The control of isariopsis leaf spot and downy mildew in grapevine cv. Isabel with the essential oil of lemon grass and the activity of defensive enzymes in response to the essential oil
Introduction
Most cultivated grapevines are susceptible to various diseases, such as downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Berl. & De), anthracnose (Elsinoe ampelina Shear), isariopsis leaf spot (Pseudocercospora vitis (Lév.) Speg.), gray rot (Botrytis cinerea Pers) and ripe rot (Glomerella cingulata (Stoneman) Spauld & Schrenk). Thus, control methods for these diseases are necessary and of particular importance because they need to be effective and efficient and should still result in a competitive production cost in the market (Farjado, 2003).
The most widely used fungicide to control diseases of grapevine is Bordeaux mixture, a copper fungicide. However, like all copper compounds, this fungicide may produce symptoms of toxicity in young plant tissues, and the corrosive action of the fungicide may compromise the structure of the vine. Due to these characteristics, Bordeaux mixture is recommended for use only after fruiting. Other synthetic fungicides, such as metalaxyl, thiophanate-methyl and cymoxanil, are used on a large scale in the wine industry for the control of these diseases (Amorim and Kuniyuki, 2005).
The use of fungicides can increase production significantly. However, fungicide use can also cause serious damage to the environment and can result in the selection of pathogens that are resistant to certain active ingredients contained in the fungicides. Consumers of fresh fruit are increasingly concerned about the origin of the products that they purchase, the presence of toxic waste and the conservation of the fruit. For this reason, the consumption of organic products has increased steadily, causing changes in the production, storage, distribution and marketing of agricultural products (Flores-Cantillano et al., 2001). This ecological awareness has created opportunities for agriculture, enhancing trade in organic products and leading some growers to shift from conventional production to organic or integrated production (Detoni et al., 2005).
Accordingly, it is necessary to use alternative methods to control diseases that occur in organic agriculture. Among these alternative methods are the induction of resistance in plants (Bonaldo et al., 2005) and the use of natural bioactive substances with antimicrobial activity (Camili et al., 2007). In this context, the use of essential oils extracted from medicinal plants that contain secondary compounds can have both fungitoxic actions (antimicrobial action) and facilitate resistance by activating defense mechanisms in plants (indirect antimicrobial action). For these reasons, the use of these essential oils may represent a promising alternative in organic agriculture (Franzener et al., 2003).
Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf), a member of the family Poaceae, is a medicinal plant that contains compounds that can potentially control pathogen-caused plant disease and/or induce plant resistance to pathogens. This aromatic plant is cultivated for the commercial production of an essential oil that is widely used as a scenting agent in perfumery and cosmetics, in the preparation of colognes, soaps and deodorants and in the pharmaceutical industry (Costa et al., 2005). Its typical major constituents are citral monoterpenes (an isomeric mixture of neral and geranial) and myrcene (Guimarães et al., 2011). According to Souza et al. (1991), the citral monoterpenes show antimicrobial and antifungal activity, and these properties are currently attracting attention in agronomy.
Pereira et al. (2012) evaluated the activity of essential oils of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon), C. citratus (lemon grass), Syzygium aromaticum (clove), Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree), Thymus vulgaris (thyme), Azadirachta indica (neem), Corymbia citriodora (eucalyptus) and Cymbopogon nardus (citronella grass) to control rust (Hemileia vastratrix Berk. & Br) in coffee seedlings in a greenhouse. The essential oil of lemon grass was found to reduce the severity of the disease by 67% and 70% in Catuaí IAC62 and Catuaí 2SL, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of the essential oil in controlling this disease.
The effect of the essential oil of C. citratus on induced resistance has been verified by Balbi-Peña et al. (2007), who used the oil to treat tomato plants inoculated with Alternaria solani. In that study, increased peroxidase activity at 12 and 48 h after inoculation compared with plants treated with water indicated the potential ability of C. citratus essential oil to induce disease resistance in plants.
In view of these findings, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential ability of the essential oil of lemon grass to control isariopsis leaf spot (P. vitis) and downy mildew (P. viticola) and to influence productivity and enzyme activity in grapevine cv. Isabel (Vitis labrusca L.).
Section snippets
Material and methods
The experiment was conducted in a commercial vineyard with cv. Isabel under the conventional culture system during two consecutive cycles in 2011 (August/December) and 2012 (February/July). The vines, in their eighth year of production, were grafted on rootstock ‘420-A’, spaced at 2.0 × 2.5 m and trained on a pergola system. The vineyard was located in the municipality of Marialva, Paraná, Brazil (23° 27′ 49.86″S, 51° 47′ 18.74″W) at an altitude of 614 m. The climate is Cfa (humid sub-tropical)
Results and discussion
The AUDPC analysis showed that the essential oil of lemon grass affected the severity of leaf spot in both of the two consecutive cycles examined (Fig. 1A and B). The application of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mL L−1 of essential oil produced decreases in the AUDPC of approximately 40%, 48%, 42% and 42%, respectively, an apparent quadratic effect. The effects of the Bordeaux mixture and Acibenzolar-S-methyl treatments did not differ and were not as strong as the effects of the chemical treatment,
Conclusions
Doses of the essential oil of lemon grass reduced the AUDPC for isariopsis leaf spot and downy mildew in two consecutive years.
Doses of 1.0 and 2.0 mL L−1 of the essential oil reduced the severity of downy mildew disease, measured by the AUDPC, by approximately 45%.
A dose of 2.0 mL L−1 of the essential oil increased the number of clusters and productivity by 63% and 48%, respectively, in the first crop and by 92% and 150%, respectively, in the second crop.
In the first harvest, a dose of 2.0 mL L
Acknowledgments
We thank the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for a scholarship awarded to the first author.
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