Effect of the methoxyiminoacetamide fungicide,SSF129, on respiratory activity in Botrytis cinerea

(E)-2-Methoxyimino-N-methyl-2-[2-(2,5-dimethylphenoxymethyl)phenyl]acetamide (SSF129) has been developed as a broad-spectrum systemic fungicide for control of cereal and fruit diseases. This compound inhibited NADH-oxidation by submitochondrial particles from mycelial cells of Botrytis cinerea, with an EC₅₀ value of 14.5 nM , due to blockage of electron transport through the cytochrome bc₁ complex in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. However, SSF129 did not suppress, but rather increased, oxygen consumption by mycelial cells of the fungus. This was because mycelial cells contain an alternative oxidase protein and the cells have the ability to rapidly switch electron flux from the main cytochrome pathway to the alternative pathway on blockage of the former by SSF129. The alternative pathway of the mycelia seems not to be operative when the cytochrome pathway is functional. Naturally occurring flavonoids inhibited the alternative oxidase of the mycelial cells in a dose-dependent manner, with EC₅₀ values of 68.4 µM for flavone and 63.7 µM for flavanone. These observations suggested that plant components play an important role in control of gray mould by SSF129. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

新杀菌剂对番茄灰霉病菌的室内毒力及田间防效

室内采用菌丝生长速率法、孢子萌发法和黄瓜子叶法测定了咯菌腈、抑霉唑、福美双、吡唑醚菌酯和嘧霉胺对番茄灰霉病菌( Botrytis cinerea)的抑制作用。结果表明,菌丝生长速率法和孢子萌发法的测定均以咯菌腈毒力最高,EC 50分别为0.005 2 μg/mL和0.087 6 μg/mL;黄瓜子叶法测定以抑霉唑毒力最高,其EC 50为0.675 3 μg/mL。田间药效试验结果表明：50%咯菌腈可湿性粉剂90 g/ hm2对番茄灰霉病的田间防效达到90%以上,显著高于对照药剂50%啶酰菌胺水分散粒剂300 g/hm2和40%嘧霉胺悬浮剂 480 g/hm2的防效。     

Optimised expression and spectral analysis of the target enzyme CYP51 from Penicillium digitatum with possible new DMI fungicides

BACKGROUND: Sterol 14α‐demethylase (CYP51), a key target of azole (DMI) fungicides, can be expressed in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Green mould of citrus, caused by Penicillium digitatum (Pers.) Sacc., is a serious post‐harvest disease. To develop specific and more effective fungicides against this disease, the characteristics of the interaction between sterol 14α‐demethylase from P. digitatum (PdCYP51) and possible new fungicides were analysed. The cyp51 gene of P. digitatum was cloned and expressed under different conditions in Escherichia coli (Mig.) Cast. & Chalm., and the binding spectra of PdCYP51 were explored by the addition of two commercial azoles and four new nitrogen compounds. RESULTS: The yield of soluble protein (PdCYP51) was largest when expressed in Rosetta (DE3) induced by 0.5 mM IPTG for 8 h at 30 °C. Compound B (7‐methoxy‐2H‐benzo[b][1,4]thiazine‐3‐amine) showed the strongest binding activity of the four new nitrogen compounds, with a K_d value of 0.268 µM . The K_d values of the six compounds were significantly correlated with their EC₅₀ values. CONCLUSION: The spectral analysis and bioassay results could be used to screen the new chemical entities effectively. Compound B, selected by virtual screening from a commercial chemical library, is a candidate for a new DMI fungicide. These results provide a theoretical basis and new ideas for efficient design and development of new antifungal agents. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

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。     

8种杀菌剂对番茄灰霉病菌的毒力及田间番茄灰霉病菌对咯菌腈的敏感性

为了解决番茄灰霉病菌的抗性问题,筛选出理想的替代药剂,采用菌丝生长速率法测定了山东寿光和河北徐水两地番茄灰霉病菌对不同类型杀菌剂的敏感性。两地的番茄灰霉病菌对咯菌腈、氟啶胺均高度敏感,对其他不同作用方式的杀菌剂表现出不同的敏感性。用同样方法检测了不同地区的106株番茄灰霉菌对咯菌腈的敏感性,结果显示其EC50值分布在0.003 9～0.044 9μg/mL之间,平均EC50值为(0.014 2±0.008 1)μg/mL。咯菌腈可作为防治番茄灰霉病的候选药剂。     

Inhibitory action of Cerrado plants against mammalian and insect α-amylases

A total of 185 hexanic, dichloromethanic, ethanolic and hydroethanolic extracts from 24 species of Cerrado plants, were tested against Zabrotes subfasciatus, Acanthoscelides obtectus, and human saliva α-amylases. Twelve crude extracts presented inhibition rates greater than 80% against digestive α-amylases of the insect pest Z. subfasciatus, at a concentration of 1 mg mL⁻¹. These extracts were also tested against A. obtectus and human saliva α-amylases to verify their affinity and specificity of action. The hydroethanolic Kielmeyera coriacea stem bark extract presented a strong inhibitory potential, with IC₅₀ values of 110 μg mL⁻¹ for Z. subfasciatus and 272.12 μg mL⁻¹ for A. obtectus, in addition to a 97.09% reduction in enzyme activity of human saliva α-amylases at 125 μg mL⁻¹. The hexanic Aspidosperma macrocarpon root wood extract totally inhibited the activity of Z. subfasciatus α-amylases, reduced the enzyme activity of A. obtectus by 14.69% at 1 mg mL⁻¹, but did not alter the activity of human saliva α-amylases, thus characterizing greater inhibition affinity and specificity. The results suggest that the application of plant extracts against insect α-amylases represent a promising biotechnological tool for development of new insect pest control strategies, with noticeable affinity and specificity of action against different target enzymes.     

Multiple resistance of Botrytis cinerea from kiwifruit to SDHIs,QoIs and fungicides of other chemical groups

BACKGROUND: Botrytis cinerea Pers.: Fr. is a high‐risk pathogen for fungicide resistance development that has caused resistance problems on many crops throughout the world. This study investigated the fungicide sensitivity profile of isolates from kiwifruits originating from three Greek locations with different fungicide use histories. Sensitivity was measured by in vitro fungitoxicity tests on artificial nutrient media. RESULTS: Seventy‐six single‐spore isolates were tested for sensitivity to the SDHI fungicide boscalid, the QoI pyraclostrobin, the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil, the hydroxyanilide fenhexamid, the phenylpyrrole fludioxonil, the dicarboxamide iprodione and the benzimidazole carbendazim. All isolates from Thessaloniki showed resistance to both boscalid and pyraclostrobin, while in the other two locations the fungal population was sensitive to these two fungicides. Sensitive isolates showed EC₅₀ values to boscalid and pyraclostrobin ranging from 0.9 to 5.2 and from 0.04 to 0.14 mg L^?1 respectively, while the resistant isolates showed EC₅₀ values higher than 50 mg L^?1 for boscalid and from 16 to > 50 mg L^?1 for pyraclostrobin. All QoI‐resistant isolates carried the G143A mutation in cytb. Sensitivity determinations to the remaining fungicides revealed in total eight resistance phenotypes. No isolates were resistant to the fungicides fenhexamid and fludioxonil. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of B. cinerea field isolates with resistance to both boscalid and pyraclostrobin, and it strongly suggests that there may be a major problem in controlling this important pathogen on kiwifruit. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis of 2-amino-6-oxocyclohexenylsulfonamides and their activity against Botrytis cinerea

BACKGROUND: With the objective of exploring the fungicidal activity of 2‐oxocyclohexylsulfonamides (2), a series of novel 2‐amino‐6‐oxocyclohexenylsulfonamides (6 to 23) were synthesised, and their fungicidal activities against Botrytis cinerea Pers. were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The compounds were characterised by IR, ¹H NMR and elemental analysis. Bioassay results of mycelial growth showed that compounds 6 to 23 had a moderate antifungal activity against B. cinerea. N‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐2‐(2‐methylphenylamino)‐4,4‐dimethyl‐6‐oxocyclohexenylsulfonamide (13) and N‐(2‐chlorophenyl)‐2‐(2‐chlorophenylamino)‐6‐oxocyclohexenylsulfonamide (21) showed best antifungal activities, with EC₅₀ values of 8.05 and 10.56 µg mL^?1 respectively. Commercial fungicide procymidone provided an EC₅₀ value of 0.63 µg mL^?1. The conidial germination assay showed that most of compounds 6 to 23 possessed excellent inhibition of spore germination and germ‐tube elongation of conidia of B. cinerea. For in vivo control of B. cinerea colonising cucumber leaves, the compound N‐cyclohexyl‐2‐(cyclohexylamino)‐4,4‐dimethyl‐6‐oxocyclohexenylsulfonamide (19) showed a better control effect than the commercial fungicide procymidone. CONCLUSION: The present work demonstrated that 2‐amino‐6‐oxocyclohexenylsulfonamides can be used as possible new lead compounds for further developing novel fungicides against B. cinerea. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Long‐lasting β‐aminobutyric acid‐induced resistance protects tomato fruit against Botrytis cinerea

Minimizing losses to pests and diseases is essential for producing sufficient food to feed the world's rapidly growing population. The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea triggers devastating pre‐ and post‐harvest yield losses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Current control methods are based on the pre‐harvest use of fungicides, which are limited by strict legislation. This investigation tested whether induction of resistance by β‐aminobutyric acid (BABA) at different developmental stages provides an alternative strategy to protect post‐harvest tomato fruit against B. cinerea. Soil‐drenching plants with BABA once fruit had already formed had no impact on tomato susceptibility to B. cinerea. However, BABA application to seedlings significantly reduced post‐harvest infection of fruit. This resistance response was not associated with a yield reduction; however, there was a delay in fruit ripening. Untargeted metabolomics revealed differences between fruit from water‐ and BABA‐treated plants, demonstrating that BABA triggered a defence‐associated metabolomics profile that was long lasting. Targeted analysis of defence hormones suggested a role of abscisic acid (ABA) in the resistance phenotype. Post‐harvest application of ABA to the fruit of water‐treated plants induced susceptibility to B. cinerea. This phenotype was absent from the ABA‐exposed fruit of BABA‐treated plants, suggesting a complex role of ABA in BABA‐induced resistance. A final targeted metabolomic analysis detected trace residues of BABA accumulated in the red fruit. Overall, it was demonstrated that BABA induces post‐harvest resistance in tomato fruit against B. cinerea with no penalties in yield.     

Strong resistance to the fungicide fenhexamid entails a fitness cost in Botrytis cinerea, as shown by comparisons of isogenic strains

BACKGROUND: Fenhexamid, a sterol biosynthesis inhibitor effective against Botrytis, inhibits the 3‐ketoreductase (Erg27) involved in C‐4 demethylation. Several fenhexamid‐resistant phenotypes have been detected in Botrytis cinerea populations from French vineyards. The field isolates with the highest resistance levels display amino acid changes in Erg27 (F412S, F412I or F412V). RESULTS: Fenhexamid‐resistant mutants were generated by site‐directed mutagenesis of the erg27 gene in a sensitive recipient strain to overcome the impact of different genetic backgrounds. The wild‐type erg27 allele was replaced by the three mutated alleles (erg27^F412S/I/V) by homologous recombination. These isogenic strains were shown to be fenhexamid‐resistant and were used to quantify the impact of F412 mutations on fungal fitness. Several parameters, including radial growth, the production of sclerotia and conidia, freezing resistance and aggressiveness, were quantified in laboratory conditions. Analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences between the mutant and parental strains for some characters. In particular, the mutants grew more slowly than the wild‐type strain and displayed variations in the production of sclerotia and conidia with temperature and susceptibility to freezing. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight a moderate but significant impact of F412 mutations on the survival capacity of B. cinerea strains displaying high levels of resistance to fenhexamid in laboratory conditions, potentially limiting their dispersal and persistence, particularly in terms of overwintering, in field conditions. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of fludioxonil and pyrimethanil, two fungicides used against Botrytis cinerea, on carbohydrate physiology in Vitis vinifera L

In Vitis vinifera L, photosynthesis and photosynthate partitioning are affected in the presence of fludioxonil and pyrimethanil, two fungicides commonly used in vineyards against Botrytis cinerea Pers. However, the effects were found to be different according to the model studied: plantlets (cv Chardonnay) grown in vitro, fruiting cuttings (cv Chardonnay) and plants grown in vineyards (cvs Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier). In the plantlets grown in vitro, both fungicides decreased gas exchanges, photosynthetic pigment and starch concentrations in the leaves, whereas soluble carbohydrates transiently accumulated, suggesting that plantlets mobilised starch in response to photosynthesis inhibition caused by fungicides. In the fruiting cuttings, the fungicides did not affect photosynthesis, although fludioxonil caused starch decrease in parallel with sucrose accumulation, suggesting that the fungicide effects were of lower intensity than in vitro. Conversely, in vineyard, the two fungicides stimulated photosynthesis and increased pigment concentrations in the three vine cultivars tested. In the meantime, glucose, fructose and starch levels of the leaves declined after fungicide exposure, whereas sucrose accumulated, indicating that sucrose synthesis increased in the leaves following the fungicide treatment. Among the three varieties, Chardonnay was the most sensitive to the fungicides as revealed by the intensity of the responses and the longer period for recovery. In vineyard, the results suggested that the two fungicides, in addition to inhibiting B cinerea development, had a beneficial effect on vine physiology through the stimulation of leaf carbon nutrition, which may further enable the plant to rapidly make use of its defence reactions.     

Biological activity of the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fluopyram against Botrytis cinerea and fungal baseline sensitivity

BACKGROUND: Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) constitute a fungicide class with increasing relevance in crop protection. These fungicides could play a crucial role in successful management of grey mould disease. In the present study the effect of fluopyram, a novel SDHI fungicide, on several developmental stages of Botrytis cinerea was determined in vitro, and the protective and curative activity against the pathogen was determined on strawberry fruit. Furthermore, fungal baseline sensitivity was determined in a set of 192 pathogen isolates. RESULTS: Inhibition of germ tube elongation was found to be the most sensitive growth stage affected by fluopyram, while mycelial growth was found to be the least sensitive growth stage. Fluopyram provided excellent protective activity against B. cinerea when applied at 100 µg mL^?1 96, 48 or 24 h before the artificial inoculation of the strawberry fruit. Similarly, fluopyram showed a high curative activity when it was applied at 100 µg mL^?1 24 h post‐inoculation, but, when applications were conducted 48 or 96 h post‐inoculation, disease control efficacy was modest or low. The measurement of baseline sensitivity showed that it was unimodal in all the populations tested. The individual EC₅₀ values for fluopyram ranged from 0.03 to 0.29 µg mL^?1. In addition, no correlation was found between sensitivity to fluopyram and sensitivity to other fungicides, including cyprodinil, fenhexamid, fludioxonil, iprodione, boscalid and pyraclostrobin. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained biological activity, baseline sensitivity and cross‐resistance relationship data suggest that fluopyram could play a key role in grey mould management in the near future and encourage its introduction into spray programmes. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Genetic analysis and molecular characterisation of laboratory and field mutants of Botryotinia fuckeliana (Botrytis cinerea) resistant to QoI fungicides

BACKGROUND: QoI fungicides, inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration, are considered to be at high risk of resistance development. In several phytopathogenic fungi, resistance is caused by mutations (most frequently G143A) in the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene. The genetic and molecular basis of QoI resistance were investigated in laboratory and field mutants of Botryotinia fuckeliana (de Bary) Whetz. exhibiting in vitro reduced sensitivity to trifloxystrobin. RESULTS: B. fuckeliana mutants highly resistant to trifloxystrobin were obtained in the laboratory by spontaneous mutations in wild‐type strains, or from naturally infected plants on a medium amended with 1–3 mg L^?1 trifloxystrobin and 2 mM salicylhydroxamic acid, an inhibitor of alternative oxidase. No point mutations were detected, either in the complete nucleotide sequences of the cytb gene or in those of the aox and Rieske protein genes of laboratory mutants, whereas all field mutants carried the G143A mutation in the mitochondrial cytb gene. QoI resistance was always maternally inherited in ascospore progeny of sexual crosses of field mutants with sensitive reference strains. CONCLUSIONS: The G143A mutation in cytb gene is confirmed to be responsible for field resistance to QoIs in B. fuckeliana. Maternal inheritance of resistance to QoIs in progeny of sexual crosses confirmed that it is caused by extranuclear genetic determinants. In laboratory mutants the heteroplasmic state of mutated mitochondria could likely hamper the G143A detection, otherwise other gene(s) underlying different mechanisms of resistance could be involved. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

格氏沙雷菌CNY-04对灰霉病菌作用机制及抑菌物质理化性质研究

从蔬菜根际土壤中筛选到一株生防格氏沙雷菌(Serratia grimesii)CNY-04,利用抑菌圈法测定其对灰霉病菌(Botrytis cinerea Pers.ex Fr.)的抑制效果,通过抑制孢子萌发、影响菌丝正常生长试验对CNY-04的作用机制进行研究,并对CNY-04菌株相关性状及抑菌物质的理化性质进行了研究.结果表明,CNY-04菌株对灰霉病菌拮抗能力强且遗传稳定,抑菌圈直径达到34 mm; CNY-04可对灰霉病菌菌丝结构造成破坏;可显著抑制灰霉病菌分生孢子萌发,抑制率为99％;CNY-04菌株不产生硝吡咯菌素、氢氰酸及水解酶类,可产生嗜铁索和蛋白酶;抑菌物质具有较好的热稳定性和酸碱稳定性.抑菌物质由灰霉病菌诱导产生,与已报道的沙雷菌属的作用机理完全不同.     

Binding activity of substituted benzyl derivatives of chloronicotinyl insecticides to housefly‐head membranes,and its relationship to insecticidal activity against the housefly Musca domestica

Variously substituted benzyl derivatives of chloronicotinyl insecticides were synthesized with a wide range of substituents including halogens, NO₂, CN, CF₃ and small alkyl and alkoxy groups at the ortho, meta and para positions, as well as multiple‐substituted benzyl analogues. Their binding activity to the α‐bungarotoxin binding site in housefly (Musca domestica) head membrane preparations was measured. Among the compounds tested, the activity of the meta‐CN derivative was the highest, being 20–100 times higher than those of imidacloprid, acetamiprid and nitenpyram. The synergized insecticidal activity against houseflies was also measured for selected compounds with the metabolic inhibitor, NIA16388 (propargyl propyl phenylphosphonate). For the nitromethylene analogues, including both benzyl and pyridylmethyl analogues, higher binding activity usually resulted in higher insecticidal activity. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

A comparative molecular field analysis study of obtusifoliol 14α-methyl demethylase inhibitors

This report describes the development of a Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) model from a set of obtusifoliol 14α-methyl demethylase (DM) inhibitors to aid in the design of herbicides targeting sterol biosynthesis. CoMFA is a three-dimensional (3-D) quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) method that is useful in the probing of receptor binding sites when experimental structure data are unavailable. Conformational analysis and SAR of some rigid and active analogs were used to build the initial model using the active analog hypothesis. The model was subsequently used to design compounds that retain the active site shape requirements, but incorporate physical properties that favor soil-applied herbicidal action. In addition, a second-generation CoMFA model incorporating the newly designed inhibitors was developed and represents the current understanding of the DM binding site. This model was derived from a pharmacophore developed from two methods, the active analog approach as well as from the Catalyst program. The fact that two independent methods produced a similar pharmacophore strengthens the validity of the model. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry