Wood Metabolomic Responses of Wild and Cultivated Grapevine to Infection with Neofusicoccum parvum, a Trunk Disease Pathogen

Abstract

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs), which are associated with complex of xylem-inhabiting fungi, represent one of the major threats to vineyard sustainability currently. Botryosphaeria dieback, one of the major GTDs, is associated with wood colonization by Botryosphaeriaceae fungi, especially Neofusicoccum parvum. We used GC-MS and HPLC-MS to compare the wood metabolomic responses of the susceptible Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera (V. v. subsp. vinifera) and the tolerant Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris (V. v. subsp. sylvestris) after artificial inoculation with Neofusicoccum parvum (N. parvum). N. parvum inoculation triggered major changes in both primary and specialized metabolites in the wood. In both subspecies, infection resulted in a strong decrease in sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), whereas sugar alcohol content (mannitol and arabitol) was enhanced. Concerning amino acids, N. parvum early infection triggered a decrease in aspartic acid, serine, and asparagine, and a strong increase in alanine and β-alanine. A trend for more intense primary metabolism alteration was observed in V. v. subsp. sylvestris compared to V. v. subsp. vinifera. N. parvum infection also triggered major changes in stilbene and flavonoid compounds. The content in resveratrol and several resveratrol oligomers increased in the wood of both subspecies after infection. Interestingly, we found a higher induction of resveratrol oligomer (putative E-miyabenol C, vitisin C, hopeaphenol, ampelopsin C) contents after wood inoculation in V. v. subsp. sylvestris.