Effect of garlic juice on seed-borne fungi of wheat: seed germination, seedling health and vigor.

PERELLÓ ANALÍA; GRUDKE M; SLUSARENKO A

Journal of Plant Protection Research

National Research institute, Polish Academy of Sciences -

Lugar: Varsovia; Año: 2013 vol. 53 p. 317 - 323

1427-4345

Abstract The effect of garlic extract containing bioactive allicin on the germination and subsequent seedling vigour of pathogen-infested wheat seeds was tested. The aim was to characterize antifungal activities of garlic extract and pure allicin, on the most frequently occurring wheat pathogens of the Helminthosporium genus (sensu lato) in Argentina and on moulds belonging to the natural endogenous microflora. Garlic extract showed fungicidal activity on the endogenous fungal contamination of the wheat seeds and reduced the degree of disease caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana and Drechslera tritici-repentis in particular. Allicin in garlic juice corrected poor germination of wheat seeds caused by natural mycoflora of grain. Growth promoting activities of garlic juice on seedling vigour of wheat is reported. Interestingly the inoculum on naturally infected wheat seeds could be reduced with garlic juice as seed dressing biofungicide before sowing. In this study we demostrated the efficacy and the high potential of control of garlic extract against seed-borne wheat fungi suggesting its use in minimizing the risk of infection as well as fungicides exposure. On the basis of these results a scale-up to field trials using garlic extract and allicin as dressing biofungicide before sowing for disinfection of wheat seeds seems justified as sustainable alternative to the use of chemical fungicides. Keywords: wheat, antifungal activity, fungal diseases, garlic, biofungicides, sustainable agriculture