Leaf surface chemicals fromNicotiana affecting germination ofPeronospora tabacina (adam) sporangia.

A bioassay was used to evaluate the effects of cuticular leaf components, isolated fromN. tabacum, N. glutinosa (accessions 24 and 24a), and 23other Nicotiana species, on germinationof P. tabacina (blue mold). The leaf surface compounds includedα- andβ-4,8,13,-duvatriene-l,3-diols (DVT-diols), (13-E)-labda-13-ene-8α-,15-diol (labdenediol), (12-Z)-labda-12,14-diene-8α-ol (cis-abienol), (13-R)-labda-8,14-diene-13-ol (manool), 2-hydroxymanool, a mixture of (13-R)-labda-14-ene-8α,13-diol (sclareol), and (13-S)-labda-14-ene-8α,13-diol (episclareol), and various glucose and/or sucrose ester isolates. The above in acetone were applied onto leaf disks of the blue moldsusceptibleN. tabacum cv. TI 1406, which was then inoculated with blue mold sporangia. Estimated IC50 values (inhibitory concentration) were 3.0μg/cm(2) forα-DVT-diol, 2.9μ/cm(2) forβ-DVT-diol, 0.4μg/cm(2) for labdenediol and 4.7μg/cm(2) for the sclareol mixture. Manool, 2-hydroxymanool, andcis-abienol at application rates up to 30μg/cm(2) had little or no effect on sporangium germination. Glucose and/or sucrose ester isolates from the cuticular leaf extracts of 23Nicotiana species and three different fractions fromN. bigelovii were also evaluated for antimicrobial activity at a concentration of 30μg/cm(2). Germination was inhibited by >20% when exposed to sugar esters isolated fromN. acuminata, N. benthamiana, N. attenuata, N. clevelandii, andN. miersii, and accessions 10 and 12 ofN. bigelovii. These results imply that a number of compounds may influence resistance to blue mold in tobacco.