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Activity of foliar extracts of cultivated eggplants against sclerotinia lettuce drop disease and their phytochemical profiles

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Abstract

Antifungal activity of plant-derived compounds can be exploited in disease management systems to improve sustainability and replace synthetic molecules. In this study, four crude hydroethanolic extracts of leaves, collected from Italian Solanum spp. landraces, were selected to evaluate their ability to suppress Sclerotinia minor Jagger, a great threat to lettuce production worldwide. In vitro fungal development was inhibited by Solanum melongena L. and S. aethiopicum L. extracts showing a dose-dependent correlation. At the highest concentration tested in the current experiments (45 mg mL−1) antifungal activity caused up to 90% growth reduction. The exposure of the fungus to S. aethiopicum extracts incited pronounced changes in the hyphal morphology as observed under light microscopy. Consistently, under laboratory conditions, in planta application of the active extracts on lettuce significantly reduced Sclerotinia drop disease in comparison to non-treated controls. Phytochemical composition was determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analyses. Four secondary metabolites differentially present in the extracts, identified as n-caffeoylputrescine, chlorogenic acid, isoquercitrin and solasodoside A, are hypothesized to play a crucial role in mechanisms underlying biological effects of extracts. PCA analysis showed positive correlations of these compounds with the overall control ability of the extracts. The results indicated that foliar material from cultivated eggplant could be suitable to produce biological-based remedies for controlling plant diseases.

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Acknowledgements

This work was carried-out within the Project: “Valorizzazione di produzioni ortive campane di eccellenza con strumenti di genomica avanzata (GenHort)”, funded by Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research - MIUR through the EU program P.O.N. Research and Competitiveness 2007-2013 (PON_02_00395_3215002). The authors thank dr. Rocco Sileo from ALSIA (Basilicata Region), for providing Rotonda’s eggplant samples, and Prof. Adelia Emilia de Almeida of the Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil, for the purified solamargine and solasonine supply.

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  1. Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l’Orticoltura, via dei Cavalleggeri 25, I-84098, Pontecagnano, SA, Italy

    Catello Pane, Gianluca Francese, Francesco Raimo, Giuseppe Mennella & Massimo Zaccardelli

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  1. Catello Pane
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  2. Gianluca Francese
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Correspondence to Catello Pane.

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Pane, C., Francese, G., Raimo, F. et al. Activity of foliar extracts of cultivated eggplants against sclerotinia lettuce drop disease and their phytochemical profiles. Eur J Plant Pathol 148, 687–697 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-016-1126-0

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