Antifungal effect of 405-nm light on <i>Botrytis cinerea</i>

Abstract

Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) is a very successful necrotroph, causing serious losses in more than 200 crop hosts. This study investigated the antifungal effect of 405-nm light on this pathogen. Our results suggest that the excitation of endogenous porphyrins and subsequent accumulation of singlet oxygen contribute to the 405-nm light-mediated photoinactivation of grey mould. The development of symptoms in detached tomato leaves inoculated with B. cinerea spores was significantly inhibited by irradiation with 405-nm light, indicating that this wavelength of light has a potential use in controlling plant diseases caused by B. cinerea.