Pomegranate Bacterial Blight: Abutilon indicum, Prosopis juliflora, and Acacia arabica as Antibacterial Agents for Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae

Abstract

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae causes bacterial blight disease in pomegranate. A complete range of symptoms of bacterial blight caused by X. axonopodis pv. punicae appear on various pomegranate plant parts, except roots. The present investigation was initiated to find a suitable alternative to synthetic antibiotics for the management of plant diseases caused by bacteria. The study was aimed to use wild plant species, viz., Abutilon indicum, Prosopis juliflora, and Acacia arabica as antibacterial agents against X. axonopodis pv. punicae. The aqueous extracts of A. indicum, P. juliflora, and A. arabica plants has antibacterial activity against X. axonopodis pv. punicae. The antibacterial activity was tested by a well diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The maximum activity was recorded by P. juliflora (MIC = 1.03 mg mL−1 and MBC = 0.15 mg mL−1) and A. arabica (MIC = 1.00372 mg mL−1 and MBC = 2.58 mg mL−1) against 92 X. axonopodis pv. punicae, while the lowest activity was recorded by A. indicum (MIC = 0.619 mg mL−1 and MBC = 0.923 mg mL−1). The largest zone of inhibition (ZOI) was shown by P. juliflora, while the shortest ZOI was shown by A. indicum. The results infer that the extracts of P. juliflora and A. arabica are highly sensitive to X. axonopodis pv. punicae. The plant extracts exhibited antibacterial activity with the potential to be used in the management of many plant diseases as an alternative to chemical antibiotics. A further phytochemical analysis is required to identify the bioactive compounds responsible for antibacterial activity.