Silica nanoparticles enhance resistance of Vitis vinifera to downy mildew

Abstract

Downy mildew, caused by the obligate biotrophic oomycete Plasmopara viticola, is one of the most destructive grapevine diseases worldwide, constituting a major challenge to viticulture. Because an increasing number of pesticides are removed from market due to their impact on human health and/or the environment, there is an urgent need for alternative strategies to control fungal diseases. Silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs) are emerging as promising tools for sustainable plant disease management. While their ability to enhance disease resistance has been demonstrated in several crop species, their potential in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) remains poorly investigated. In our study, foliar application of SiO₂ NPs significantly reduced P. viticola infection in grapevine under both controlled and field conditions. Transcriptomic analysis of SiO₂ NP-treated, non-infected leaves revealed transient activation of defence-related genes associated with salicylic acid, jasmonic acid and ethylene signalling, secondary metabolism and transcriptional regulation. However, these transcriptional responses were markedly attenuated upon infection. Metabolite profiling of phytohormones and stilbenes showed no significant differences between SiO₂ NP-treated and control plants, suggesting that enhanced resistance relies on other plant-derived mechanisms. In vitro assays showed that SiO₂ NPs did not exert direct toxicity toward P. viticola, indicating that the observed protection is plant-mediated or potentially due to a “physical barrier” effect of particles inside the stomata or epidermal cells. Overall, these findings provide new insights into SiO₂ NP-induced responses in grapevine and highlight their potential for sustainable disease management.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr Fabienne Schwab for providing the silica nanoparticles and for usage recommendation. We are also grateful to the members of the Mycology group at Agroscope Changins for providing help during the sampling of leaf discs. This project was founded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, Grant No. IZCOZ0_189896).