نوع مقاله : پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 استادیار گروه گیاهپزشکی، واحد رشت، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، رشت، ایران
2 دانشجوی کارشناسی ارشد، گروه گیاهپزشکی، واحد رشت، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، رشت، ایران
3 استاد گروه باغبانی، واحد رشت، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، رشت، ایران
4 عضو نظام مهندسی کشاورزی استان گیلان
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and Objectives: Sansevieria (Sansevieria trifasciata) is among the most widely cultivated ornamental plants worldwide, appreciated for its aesthetic foliage, adaptability to diverse environmental conditions, and significant contribution to improving indoor air quality in both residential and public spaces. Despite its economic and ecological importance, the commercial cultivation of this species has recently faced increasing challenges due to fungal diseases, particularly anthracnose. This disease not only compromises the visual quality and marketability of Sansevieria but also results in substantial economic losses for growers. The intensive and prolonged use of chemical fungicides for disease management has raised major concerns, including the development of resistant fungal strains, environmental contamination, potential health hazards to consumers, and increasing regulatory restrictions on synthetic agrochemicals. These limitations highlight the urgent need to explore safe and environmentally sustainable alternatives for plant disease control, especially in the ornamental plant sector where sensitivity to chemical residues is of great concern. Accordingly, the present study aimed to isolate and identify the causal fungal pathogen associated with leaf rot symptoms of Sansevieria in Guilan Province, Iran. Furthermore, the antifungal potential of selected plant-derived essential oils was investigated, with emphasis on their inhibitory and fungicidal activities, as a promising natural and sustainable strategy for the management of this emerging disease.
Materials and Methods: Infected leaf samples were collected from greenhouses in Gilan Province. The pathogen was identified based on morphological characteristics on PDA medium and confirmed through sequencing of the ITS region and phylogenetic analysis. The antifungal activity of 12 plant essential oils was evaluated using both the paper disc diffusion and poisoned food techniques at various concentrations. Additionally, the effects of five common chemical fungicides at a concentration of 2000 ppm were tested as controls. The evaluated parameters included inhibition of mycelial growth, conidial germination, and determination of fungistatic and fungicidal properties.
Results: Based on morphological and molecular analyses, the causal agent of the disease was identified as Colletotrichum spp., and ITS sequence analysis confirmed the species as C. sansevieriae, Among the tested essential oils, those of thyme (Thymus vulgaris), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi), and kakoti (Ziziphora tenuior) exhibited the highest inhibitory activity, completely suppressing fungal growth in the poisoned food method. Thyme oil showed the strongest effect, inhibiting 88% of conidial germination. Among chemical fungicides, thiophanate-methyl and copper oxychloride showed the highest inhibitory activity, whereas Roral-TS had no significant effect. The mode-of-action test revealed that thyme and lemongrass oils possessed true fungicidal properties.
Conclusion: The findings clearly demonstrate that plant essential oils, particularly thyme and lemongrass, have very high potential for inhibiting the causal agent of sansevieria anthracnose, and their efficacy is comparable to common chemical fungicides. These results are an important step towards integrated disease management and the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly strategies for protecting ornamental crops.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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