Baseline sensitivity of Coniella vitis to fluazinam and resistance risk assessment

Abstract

AbstractGrape white rot is a destructive fungal disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Coniella vitis. The sensitivity of C. vitis to fluazinam was tested to select an efficient fungicide to control this disease. Furthermore, the baseline sensitivity of C. vitis populations to fluazinam was established based on the EC50 of 62 C. vitis strains collected from different regions in which grapevines are grown in China. The C. vitis populations were extremely sensitive to fluazinam. The efficiency of fluazinam to grape white rot was determined with detached grapevine leaves. Fluazinam was highly effective in controlling this disease. Moreover, the risk of the C. vitis strains developing resistance to fluazinam was assessed with five mutant strains resistant to fluazinam obtained by a fungicide selection method in the laboratory. The fluazinam‐resistant mutant strains were deficient in their hyphal growth, stress and virulence compared with the parental strain. This led to the conclusion that the C. vitis populations are highly sensitive to fluazinam, and C. vitis is unlikely to develop resistance to fluazinam under natural conditions. Thus, fluazinam is a potential fungicide to efficiently control grape white rot.