TOWARD REDUCING RELIANCE ON CHEMICAL CONTROL IN AGRICULTURE - ANTIMICROBIAL PLANT EXTRACTS

• Published in: International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference : SGEM Vol. 17; pp. 1091 - 1098
• Main Authors: Rodino, Steliana, Butu, Marian, Marin, Ancuta, Iordache, Ovidiu, Butu, Alina
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Sofia Surveying Geology & Mining Ecology Management (SGEM) 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agrochemicals; Alternatives; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Antioxidants; Blight; Chemical composition; Chemical control; Collar rot; Crop diseases; Crop rotation; Damping; Disease control; Disease prevention; Economic importance; Farmers; Farms; Fruit rot; Fungicides; Grey mold; Inoculation; Late blight; Leaf blight; Legislation; Lesions; Medicinal plants; Metabolites; Natural products; Organic chemistry; Pathogens; Pesticides; Plant diseases; Plant extracts; Plant sciences; Qualitative analysis; Soil sciences
• ISSN: 1314-2704
• DOI: 10.5593/sgem2017/52

Over the time, many plant oils and extracts have been reported to possess antimicrobial properties. Recently, those plants which have been used in traditional medicines as sources of disease healing are investigated for their antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant effects and their chemical composition is being elucidated. The increasing interest regarding sustainable and environmentally friendly control of plant pathogens and consumer demand for natural products that are pesticide free means that quantitative and qualitative data on various plant extracts are required. This study presents an overview of existing knowledge on plant extracts regarding the antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens and the development of plant based bioproducts with practical use in organic systems, respecting the requirement of EU legislation in force. It was demonstrated the antimicrobial effect of plant extracts against phytopathogens causing economically important diseases such as: Phytophthora infestans (late blight), Pythium sp. (damping off), Botrytis cinerea (grey mold), Alternaria sp. (leaf blight, stem collar rot, and fruit lesions), and Rhizoctonia solani (damping off). The plant extracts proved to be effective in reducing the populations of foliar pathogens and control de disease development when applied before inoculation. Plant based products, representing a rich source of bioactive chemicals, need to be developed as they might be able to provide an alternative to currently marketed conventional pesticides.