Abstract

VILLANUEVA-ARCE, Ramón et al. Pathogenic bacteria and postharvest fungi control with pigment extracts from Gibberella zeae (Fusarium graminearum). Agrociencia [online]. 2013, vol.47, n.7, pp.691-705. ISSN 2521-9766.

The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of crude ethanol extract of the reddish purple pigment produced by Gibberella zeae (Fusarium graminearum) in the control of the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, Shigella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, the yeast Candida albicans, and the fungi Colletotrichum acutatum, C. fragariae and C. gloeosporioides. The experimental design was completely randomized with a 3x2 factorial arrangement of treatments: temperature (20; 28 °C), pH (6; 8), and solid (PDA; EMA; Czapeck) and liquid (potato broth; malt extract broth; Czapeck broth) culture media. The response variables were growth type and habit of the mycelia, colony color, colony diameter (mm), time (d) of pigment appearance and biomass production (g). With these data an ANOVA was performed and treatment means were compared with orthogonal contrasts. The pigment was extracted with ethanol (96°) and concentrated; 1.6 mg of this extract diluted in 100 μL (16 mg μL^-1) was used in pathogenic bacteria and phytopathogenic fungi control tests. The best conditions for growth were 20 °C, pH 6.0 in PDA. The reddish-purple pigment appeared 4 to 9 d after sowing. Fungus growth was less in liquid medium as was red pigment production. After 24 h, inhibition of growth was observed only in the bacteria S. typhi and S. aureus. Analysis of the results revealed antimicrobial activity of the pigment produced by G. zeae against S. typhi and S. aureus, but not against B. subtilis, Shigella sp., E. coli, C. albicans, C. acutatum, C. iragariae or C. gloeosporioides.

Keywords : fungal pigments; aurofarsarin; Salmonella; Shiguella; Colletotrichum.