Antifungal activity in vitro of propolis solutions from Argentina against two plant pathogenic fungi: Didymella bryoniae and Rhizotocnia solani

GALLEZ LILIANA M; KIERH MIRTA; FERNÁNDEZ LETICIA A.; DELHEY ROLF; STIKAR DÉBORA

JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH

INT BEE RESEARCH ASSOC

Año: 2014 vol. 53 p. 438 - 440

0021-8839

Numerous fungal species groups give rise to important plant diseases and considerable crop economic losses. The chemical control of those fungi pathogens has been one of the facts responsible for the increase in the productivity and quality of several crops. However, the overuse of chemical products has caused soil pollution and harmful effects on human beings. The replacement of synthetic fungicides by natural products, particularly those which are of plant origin, for instance propolis, could present advantages such as good efficacy and low toxicity. Propolis or bee glue is an extremely complex resinous material gathered by honeybees from various plant sources. These resins are used by worker bees to line the inside of nest cavities and all brood combs, repair combs, seal small cracks in the hive, reduce the size of hive entrances, seal off inside the hive any dead animals or insects which are too large to be carried out and to mix small quantities of propolis with wax to seal brood cells. Propolis exhibits valuable biological properties attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds predominantly flavonoids which have been extensively descript. Flavonoids are also reported to affect plant growth by inhibition of the exocytosis of the auxin (indolyl 3-acetic acid) and also in other ways.Some phytopatogen fungi are transmitted by seeds, and their control in most cases requires a seed treatment. In those casesHowever , the influence of propolis on seed germination and seedling growth has not been reported and, therefore, there is no support for its traditional use as an antifungal. The possible use of propolis to reduce postharvest losses of fruit and vegetables by fungal plant pathogens, have been studied by several research groups.In this context, we aimed to study the possible use of propolis as a biological alternative to control phytopathogenic fungi. The objectives of our work were to evaluate the effect of a propolis solution against Didymella bryoniae (Auersw.) Rehm and Rhizoctonia solani Kühn colony growth.