Dimethachlon Resistance in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in China

The dicarboximide fungicide dimethachlon has been widely used for controlling Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in China for more than a decade. To assess the current status of dimethachlon resistance in S. sclerotiorum in China, 2,424 isolates were collected from disease-infected oilseed rape and soybean plants in five provinces of China in 2011 and 2012, and dimethachlon resistance was monitored by mycelial growth inhibition method on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media. Dimethachlon at 5 μg/ml was used as a discriminatory dose to detect resistance in all isolates, and 50% effective concentration values were determined for all dimethachlon-resistant isolates and some sensitive isolates. No dimethachlon resistance was detected in isolates from Anhui province (eastern China), Gansu province (northwestern China), and Qinghai province (western China). In Hunan province (central China), 3 of 268 (1.12%) isolates collected from oilseed rape plants in 2012 were resistant to dimethachlon, and the resistance ratios for the three resistant isolates were 4.56, 32.70, and 105.53, respectively. In Heilongjiang province (northeastern China), 8 of 243 (3.29%) isolates collected from soybean plants in 2011 were resistant to dimethachlon, with resistance ratios of 5.57 to 94.80; 11 of 409 (2.69%) isolates collected in 2012 were resistant to dimethachlon, with resistance ratios of 3.21 to 9.69. Cross-resistance studies showed that there was positive cross-resistance between dimethachlon and iprodione, procymidone, and the N-phenyl carbamate fungicide diethofencarb. No cross-resistance was found between dimethachlon and carbendazim, tebuconazole, kresoxim-methyl, thiram, and boscalid. Compared with the sensitive isolates of S. sclerotiorum, the field-dimethachlon-resistant isolates were more sensitive to osmotic pressure, grew more slowly on PDA media, and were less pathogenic on leaves of oilseed rape.