Plant Protect. Sci., 2024, 60(2):172-180 | DOI: 10.17221/121/2023-PPS

In vitro antifungal activity and mechanism of action of carvacrol against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary

Lei Yang1, Xue Ma1, Lijun Wang2, Guogen Yang1, Lijun Zhou1, Zhilin Zhang3, Xiaomeng Li1
1 Key Laboratory of Biology and Sustainable Management of Plant Diseases and Pests of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, College of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, P. R. China
2 College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, Yantai, P. R. China
3 Hubei Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Characteristic Fruits and Vegetables, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, P. R. China

This study aimed to examine the antifungal effects of nine monoterpenes on Sclerotinia sclerotiorum via the mycelial growth rate method. The effects of carvacrol on the morphological structures of hyphae were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The oxalic acid (OA), total protein contents, and the activity of cell wall-degrading enzymes, including chitinase, cellulase and β-1,3-glucanase, were assessed. The results showed that the antifungal rates of carvacrol, thymol and eugenol reached 100% at a concentration of 400 mg/L, and the EC50 values of carvacrol, thymol, and eugenol were 43.40, 56.22, and 86.63 mg/L, respectively. The treatment of S. sclerotiorum with carvacrol had no significant effect on sclerotia formation, but the mycelial surface was shrivelled, uneven and broken, with cytoplasm flowing out. The OA content of S. sclerotiorum was significantly reduced to 133.78 µg/mL after treatment with carvacrol. Additionally, the total protein content of S. sclerotiorum mycelia in the carvacrol treatment group was significantly reduced to 15.67 µg/mL compared with that of the control group, and the activity of cellulase in the carvacrol treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group.

Keywords: monoterpenes; morphological structures of hyphae; oxalic acid; total protein content; cellulase

Received: November 20, 2023; Revised: March 22, 2024; Accepted: March 25, 2024; Prepublished online: May 14, 2024; Published: May 20, 2024  Show citation

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Yang L, Ma X, Wang L, Yang G, Zhou L, Zhang Z, Li X. In vitro antifungal activity and mechanism of action of carvacrol against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary. Plant Protect. Sci.. 2024;60(2):172-180. doi: 10.17221/121/2023-PPS.
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