Poster Presentation Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting 2017

Biological control of seed borne Aspergilli by chloroform extracts of common herbs (#204)

Naureen Akhtar 1
  1. University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, Lahore, PUNJAB (PAKISTAN), Pakistan

Biological control of fungal pests is a successful and potential alternative method of chemical fungicides that are toxic to environment and living organisms. Herbs are known to prevent microbial growth since centuries. For present study, antifungal effect of chloroform soluble fractions of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculum vulgare, were evaluated against four species of Aspergillus; A. flavus, A. welwitschia, A. oryzae and A. minisclerotigenes, causing seed rotting at postharvest stage. Effect of herbs was inferred in relation to the fungal biomass production, total cell protein content and activities of catalase and peroxidase enzymes. Results revealed that C. sativum extract caused lethal effect on biomass production of A. minisclerotigenes by reducing 73.77% weight without affecting the activities of antioxidant enzymes. On the other hand, extract of C. sativum enhanced the growth of A. oryzae, increased the total protein content from 2.36 to 10.35mg/g FW and significantly reduced the activity of catalase and peroxidase from 14.38 to 3.20 and 0.38 to 0.06 mmol/min/mg protein respectively. C. sativum extract insignificantly affected the growth and antioxidant enzymes activities of A. flavus and A. welwitschia. Extract of F. vulgare reduced 97.29% weight of A. flavus and slightly affected the cell protein as well as the catalase and peroxidase enzymatic rates. Mycelial weight of A. minisclerotigenes inhibited up to 92% by F. vulgare extract, protein declined from 1.57 to 1.25mg/g FW while catalytic and peroxidase activities increased significantly from 6.53 to 21.23 and 2.24 to 4.24mmol/min/mg protein respectively. A. welwitschia mycelial weight suppressed almost 72% by F. vulgare extract, protein content increased from 4.66 to 8.43mg/g FW and catalase and peroxidase activities decreased from 21.06 to 5.07 and 0.56 to 0.14mmol/min/mg protein respectively. Insignificant effect of F. vulgare extract was recorded for A. oryzae. Present study suggested that chloroform soluble compounds of tested plant can be used to control the seed postharvest fungal rotting. However there is a need of identifying active molecules in such crude extracts.