title: The synthetic strigolactone GR24 influences the growth pattern of phytopathogenic fungi.
abstract: Strigolactones that are released by plant roots to the rhizosphere are involved in both plant symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and in plant infection by root parasitic plants. In this paper, we describe the response of various phytopathogenic fungi to the synthetic strigolactone GR24. When GR24 was embedded in the growth medium, it inhibited the growth of the root pathogens Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis, Fusarium solani f. sp. mango, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Macrophomina phaseolina, and of the foliar pathogens Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum acutatum and Botrytis cinerea. In the presence of this synthetic strigolactone, intense branching activity was exhibited by S. sclerotiorum, C. acutatum and F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Slightly increased hyphal branching was observed for A. alternata, F. solani f. sp. mango and B. cinerea, whereas suppression of hyphal branching by GR24 was observed in M. phaseolina. These results suggest that strigolactones not only affect mycorrhizal fungi and parasitic plants, but they also have a more general effect on phytopathogenic fungi.
authors.affiliation: Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, P.O. Box 1021, 30095, Ramat Yishay, Israel. evgeniad@volcani.agri.gov.il
authors.forename: Evgenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dor
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Joel
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kapulnik
authors.forename: Hinanit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koltai
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hershenhorn
mesh_terms: D005658:Fungi / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D025301:Hyphae / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D007783:Lactones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: C507382:GR24 compound; D007783:Lactones