Secondary metabolites from medicinal plants have several biological properties, including antifungal activity. This study evaluated the antifungal potential of the medicinal plant Ottonia martiana to control maté leaf spot (Ilex paraguariensis) and eucalypt gray mould (Eucalyptus dunnii). Ethanol extract (EBEtOH) of the total parts (roots, stems, leaves and fruits) was prepared at the concentration of 1000 μg mL-1 and tested against Cylindrocladium spathulatum (maté leaf spot) and Botrytis cinerea (eucalypt gray mould). In vitro bioassays (spore germination and direct bioautography) and in vivo bioassays (pathogenicity test in seedlings) showed that EBEtOH reduced the mycelial growth of the tested pathogens and the germination of C. spathulatum spores and stimulated the germination of B. cinerea spores. The pathogenicity test showed that the control of maté leaf spot and eucalypt gray mould is not viable using the tested concentration of O. martiana EBEtOH. Zones of mycelial growth inhibition were detected in direct bioautography and were related to the presence of piperovatine.
Botrytis cinerea; Cylindrocladium spathulatum; medicinal plant; forest protection
