Stagonospora cirsii, a fungal pathogen isolated from Cirsium arvense and proposed as a potential mycoherbicide of this perennial noxious weed, produces phytotoxic metabolites in liquid and solid cultures. Recently, the main metabolite, stagonolide (1), with interesting phytotoxic properties, was isolated from a liquid culture and characterized as a new nonenolide. In the present work this same fungus, grown in solid culture, exhibited an increased capacity to produce nonenolides. Five new nonenolides, named stagonolides B-F (2-6), were isolated and characterized using spectroscopic methods. When tested by a leaf disk puncture assay at a concentration of 1 mg/mL, these compounds showed no toxicity to C. arvense and Sonchus arvensis, whereas stagonolide (1) was highly toxic. Stagonolide (1) and stagonolide C (3) were weakly toxic to Colpoda steinii, a protozoan, when tested at 0.05 mg/mL, with the other stagonolides nontoxic. A number of structure-activity relationship observations were made.

Stagonospora cirsii is a pathogen of Cirsium arvense, causing necrotic lesions on leaves of this noxious weed. The fungus produced toxic metabolites when grown in liquid culture. A new phytotoxin, named stagonolide, was isolated and characterized as (8R,9R)-8-hydroxy-7-oxo-9-propyl-5-nonen-9-olide by spectroscopic methods. Stagonolide was shown to be a nonhost-specific but selective phytotoxin. Leaves of C. arvense were most sensitive and leaves of tomato and pepper (both Solanaceae) were less sensitive to stagonolide, which was assayed at 5 x 10(-3) M, than other plants. Stagonolide assayed at 5 x 10(-6) M was demonstrated to be a strong inhibitor of root growth in seedlings of C. arvense and some other Asteraceae species. Seedlings growth in wheat and radish was much less affected by the toxin, and seedlings of cucumber were insensitive to it.

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Stagonospora cirsii Davis, a fungal pathogen isolated from Cirsium arvense (commonly called Canada thistle) and proposed as a potential mycoherbicide of this perennial noxious weed, produces phytotoxic metabolites in liquid and solid cultures. Stagonolide, the main phytotoxic metabolite, and five new related nonenolides, named stagonolides B-F, were isolated from the fungus. When grown on solid culture, nonenolide yields increased. A further four nonenolides were isolated and characterized by spectroscopy. Three were new compounds and named stagonolides G-I, and the fourth was identified as modiolide A, previously isolated from Paraphaeosphaeria sp., a fungus separated from the horse mussel. Leaf disk-puncture assays at 1 mg/mL of stagonolides H-I and modiolide A were phytotoxic to C. arvense. Only stagonolide H inhibited chicory seedling root growth. The most potent toxin, stagonolide H, indicated selectivity when tested on leaves of eight different plants: Canada thistle was most sensitive to the compound.

The potential of the different Phoma exigua var. exigua strains for the biocontrol of the perennial weeds Sonchus arvensis and Cirsium arvense, occurring throughout temperate regions of the world, has been evaluated in previous studies. The majority of the above strains produced ascosonchine, a newly discovered enol tautomer of 4- pyridylpyruvic acid, whereas strains C-177 and S-9, though virulent to weeds, did not produce the above metabolite. In this study, it was demonstrated that the above two strains, grown in liquid and solid cultures, produced p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, cytochalasins B, F, Z2 and Z3, and deoxaphomin. When assayed on the leaves of both C. arvense and S. arvensis, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde was inactive, whereas deoxaphomin demonstrated the highest level of toxicity on leaves of S. arvensis. Cytochalasin Z2 appeared to be the less toxic cytochalasan on both plants according to the lack of the secondary hydroxyl group on C-7. Production of cytochalasins by P. exigua var. exigua strains isolated from C. arvense and S. arvensis is discussed in relation to chemotaxonomy and the biocontrol potential of the fungus.

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Alternaria sonchi is a fungal pathogen isolated from Sonchus arvensis and proposed as a biocontrol agent of this noxious perennial weed. Different phytotoxic metabolites were isolated from solid culture of the fungus. Two new polycyclic ethanones, named alternethanoxins A and B, were characterized using essentially spectroscopic and chemical methods. Tested by leaf disk-puncture assay on the fungal host plant and a number of nonhost plants, alternethanoxins A and B were shown to be phytotoxic, whereas they did not possess antimicrobial activity tested at 100 microg/disk. Hence, alternethanoxins A and B have potential as nonselective natural herbicides. Some structure-activity relationship observations were also made.