Evaluation of propiconazole, a triazole-containing fungicide as an inhibitor of strigolactone production

The inhibitory effect of propiconazole on strigolactone (SL) production and Striga hermonthica emer-gence were evaluated using rice plants. A significant reduction in SL levels was detected in root and root exudates after rice was treated with different doses of propiconazole. Propiconazole induced second tiller bud outgrowth in rice seedlings. In accordance with the results of 4-deoxyorobanchol levels in root and root exudates, propiconazole-treated rice attenuated the degree of infestation of the root parasitic weed, S. hermonthica. Overall, these results suggest that propiconazole has potential as a plant growth regulator for agriculture and a new scaffold for developing potent inhibitors of SL production.