The plant protection preparation GZM improves crop immunity, yield, and quality

Yunhao Sun; Dianxian Cai; Di Qin; Jialiang Chen; Yutong Su; Xiaoying Zheng; Zhen Meng; Jie Zhang; Lina Xiong; Zhangyong Dong; Ping Cheng; Xiaoming Peng; Guohui Yu

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106819

The plant protection preparation GZM improves crop immunity, yield, and quality

iScience. 2023 May 5;26(6):106819. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106819. eCollection 2023 Jun 16.

Authors

Yunhao Sun^{1

2

3

4}, Dianxian Cai⁵, Di Qin^{1

2

3

4}, Jialiang Chen^{1

6}, Yutong Su^{1

2

3

4}, Xiaoying Zheng^{1

2

3

7}, Zhen Meng^{1

2

3

4}, Jie Zhang^{1

2

3

7}, Lina Xiong⁸, Zhangyong Dong^{1

2

3

4}, Ping Cheng^{1

2

3}, Xiaoming Peng⁵, Guohui Yu^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Innovative Institute for Plant Health, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
² Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control on Fruits and Vegetables in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510225, China.
³ Guangdong University Key Laboratory for Sustainable Control of Fruit and Vegetable Diseases and Pests, Guangzhou 510225, China.
⁴ College of Agriculture and Biology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
⁵ Laboratory of Plant Health, Zhuhai Runnong Science and Technology Co. Ltd, Zhuhai 519000, China.
⁶ National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
⁷ College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
⁸ School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.

Abstract

Lauryl alcohol, a natural compound found in plants and other organisms, is widely used to make surfactants, food, and pharmaceuticals. GZM, a plant protection preparation with lauryl alcohol as its major component is thought to establish a physical barrier on the plant surface, but its physiological functions are unknown. Here, we show that GZM improves the performance of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) plants in both the laboratory and the field. We demonstrate that the treatment with GZM or lauryl alcohol raises the contents of several specific lysophospholipids and induces the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and wax in various plant species. In the field, GZM improves crop immunity, yield, and quality. In addition, GZM and lauryl alcohol can inhibit the growth of some pathogenic fungi. Our findings provide insights into the physiological and biological effects of GZM treatment on plants and show that GZM and lauryl alcohol are promising preparations in agricultural production.

Keywords: Omics; Plant development; Plant pathology.