Detection and prediction of Botrytis cinerea infection levels in wine grapes using volatile analysis

Infection of grape berries (Vitis vinifera) by the fungus Botrytis cinerea (grey mould) frequently occurs in vineyards, resulting in off-flavours and other odours in wine and potential yield losses. In this study, volatile profiles of four naturally infected grape cultivars, and laboratory-infected grapes were analysed to identify potential markers for B. cinerea infection. Selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were highly correlated with two independent measures of B. cinerea infection levels, demonstrating that ergosterol measurements provide accurate quantification of lab-inoculated samples, while B. cinerea antigen detection is more suitable for naturally infected grapes. Excellent predictive models of infection level were confirmed (Q2Y of 0.784-0.959) using selected VOCs. A time course experiment confirmed that selected VOCs 1,5-dimethyltetralin, 1,5-dimethylnaphthalene, phenylethyl alcohol and 3-octanol are good markers for B. cinerea quantification and 2-octen-1ol could be considered as an early marker of the infection.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the volatile profiles of four naturally infected grape cultivars and laboratory-infected grapes to identify potential markers for Botrytis cinerea infection. Selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found to be highly correlated with two independent measures of B. cinerea infection levels. Ergosterol measurements provided accurate quantification of lab-inoculated samples, while B. cinerea antigen detection was more suitable for naturally infected grapes. Excellent predictive models of infection level were established using selected VOCs, with Q2Y values ranging from 0.784 to 0.959. A time course experiment confirmed the effectiveness of selected VOCs, such as 1,5-dimethyltetralin, 1,5-dimethylnaphthalene, phenylethyl alcohol, and 3-octanol, as markers for B. cinerea quantification, and 2-octen-1ol as an early marker of infection.