Botrytis cinerea Infection in Grape Flowers: Defense Reaction, Latency, and Disease Expression

ABSTRACT Inflorescences of field-grown grapevines (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Gamay) were inoculated with a Botrytis cinerea conidia suspension or dried conidia at different stages during bloom in moist weather. Approximately 10% of the conidia germinated within 72 h, resulting in two to three times more latent infections than uninoculated controls in pea-size (7 mm in diameter) berries. In surface-sterilized pea-size berries, latent B. cinerea was present predominantly in the receptacle area. After veraison, latent B. cinerea also was found in the style and, in mature berries, latent colonies were distributed throughout the pulp. Inoculation at full bloom led to the highest disease severity (66%) at harvest, compared with 38% in controls. Stilbene stress metabolites in the flowers were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Resveratrol accumulated mainly after pre-bloom and full-bloom inoculation, but did not prevent infection. Piceid levels did not change following inoculation, while epsilon-viniferin was found in necrotic tissues only, and pterostilbene and alphaviniferin were not detected at all. B. cinerea conidia suspensions also were applied to various locations on flowers of pot-grown cvs. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Inoculation of the receptacle area, but not that of the stigma and ovary, resulted in latent infections. Stilbene synthesis was similar to the field results, with resveratrol accumulating mainly in the calyptra and receptacle area. Constitutive soluble phenolic compounds (mainly derivatives of quercetin and hydroxy-cinnamic acid) were present at high concentrations in the calyptra but at low levels in the receptacle area. These experiments confirmed bloom as a critical time for B. cinerea infection in grapes and suggest that the most likely site of infection is the receptacle area or cap scar exposed at anthesis. Stilbenes may have a limited role in inhibition of flower infection and latency in susceptible grape cultivars, and epsilon-viniferin may be a by-product rather than a deterrent of infection.     

Modeling Infection of Strawberry Flowers by Botrytis cinerea Using Field Data

ABSTRACT The incidence of strawberry flower infection by Botrytis cinerea was monitored in unsprayed field plots in three successive years together with meteorological data and numbers of conidia in the air. There were large differences in conidia numbers and weather conditions in the 3 years. Three sets of models were derived to relate inoculum and weather conditions to the incidence of flower infection; by inoculum only, by weather variables only, and by both inoculum and weather variables. All the models fitted the observed incidence satisfactorily. High inoculum led to more infection. Models using weather variables only gave more accurate predictions than models using inoculum only. Models using both weather variables and inoculum gave the best predictions, but the improvement over the models based on weather variables only was small. The relationship between incidence of flower infection and inoculum and weather variables was generally consistent between years. Of the weather variables examined, daytime vapor pressure deficit and nighttime temperature had the greatest effect in determining daily incidence of flower infection. Infection was favored by low day vapor pressure deficit and high night temperature. The accuracy and consistency of the weather-based models suggest they could be explored to assist in management of gray mold.     

Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy Studies on the Infection of Oriental Lily Leaves By Botrytis Elliptica

Light, scanning electron and fluorescent microscopy were used to observe the infection process of Botrytis elliptica on leaves of oriental lily (cv. Star Gazer). At 20 °C and 100% relative humidity, conidia germinated on both adaxial and abaxial foliar surfaces, but germ tubes failed to invade epidermal cells on the adaxial surface. On abaxial surfaces, short (< 20 m) swollen germ tube appressoria penetrated through stomatal openings (19%), through the epidermis near guard cells (52%), or directly through epidermal cells (29%). Esterase activity was detected on germ tubes and conidia after 6 h of incubation, and deformation of the cuticle on abaxial surfaces of lily was observed surrounding infection sites. By 3 h after inoculation, almost 70% of the conidia had germinated, but no penetration was observed. At 6 h after inoculation, almost one-third of germinated conidia had penetrated epidermal cells, and water-soaked lesions were associated with 20% of the penetrations. By 9 h after inoculation, approximately 60% of the germinated conidia had penetrated plant tissues, and water-soaked lesions were associated with 60% of the infections. Fluorescent microscopy with a specific fungal stain allowed assessment of successful infection and visualization of sub-epidermal hyphae. We conclude that penetration of abaxial foliar surfaces of oriental lilies by B. elliptica occurs via short swollen germ tube appressoria mostly near stomata.     

Infection of plum and nectarine flowers by Botrytis cinerea

The ability of Botrytis cinerea to infect plum and nectarine flowers was studied in moist chambers and in the orchard. Within 36 h of inoculation, the pathogen penetrated and colonized the stamens, styles and petals on shoots placed in moist chambers, causing blossom blight. Similar lesion development was observed following inoculation with dry and wet conidia, Hyphae were usually distorted in stylar tissue, but grew normally in petals and filaments. Growth of the fungus through filaments into the sepals or floral tubes, or through the transmitting tissue of the style into the ovary, was never observed. Symptoms of blossom blight were not observed on inoculated shoots in the orchard. The floral tube, bearing the sepals and stamens, dehisced within 14 days of fruit set and infected floral parts did not remain attached to young developing fruit. No relation was found between post-harvest decay and flower infection. Losses following post-harvest decay might have been caused by direct penetration of ripening fruit and not by flower infection. The importance of infected floral parts as a source of secondary inoculum on ripening fruit is discussed.     

Infection of flowers and fruits of red raspberry by Botrytis cinerea

The frequency and site of symptomless infection of flower buds, flowers, and fruits of red raspberry by Botrytis cinerea was studied using surface-disinfestation and culture techniques. Flower buds were rarely infected but open flowers were rapidly colonized and necrotic stamens and styles were an important source of infection for the developing fruit. The receptacle tissue within the drupelet cluster cavity was mostly sterile. Dichlofluanid sprays reduced symptomless infection of fruits and were more effective when applied early. Post-harvest rot tests indicated that incidence of grey mould was not related to symptomless infection unless fruits were surface-disinfested before subjecting to the rotting test.     

Studies on resistance to dichlofluanid and other fungicides in Botrytis cinerea

Amongst 489 mass isolates of Botrytis cinerea obtained from protected crops in Humberside during 1989, 67.3% were resistant to benomyl and 45.6% to vinclozolin. Two isolates resistant to dichlofluanid were obtained with EC₅₀ values for mycelial growth on agar of 21.45 and 19.78 μg dichlofluanid/ml, respectively, compared with values of 1.55-2.56 μg/ml for sensitive isolates. EC₅₀ values for germ tube emergence and length were much lower than for mycelial growth. In population studies carried out on tomatoes in a polythene tunnel, resistance to dichlofluanid and to vinclozolin declined over a 12-week period in the absence of fungicides. Field isolates of B. cinerea resistant to dichlofluanid were also resistant to vinclozolin. but strains resistant to dichlofluanid and sensitive to vinclozolin were obtained during population studies. Examination of a number of features of dichlofluanid-resistant strains revealed a degree of lack of fitness as compared with sensitive strains. There is no indication that resistance to dichlofluanid poses a great threat to the control of grey mould in Humberside at present.     

Virulence factors of Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis cinerea is responsible for gray mold disease in more than 200 host plant species. The infection of host plants is mediated by numerous extracellular enzymes, proteins and metabolites. Each of these compounds may play a role in different stages of the infection process. Cell wall-degrading enzymes may facilitate the penetration into the host surface, while toxins, oxalic acid and reactive oxygen species may contribute to killing of the host cells. Cell wall-degrading enzymes contribute to the conversion of host tissue into fungal biomass. On the other hand, B. cinerea infection induces biosynthesis of phytoalexins. Therefore, the ability to overcome a wide spectrum of phytoalexins contributes to the pathogenicity of the fungus with a broad host range. The cloning of the corresponding genes has facilitated studies on gene expression and targeted mutagenesis. This review gives an overview of the research performed on virulence factors that play the roles in pathogenesis.     

Correlations of Morphological, Anatomical, and Chemical Features of Grape Berries with Resistance to Botrytis cinerea

ABSTRACT Resistance of mature berries of grapevine cultivars and selections to postharvest infection by Botrytis cinerea was assessed. Little or no resistance existed in most popular table grape Vitis vinifera cultivars, except in moderately resistant 'Emperor' and 'Autumn Black'. Highly resistant grapes were V. rotundifolia, V. labrusca, or other complex hybrids. Morphological, anatomical, and chemical characteristics of 42 genetically diverse cultivars and selections with various levels of resistance to B. cinerea were examined to determine which features were associated with resistance. We quantified the (i) density of berries within a cluster; (ii) number of pores and lenticels on the berry surface; (iii) thickness and number of cell layers in the epidermis and external hypodermis; (iv) amount of cuticle and wax; (v) berry skin protein content; (vi) total phenolic content of the skin before and after B. cinerea inoculation; and (vii) catechin and trans- and cis-resveratrol contents of the skin before and after inoculation. The number of pores was negatively correlated with resistance. Highly resistant cultivars had few or no pores in the berry surface. The number and thickness of epidermal and hypodermal cell layers and cuticle and wax contents were positively correlated with resistance. Other characteristics evaluated were not associated with resistance. trans-Resveratrol and cis-resveratrol were induced by B. cinerea inoculation only in sensitive and moderately resistant cultivars and selections.     

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.     

Biosuppression of Botrytis cinerea in grapes

There is increasing interest in the use of biological control agents (BCAs) and plant resistance stimulants to suppress botrytis bunch rot in grapes, caused by Botrytis cinerea . Numerous different filamentous fungi, bacteria and yeasts have been selected as potential BCAs for control of grey mould based upon demonstrated antagonism towards B. cinerea. Biological suppression of the pathogen arises via competition for nutrients and space, the production of inhibitory metabolites and/or parasitism. Preformed and inducible grapevine defence mechanisms also contribute to disease suppression by preventing or delaying pathogenic infection. Furthermore, various biotic and abiotic agents can stimulate grapevine defence mechanisms and so elevate resistance to B. cinerea infection. Biosuppression of B. cinerea in vineyards, using BCAs and resistance stimulants, has been inconsistent when compared with that observed in controlled glasshouse or laboratory conditions. This may be attributable, in part, to the innate variability of the field environment. Research to improve field efficacy has focused on formulation improvement, the use of BCA mixtures and combinational approaches involving BCAs and plant resistance stimulants with complementary modes of action.     

Electrophoretic karyotype analysis of Botrytis cinerea

The karyotypes of five strains ofBotrytis cinerea were analysed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). None of the five chromosome patterns were identical and all five strains contained one or several minichromosomes of variable length. Considering that some of the chromosomal bands represent unresolved doublets, the total genome size of the five strains was estimated to vary between at least 33.9 and 39.7 megabasepairs (Mbp). Hybridization of blots of pulsed field gels with rDNA and ß-tubulin probes revealed that these hybridize with the same chromosomal band. Chromosome-specific probes were isolated hybridizing to chromosomal bands 9 and 11 of strain SAS56. The latter two probes hybridized to only two of the five strains tested. The results are discussed in relation to the genome plasticity and variability of filamentous fungi.     

Studies on some characteristics of dicarboximide-resistant isolates of Botrytis cinerea from protected lettuce

Isolales of B. cinerea obtained directly from protected lettuce crops were either sensitive or moderately resistant to dicarboximides. Types with a high level of resistance to dicarboximides developed under laboratory conditions. Isolates with a high level of resistance grew poorly and sporulated feebly on cucumber cotyledons or lettuce leaves whereas growth and sporulation of moderately resistant isolates were only slightly poorer than of sensitive isolates. Moderately resistant isolates were stable in culture and there was no evidence that they produced mixtures of sensitive and resistant conidia. In polythene tunnel studies with mixed B. cineaea populations, in the absence of dicarboximides. no highly resistant isolates and only a small percentage of moderately resistant isolates were recovered.     

醚菌酯对番茄灰霉病菌的生物活性及其防病方式研究

离体试验表明,醚菌酯对番茄灰霉病菌菌丝生长、孢子萌发、孢子产量和菌核产量均有一定的抑制作用,其EC50分别为935.670、0.667、0.479和6.975mg/L。其中对菌丝生长的抑制作用较低。但是,用10mg/L和20mg/L的醚菌酯叶片喷雾处理前24h,接种灰霉病菌菌碟,醚菌酯对灰霉病的保护效果分别达到92.3%和100%;处理后24h接种,治疗效果分别达83.3%和100%,说明醚菌酯对番茄灰霉病具有很好的保护和治疗作用。醚菌酯具有优异的内吸活性,能在植物体内向顶传导。     

Evaluation of Microbial Antagonists for Biological Control of Botrytis cinerea Stem Infection in Cucumber and Tomato

Of fifteen isolates of yeasts, filamentous fungi and bacteria and a commercial product, tested in a bioassay with stem segments, eleven isolates consistently reduced incidence of disease and sporulation of Botrytis cinerea Pers; Fr in tomato and seven isolates in cucumber. Several isolates reduced disease by more than 75% in all experiments. Six antagonists that performed well in the bioassays and that were fairly easy to produce in vitro, were selected for further testing in two glasshouse experiments with cucumbers. After application of spores of B. cinerea and the antagonists or the fungicide tolylfluanid to pruning wounds, disease incidence was reduced by 50–100% by all antagonists in both experiments and only in one experiment by tolylfluanid.For Trichoderma harzianum T39, Aureobasidium pullulans and Cryptococcus albidus, biological control efficacy in bioassays with cucumber stem segments was not strongly influenced by temperatures in the range between 18 and 30°C, but at 24°C the efficacy of the three antagonists strongly decreased at relative humidities of 90% and 80% (vapour pressure deficits 0.299 and 0.598kPa, respectively) compared to 100.     

Infection of Commercial Hybrid Primula Seed by Botrytis cinerea and Latent Disease Spread Through the Plants

ABSTRACT Botrytis cinerea occurred commonly on cultivated Primula xpolyantha seed. The fungus was mostly on the outside of the seed but sometimes was present within the seed. The fungus frequently caused disease at maturity in plants grown from the seed, demonstrated by growing plants in a filtered airflow, isolated from other possible sources of infection. Young, commercially produced P. xpolyantha plants frequently had symptomless B. cinerea infections spread throughout the plants for up to 3 months, with symptoms appearing only at flowering. Single genetic individuals of B. cinerea, as determined by DNA fingerprinting, often were dispersed widely throughout an apparently healthy plant. Plants could, however, contain more than one isolate.     

灰霉菌的抗药性与适合度测定

室内监测了北京、沈阳、保定等地区番茄灰霉菌 (Botrytis cinerea)对不同杀菌剂的抗药性 ,发现抗多菌灵菌株占监测总数的 74 .6 7% ,抗乙霉威菌株占 2 5.82 % ,还监测到 3株抗多菌灵、乙霉威菌株——即双抗菌株 ;利用菌落直径法和番茄叶片法测定了 3种抗药类型的番茄灰霉菌在离体和活体条件下的适合度 ,结果表明 ,不同抗药类型菌株在生长速率、致病力、繁殖力等方面差异不明显。     

Hypovirulence and Double-Stranded RNA in Botrytis cinerea

ABSTRACT Twenty-one strains of Botrytis cinerea isolated from 13 species of plants grown in China were compared for pathogenicity on Brassica napus, mycelial growth on potato dextrose agar, and presence of double-stranded (ds)RNA. The results showed that the strain CanBc-1 was severely debilitated in pathogenicity and mycelial growth, compared with the 20 virulent strains. A dsRNA of approximately 3.0 kb in length was detected in CanBc-1 and 4 hypovirulent single-conidium (SC) isolates of CanBc-1, but was not detected in the 20 virulent strains of B. cinerea and 4 virulent SC isolates of CanBc-1. Results of the horizontal transmission experiment showed that the hypovirulent trait of CanBc-1 was transmissible and the 3.0-kb dsRNA was involved in the transmission of hypovirulence. Analysis of a 920-bp cDNA sequence generated from the 3.0-kb dsRNA of CanBc-1 indicated that the dsRNA element was a mycovirus, designated as B. cinerea debilitation-related virus (BcDRV). Further analyses showed that BcDRV is closely related to Ophiostoma mitovirus 3b infecting O. novo-ulmi, the causal agent of Dutch elm disease. Mitochondria and cytoplasm in hyphal cells of CanBc-1 became degenerated, compared with the virulent isolate CanBc-1c-66 of B cinerea. This is the first report on the occurrence of Mitovirus-associated hypovirulence in B. cinerea.     

Properties of dicarboximide-resistant strains of Botrytis cinerea

Dicarboximide-resistant strains of Botrytis cinerea were isolated from natural substrates and also produced in the laboratory. All these strains exhibited a similar degree of resistance to the dicarboximide fungicides iprodione and vinclozolin, and this resistance persisted in the absence of the fungicides. The natural frequency of resistance to both chemicals was approximately three in 10⁷ conidia but could be enhanced by up to 1000 times after a single exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of either chemical. Mycelium of the resistant strains was able to infect fruit and vegetables to a similar extent as that of sensitive strains, although infection of carrot roots was markedly less aggressive. The resistant strains were separable into two groups according to their growth habit on culture media. Both groups were relatively slow growing and showed a marked lack of sporulation compared with most sensitive strains. This lack of sporulation may account for the apparent failure of resistant strains to increase rapidly in strawberry plantations that had received dicarboximide sprays in successive seasons.     

喜树碱对番茄灰霉病菌的病理反应

以番茄灰霉病菌为供试菌种,采用电导率法、吸光度法和电镜分析法对经过喜树碱（CPT）处理的番茄灰霉病菌进行病理反应研究。试验结果表明经200 mg/L CPT溶液处理后,番茄灰霉病菌菌丝细胞膜的通透性增加了30.7%,细胞外蛋白质浓度提高了13.5%。番茄灰霉病菌经CPT溶液处理后,还原糖和可溶性蛋白的含量随着处理时间的增长先升高后降低最后趋于平缓,在0～1 h之间增长最快。CPT处理后的番茄灰霉病菌的菌丝畸形,出现膨大或缢缩,菌丝生长点缢缩,细胞中的空腔增多,线粒体增多且线粒体嵴变得模糊,细胞核有降解的现象。