HomeWHICHWhich Fungus Affects Plants Or Grows On Inanimate Objects

Which Fungus Affects Plants Or Grows On Inanimate Objects

1. Introduction

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world due to increasing demand, dietary value and widespread production [1]. It is a rich source of vitamins (A and C), minerals, beta-carotene, and a high amount of water [2]. The 10 leading producers of tomato in the world are China, India, Turkey, USA, Egypt, Italy, Iran, Spain, Mexico and Brazil [3]. The world’s tomato production in 2020 was 187 million tonnes, with an average yield of 37 tonnes per hectare [3].

Sclerotium rolfsii is a destructive disease for many plants, causing damping-off and root rot of nursery seedlings, wilting and blight on adult plants [4]. It is responsible for high economic losses sustained by tomato producers each year [5]. Chemical fungicides have been used for disease management, become an integral part of agriculture, and increased food production [6]. However, they are costly; their extensive use has raised concerns about residual effects and toxicity to humans, animals and the environment, and efficacy has also decreased due to the emergence of fungicide-resistant pathogens [7].

On the contrary, antiseptics and disinfectants are non-selective and anti-infective agents that can be applied topically. They are used in healthy sectors and care centers to inhibit the growth of microbes and inanimate objects [8]. Chloroxylenol or para-chloro-meta-xylenol (PCMX) is a commercially cheap liquid antiseptic with low toxicity, low metal corrosivity, an active pH of 4-9, and is yet powerful enough to use as a disinfectant due to its broad spectrum of antimicrobial effects, that is, bacteria, fungi and yeast. It can kill 98% of microbes in just 15 s [9].

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Phenol (carbolic acid) is generally a protoplasmic poison and was the first antiseptic employed by Joseph Lister (1912-1927), and displays effective antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microorganisms. Recently, phenols have been widely used in the healthcare, cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries to prevent unwanted microbial resistance [10]. It is less potent than chloroxylenol in inhibiting microorganism activity [11].

This research aims to find a new safe characteristic of the active ingredient and formulate it in a suitable formulation type to be used as an alternative to conventional fungicides. Additionally, we determine the antifungal activity of some commercial antiseptics and disinfectant agents and recommend the best agent to control tomato root rot disease caused by S. rolfsii.

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