EFFECT OF TWO ASTERACEAE SPECIES ON PLANT PATHOGENIC FUNGI
SLAVTCHO SLAVOV1* , MILENA NIKOLOVA2
1AgroBioInstitute, Agricultural Academy, 8 Dragan Tsankov blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
2Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Science, 23 Acad. G. Bonchev str., 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
* Corresponding author: sbslavov@abi.bg
Keywords: plant extracts, Centaurea inazzeri, Artemisia absinthium, phytopathogenic fungi.
Abstract: Extracts, essential oils, and other compounds with plant origin are proved to exhibit biological activity against fungal plant pathogens in vitro and in vivo and recently are more extensively surveyed as potential fungicides. Members of Asteraceae family are among the most promising plant species in this respect. Here we report the effect of two Asteraceae species – one rarely distributed (Centaurea inazzeri and one widespread (Artemisia absinthium on three economically significant fungal plant pathogens, possessing wide host range – Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum and Botrytis cinerea. Extracts of the studied species were analyzed for the content of bioactive compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS and thin-layer chromatography (TLC. Phenolic, organic and fatty acids, polyols and flavonoids were identified. The effect of plant extracts of both studied plant species was evaluated in vitro based on their influence on the mycelium growth of the three phytopathogenic fungal species.