Phenylphenalenone phytoalexins, will they be a new type of fungicide?

Abstract

Phenylphenalenones represent a kind of phytoalexins produced in leaves and rhyzomes of banana and plantains (Musaceae), as well as in species of other families. These compounds are synthesized in plants by induction with aminoglycosides, or in the first stages of attack by the pathogenic fungus Mycosphaerella fijensis, a causal agent of the disease known as Black Sigatoka, which reduces banana production. In this paper we report the biosynthesis, synthesis and antifungal activities of these kinds of compounds and discus the possibility to use phytoalexins inductors as plant protectants.