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Sundyreva M.A., Lutskiy E.O., Baranov M.O., Arbicheva A.I., Mishko A.E., Lobodina E.V. Defense response induction in grapes and antagonistic effect against downy mildew of epiphytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sel'skokhozyaistvennaya Biologiya [Agricultural Biology], 2026, Vol. 61, № 3, p. 498-509.
(how to cite this article)

doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2026.3.498eng

UDC: 634.8:632.4:579.64

Acknowledgements:
We acknowledge the support of the St. Petersburg State University (project ID 125022803066-3) and Core Facility Chromas (Research Park, St. Petersburg State University) for technical assistance.
Carried out with financial support of the Kuban Science Foundation and Russian Science Foundation in the framework of the scientific project No. 25-14-20022

 

DEFENSE RESPONSE INDUCTION IN GRAPES AND ANTAGONISTIC EFFECT AGAINST DOWNY MILDEW OF EPIPHYTIC Saccharomyces cerevisiae

M.A. Sundyreva1 ✉, E.O. Lutskiy1, M.O. Baranov1,
A.I. Arbicheva2, A.E. Mishko1, E.V. Lobodina1

1North Caucasian Federal Scientific Center of Horticulture, Viticulture, Wine-making, 39, ul. 40-letiya Pobedy, Krasnodar, 350901 Russia, e-mail mari.sundy@bk.ru (✉ corresponding author),arcuswengart@mail.ru,
feakermaax97@yandex.ru, mishko-alisa@mail.ru, alyona2255@yandex.ru;
2Chromas Core Facility, Research Park, St. Petersburg State University, 2/5, Oranienbaumskoe Shosse, Stary Peterhof, St. Petersburg, 198504 Russia, e-mail a.arbicheva@spbu.ru

ORCID:
Sundyreva M.A. orcid.org/0000-0002-1338-1725
Arbicheva A.I. orcid.org/0000-0001-5726-5032
Lutskiy E.O. orcid.org/0000-0003-0521-0827
Mishko A.E. orcid.org/0000-0002-8425-5216
Baranov M.O. orcid.org/0009-0009-5973-3886
Lobodina E.V. orcid.org/0000-0002-3580-2316

Final revision received November 02, 2025
Accepted December 04, 2025

Downy mildew is one of the most common and harmful grape diseases in the world. The high susceptibility to downy mildew of most grape varieties makes chemical protection necessary, leading to negative environmental consequences. In this regard, the study of new biocontrol agents of plant pathogens is becoming increasingly important. Yeasts are one of the most interesting and promising biocontrol agents due to their biological characteristics, wide distribution, genotypic and phenotypic adaptation to colonization and competition for space and nutrients than other groups of microbes on the surface of fruits and vegetables. For the first time, it was shown that epiphytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae from the surface of grape berries can be an effective agent for biocontrol of downy mildew due to stimulation of plant defense reactions and pronounced antagonistic activity. The aim of the work was to study induction of the defense reactions in grapes treated with epiphytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a biocontrol agent for downy mildew Plasmopara viticola. The work was carried out at the North Caucasian Federal Scientific Center for Horticulture, Viticulture and Winemaking in 2024-2025. We used an isolate of S. cerevisiae obtained from the surface of grape berries (Vitis vinifera) of the Merlot variety (Moldavanskoye village, Krasnodar Krai). The study was carried out on leaf discs of the downy mildew-susceptible grape variety TANA33 in Petri dishes. The leaf discs were treated with biopreparations approved against downy mildew: Bacillus subtilis (strain B-10 VIZR, preparation Alirin B, AgroBioTekhnologiya LLC, Russia) (BS); Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (strain KS-2, VKPM B-11141, BFTIM preparation, Biotekhagro LLC, Russia) (BA); and Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolate (6×106 cells/ml) (SC); aqueous (SC+t) and ethanolic (SC+Sp) extracts from S. cerevisiae isolate; water (control). Leaf discs were inoculated with a suspension of P. viticola spores (PV) at a concentration of 3×106 spores/ml in 24 h after treatment with previously described preparations. The effectiveness of the treatments was assessed based on the development of downy mildew on leaf discs as the average percentage of the sporulation area or specific oily spots on 50 leaf discs. Downy mildew sporulation was determined by counting spores using a Goryaev chamber. Physiological parameters characterizing the defense response of grapes were determined at 24, 48, and 72 h after treatment with S. cerevisiae and its extracts, as well as 24, 48, and 72 h after inoculation with downy mildew. The content of stilbenes (resveratrol, viniferin, piceid) was determined by capillary electrophoresis using a Kapel 105M device (OOO Lumex, Russia). The content of hydrogen peroxide was estimated using the FOX1 method, and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was determined by a reaction with thiobarbituric acid. The expression of defense-related genes was determined 24, 48, and 72 h after inoculation with P. viticola using real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Relative gene expression was calculated using the 2-ΔΔCt method. S. cerevisiae and their extracts had the ability to initiate immune responses in grapes and reduced the development of downy mildew and the number of pathogen’s zoospores. Yeasts and their extracts compensated P. viticola suppression of oxidative processes and provided a high content of viniferin, resveratrol, and piceid. Yeast extracts are able to neutralize the negative regulatory effects of P. viticola and enhance the immune response of grapes after downy mildew infection, however, to an insufficient extent. An aqueous yeast extract increased the levels of hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, and stilbenes. Ethanolic yeast extract had the least pronounced defense inducing effect, which was expressed in an increase in the content of stilbenes, primarily piceid. The expression of the defense related genes was significantly lower than when the leaves were treated with a yeast suspension. S. cerevisiae had the highest efficiency in the biocontrol of P. viticola. The defense response of grapes to downy mildew against the background of yeast treatment was primarily distinguished by a high level of defense related genes expression. S. cerevisiae induced simultaneous expression of jasmonate (LOX, MYC2) and salicylate related (NPR1, PR1) genes, PR proteins and stilbene synthase at 24 and 48 h post inoculation. Yeast extracts stimulated changes in the expression of MYC2, NPR1 and CHS genes. The positive effect of yeast extracts on defense responses did not contribute to the complete suppression of downy mildew on grape leaf disks. This may be due to the biological susceptibility of the TANA 33 variety to downy mildew. Therefore, S. cerevisiae provided high efficacy against downy mildew due to the simultaneous induction of grape defense responses and pronounced antagonistic suppression of P. viticola.

Keywords: Vitis vinifera, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Plasmopara viticola, oxidative processes, stilbene phytoalexins, gene expression, antagonistic suppression, priming of defense response.

 

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