Antifungal activity of olive pomace extract and its effectiveness against tomato leaf spot disease

Abstract EN

The antifungal activity of olive pomace extract (OPE) at concentrations of 2.5 %, 5 %, 10 % and 15 % (w/v) was investigated against four pathogenic fungi, and compared with methyl thiophanate at the concentration of 2.5 % (w/v).

Mycelial growth of Gladosporium sp.

and Alternaria alternata was inhibited completely at 5% extract as well as at 2.5 % fungicide.

While growth of Fusarium culmorum and F.

proliferatum was stopped completely at 10 % concentration, no significant differences were noted between the fungicide and the extract at 5% concentration.

The antifungal activity of OPE was also tested for controlling leaf spot disease on tomato plants in the greenhouse.

No leaf spots were observed when tomato plants were treated with 10% extract 24 hours after inoculation with spore suspension of A.

alternata.

Plant treatments with the extract at 2.5 % and 5 % concentrations did not protect the plants from infection, but the disease severity decreased with increasing of the extract concentration.

The results were better when the artificial inoculation had been done 24 hours after spraying the plants with OPE.

Treatments with the extract at concentrations of 5 % and 10 % led to full protection of plants from infection.

The present study demonstrated that OPE holds good promise to be a natural fungicide against some common crop pathogens.