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Grapes and Vineyard Soils as Sources of Microorganisms for Biological Control of Botrytis cinerea

2006; American Society for Enology and Viticulture; Volume: 57; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5344/ajev.2006.57.3.332

1943-7749

Ximena Rabosto, Marcos Carrau, Aníbal Paz, Eduardo Boido, Eduardo Dellacassa, Francisco M. Carrau,

Yeasts and Rust Fungi Studies

In the search for biological agents capable of controlling the phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea , winegrape cuticles of several Vitis vinifera varieties and different soils from Uruguayan vineyards were screened for microorganisms that could be antagonistic to the fungus. Among 223 isolates of yeasts and bacteria, eight non- Saccharomyces yeast strains and four bacteria showed greater than 50% effectiveness in vitro against Botrytis cinerea compared with the growth of the control. A species of Bacillus (isolate UYBC38) and an isolate of the yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum (isolate UYNS13) showed high in vitro antagonistic capability against the pathogen; both organisms were very effective (100% and 90%, respectively) in controlling rot development on grape clusters. These two isolates were selected for further laboratory and vineyard studies. In order to prevent fermentation problems, both strains were tested against the wine yeast M522 and other natural non- Saccharomyces strains before field trials were conducted. The possible mechanisms of antagonism against B. cinerea were studied. Yeast strain UYNS13 showed only competition for nutrients. Although the Bacillus sp. strain consumed significantly more nitrogen from grape juice than B. cinerea , the relevant mechanism of antagonism of this bacterium was the production of anti-fungal substances. These compounds completely inhibited germination of B. cinerea conidia in vitro by disrupting the conidial cell wall, resulting in leakage of protoplasm. Applications of UYBC38 in the vineyard showed that this strain could survive on leaves and fruits for 45 to 70 days after spraying. The strategy of increasing the natural antagonistic population present in vineyards to prevent fungal diseases is discussed as low-input viticulture.