Abstract
The presence and germination rate of Botrytis cinerea conidia on ‘Sauvignon blanc’ grape berries from Pukekohe, New Zealand, was determined over the 2010–11 and 2011–12 growing seasons by means of inoculated berries. Conidia on the inoculated berries were able to germinate and enter the grape berries at any time during the season, albeit at low rates during the early season. In both years, the proportion of germinated conidia increased with berry age/growth stage. Microscopic examinations revealed that B. cinerea conidia germinated on the grape berry surface and hyphae entered the berries directly either between adjoining cells, by penetrating directly through the cell wall, or via appressoria. Penetration of the grape berry surface was highly variable, with some germ tubes penetrating immediately beneath the conidium and others having extended germ tubes. While most germinated conidia appeared to penetrate the berry, a proportion were seen to germinate to form spermatia (phialomicroconidia). Conidial anastomosis (two conidia connected by a short germ tube) was seen on the surface of some berries.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beever RE, Parkes SL (1993) Mating behaviour and genetics of fungicide resistance of Botrytis cinerea in New Zealand. NZ J Crop Hortic Sci 21:303–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/01140671.1993.9513786
Benito EP, ten Have A, van ’t Klooster JW, van Kan JAL (1998) van ’t Klooster JW, van Kan JAL Fungal and Plant Gene Expression during Synchronized Infection of Tomato Leaves by Botrytis Cinerea. Eur J Plant Pathol 104:207–220. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1008698116106
Bennett M, Gallagher M, Fagg J, Bestwick C, Paul T, Beale M, Mansfield J (1996) The hypersensitive reaction, membrane damage and accumulation of autofluorescent phenolics in lettuce cells challenged by Bremia lactucae. Plant J 9:851–865. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-313X.1996.9060851.x
Beresford RM, Evans KJ, Wood PN, Mundy DC (2006) Disease assessment and epidemic monitoring methodology for bunch rot (Botrytis cinerea) in grapevines. NZ Plant Prot 59:355–360. https://doi.org/10.30843/nzpp.2006.59.4594
Broome JC, English JT, Marois JJ, Latorre BA, Aviles JC (1995) Development of an infection model for Botrytis bunch rot of grapes based on wetness duration and temperature. Phytopathology 85:97–102. https://doi.org/10.1094/Phyto-85-97
Cadle-Davidson L (2008) Monitoring pathogenesis of natural Botrytis cinerea infections in developing grape berries. Am J Enol Vitic 59:387–395
Calvo-Garrido C, Usall J, Vinas I, Elmer PAG, Cases E, Teixido N (2014) Potential secondary inoculum sources of Botrytis cinerea and their influence on bunch rot development in dry Mediterranean climate vineyards. Pest Manage Sci 70:922–930. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.3629
Choquer M, Fournier E, Kunz C, Levis C, Pradier J-M, Simon A, Viaud M (2007) Botrytis cinerea virulence factors: new insights into a necrotrophic and polyphageous pathogen. FEMS Microbiol Lett 277:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00930.x
Clark CA, Lorbeer JW (1976) Comparative histopathology of Botrytis squamosa and B. cinerea on onion leaves. Phytopathology 66:1279–1289
Coertze S, Holz G, Sadie A (2001) Germination and establishment of infection on grape berries by single airborne conidia of Botrytis cinerea. Plant Dis 85:668–677. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS.2001.85.6.668
Cole L, Dewey FM, Hawes CR (1996) Infection mechanisms of Botrytis species: pre-penetration and pre-infection processes of dry and wet conidia. Mycol Res 100:277–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0953-7562(96)80154-7
Cotoras M, Garcia C, Mendoza L (2009) Botrytis cinerea isolates collected from grapes present different requirements for conidia germination. Mycologia 101:287–295. https://doi.org/10.3852/08-012
Cotoras M, Silva E (2005) Differences in the initial events of infection of Botrytis cinerea strains isolated from tomato and grape. Mycologia 97:485–492. https://doi.org/10.3852/mycologia.97.2.485
Doehlemann G, Berndt P, Hahn M (2006) Different signalling pathways involving a Gα protein, cAMP and a MAP kinase control germination of Botrytis cinerea conidia Mol Microbiol 59:821–835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2005.04991.x
Eichhorn KW, Lorenz DH (1977) Phenological development stages of the grapevine (Phänologische entwicklungsstadien der rebe). Nachrichtenblatt Des Deutschen Pflanzenschutzdienstes (braunschweig) 21:119–120
Elmer PAG, Michailides TJ (2007) Epidemiology of Botrytis cinerea in orchard and vine crops. In: Elad Y, Williamson B, Tudzynski P, Delen N (eds) Botrytis: Biology. Springer, Pathology and Control, pp 243–272
Ersek T, Holliday M, Keen NT (1982) Association of hypersensitive host cell death and autofluorescence with a gene for resistance to Peronospora manshurica in soybean. Phytopathology 72:628–631. https://doi.org/10.1094/Phyto-72-628
Fukumori Y, Nakajima M, Akutsu K (2004) Microconidia act the role as spermatia in the sexual reproduction of Botrytis cinerea Journal of General. Plant Pathol 70:256–260
Garcia-Arenal F, Sagasta EM (1980) Scanning electron microscopy of Botrytis cinerea penetration of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) hypocotyls. Phytopathologische Zeitschrift-J Phytopathol 99:37–42.
Groves JW, Drayton FL (1939) The perfect stage of Botrytis cinerea. Mycologia 31:485–489
Hahn M (2014) The rising threat of fungicide resistance in plant pathogenic fungi: Botrytis as a case study Journal of. Chem Biol 7:133–141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12154-014-0113-1
Hill G, Stellwaag-Kittler F, Huth G, Schlosser E (1981) Resistance of grapes in different developmental stages to Botrytis cinerea. Phytopathologische Zeitschrift-Journal of Phytopathology 102:328–338
Hill GN, Evans KJ, Beresford RM (2014) Use of nitrate non-utilizing (nit) mutants to determine phenological stages at which Botrytis cinerea infects wine grapes causing botrytis bunch rot. Plant Pathol 63:1316–1325. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.12225
Holz G, Gütschow M, Coertze S, Calitz FJ (2003) Occurrence of Botrytis cinerea and subsequent disease expression at different positions on leaves and bunches of grape. Plant Dis 87:351–358. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS.2003.87.4.351
Keller M, Viret O, Cole FM (2003) Botrytis cinerea infection in grape flowers: defense reaction, latency, and disease expression. Phytopathology 93:316–322. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO.2003.93.3.316
Koga H (1994) Hypersensitive death, autofluorescence, and ultrastructural-changes in cells of leaf sheaths of susceptible and resistant near-isogenic lines of rice (Pi-zt) in relation to penetration and growth of Pyricularia oryzae. Can J Bot 72:1463–1477. https://doi.org/10.1139/b94-180
Kosuge T, Hewitt WB (1964) Exudates of grape berries and their effect on germination of conidia of Botrytis cinerea. Phytopathology 54:167–172
Kretschmer M, Kassemeyer HH, Hahn M (2007) Age-dependent grey mould susceptibility and tissue-specific defence gene activation of grapevine berry skins after infection by Botrytis cinerea. J Phytopathol 155:258–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0434.2007.01216.x
McClellan WD, Hewitt WB (1973) Early botrytis rot of grapes: time of infection and latency of Botrytis cinerea Pers. in Vitis vinifera L. Phytopathology 63:1151–1157. https://doi.org/10.1094/Phyto-63-1151
McKeen WE (1974) Mode of penetration of epidermal cell walls of Vicia faba by Botrytis cinerea. Phytopathology 64:461–467. https://doi.org/10.1094/Phyto-64-461
Pezet R, Viret O, Perret C, Tabacchi R (2003) Latency of Botrytis cinerea Pers.: Fr. and biochemical studies during growth and ripening of two grape berry cultivars, respectively susceptible and resistant to grey mould. J Phytopathol 151:208–214. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0434.2003.00707.x
Rijkenberg FHJ, De Leeuw GTN, Verhoeff K (1980) Light and electron-microscopy studies on the infection of tomato fruits by Botrytis cinerea. Can J Bot 58:1394–1404. https://doi.org/10.1139/b80-170
Saito S, Dunne KJ, Evans KJ, Barry K, Cadle-Davidson L, Wilcox WF (2013) Optimisation of techniques for quantification of Botrytis cinerea in grape berries and receptacles by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Auts J Grape Wine Res 19:68–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajgw.12011
Viret O, Keller M, Jaudzems VG, Cole FM (2004) Botrytis cinerea infection of grape flowers: light and electron microscopical studies of infection sites. Phytopathology 94:850–857. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO.2004.94.8.850
Wilcox WF (2002) Controlling Botrytis: a Perspective from the Eastern USA the Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker 2002:22–27
Willetts HJ (1997) Morphology, development and evolution of stromata/sclerotia and macroconidia of the Sclerotiniaceae. Mycol Res 101:939–952. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0953756297003559
Acknowledgements
We thank Mark Wohlers (Plant & Food Research) for statistical analyses. This work was funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology through the Low Impact Disease Control programme and by Plant & Food Research through core funding from the Science and Innovation Group of the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tyson, J.L., Middleditch, C.L. & Fullerton, R.A. The effect of grape berry growth stage on germination of Botrytis cinerea in New Zealand. Australasian Plant Pathol. 51, 79–90 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13313-021-00839-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13313-021-00839-4