Abstract
Esca is one of the earliest described diseases in grapevines and causes trunk damage and the sudden wilting of the entire plant; it is caused mainly by the species Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (P. chlamydospora) and Phaeoacremonium aleophilum (P. aleophilum). In practice, there are no known curative approaches for fighting esca directly, which is a huge problem for preserving vineyards. Micro- and nanofibrous membranes from cellulose acetate (CA) and cellulose acetate/polyethylene glycol (CA/PEG) containing 5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinolinol (5-Cl8Q) were successfully prepared by electrospinning. The surface morphologies and optical and mechanical properties of the membranes were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), water contact angle measurements and mechanical tests. It was found that the bioactive compound release was facilitated by PEG. The antifungal activities of the obtained materials against P. chlamydospora and P. aleophilum were studied. We have demonstrated that 5-Cl8Q is an efficient and sustainable antifungal agent against P. chlamydospora and P. aleophilum. Moreover, for the first time, the present study reveals the possibility of using electrospun polymer membranes containing 5-Cl8Q which impede the penetration and growth of P. chlamydospora and P. aleophilum. Thus, the obtained fibrous materials can be suitable candidates for plant protection against diverse fungi.
Highlights
Electrospinning is currently regarded as one of the most promising nanotechnologies for the preparation of fibers with micro- and nanoscale diameters and a large specific surface area, which is a prerequisite for the attainment of high effectiveness in a number of applications; e.g., medicine and agriculture [1,2].Esca is grapevine trunk disease that causes dark red or yellow stripes on leaves, trunk damage and the sudden wilting of the entire plant [3,4]
It is necessary to explore the effect of electrospinning parameters on the morphologies of cellulose acetate (CA)/PEG fibers, offering the potential to controllably produce electrospun cellulose acetate/polyethylene glycol (CA/PEG) fibers as well
The research concept is based on the assumption that, by using the electrospinning method, it is possible to find an effective experimental approach to obtain innovative micro- and nanostructured polymer membranes with fungicidal activity against P. chlamydospora and P. aleophilum
Summary
Esca is grapevine trunk disease that causes dark red or yellow stripes on leaves, trunk damage and the sudden wilting of the entire plant [3,4]. It is known that esca disease is caused mainly by the species Phaeomoniella chlamydospora and Phaeoacremonium aleophilum [5,6]. Over the last three decades, the impact of esca disease has become a dramatic global threat to all vineries. The wounds formed during the pruning procedure on vines are considered to be one of the main entrances for the penetration of Phaeomoniella chlamydospora and Phaeoacremonium aleophilum spores in grapevines. Sodium arsenite is the only known and effective agent for fighting esca; arsenic and Polymers 2019, 11, 1617; doi:10.3390/polym11101617 www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers
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