Evaluation of the efficiency of active ingredients of some plant extracts as sustainable alternatives for controlling Fusarium oxysporum on eggplant

Bushra Subair Abdulsada Almaliky, Islam Alyasiri, Jenan Khazal, Aalaa Hassan

Abstract


Fusarium oxysporum is a destructive soil-borne pathogen responsible for Fusarium wilt in eggplant, causing substantial reductions in plant growth and productivity. The present study aimed to isolate, identify, and molecularly characterize F. oxysporum and evaluate the antifungal potential of hot aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Syzygium aromaticum (clove), Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon), and Mentha piperita (peppermint), individually and in combination, alongside Chinosol for disease management. Six F. oxysporum isolates were recovered and identified morphologically. PCR amplification of the ITS-rDNA region generated a 550-bp fragment, confirming the identity of the most virulent isolate (FOL5), which exhibited 97% sequence similarity with F. oxysporum in GenBank (accession no. PX251629). Pathogenicity assays revealed significant variability among isolates, with FOL5 causing the highest disease incidence (86.7%) and severe reductions in seed germination. In vitro, all plant extracts exhibited concentration-dependent antifungal activity. Clove extract completely inhibited mycelial growth at 5-7%, whereas cinnamon and peppermint achieved complete inhibition at higher concentrations. Chinosol also showed strong fungicidal activity, completely suppressing fungal growth at ≥1000 mg L⁻¹. Under pot conditions, all botanical treatments significantly reduced Fusarium wilt incidence and severity compared with the pathogen-inoculated control. Combined extracts of clove, cinnamon, and peppermint provided complete disease suppression (0% incidence and severity) and significantly enhanced plant biomass. These findings demonstrate that combined botanical extracts, particularly clove-based formulations, represent effective, environmentally safe alternatives to synthetic fungicides and have considerable potential for sustainable integrated management of Fusarium wilt in eggplant.


Keywords


Fusarium oxysporum, Eggplant, Solanum melongena L., Plant extracts, Biocontrol, IDM

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adhab, M., Ezzulddin, D.L., Ahmed, A.S., 2025. Cultivating resilience: Sustainable plant virus control in Iraq’s agricultural landscape. BIO Web of Conferences 192, 06002.

Agbo, A.E., Kouame-Osnou, C.E., Gbogbo, M., Gbogouri, G.A., Brou, K., 2022. Impact of guinea pepper and cloves on eggplant leaves (Solanum macrocarpon) in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potentialities. Acta Horticulturae 1407, 77-86.

Ahmad, M.F., Ahmad, F.A., Alsayegh, A.A., Zeyaullah, M., AlShahrani, A.M., Muzammil, K., Saati, A.A., Wahab, S., Elbendary, E.Y., Kambal, N., Abdelrahman, M.H., 2024. Pesticides impacts on human health and the environment with their mechanisms of action and possible countermeasures. Heliyon 10(7), e29107.

Al-Ani, R.A., Diwan, S.N., Adhab, M.A., 2011. Systemic resistance induced in potato plants against Potato virus Y common strain ([PVY. sup. O]) by plant extracts in Iraq. Advances in Environmental Biology 375-381.

Ali, A.A., Alfalahi, A.O., Hassan, A.K., Khalofah, A., Mena, E., Dababat, A.A., Mokrini, F., 2025. Investigating the efficacy of bioactive compounds from selected plant extracts against Gibberella fujikuroi species complex associated with damping off disease in sweet corn. Scientific Reports 15(1), 217-227.

Al-Mayahi, S.H., Hassan, A.K., 2021. Induction of systemic resistance in soybean using some eco-friendly materials against infection of Fusarium solani and its effect on germination and biochemical characteristics. Journal of Plant Archives 21, 1274-1280.

Al-Sudani, Z., Abdulla, A., Nas, Y., 2025. Evaluation of some eggplant hybrids grown under low plastic tunnels in the desert areas of southern Iraq. Kirkuk University Journal for Agricultural Sciences 16(2), 248-254.

Booth, C., 1977. Fusarium laboratory guide to the identification of the major species. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, Surrey, England, 58 pp.

Chehri, K., Godini, R., 2017. Fusarium species in agriculture industry and control of them. Agriculture Research and Technology: Open Access Journal 6, 55681.

Elshahawy, I.E., Saied, N.M., Morsy, A.A., 2017. Fusarium proliferatum, the main cause of clove rot during storage, reduces clove germination and causes wilt of established garlic plants. Journal of Plant Pathology 99, 85-93.

Hassan, A.K., Abdul-Karim, E.K., Al-Kuwaiti, N.A., Saleh, N.M., 2021. Efficacy assessment of black pepper and clove extracts against sunflower seeds black rot disease caused by Aspergillus spp. International Journal of Agricultural and Statistical Sciences 17(1), 2239.

Homa, M., Galgóczy, L., Manikandan, P., Narendran, V., Sinka, R., Csernetics, Á., Vágvölgyi, C., Kredics, L., Papp, T., 2018. South Indian isolates of the Fusarium solani species complex from clinical and environmental samples: identification, antifungal susceptibilities, and virulence. Frontiers in Microbiology 9, 1052.

Jukanti, A.K., Bhatt, R., 2015. Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) polyphenol oxidase multi-gene family: a phylogenetic evaluation. 3 Biotech 5(1), 93-99.

Kalra, Y.P., 1971. Methods used for soil, plant and water analysis at the soils laboratory of the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Region 1967–1970. Canadian Forestry Service, Information Report NOR-X-57, 116 pp.

Kamal, J.A.K., 2015. The effect of peppermint extract (Mentha piperita) and incubation period on the growth of some plant pathogenic fungi. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare 22(3), 118-123.

Lamichhane, J.R., Dürr, C., Schwanck, A.A., Robin, M.H., Sarthou, J.P., Cellier, V., Messéan, A., Aubertot, J.N., 2017. Integrated management of damping-off diseases: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 37(2), 10.

Leslie, J.F., Summerell, B.A., 2006. Fusarium laboratory workshops-A recent history. Mycotoxin Research 22(2), 73-78.

Manikandan, K., Shanmugam, V., Sidharthan, V.K., Saha, P., Saharan, M.S., Singh, D., 2024. Characterization of field isolates of Fusarium spp. from eggplant in India for species complexity and virulence. Microbial Pathogenesis 186, 160-172.

Martinko, K., Mioč, E., 2024. Antifungal effect of cinnamon bark extract on the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium sporotrichioides. Food Technology and Biotechnology 62(4), 458-464.

McKinney, H.H., 1923. Influence of soil temperature and moisture on infection of wheat seedlings by Helminthosporium sativum. Journal of Agricultural Research, 26, 195-218.

Mousa, A.R., Hassan, A.K., 2023. Inducing resistance against seed rot and damping-off disease infecting bell pepper using some antioxidants and its reflection on seedling protection under greenhouse conditions.

Muñoz Castellanos, L., Amaya Olivas, N., Ayala-Soto, J., De La O Contreras, C.M., Zermeño Ortega, M., Sandoval Salas, F., Hernández-Ochoa, L., 2020. In vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) and pepper (Piper nigrum L.) essential oils and functional extracts against Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). International Journal of Microbiology 2020, 177-182.

Ojha, S., Chatterjee, N.C., 2012. Induction of resistance in tomato plants against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici mediated through salicylic acid and Trichoderma harzianum. Journal of Plant Protection Research 52(2), 67-78.

Rabiei-Motlagh, E., Rouhani, H., Shokouhifar, F., Falahati Rastegar, M., Taher, P., 2017. Molecular identification of formae speciales and racial identity in Iranian strains of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici: Detection of avirulence genes. Journal of Crop Protection 6(1), 67-77.

Rezaee, S., Gharanjik, S., Mojerlou, S., 2018. Identification of Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae races using morphological and molecular approaches. Journal of Crop Protection 7(2), 161-170.

Rubinskienė, M., Viškelis, P., Dambrauskienė, E., Viškelis, J., Karklelienė, R., 2015. Effect of drying methods on the chemical composition and colour of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) leaves. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture 102(2), 171-180.

Sarnaik, R., Shelake, J., Waghmare, M., 2025. Fusarium wilt of brinjal: impact, pathogenicity, and sustainable management strategies. Discover Plants 2(1), 244.

Seema, M.S.S.E., Sreenivas, S.S., Rekha, N.D., Devaki, N.S., 2011. In vitro studies of some plant extracts against Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn infecting FCV tobacco in Karnataka light soil, Karnataka, India. Journal of Agricultural Technology 7(5), 1321-1329.

Sidharthan, V.K., Aggarwal, R., Surenthiran, N., Shanmugam, V., 2018. Selection and characterization of the virulent Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici isolate inciting vascular wilt of tomato. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences 7(2), 1749-1756.

Zokian, S.A., Al-Musawi, A.H., 2015. A new species of Solanum L. (Solanaceae) from Baghdad city, Iraq. Baghdad Science Journal 12(4), 11.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.33804/pp.010.03.6148

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.