Protection of Vine Plants against Esca Disease by Breathable Electrospun Antifungal Nonwovens

Abstract

The harmful Esca disease in vine plants caused by wood-inhabiting fungi including Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (Pch) is spreading all across the world. This disease leads to poor vine crops and a slow decline or to a sudden dieback of the vine plants. The pruning wounds of vine plants are the main entry point for Pch. While model experiments with aerosol particles recommend electrospun nonwovens as a suitable barrier to block Pch, tests with living spores show clearly that only electrospun fibrous nonwovens do not prevent Pch invasion. However it is found, that with antifungal additives electrospun nonwovens could be applied successfully for blocking of Pch to infect the substrate. Thereby, a highly useful concept for the protection of vine plants against Esca disease is provided which could also serve as a concept for related plant diseases.

Electrospun Eco-Friendly Materials Based on Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and TiO2 with Antifungal Activity Prospective for Esca Treatment

“…However, physical blocking has proven unsatisfactory and the inclusion of a component with antifungal activity has been put forward. Therefore, one recent report has been published on the use of electrospun materials from poly(lactide- co -glycolide) and poly(butyleneadipate- co -terephthalate), and it incorporated an antifungal agent, polyhexamethylene guanidine, as bandages to prevent esca disease by blocking the penetration of P. chlamydospora spores [ 16 ]. In addition, the fibrous membranes prepared by electrospinning enable air and moisture permeation, allowing a plant wound to “breathe”.…”

Comparative Study of Pleurotus ostreatus Mushroom Grown on Modified PAN Nanofiber Mats

“…Another biological material well-known for its good mechanical properties is the mycelium of different fungi. Usually, reports about fungicide properties of diverse nanofiber mats can be found in the scientific literature dealing with nanofiber mats and mentioning fungi [21,22,23,24,25]. Only very few studies investigate interactions between fungi and nanofiber mats in which the fungi grow on polymeric material.…”

Electrospun 5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline-Loaded Cellulose Acetate/Polyethylene Glycol Antifungal Membranes Against Esca

“…Materials consisting of rayon membranes on which electrospun nanofibers of soy protein/polyvinyl alcohol and soy protein/polycaprolactone are deposited have been proposed for physically blocking fungal spore penetration [7]. It has been reported that the physical blocking is insufficient, and the inclusion of an antifungal component has been put forward [8]. The proposed materials consist of lactide/glycolide copolymer and poly(butyleneadipate- co -terephthalate) blended with a specially synthesized antifungal polymer–polyhexamethylene guanidine.…”