Effect of fungal elicitors on morphophysiological characteristics and resistance to gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in cut flowers of rose

Abstract: The present study aimed to enhance the vase life, maintain quality, and reduce the percentage of infection with gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea using fungal elicitors on cut flowers of roses. Based on a completely randomized design with three replications, a factorial experiment was performed. The eight treatments were as follows: three concentrations of fungal elicitor (600, 800 and 1000 ppm), the three concentrations along with B. cinerea fungal spores, sterile distilled water (as negative control), and B. cinerea spore suspension (positive control). Vase life, cell membrane stability index, superoxide dismutase, catalase, carbohydrate content, and disease severity on the leaves were measured during the experiment. The measurements were carried out on days 3, 7 and 10 after spraying the spores. The results showed that treating rose flowers with the elicitor (1000 ppm) improved soluble carbohydrate preservation, cell membrane stability index, relative water content, catalase enzyme, and leaf superoxide dismutase, resulting in a significant increase in vase life (15.66 days) compared to the control (8.66 days) (P?0.01). Evaluating the disease index also showed that the elicitor (1000 ppm) along with B. cinerea spores caused a significant increase in vase life (12.33 days) compared to the positive control (7.66 days) (P?0.01). Finally, the disease severity in treated samples was lower than that of the B. cinerea treatment as control.