Green Leaf Volatile -2-Hexenal Inhibits the Growth of by Inducing Membrane Damage, ROS Accumulation, and Cell Dysfunction.

, the main agent of head blight (FHB), can cause serious yield loss and secrete mycotoxins to contaminate grain. Here, the biological activity of -2-hexenal (T2H) against was determined and its mode of action (MOA) was investigated. Furthermore, surface plasmon resonance with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPR-LC-MS/MS), bioinformatic analysis, and gene knockout technique were combined to identify the binding proteins of T2H in cells. T2H exhibited satisfactory inhibitory activity against . Good lipophilicity greatly enhanced the affinity of T2H to mycelia and further caused membrane damage. The (thioredoxin reductase) gene negatively regulates the sensitivity of to T2H by reducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by T2H. Two mutant strains with (structure-specific endonuclease subunit) and (coatomer subunit β) genes knockout showed decreased sensitivity to T2H, suggesting that these two genes may be involved in the antimicrobial activity of T2H. Taken together, T2H can inhibit growth by multiple MOAs and can be used as a biofumigant to control the occurrence of FHB in the field.