Natural Products Obtained from Argentinean Native Plants are Fungicidal against Citrus Postharvest Diseases.

ALVAREZ N.; STEGMAYER M; PENSIERO J.F.; ZABALA J.M.; FAVARO M.; DERITA M.

Horticulturae

MDPI

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2023

2311-7524

Natural products obtained from plants constitute an alternative to chemically synthesizedfungicides, whose improper use might have caused the development of resistant fungal strains. In thepresent work, 40 products obtained from 20 native Argentinean plant species were tested against threecitrus postharvest pathogens: Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, and Geotrichum citri-aurantii.Natural products were obtained by classical solvent extraction methods and the fungicidal evaluationwas carried out by agar diffusion tests using commercial fungicides as negative controls and dimethylsulfoxide as a positive one. The inhibition percentages were determined 7 and 14 days post inoculationof each fungus. Most of the products tested showed inhibition percentages higher than 50% for G.citri-aurantii, but only 20% of them were active against P. digitatum and P. italicum. The most promisingproducts which inhibited (100%) the growth of at least one of the three phytopathogens were extractedfrom the following plants: Orthosia virgata, Petiveria alliacea, Funastrum clausum, Solanum caavurana,and Solanum pilcomayense. These products were tested over inoculated oranges and there were nostatistically significant differences between the treatments with a commercial fungicide and themethanolic extract in the control of fruit rot. The products extracted from native plants have fungicidepotential, but further studies are required.