Modification of Early Response of Vitis vinifera to Pathogens Relating to Esca Disease and Biocontrol Agent Vintec® Revealed By Untargeted Metabolomics on Woody Tissues.

Justine Chervin,Alban Jacques,Sylvie Fournier,Guillaume Marti,Ana Romeo-Oliván,Bernard Dumas,Virginie Puech-Pages

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.835463

Abstract

Esca disease is one of the most destructive grapevine trunk diseases. Phaeoacremonium minimum and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora are two of the known fungal pathogens associated with this disease. Today, biocontrol agents against Esca are mainly based on the use of the strain of the mycoparasite fungal genus Trichoderma such as the Vintec® product. The aim of this study was to investigate early response of woody tissues to Esca pathogens and identify metabolites that could be correlated with a biocontrol activity within a complex woody matrix. An untargeted liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry metabolomic approach coupled to a spectral similarity network was used to highlight clusters of compounds associated with the plant response to pathogens and biocontrol. Dereplication highlighted the possible role of glycerophospholipids and polyphenol compounds, the latest mainly belonging to stilbenoids. Antifungal activity of some relevant biomarkers, evaluated in vitro on Phaeomoniella chlamydospora and Botrytis cinerea, suggests that some of these compounds can play a role to limit the development of Esca pathogens in planta.

Highlights

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) are of growing concern among worldwide viticulture
The present study investigates the response of grapevine woody tissue to fungal infection with the biocontrol agent (BCA) Vintec R (IV), a mixture of both fungi P. chlamydospora and P. minimum (IPP), as it is usually observed in a natural context, and their combination (IVPP), at an early stage of infection by an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography– high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS)-based metabolomic approach
The results indicated that the wood was still colonized six weeks post-infection by the two fungal pathogens in Injured/P. minimum + P. chlamydospora (IPP) and IVPP samples

Summary

Introduction

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) are of growing concern among worldwide viticulture These diseases concern different organs of the plant, some causing the progressive death of vines in vineyards. Grapevine trunk diseases are associated with the presence of different pathogenic fungal species, which can affect vines at different stages of their life cycle (Bertsch et al, 2013; Bruez et al, 2014). The Esca disease comprises different syndromes, depending on the symptoms, the age of the plant, and the fungal species associated (Graniti et al, 2000; Surico, 2009; Bertsch et al, 2013). (Luque et al, 2009; ÚrbezTorres et al, 2014) The presence of these pathogens in the wood affects the trunk and leaves and berries. The last syndrome, Esca proper, corresponds to the cooccurrence of Esca and GLSD in the same plant (Surico, 2009)

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