbers of mites for 10-12 days. Leaves that had or had not been infested were inoculated withC. rosea, withB. cinerea, or withC. rosea plusB. cinerea. Germination incidence and germ tube growth ofC. rosea andB. cinerea on the phylloplane in most instances were much greater in leaves previously infested with aphids or mites compared with noninfested leaves. After combined inoculation,C. rosea suppressed germination ofB. cinerea from 47% to 19% in noninfested leaves, but in leaves that had been infested the agent was ineffective and germination incidence of the pathogen increased to 75-93%. Previous infestation with naturally introduced aphids or mites, but not brief infestations of artificially introduced aphids, markedly increased sporulation ofC. rosea after the leaves died during an initial 7-15 days of incubation on a paraquat agar medium, regardless of whether or notB. cinerea was present. Sporulation ofB. cinerea was similarly increased when inoculated alone. After 15-20 days, however, conidiophores of the agent or pathogen covered most of the leaf surface in these treatments. In leaves inoculated withC. rosea plusB. cinerea, the agent suppressed sporulation of the pathogen almost completely in both previously infested and noninfested leaves. Thus, aphid and mite infestations did not compromise the ability ofC. rosea to suppress inoculum production byB. cinerea in the leaves. Increased nutrient availability on the phylloplane through exudation or as honeydew or frass is proposed as a basis to explain effects of the pest infestations onC. rosea andB. cinerea.     

Control of infection and sporulation ofBotrytis cinerea on bean and tomato by saprophytic bacteria and fungi

Sixty isolates of saprophytic microorganisms were screened for their ability to reduce the severity of grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) infection and sporulation. Isolates of the bacteriaXanthomonas maltophilia, Bacillus pumilus, Lactobacillus sp., andPseudomonas sp. and the fungusGliocladium catenulatum reduced germination of conidia of the pathogen and controlled disease on bean and tomato plants. Their activity under growth room conditions was good, consistent, and similar to the activity of the known biocontrol agent,Trichoderma harzianum T39 (non-formulated). Although the tested isolates may for nutrients with the germinating conidia ofB. cinerea, resistance induced in the host by live or dead cells were also found to be involved. Inhibitory compounds were not detected on treated leaves. Sporulation ofB. cinerea after its establishment on leaves was also reduced by the above mentioned isolates and byPenicillium sp.,Arthrinium montagnei, Ar. phaeospermum, Sesquicillium candelabrum, Chaetomium globosum, Alternaria alternata, Ulocladium atrum, andT. viride. These sporulation-inhibiting fungi did not reduce the infection of leaves byB. cinerea. Most of these selected fungi and bacteria were capable of reducing lesion expansion.     

洛阳市牡丹灰霉病病原菌的鉴定

为明确洛阳市牡丹灰霉病的病原菌种类,于2015年从该地区的4个牡丹Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.种植区采集灰霉病样品,采用组织分离法对病原菌进行分离和纯化,结合形态学和基因序列分析对分离物进行鉴定,采用针刺接种法测定不同分离物对牡丹离体叶片的致病性。结果表明,从灰霉病样品中分离获得40株分离物,这些分离物分别属于Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ型菌,I型菌不易产孢但产菌核;Ⅱ型菌易产孢,后期产生少量菌核;Ⅲ型菌易产孢,且产生大量菌核。产孢分离物均形成直立状分生孢子梗,孢子梗分枝顶端聚生葡萄穗状分生孢子,分生孢子卵圆形或长卵圆形。供试菌株的ITS序列和G3PDH基因序列与灰葡萄孢Botrytis cinerea Pers.的同源性达到99%;致病性测定结果表明,各菌群代表菌株对牡丹均有致病性,但不同菌群间致病力有差异。研究表明,引起洛阳市牡丹灰霉病的病原菌为灰葡萄孢,且菌群类型多样。     

Further suppression of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> disease in cucumber seedlings by chitosan-copper complex as compared with chitosan alone

Chitosan-copper complex compared with chitosan alone enhanced suppression ofBotrytis cinerea rot development on four-true-leaf cucumber seedlings in controlled growth chambers. This paper constitutes the first report of such enhancement. The optimal concentrations for the most effective suppression ofBotrytis development were 0.2 gl ⁻¹ chitosan and 1.6 mmole copper. After 12 days’ incubation, marked and significantly better disease suppression was obtained with chitosan-copper complex (75% suppression) than with chitosan alone. The chitosan-copper complex could be a very promising decay control agent for use in both conventional and organic agriculture. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Dec. 18, 2002.     

上海地区草莓灰霉病菌对啶酰菌胺的敏感性检测及抗性机制分析

为明确上海地区草莓灰霉病菌Botrytis cinerea Pers. 对主要防治药剂啶酰菌胺的敏感性水平及抗性机制,采用平皿法检测了采自上海市6个区县的195株草莓灰霉病菌株对啶酰菌胺的敏感性,并分析了其中20株不同敏感型菌株的琥珀酸脱氢酶基因序列。结果显示:啶酰菌胺对上海地区草莓灰霉病菌菌丝生长的EC₅₀最小值为0.15 μg/mL,最大值大于110 μg/mL;对孢子萌发的EC₅₀最小值为0.19 μg/mL,最大值大于50 μg/mL。上海地区草莓灰霉病菌对啶酰菌胺的抗性频率为29.74% (抗性水平大于10),高抗频率为20.51% (抗性水平大于100)。该抗性的产生与琥珀酸脱氢酶SdhB亚基发生H272R或P225F突变有关,其中H272R突变发生较为普遍。研究表明,上海地区草莓灰霉病菌对啶酰菌胺的抗性水平及抗性频率较高,主要抗性机制为病原菌琥珀酸脱氢酶SdhB亚基上的H272R突变。     

Gray mold of pearl lupine caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis>

Severe blight of stems, leaves and pods caused by Botrytis cinerea was found on pearl lupine (Lupinus mutabilis), a legume crop, grown in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, in March–June 1996–2002. This disease was named “gray mold of pearl lupine” as a new disease. One of the fungal isolates obtained in this study was deposited in Genebank, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences as accession MAFF238557.     

浙江省果蔬灰霉病菌对嘧菌酯的抗药性研究

采用菌丝生长速率法,连续监测了2010—2012年间浙江省果蔬灰霉病菌对QoI类杀菌剂嘧菌酯的敏感性变化。 结果表明:病菌群体中的低敏感性亚群体的比例明显上升,EC50值>5 mg/L 菌株的比例分别为12.5%、15.8%和28.3%;在菌丝生长阶段和孢子萌发阶段,旁路氧化在灰霉病菌对嘧菌酯敏感性中的平均相对贡献值(F)分别为2.91±0.89和5.72±2.82;嘧菌酯抗药性菌株的菌丝生长速率、产孢量、产菌核数和致病力与敏感菌株相比无显著差异。抗药性分子机制研究表明,灰霉病菌中存在2种类型的cyt b基因:Ⅰ型cyt b基因在第143位密码子后紧跟内含子;Ⅱ型cyt b基因在第143位密码子后没有紧跟内含子。大多数的灰霉病菌菌株属于Ⅱ型。Ⅰ型菌株均为嘧菌酯敏感菌株,Ⅱ型菌株为嘧菌酯敏感菌株或抗性菌株。抗性菌株的cyt b 基因的第143位密码子由甘氨酸(GGC)突变为了丙氨酸(GCC),抗药性机制为G143A。     

Characterization of Laboratory Mutants of Botrytis cinerea Resistant to QoI Fungicides

Mutants of Botrytis cinerea with moderate and high resistance to pyraclostrobin, a Qo inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport at the cytochrome bc ₁ complex, were isolated at a high mutation frequency, after nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis and selection on medium containing pyraclostrobin and salicylhydroxamate (SHAM), a specific inhibitor of cyanide-resistant (alternative) respiration. Oxygen uptake in whole cells was strongly inhibited in the wild-type strain by pyraclostrobin and SHAM, but not in the mutant isolates. Cross-resistance studies with other Qo and Qi inhibitors (QoIs and QiIs) of cytochrome bc ₁ complex of mitochondrial respiration showed that the mutation(s) for resistance to pyraclostrobin also reduced the sensitivity of mutant strains to other QoIs as azoxystrobin, fluoxastrobin, trifloxystrobin and picoxystrobin, but not to famoxadone and to the QiIs cyazofamid and antimycin-A. An increased sensitivity of pyraclostrobin-resistant strains to the carboxamide boscalid, an inhibitor of complex II, and to the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil, a methionine biosynthesis inhibitor, was observed. Moreover, no effect of pyraclostrobin resistance mutation(s) on fungitoxicity of the hydroxyanilide fenhexamid, the phenylpyrrole fludioxonil, the benzimidazole benomyl, and to the phenylpyridinamine fluazinam, which affect other cellular pathways, was observed. Study of fitness parameters in the wild-type and pyraclostrobin-resistant mutants of B. cinerea showed that most mutants had a significant reduction in the sporulation, conidial germination and sclerotia production. Experiments on the stability of the pyraclostrobin-resistant phenotype showed a reduction of resistance, mainly in moderate resistant strains, when the mutants were grown on inhibitor-free medium. However, a rapid recovery of the resistance level was observed after the mutants were returned to a selective medium. Studies on the competitive ability of mutant isolates against the wild-type parent strain, by applications of a mixed conidial population, showed that, in vitro, all mutants were less competitive than the wild-type strain. However, the competitive ability of high resistant mutants was higher than the moderate ones. Pathogenicity tests on cucumber seedlings showed that all mutant strains tested exhibited an infection ability similar with the wild-type parent strain. Preventive applications of the commercial product of F-500 25EC (pyraclostrobin) were effective against lesion development on cotyledons by the wild-type, but ineffective, even at high concentrations, against disease caused by the pyraclostrobin-resistant isolates. Boscalid (F-510 50WG) was found equally effective against the disease caused by the wild-type or pyraclostrobin-resistant mutants. This is the first report indicating the appearance of B. cinerea strains resistant to QoI fungicides by the biochemical mechanism of site modification and the risk for field resistance.     

Effect of interrupted leaf wetness periods on suppression of sporulation ofBotrytis allii andB. cinerea by antagonists on dead onion leaves

Saprophytic antagonists were evaluated for suppression of sporulation ofBotrytis allii andB. cinerea on artificially killed segments of onion leaves that were pre-inoculated with the pathogens. During incubation of the antagonisttreated leaf segments in moist chambers, periods of leaf wetness and leaf dryness were alternated to simulate conditions in the field. Interruption of humid conditions with dry periods had a differential effect on antagonists.Alternaria alternata, Chaetomium globosum, Ulocladium atrum andU. chartarum suppressed sporulation ofB. allii almost completely under continuously wet conditions, and when the leaf wetness periods were interrupted with drying periods of 9h imposed 16, 40, and 64 h after the antagonists were applied. When leaf wetness was interrupted 16 h after antagonist application, the number of conidia ofB. allii produced cm^–2 leaf surface after eight days was under the detection limit of 5.2 × 10³ conidia on leaves treated with these antagonists compared to 3.7 × 10⁵ conidia on leaves that were not treated. On the other hand,Gliocladium roseum, G. catenulatum andSesquicillium candelabrum, all highly efficient under continuously wet conditions, were of low to moderate efficiency when leaf wetness periods had been interrupted 16 h after application of the antagonists. The antagonists showed the same differentiation and sensitivity to interrupted wetness periods when tested withB. cinerea.     

Field evaluation of a supervised control system forBotrytis leaf blight in spring sown onions in the Netherlands

Between 1988 and 1992 two existing weather based advisory models to control leaf blight in onions, were evaluated in the Netherlands. The first model, BOTCAST, can be used to time the initial spray while the second model, SIV, can be used to advise on every subsequent spraying. The evaluation based on field trials showed that application of both BOTCAST and SIV can reduce the number of sprays by 54% compared to a weekly spraying program without any yield loss or a higher disease severity. There was no relation between yield losses of untreated plots and disease severity expressed as lesion counts or leaf dieback. Relative disease growth rate was significantly but not closely related to weather based model characteristics or the observed crop micro-climate using linear regression analysis. The model characteristics did not yield better regressions than the climatological characteristics. Two changes to improve BOTCAST are proposed. Introduction of a supervised control system based on BOTCAST and SIV seems only economically feasible when the system is used as a regional warning system.     

Bioluminescence reporter assay system to monitor Arabidopsis MPK3 gene expression in response to infection by Botrytis cinerea

The Arabidopsis MPK3 gene product participates in disease resistance mediated by the MAP kinase cascade. The expression of the MPK3 gene is induced by pathogen inoculation and treatment with chemicals such as salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (JA), but the detailed expression pattern of the MPK3 gene has been largely unknown. To investigate MPK3 gene expression in response to disease stress, we fused the MPK3 promoter to the firefly luciferase gene to create a real-time monitoring system for regulated gene expression in planta. The results of an in vivo reporter assay using transgenic Arabidopsis plants harboring MPK3::Fluc showed that the MPK3 promoter activity was induced by treatment with chemicals such as SA and benzo(1,2,3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH), that induce defense gene expression. Inoculation with the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea resulted in systemic induction of MPK3::Fluc.