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The use of ECAS in plant protection: a green and efficient antimicrobial approach that primes selected defense genes

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Abstract

The use of highly polluting chemicals for plant and crop protection is one of the components of the negative environmental impact of agricultural activities. In the present paper, an environmentally friendly alternative to pesticide application has been studied, based on the so-called electrochemically activated solutions (ECAS). Experiments have been carried out, by applying ECAS having different contents of active ingredients, on tobacco plants at a laboratory scale and on apple trees at fruit garden scale. The results, accumulated during a couple of years, have shown that properly selected dilute solutions of chlorides, once activated by an electrochemical treatment, exhibit a very effective protecting action of plants, irrespective of their nature. Extension of the research has shown that the observed effect is the result of two distinct factors: the expected anti-microbial action of the electrochemically synthesized oxidants, and an unexpected priming of immune plant defenses, which is clearly due to the treatment with ECAS. Interestingly, the repetition of ECAS application triggers an even stronger activation of defense genes. No oxidative damages, due to the use of the activated solutions, could be detected.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dott. Gino Masina for helpful discussion. This work was funded by ParcAgri (Ferrara, Italy) and Industrie De Nora (Milan, Italy).

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The manuscript was written through contributions of all authors. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.

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  1. Giovanni Bernacchia

    Present address: Becario Prometeo, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Calle Vieja 12-30 y Elia Liut, Casilla 2074, Cuenca, Ecuador

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy

    Marco Zarattini, Morena De Bastiani, Giovanni Bernacchia, Sergio Ferro & Achille De Battisti

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  1. Marco Zarattini
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  2. Morena De Bastiani
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  3. Giovanni Bernacchia
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Correspondence to Giovanni Bernacchia or Sergio Ferro.

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Marco Zarattini and Morena De Bastiani have contributed equally to this study.

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Zarattini, M., De Bastiani, M., Bernacchia, G. et al. The use of ECAS in plant protection: a green and efficient antimicrobial approach that primes selected defense genes. Ecotoxicology 24, 1996–2008 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-015-1535-4

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