The article “Differences in the concentration of ergosterol isolated from strains of Monilinia fructicola resistant to demethylation inhibitor and susceptible strains: understanding the “Mona” element” presents an overview of the scientific experiment. The experiment’s basis is the infestation of peaches and nectarines by the fungus Monilinia fructicola (Hulse, 2021). This creates economic problems in the Southeastern United States, where the cultivation of these fruits occupies a large production sector. The article’s main topic is the identification of resistance factors of Monilinia fructicola to demethylation inhibitor fungicides, which are designed to protect the fruit from infestation. Fungal isolates were tested under three different conditions: without Mona element without resistance to fungicides and with Mona element with and without resistance. The tests were carried out to determine whether the fungi of Monilinia fructicola use a sterol other than ergosterol and an enzyme other than 14-a demethylase for its synthesis.
To determine the study’s statistical results, the data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Tests such as Student’s t-test and ANOVA table analysis were then performed. They determined if the ergosterol concentrations differed between samples containing and not containing the “Mona” element (Hulse, 2021). The results of this study were unexpected for the researchers. A group of isolates without the Mona element but susceptible to DMI fungicides produced a much higher ergosterol concentration than expected because they do not have the promoter sequence for 14-demethylase production. Thus, their resistance to the DMI element could be explained by a mutation in the CYP51 gene or by resistance developed in another way.
The authors of this article put forward two other hypotheses that could explain the immunity of the fungi to the DMI element. The first is that resistant strains use a different enzyme in the sterol ergosterol synthesis pathway. The second is that the fungi use a different promoter in this biosynthesis pathway (Hulse, 2021). Thus, the researchers concluded that the resistance is explained by using a different enzyme from 14-demethylase for ergosterol synthesis by Monilinia fructicola fungi. This article left an extensive field for discussion within the scientific community and further research into the resistance of fruit-infesting fungi to fungicides.
Reference
Hulse, J. (2021). The difference in ergosterol concentrations extracted from demethylation inhibitor-resistant and susceptible strains of Monilinia fructicola: understanding the ‘Mona’ element. Journal of applied plant protection, 10(3), 121-130. Web.