Chemical constituents of essential oil from Murraya paniculata leaves and its application to in vitro biological control of the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Flávia Fernanda Alves Da Silva,Josemar Gonçalves De Oliveira Filho,Mayker Lazaro Dantas Miranda,Antônio Eduardo Miller Crotti,Cassia Cristina Fernandes Alves,Tatiana Manzini Vieira

doi:10.1590/fst.20218

Abstract

ABSTRACT Besides their value as therapeutic resources, medicinal plants may also be used as sources of active ingredients against phytopathogens. Fungi can grow and cause spoilage in food, thus, resusting in decrease in its quality and quantity. This research aimed at evaluating the effect of essential oil from Murraya paniculata (ML-EO) leaves on mycelial growth of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungus that poses high risk to several cultures, mainly soybean. Essential oil from M. paniculata (Rutaceae) leaves was obtained by hydrodistillation which was carried out by a Clevenger-type apparatus while its chemical composition was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. β-Caryophyllene (23.8%), α-zingiberene (21.0%) and β-cubebene (10.2%) were the main constituents found in ML-EO leaves. In vitro antifungal activity showed that ML-EO, at a 300 µL dose, inhibited 91.2% of mycelial growth of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum . This is the first report of the antifungal activity of ML-EO against S. sclerotiorum and results suggest that the essential oil under evaluation has good potential to control this phytopathogenic fungus.

Highlights

Soybean cultivation has been one of the most economically important productive activities economically in Brazil and in the world
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a phytopathogenic fungus that causes a disease known as white mold, which is one of the main factors that prevents cultures, such as soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) ones, from reaching high productivity (Dildey et al, 2014)
Previous reports on essential oil from leaves of other M. paniculata specimens have indicated that terpenes predominate in it and that its chemical composition varies significantly, depending on the origin of the plant

Summary

Introduction

Soybean cultivation has been one of the most economically important productive activities economically in Brazil and in the world. It may result from several factos, such as the development of more productive cultivars, and has made Brazil become the second largest producer and exporter of this culture worldwide. Some factors, such as plant diseases, mainly white mold, have negatively contributed to soybean productivity (Pereira et al, 2012). The population of the disease increases every time cultures of the same host species are planted (Silva et al, 2018)

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