Synergistic antimicrobial effect of chitosan polymers and oligomers.

This study evaluated the efficacy of the combined application of well-characterized chitosan polymer (degree of acetylation DA = 10%, degree of polymerization DPn = 90, dispersity ÐDP = 2.8) and oligomers (paCOS) (DP = 2-17) on conidia germination and mycelial growth of Fusarium graminearum, the major causal agent of Fusarium Head Blight in wheat. The polymer alone showed a higher inhibitory effect than the paCOS mixture alone, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of less than 50 µg mL⁻¹ and more than 100 µg mL⁻¹, respectively. Using time-lapse microscopy, we also showed that paCOS did not affect conidia germination at 50 μg mL⁻¹, while chitosan polymer at the same concentration led to a delay in germination and in elongation of germ tubes. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the chitosan-induced changes in hyphal morphology. Surprisingly, the combination of chitosan polymer and paCOS led to strong synergistic effects in inhibiting conidia germination and fungal growth, as quantified by both the Abbot and Wadley equation. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a synergistic effect of a combination of chitosan polymers and oligomers, also highlighting for the first time the importance of ÐDP when studying structure-function relationships of functional biopolymers such as chitosan. The consequences of this finding for the improvement of chitosan-based antimicrobial or plant protective products are discussed. Given the economic importance of F. graminearum, this study suggests that the combination of chitosan polymer and oligomers can be used to support an efficient, sustainable plant protection strategy.