Antifungal effects of Paeonia lactiflora seed extracts

Abstract

Paeonia lactiflora is a plant resources widely distributed in Asia. The root of Paeonia lactiflora have been used to traditional herbal medicine for blood stasis syndrome in Korea. Until now, many studies have been conducted on the root of Paeonia lactiflora, but studies on seed are insufficient. This study was carried out to determine the inhibitory effect of Paeonia lactiflora seed extract against the phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria panax, Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum acutatum, Cylindrocarpon destructans, Colletotrichum gloseosporiades, Phytophthora cactorum, and Pythium ultimum. The results demonstrated that the seed extract showed potent antifungal effects against Alternaria panax, Colletotrichum acutatum, Cylindrocarpon destructans, Colletotrichum gloseosporiades, Phytophthora cactorum, and Pythium ultimum. Especially, the Paeonia lactiflora seed extract showed the highest antifungal activity against Pythium ultimum and Phytophthora cactorum, and the antifungal activity was not affected by heat treatment. Therefore, the antifungal component of the Paeonia lactiflora seed extract was concluded thermostable and it is suggested that the Paeonia lacflora seed extract has stability for antifungal activity maintaining. These results suggested that Paeonia lacflora seed extract may be useful as a natural antifungal agent to prevent plant diseases.