Ozone Dissolved in Water: An Innovative Tool for the Production of Young Plants in Grapevine Nurseries?

ABSTRACT Grapevine trunk diseases can infect nursery plants at different stages of propagation. Here, we evaluated the efficiency of aqueous ozone against two fungi associated with trunk diseases (Phaeoacremonium minimum and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora). The effect of ozone on the plant growth is also studied. Aqueous ozone completely suppressed spore germination in vitro. In planta fungal development was reduced six weeks post-inoculation. In the nursery, ozone treatment was comparable to the usual chemical treatment. Irrigation with aqueous ozone had no negative effects on plant growth. These anti-fungal properties and the absence of phytotoxicity make ozone a promising alternative for controlling microbial infection in nurseries.