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Are fungicides effective in protecting pruning wounds against Ceratocystis wilt on kiwifruit vines?

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Abstract

Ceratocystis wilt, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata, is the primary disease affecting kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) and a major constraint for its cultivation and expansion in Brazil. Additionally, the disease poses a threat to other major kiwifruit-producing countries, such as China, Chile, New Zealand, and Italy, where the disease has not been reported on kiwifruit vines yet. In kiwifruit vines, the infection generally initiates through the roots, but pruning wounds can also serve as an entry point for the pathogen. Currently, there is a dearth of proven effective strategies for controlling this disease, and there is no information on the effectiveness of fungicides for preventing C. fimbriata infection on kiwifruit. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of four fungicides: metalaxyl + mancozeb, boscalide + cresoxim-methyl, pyraclostrobin, and copper hydroxide, against C. fimbriata isolates. We found that metalaxyl + mancozeb and pyraclostrobin were the most effective in inhibiting mycelial growth in vitro. However, when evaluating these fungicides as pruning wound protectors in two kiwifruit cultivars, these fungicides were not effective, in the method tested. The results found in the in vitro assays can guide the development of chemical control of Ceratocystis wilt in kiwifruit. Furthermore, as none of the fungicides tested here were effective in protecting pruning wounds against C. fimbriata infection in kiwifruit vines, other active ingredients or application methods must be evaluated in upcoming studies.

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Data availability

All data and codes used in this work are available at (https://cassolsabrina.github.io/paper_fungicide_kiwifruit/).

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by: ‘Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico’ (CNPq); ‘Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior’ (CAPES); and ‘Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais’ (FAPEMIG). The authors are grateful for the assistance of Maik Leão dos Santos, Monalisa de Cól, Carolina Pessanha Alonso, to Zespri Group Limited and ‘Clonar Resistência a Doenças Florestais’ for providing plant material and greenhouse facilities for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fitopatologia/Instituto de Biotecnologia Aplicada à Agropecuária (BIOAGRO), Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil

    Sabrina A. Cassol, Marston H. D. Franceschini, Flávia S. Alexandre, Davi M. Macedo, Emerson M. Del Ponte, Acelino C. Alfenas & Rafael F. Alfenas

  2. Plant Health Program, Fiber R&D Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL), Pangkalan Kerinci 28654, Riau, Sumatra, Indonesia

    Samuel A. Santos

  3. Zespri International Limited, 400 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui, 3116, New Zealand

    Chandan Pal

Authors
  1. Sabrina A. Cassol
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  2. Samuel A. Santos
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  3. Marston H. D. Franceschini
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  4. Flávia S. Alexandre
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  5. Davi M. Macedo
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  6. Chandan Pal
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  7. Emerson M. Del Ponte
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  8. Acelino C. Alfenas
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  9. Rafael F. Alfenas
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Contributions

Material preparation and data collection were performed by Sabrina Angela Cassol, Davi Mesquita de Macedo, Flávia S. Alexandre, and Samuel A. Santos. The analysis was performed by Sabrina Angela Cassol, Marston H. D. Franceschini, and Emerson M. Del Ponte. The funding acquisition and supervision by Acelino Couto Alfenas and Rafael Ferreira Alfenas. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Sabrina Angela Cassol and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rafael F. Alfenas.

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Conflict of interest

Chandan Pal is employed by Zespri International Limited. Emerson M. Del Ponte is an editor for this journal and the manuscript was handled independently by another member of the editorial board. All other authors have no competing interests.

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Cassol, S.A., Santos, S.A., Franceschini, M.H.D. et al. Are fungicides effective in protecting pruning wounds against Ceratocystis wilt on kiwifruit vines?. Trop. plant pathol. 49, 459–465 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-023-00633-1

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