A Trifloxystrobin Fungicide Induces Systemic Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses

Abstract

Trifloxystrobin is a strobilurin fungicide, which possesses broad spectrum control against fungal plant diseases. We demonstrated that pre-treating red pepper plants with trifloxystrobin resulted in increased plant growth and leaf chlorophyll content compared with those in control plants. Relative water content of the leaves and the survival rate of intact plants indicated that plants acquired systemic tolerance to drought stress following trifloxystrobin pre-treatment. The recovery rate by rehydration in the drought treated plant was better in those pre-treated with trifloxystrobin than that in water treated plants. Induced drought tolerance activity by trifloxystrobin was sustained for 25 days after initial application. The trifloxystrobin treated red pepper plants also had induced systemic tolerance to other abiotic stresses, such as frost, cold, and high temperature stresses. These findings suggest that applying the chemical fungicide trifloxystrobin induced systemic tolerance to certain abiotic stresses in red pepper plants.