| Summary: | Oils extracted from the leaves of Eupatorium adenophorum were tested in vitro and in vivo against the soilborne pathogen Pythium myriotylum which causes soft rot, a devastating disease of commercial ginger production in China. Twelve compounds accounting for 99.15% of the total oil composition were identified by GC-MS. The major components were 10Hβ-9-oxo-agerophorone (37.03%), 10Hα-9-oxo-agerophorone (37.73%) and 9-oxo-10, 11-dehydro-agerophorone (23.41%). Antifungal activity was tested by the poisoned food technique against P. myriotylum, indicating minimum inhibitory concentrations of 100μg/ml after 7 days incubation. In addition, the oil extracts greatly inhibited the formation of both wet and dry mycelial biomass. The combination of E. adenophorum oil extracts and synthetic fungicides showed a strong synergistic effect, inhibiting the mycelial growth in in vitro assays. The synergistic effect of oil extracts with fungicides could allow fungicides to be used at reduced rates in the future which has environmental advantages. Oil extracts applied at 160 and 200μg/ml concentrations to ginger rhizomes before inoculation with P. myriotylum significantly reduced the infection rate in ginger. Examination by light and transmission electron microscopy revealed that oil extracts caused swelling of the hyphae, disruption of the cell wall, degradation of the cytoplasmic organelles and shortening of the cytoplasmic inclusion. These results suggested that the plasma membrane and endomembrane systems of P. myriotylum were severely damaged by the oil extracts of E. adenophorum which offer significant potential for use as a fungicide to control P. myriotylum.
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