Several molds are able to colonize wood and many building products or solid wood causing losses for their valuable uses. Essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants can be used as an ecofriendly biofungicide against the growth of several molds. EOs from Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Citrus aurantium, and C. sinensis have a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. EOs from of E. camaldulensis air-dried aerial parts, C. aurantium leaf and C. sinensis peel, and their combinations (1:1 v/v) were evaluated for their antifungal activity against the growth of four common mold fungi (Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. terreus, and Fusarium culmorum). The chemical compositions of the EOs were analyzed with GC/MS. The main compounds in EO from E. camaldulensis were spathulenol (20.84%), eucalyptol (12.01%), and sabinene (9.73%); in C. aurantium were linalyl acetate (42.29%), and linalool (29.76%); and in C. sinensis were D-limonene (73.4%) and γ-terpinene (22.6%). At 50 µL/mL, C. sinensis EO showed the highest fungal mycilial growth inhibition (FMGI) percentage (86.66%) against A. flavus. C. sinensis, E. camaldulensis, and E. camaldulensis/C. sinensis showed FMGI values of 96%, 91.66%, and 75.66% respectively, against A. niger. EOs from C. aurantium and C. sinensis showed potent activity against A. terreus (100% FMGI), while C. aurantium/E. camaldulensis and E. camaldulensis/C. sinensis showed FMGI values of 74.33% and 70.66%, respectively. Potent activity against F. culmorum with 100% was observed as the application of E. camaldulensis and C. sinensis EOs at 50 µL/mL, while E. camaldulensis/C. sinensis (50 µL/mL) showed FMGI value of 65.66%. The results suggest using the EOs and their combinations from E.camaldulensis, C. aurantium, and C. sinensis as a biofungicide against molds. The potent properties of EOs offer the possibility of using them as eco-friendly, safe, and cost-effective antimicrobials for molds that could cause discoloration of the wood packaging or food spoilage.
Alternaria species, mainly air-borne fungi, affect potato plants, causing black spots symptoms. Morphological identification, pathogenicity assessment, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) molecular identification confirmed that all isolates were Alternaria alternata. The annotated sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers MN592771–MN592777. HPLC analysis revealed that the fungal isolates KH3 (133,200 ng/g) and NO3 (212,000 ng/g) produced higher levels of tenuazonic acid (TeA) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), respectively. Beet ethanol extract (BEE) and beet methanol extract (BME) at different concentrations were used as antimycotoxins. BME decreased the production of mycotoxins by 66.99–99.79%. The highest TeA reduction rate (99.39%) was reported in the KH3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BME treatment. In comparison, the most effective AME reduction rate (99.79%) was shown in the NO3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BME treatment. In the same way, BEE application resulted in 95.60–99.91% mycotoxin reduction. The highest TeA reduction rate (99.91%) was reported in the KH3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BEE treatment, while the greatest AME reduction rate (99.68%) was shown in the Alam1 isolate with 75 µg/mL BEE treatment. GC-MS analysis showed that the main constituent in BME was the antioxidant compound 1-dodecanamine, n,n-dimethyl with a peak area of 43.75%. In contrast, oxirane, methyl- (23.22%); hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (10.72%); and n-hexadecanoic acid (7.32%) were the main components in BEE found by GC-MS. They are probably antimicrobial molecules and have an effect on the mycotoxin in general. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the antimycotoxigenic activity of beet extracts against A. alternata mycotoxins-contaminated potato crops in Egypt, aimed to manage and save the environment.
Rhizoctonia solani causes severe diseases in many plant species, particularly root rot in tomato plants. For the first time, Trichoderma pubescens effectively controls R. solani in vitro and in vivo. R. solani strain R11 was identified using the ITS region (OP456527); meanwhile, T. pubescens strain Tp21 was characterized by the ITS region (OP456528) and two genes (tef-1 and rpb2). The antagonistic dual culture method revealed that T. pubescens had a high activity of 76.93% in vitro. A substantial increase in root length, plant height, shoot fresh and dry, and root fresh and dry weight was indicated after applying T. pubescens to tomato plants in vivo. Additionally, it significantly increased the chlorophyll content and total phenolic compounds. The treatment with T. pubescens exhibited a low disease index (DI, 16.00%) without significant differences with Uniform® fungicide at a concentration of 1 ppm (14.67%), while the R. solani-infected plants showed a DI of 78.67%. At 15 days after inoculation, promising increases in the relative expression levels of three defense-related genes (PAL, CHS, and HQT) were observed in all T. pubescens treated plants compared with the non-treated plants. Plants treated with T. pubescens alone showed the highest expression value, with relative transcriptional levels of PAL, CHS, and HQT that were 2.72-, 4.44-, and 3.72-fold higher in comparison with control plants, respectively. The two treatments of T. pubescens exhibited increasing antioxidant enzyme production (POX, SOD, PPO, and CAT), while high MDA and H2O2 levels were observed in the infected plants. The HPLC results of the leaf extract showed a fluctuation in polyphenolic compound content. T. pubescens application alone or for treating plant pathogen infection showed elevated phenolic acids such as chlorogenic and coumaric acids. Therefore, the ability of T. pubescens to inhibit the growth of R. solani, enhance the development of tomato plants, and induce systemic resistance supports the application of T. pubescens as a potential bioagent for managing root rot disease and productivity increase of crops.
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