News » 10.09.2026 - Study finds HmaERF87 boosts hydrangea resistance to leaf spot disease

Researchers in China have identified a single gene that acts as a molecular guardian against the fungal pathogen responsible for devastating leaf spot disease in bigleaf hydrangea. The study, published in Plant Cell Reports, systematically mapped an entire family of regulatory genes in the hydrangea genome and then demonstrated through functional experiments that one of them, HmaERF87, serves as a positive regulator of the plant's natural defenses.

Bigleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, is celebrated worldwide for its showy mophead and lacecap blooms, whose blue or pink coloration famously shifts with soil chemistry. The species is a cornerstone of the global ornamental horticulture industry and a fixture of private and public gardens alike. Yet its popularity comes with a persistent vulnerability: leaf spot disease caused by the necrotrophic fungus Corynespora cassiicola.

The pathogen produces unsightly lesions that spread across foliage, diminishing the ornamental value of infected plants and imposing significant economic losses on nurseries. While chemical fungicides can suppress outbreaks, they raise environmental and cost concerns, making genetically informed breeding for resistance an increasingly attractive strategy.
 

Source: www.floraldaily.com

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