Abstract
Under pressure from social criticism and an unclear future, tobacco researchers have begun to seek alternative uses for the product. Here, we present our study on isolating tobacco compounds with fungicidal activity, which could be used as plant-derived pesticides. Using Valsa mali as the target fungus, agar plate tests were conducted to evaluate the fungicidal activity of various tobacco extracts, including tobacco leaves extracts prepared with different solvents, extracts of different tobacco cultivars, and samples from different tobacco organs. Fungal growth morphology was used as the criterion to evaluate the fungicidal activity of tobacco extracts. Correlation analyses between the fungicidal activities and the chemical components of tobacco extracts indicated the major chemical constituents with fungicidal activity. Then, the active compounds were isolated and their effects on the ultra-microstructures of V. mali was analyzed using scanning- and transmission-electron microscopy. The results suggested that tobacco extracts prepared with solvents of weaker polarity had higher fungicidal activity, and the inhibitory activity of tobacco extracts against V. mali was also cultivar dependent. Furthermore, the fungicidal effects of tobacco flower extracts were higher than those of the leaf extracts. Chemical analysis indicated that cembranoids were the main fungicidal substances, which act by destroying the endometrial structure of the fungus. Tobacco cembranoids at 80 μg/mL could completely inhibit the growth of V. mali, with an EC50 value of 13.18 μg/mL. Our study therefore suggests that tobacco leaves and inflorescences are excellent plant resources for the biological control of V. mali.
Highlights
With the increasing strictness of laws banning smoking across the world, the importance of tobacco as a raw cigarette material will be substantially reduced
We found that the concentration of cembranoids leaves extracts, and the concentration of neophytadiene and solanesol showed a decreasing showed a notable increasing trend along the increase of fungicidal activity of different tobaccotrend, leaves whereas the variation trend of sterol concentrations was irregular
Our study examined the in vitro inhibitory effect of tobacco extract on V. mali and determined the effective antifungal chemical constituents therein
Summary
With the increasing strictness of laws banning smoking across the world, the importance of tobacco as a raw cigarette material will be substantially reduced. In order to minimize the economic impact on tobacco farmers, exploration of alternative tobacco usages is of great importance for tobacco agriculture One such possibility relies on the role of tobacco as a traditional plant-derived pesticide, as nicotine in tobacco is toxic to most herbivore insects. Apple tree canker (i.e., rot disease is one type of skin disease caused by Valsa mali that can cause serious damage to the orchards of apple) is one type of skin disease caused by Valsa mali that can cause serious damage to the in the apple producing areas in China This disease has become an important factor orchards in the apple producing areas in China. Synthetic chemical pesticides, such as asomate factor restricting China’s apple production and exportation [6] Synthetic chemical pesticides, such (tris-N-(dimethyldithiocarbamoyl)arsine), were generally used to control apple tree canker. Components, and investigated the possible antifungal mechanism of tobacco extracts
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