Abstract
Moniliophthora perniciosa is a fungal pathogen and causal agent of Witches' Broom Disease of cocoa (Theobroma cacao), which generates large losses for the cocoa culture. Currently, there is no effective means to control this disease, but the enzyme Alternative Oxidase (AOX) is a promissing target for the development of novel fungicides against M. perniciosa. Here, our aim is to develop a methodology to evaluate the antifungal activity of AOX inhibitors in vitro through growth measurements of M. perniciosa in liquid culture medium.
Highlights
Fungal diseases are the main cause of losses in cocoa culture and the major threat in Brazil is the basidiomycete fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, causal agent of the Witches’ Broom Disease in cocoa
Studies on this disease indicate that the mitochondrial enzyme Alternative Oxidase (AOX) is an important target for the control of this pathogen (1) and our group has developed a set of AOX inhibitors with putative antifungal activity
For accurate evaluation of inhibitors activity, the dry weight of M. perniciosa grown in liquid culture medium was measured
Summary
Fungal diseases are the main cause of losses in cocoa culture and the major threat in Brazil is the basidiomycete fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, causal agent of the Witches’ Broom Disease in cocoa. Abstract Moniliophthora perniciosa is a fungal pathogen and causal agent of Witches' Broom Disease of cocoa (Theobroma cacao), which generates large losses for the cocoa culture. There is no effective means to control this disease, but the enzyme Alternative Oxidase (AOX) is a promissing target for the development of novel fungicides against M. perniciosa.
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