Fungicides Cuprozin Progress and SWITCH Modulate Primary and Specialized Metabolites of Strawberry Fruits

Numerous pesticides, including fungicides, are applied every year to crop
plants. However, such application may affect the plant metabolism and
thereby impact crop quality. Strawberry is an economically important crop,
but the fruits are highly susceptible, especially to fungal diseases. In
the present study, the effects of two fungicides on primary and
specialized metabolites determining the fruit aroma were tested in two
strawberry cultivars and the wild strawberry. Fruit extracts were analyzed
using HPLC (amino acids), GC-MS (organic acids, sugars, flavor
metabolites) and photometric quantification (total phenolics). Various
metabolites were either significantly higher or lower in fruits of plants
exposed to fungicides compared to those of control plants, with
differences between strawberry cultivars and species, as well as used
fungicides. Given the various changes in metabolites in response to the
treatments, the taste and quality of the strawberries may pronouncedly
change when plants are treated with fungicides.