COS-OGA & Sugar Beet: A Multi-omics Story of Pre-emptive Defence Activation

Sugar beet is an integral part of the European Union’s food security. EU’s environmental and food safety policies plan to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, increasing sugar beet vulnerability to fungal pathogens such as Cercospora beticola, the causal agent of Cercospora Leaf Spot disease. C. beticola thrives in humid, warm conditions (20-30°C), causing up to 35% reduction in sugar yield. In Belgium it is traditionally controlled with chemicals such as benzimidazoles, triazoles, and strobilurins. Despite their high efficacy, concerns about residue levels and fungicide resistances are prompting sugar growers to look for alternative substances, like plant defence inducers. One such alternative is COS-OGA: a complex of oligo-chitosans (COS) and oligo-galacturonides (OGA), that prevents disease development by activating plant immune defences.