Antifungal activity of Mosiera bullata (Britton & P. Wilson) extract against phytopathogenic fungi

Sclerotium rolfsii , Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum are major soil-borne plant pathogens causing great economic losses in crop productivity. Although chemical fungicides reduce the severity of plant diseases they cause, their continuous use provoke a negative effect on environment and human health. Mosiera bullata is an endemic Cuban species belonging to Myrtaceae family. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of M. bullata extract on mycelial growth and microscopic detection of morphology alteration in fungal structures of three species of plant pathogenic fungi. The extract obtained showed total phenolic compounds about 336.23 mg of chlorogenic acid/g and total flavonoid compounds about 91.52 mg of rutin/g of dry extract. M. bullata extract inhibited the mycelial growth of S. rolfsii (55.42%), F. oxysporum (54.63%) and R. solani (11.67%). This extract caused deformations at microscopic level in three fungi species evaluated. According with the in vitro antifungal activity of M. bullata observed against three major soil-borne plant pathogens, this plant species may be considered as a potential source of natural fungicides, but further studies at greenhouse and field are required to confirm it.