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Micronutrients applied as nanoparticles of metal oxides have shown efficacy in vegetable and other crops for improving yield and reducing Fusarium diseases, but their role in ornamental crop management has not been investigated. In 2017, 2018, and 2020, nanoparticles of CuO, Mn2O3, or ZnO were foliarly applied at 500 mug/mL (0.6 mg/plant) to chrysanthemum transplants and planted in potting soil noninfested or infested with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. chrysanthemi. An untreated control and a commercial fungicide, Fludioxonil, was also included. Chrysanthemums treated with nanoscale CuO had a 55, 30, and 32% reduction in disease severity ratings compared to untreated plants in 2017, 2018, and 2020, respectively. Specifically, the average dry biomass for the three years was reduced 22% by disease, but treatment with nanoscale CuO led to a 23% increase when compared to controls. Similar trends with plant height were observed. Horticultural quality was improved 28% with nano CuO and was equal to the fungicide. Nanoscale Mn2O3 and the fungicide did not consistently reduce disease ratings or increase dry biomass each year. Nanoscale ZnO was ineffective. Nanoscale CuO-treated plants had 24 to 48% more Cu/g tissue than controls (P < 0.001). These findings agree with past reports on food crops where single applications of nanoscale CuO improved plant health, growth, and yield and could offer significant impacts for managing plant diseases on ornamentals.
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The plant epidermis is a single layer of cells covering all plant organs. How pathogens overcome this barrier and enter plants is an important aspect of plant–pathogen interactions. For bacterial plant pathogens, known entry points include natural openings, such as stomata, hydathodes, and mechanical injuries caused by insect feeding, wind damage, or hailstorms. Here, we report that the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora enters apple leaves through naturally occurring wounds caused by the abscission of trichomes during the course of leaf development. Through macroscopic and microscopic observations, we depicted a clear invasion path for E. amylovora cells, from epiphytic growth on glandular trichomes (GT) and non-glandular trichomes (NT) to entry through wounds caused by abscised trichomes, into the epithem, and subsequent spread through xylem. We further observed that GT and NT undergo an abscission process, and that the amount of naturally occurring wounds during abscission is associated with the increase in E. amylovora population. Key genes important for the colonization of GT and NT were identified. The contribution of the type III secretion system and amylovoran biosynthesis during GT colonization was validated. Our findings propose a novel host entry mechanism of plant pathogenic bacteria through naturally occurring wounds during the abscission of plant surface structures. © 2025 Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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