Abstract
Background“Bayoud” disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (Foa) poses a serious threat to date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Morocco. However, research studies performed to discover biological methods to control this disease remain limited. The present study has set objectives to determine antifungal activity of five plants extracts (Acacia cyanophylla, Cupressus atlantica, Eucalyptus torquata, Nerium oleander, and Schinus molle) against Foa and link this effect to their content in polyphenols and flavonoids as well as their antioxidant properties.ResultsPlant extracts showed significant differences (p < 0.05) regarding their antifungal activity. The extracts of E. torquata and C. atlantica showed the strongest antifungal effect resulting in the inhibition of mycelial growth, sporulation, and spore germination in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, there were significant differences among the examined plant extracts in respect to their total polyphenols (1.536–7.348 g GAE/100 g DW), flavonoids (0.986–5.759 g RE/100 g DW), and antioxidant properties measured by Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) (7.47–38.97 mmol TE/100 g DW) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (8.95–47.36 mmol TE/100 g DW). Moreover, the antifungal potential of plant extracts was found to be moderately to strongly correlated with their polyphenol and flavonoid contents as well as their antioxidant activity, implying that the effective inhibitory activity of these plant extracts is partly due to their richness in antioxidative secondary metabolites.ConclusionOur findings shed further light on plants as a-yet-untapped resource of bioactive compounds and constructed the foundation for the development of new biological approaches to best manage Bayoud disease.
Highlights
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has long been a major fruit crop in the semi-arid regions of Southern Morocco [1]
E. torquata had the greatest inhibitory effect on fungal mycelial growth followed by C. atlantica, N. oleander, S. molle, and A. cyanophylla (Fig. 1)
We demonstrate that the plants E. torquata and C. atlantica have strong antifungal activities, suggesting that their incorporation in compost may contribute to the management of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Albedinis (Foa)’s community in soil
Summary
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has long been a major fruit crop in the semi-arid regions of Southern Morocco [1]. Since its first appearance in Morocco in the late nineteenth century, the disease has spread throughout all date-producing areas in Morocco and part of Algeria, killing respectively more than 10 and 3 million palm trees in these countries [6] This epidemic has wiped out a wide range of cultivars that were highly appreciated by growers, leading to an impoverishment in palm genetic diversity and a decrease in farmer’s income [6]. Many Bayoud-resistant varieties have been selected, most of commercial varieties, such as “Mejhool” and “Bouffegous”, are highly sensitive and require intensive management against the pathogen These varieties are principally cultivated in modern farms established not far from Bayoud-infested areas, which constitute a constant risk of its introduction into pathogen-free locations [8]. There is an urgent need for developing appropriate anticipative management strategies to best manage the disease
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