Abstract
Basal stem rot (BSR) caused by a wood degrading fungus, Ganoderma boninense, is the major constraint in palm oil production. It degrades the wood components and causes palms to collapse, leading to heavy losses. Inefficacy in controlling this disease could be caused by the lack of understanding in how the pathogen establishes itself on the host concerning wood decay stages. This study aimed to understand and determine the role of benzoic acid on the suppression of G. boninense and production of ligninolytic enzymes responsible for wood decay. Further, the alteration in wood component structure due to G. boninense infection and its prevention were studied. Benzoic acid treatment resulted in more than 80% of inhibition in G. boninense growth. SEM and HR-TEM analysis confirmed the antifungal activity of benzoic acid by disruption of mycelial morphology and cellular ultrastructure. Moreover, the membrane permeability assay recorded enhanced cell mortality in benzoic acid treated mycelium. The degradation of oil palm woodblock caused 58.86 % wood dry weight loss at day 120. In contrast, reduction in dry weight loss (58.82%) was recorded in woodblock treated with concentrations of benzoic acid of 5 mM and above. It is concluded that the use of benzoic acid could inhibit or delay pathogen establishment in oil palm wood, leading to the sustainable management of BSR disease. Further, glasshouse and field trials are required to prove the consistency in current findings which may contribute to reduced land expansion to create new disease-free land for oil palm planting.
Highlights
IntroductionOil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jaq.) is one of the most extraordinary oil crops that contributes to the economic development of its producing country
Introduction published maps and institutional affilOil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jaq.) is one of the most extraordinary oil crops that contributes to the economic development of its producing country
We found that the production of manganese peroxidase (MnP) was 5-folds higher compared to Lac and lignin peroxidase (LiP), and a significant reduction in the production of MnP was identified in the presence of benzoic acid
Summary
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jaq.) is one of the most extraordinary oil crops that contributes to the economic development of its producing country. Indonesia and Malaysia dominate the production of palm oil, contributing 84.87% of total production in 2019 [1]. The production of this oil is increasing annually by land expansion for oil palm cultivation [3]. Malaysia’s land expansion for palm oil has been from 5.74 to 5.81 million hectares from 2016 to 2018 according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) [4]. The area covered by smallholder plantations in Indonesia increased every year and in 2018 smallholder plantation covered 5.8 million hectares, representing nearly half (40.62%) of the Indonesian oil palm plantations [6].
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