Botrytis cinerea, a phytopathogen causing gray mold on over 1400 species worldwide, has led to huge losses in agricultural products. Efforts have been made to control this notorious pathogen. However, efficient plant metabolites for suppressing B. cinerea are still seldom reported and data on their potential targets of action are scarce. In this study, magnolol, a functional ingredient in Mangnolia officinalis, substantially inhibited B. cinerea mycelial growth and its virulence on harvested fruit. The inhibitory effect was mainly caused by the activation of autophagic activity in B. cinerea, damages in normal structures of mitochondria and accumulation of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, the ROS-induced oxidative stress impaired membrane integrity and attenuated cell vitality, resulting in reduced mycelial growth and virulence. Collectively, these results suggest that magnolol shows efficacy in suppressing B. cinerea and thus may be further explored as an alternative for controlling gray mold.

灰葡萄孢（Botrytis cinerea）是一种植物病原体，在全球1400多种物种中引起灰霉病，已导致农产品损失巨大。已经努力控制这种臭名昭著的病原体。然而，仍然很少有关于抑制灰质芽孢杆菌的有效植物代谢物的报道，而且关于其潜在作用靶标的数据也很少。在这项研究中，厚朴酚，木兰中的功能成分，基本上抑制了灰葡萄孢菌的菌丝体生长及其对收获果实的毒力。抑制作用主要是由灰葡萄孢中自噬活性的激活引起的。，线粒体正常结构的破坏和过多的活性氧（ROS）的积累。此外，ROS诱导的氧化应激会损害膜的完整性并减弱细胞活力，从而导致菌丝体生长和毒力降低。总体而言，这些结果表明厚朴酚显示出抑制灰葡萄芽孢杆菌的功效，因此可以进一步探索作为控制灰霉病的替代方法。