Preventive Effect of Ebelactone B, an Esterase Inhibitor on Rice Sheath Blight Caused by Rhizoctonia solani

Two types of Rhizoctonia solani esterases induced by cutin hydrolysate were partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel filtration. The esterase I with hydrolyzing activity toward both ${\rho}-ni-trophenyl$ butyrate and ${\rho}-nitrophenyl$ palmitate and the esterase II with hydrolyzing activity toward only ${\rho}-ni-trophenyl$ butyrate were inhibited by ebelactone B, an esterase inhibitor produced by actinomycetes with $IC_{50}$ values of 0.01 and $0.09{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/l$, respectively. Spraying on rice seedling with ebelactone B at a concentration of $30{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$ completely suppressed infection by R. solani. Ebelactone B could not protect the wounded rice seedling and did not show any inhibitory effect on the mycelial growth at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. These results indicate that ebelactone B, an esterase inhibitor protects rice plants from infection with R. solani by inhibition of penetration, not through fungitoxic or fungicidal effect.