Abstract
The petal blight disease of alpine Rhododendron severely impacts the ornamental and economic values of Rhododendron. Plant secondary metabolites play a crucial role in resisting pathogenic fungi, yet research on metabolites in alpine Rhododendron petals that confer resistance to pathogenic fungi is limited. In the present study, the secondary metabolites in Rhododendron delavayi, R. agastum, and R. irroratum petals with anti-pathogenic activity were screened through disease index analysis, metabolomic detection, the mycelial growth rate, and metabolite spraying experiments. Disease index analysis revealed that R. delavayi petals exhibited the strongest disease resistance, while R. agastum showed the weakest, both under natural and experimental conditions. UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis identified 355 and 274 putative metabolites in positive and negative ion modes, respectively. The further antifungal analysis of differentially accumulated baicalein, diosmetin, and naringenin showed their half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) against Neopestalotiopsis clavispora to be 5000 mg/L, 5000 mg/L, and 1000 mg/L, respectively. Spraying exogenous baicalein, diosmetin, and naringenin significantly alleviated petal blight disease caused by N. clavispora infection in alpine Rhododendron petals, with the inhibition rates exceeding 64%. This study suggests that the screened baicalein, diosmetin, and naringenin, particularly naringenin, can be recommended as inhibitory agents for preventing and controlling petal blight disease in alpine Rhododendron.