Chilean Botrytis cinerea isolates with reduced sensitivity to fludioxonil exhibit low to null fitness penalties

The main phytosanitary problem for table grapes production in Chile is the gray mold caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. To manage this issue, the primary method utilized is chemical control. Fludioxonil, a phenylpyrrole, is highly effective in controlling B. cinerea and other plant pathogens. Consistently, there have been no field reports of reduced efficacy to fludioxonil; however, some isolates with reduced sensitivity to fludioxonil are on the rise globally, as per increasing reports. Our study involved a large-scale evaluation of B. cinerea's sensitivity to fludioxonil in the Central Valley of Chile's primary table grape production area during 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 growing seasons. Out of 2207 isolates, only 1.04% of the isolates (n=23) exceeded the sensitivity threshold value of 1 µg/mL. Remarkably, 95.7% of them are concentrated in a geographic region (Valparaíso Region). Isolates with reduced sensitivity to fludioxonil showed growth comparable to sensitive isolates and even more robust growth under nutritional deficit, temperature or osmotic stress, suggesting greater environmental adaptation. When table grape detached berries were stored at 0°C, isolates less sensitive to fludioxonil caused larger lesions than sensitive isolates (2.82 mm compared to 1.48 mm). However, the lesions generated by both types of isolates were equivalent at room temperature. This study found no cross-resistance between fludioxonil and fenhexamid, an essential fungicide integrated with fludioxonil in Chilean B. cinerea control programs. All the Chilean isolates with reduced sensitivity to fludioxonil were controlled by the fludioxonil/cyprodinil mixture, a commonly employed form of fludioxonil. Cyprodinil sensitivity clarified the reduced frequency of these isolates in the field despite their null fitness penalties. However, the emergence of fludioxonil-resistant isolates inside the Chilean B. cinerea population demands a comprehensive analysis of their genetic bases, accompanied by monitoring tools that allow the permanence of field fludioxonil efficacy.