Strawberry fatty acyl glycosides enhance disease protection, have antibiotic activity and stimulate plant growth.

An increasing interest in the development of products of natural origin for crop disease and pest control has emerged in the last decade. Here we introduce a new family of strawberry acyl glycosides (SAGs) formed by a trisaccharide (GalNAc-GalNAc-Glc) and a monounsaturated fatty acid of 6 to 12 carbon atoms linked to the glucose unit. Application of SAGs to Arabidopsis thaliana (hereafter Arabidopsis) plants triggered a transient oxidative burst, callose deposition and defense gene expression, accompanied by increased protection against two phytopathogens, Pseudomonas viridiflava and Botrytis cinerea.