Chitosan-Based Bioactive Formulations for the Control of Powdery Mildew in Viticulture
David Ruano-Rosa,
Eva Sánchez-Hernández,
Rubén Baquero-Foz,
Pablo Martín-Ramos,
Jesús Martín-Gil,
Sergio Torres-Sánchez,
José Casanova-Gascón
Affiliations
David Ruano-Rosa
Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León, Unidad de Cultivos Leñosos y Hortícolas, Ctra. De Burgos km 119, Finca Zamadueñas, 47071 Valladolid, Spain
Eva Sánchez-Hernández
Department of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, ETSIIAA, Universidad de Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004 Palencia, Spain
Rubén Baquero-Foz
Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), EPS, Universidad de Zaragoza, Carretera de Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
Pablo Martín-Ramos
Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), EPS, Universidad de Zaragoza, Carretera de Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
Jesús Martín-Gil
Department of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, ETSIIAA, Universidad de Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004 Palencia, Spain
Sergio Torres-Sánchez
Viñas del Vero S.A., Carretera Nacional 123 (km 3.7), Barbastro, 22300 Huesca, Spain
José Casanova-Gascón
Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), EPS, Universidad de Zaragoza, Carretera de Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
Grapevine is highly susceptible to fungal diseases, whose incidence and severity increase due to climate change. The present work focuses on the assessment of eight combinations of natural products with chitosan oligomers with fungicidal capacity that may be effective in the integrated control of powdery mildew, in compliance with Article 14 of the European Directive 2009/128/EC. Their efficacy was evaluated in field conditions against natural infections, in a plot with high disease pressure during a growing season (assaying both foliar or root application), and against overwintering inoculums (chasmothecia) through in vitro tests. In addition, their possible biostimulant capacities were evaluated based on harvest yields. Treatments based on chitosan oligomers in combination with secondary metabolites of Streptomyces spp. and chitosan oligomers combined with hydrolyzed gluten showed the best results in terms of disease control. Given the high efficacy of these formulations, comparable to that of conventional antifungals, they constitute an interesting alternative for the control of this disease whose treatment can, in some cases, represent almost half of the production costs.
