title: Parasitic weed management by using strigolactone-degrading fungi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seed germination is a key phase of the parasitic plant life cycle that is stimulated by the secondary metabolites, mainly strigolactones (SLs), secreted by the host roots. Interventions during this stage would be particularly suitable for parasitic weed management practices, as blocking these chemical signals would prevent seed germination and thus parasite attack. Four fungal strains with different ecological functions were considered for their possible ability to metabolise SLs: Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani, biocontrol agents of Phelipanche ramosa; Trichoderma harzianum, a potential biopesticide; Botrytis cinerea, a phytopathogenic fungus. Four different SLs [the natural strigol, 5-deoxystrigol (5DS) and 4-deoxyorobanchol (4DO), and the synthetic analogue GR24] were added to fungal cultures, followed by determination of the SL content by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Differences were observed among microorganisms, treatments and SLs used. T. harzianum and F. oxysporum were the most capable of reducing the SL content; considering the whole set of fungi used, 5DS and 4DO proved to be the most degradable SLs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Beneficial microscopic fungi could differently be used for biocontrolling parasitic weeds, acting as a 'physiological' barrier, by preventing the germination of their seeds through the ability to biotransform the stimulatory signals. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boari
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Biancamaria
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ciasca
authors.affiliation: Agroforestry and Plant Biochemistry and Proteomics Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Córdoba, CeiA3, Madrid-Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7176-1531
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pineda-Martos
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica Mt
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Lattanzio
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bioscience Research and Education, Utsunomiya University, Utsunomiya, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Bari, Italy. maurizio.vurro@ispa.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vurro
mesh_terms: D020171:Botrytis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005670:Fusarium / Q000378:metabolism*; D007783:Lactones / Q000378:metabolism*; D057685:Plant Weeds / Q000187:drug effects; D014242:Trichoderma / Q000378:metabolism*; D058728:Weed Control / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: C528323:5-deoxystrigol; C507382:GR24 compound; D007783:Lactones; C483518:strigol
keywords: Botrytis; Fusarium; Trichoderma; biodegradation; parasitic weed management; strigolactones