Comparison of the Impact of Two Molecules on Plant Defense and on Efficacy against Botrytis cinerea in the Vineyard: A Plant Defense Inducer (Benzothiadiazole) and a Fungicide (Pyrimethanil)

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 66; no. 13; pp. 3338 - 3350
• Main Authors: Bellée, Anthony, Cluzet, Stéphanie, Dufour, Marie-Cécile, Mérillon, Jean-Michel, Corio-Costet, Marie-France
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 04.04.2018
• Subjects: Chemical and Process Engineering; Engineering Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Food engineering; Life Sciences; elicitor; quercetin-3-O-glucuronide; BTH; gray mold; polyphenol; Pyrimethanil; Vitis vinifera; gene expression; vitis vinifera; pyrimethanil
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05725

Grapevine is subject to diseases that affect yield and wine quality caused by various pathogens including Botrytis cinerea. To limit the use of fungicides, an alternative is to use plant elicitors such as benzothiadiazole (BTH). We investigated the effect of a fungicide (Pyrimethanil) and an elicitor (benzothiadiazole) on plant defenses. Applications for two consecutive years in the vineyard significantly reduced gray mold. Two and seven days after treatments, the expressions of 48 genes involved in defenses showed differential modulation (up- or down-regulation) depending on treatment. Some genes were identified as potential markers of protection and were linked to an increase in total polyphenols (TP) in leaves. Surprisingly, the fungicide also induced the expression of defense genes and increased the polyphenol content. This suggests that BTH acts as an efficient elicitor in the vineyard and that Pyrimethanil may act, in part, as a defense-inducing agent on the vine.