Sensitivity to iprodione, difenoconazole and fludioxonil of Rhizoctonia cerealis isolates collected from wheat in China

Since the 1980s wheat sharp eyespot (WSE) caused mainly by Rhizoctonia cerealis has become one of serious diseases of wheat in China. In this study, the sensitivity of 89 R. cerealis isolates to different fungicides was evaluated using mycelial growth inhibition assays. The results showed that all R. cerealis isolates tested were sensitive to iprodione, difenoconazole and fludioxonil with mean EC50 (effective concentration that results in 50% of mycelial growth inhibition) values of 0.419, 0.062 and 0.033 μg/ml, respectively. To evaluate the risk of fungicide resistance in R. cerealis, an attempt was made to induce resistant mutants in the laboratory. Although difenoconazole- and fludioxonil-resistant mutants were not obtained, we obtained seven independently iprodione-resistant (IR) mutants from 89 parental isolates. The EC50 values for these IR mutants were greater than 100 μg/ml, whereas those for the original wild-type counterparts were less than 1 μg/ml. After having been subcultured on PDA for 10 generations, the IR mutants did not show any decrease in resistance to iprodione. Additionally, these IR mutants also showed resistance to fludioxonil but remained sensitive to difenoconazole. Osmotic sensitivity tests showed that the IR mutants were hypersensitive to osmotic stress generated by NaCl. Inoculation tests showed that all the IR mutants lost their ability to infect the host plant. Taken together, these results indicate that the current population of R. cerealis is sensitive to these fungicides and a fitness cost is associated with iprodione-resistant mutants of R. cerealis in both osmotic stress and pathogenicity. The information obtained in this study is useful in monitoring and managing fungicide resistance in R. cerealis populations in China.

► We test the efficiency of three fungicides against Rhizoctonia cerealis in vitro.
► We success to induce laboratory resistant mutants.
► We test the stability, osmotic sensitivity and virulence for the resistant isolates.
► Cross-resistance between dicarboximides and phenylpyrroles was detected.