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Poster

Session: Session 2 Presenting Authors at Posters (Odds)

P-399 - Biological control of Phytophthora infestans in Solanum tuberosum by volatile organic compounds

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
13:30 - 15:15  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Plant Regulation of biotic and abiotic stress – trade-offs

For decades, biological control has been undervalued as a plant disease management strategy. However, European initiatives such as the Green Deal and the Farm-to-Fork strategy are driving a paradigm shift and phytopharmaceutical companies are now adding biocontrol products to their portfolios as many chemical phytopharmaceuticals are phased out in Europe. This shift is challenging for a crop such as Solanum tuberosum, where chemistry has historically been the only effective strategy against Phytophthora infestans, the major potato pathogen.

A specific approach to biocontrol involves harnessing the plant's innate immune system through a phenomenon known as priming, which puts the plant in a state of alertness. Priming agents such as beta-aminobutyric acid (BABA) have been known for some time. In our research group, we have provided proof-of-principle that the green leaf volatile Z3-hexenylacetate (Z3-HAC), which is released from plant cell membranes under stress, is a potent priming agent against P. infestans in potato.

In the present work, we first used an RNAseq approach including both mRNA and non-coding RNA profiling to elucidate the mode of action of Z3-HAC priming. Secondly, volatolomics was used to determine the biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) fingerprint produced by the plant after priming.