ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Effect of garlic extract on seed germination, seedling health, and vigour of pathogen-infested wheat
 
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1
Visiting Humboldt Fellow, CIDEFI-CONICET-Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agronomy National University of La Plata, (1900) La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
 
2
Department of Plant Physiology (BioIII), RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
 
 
Submission date: 2013-04-24
 
 
Acceptance date: 2013-09-26
 
 
Corresponding author
Analía Perelló
Visiting Humboldt Fellow, CIDEFI-CONICET-Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agronomy National University of La Plata, (1900) La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
 
 
Journal of Plant Protection Research 2013;53(4):317-323
 
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
The effect of garlic extract containing bioactive allicin on the germination and subsequent seedling vigour of pathogen-infested wheat seeds, was tested. The first aim was to characterize the antifungal activities of garlic extract and pure allicin, on the most frequently occurring wheat pathogens of the Helminthosporium genus (sensu lato) in Argentina. The second aim was to characterize the antifungal activities of garlic extract and pure allicin on moulds belonging to the natural endogenous microflora. Garlic extract showed fungicidal activity on the endogenous fungal contamination of the wheat seeds and particularly reduced the degree of disease caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana and Drechslera tritici-repentis. Allicin in garlic juice corrected the poor germination of wheat seeds caused by natural mycoflora of grain. Growth promoting activities of garlic juice on wheat seedling vigour was reported. Interestingly, the inoculum on naturally infected wheat seeds could be reduced with garlic juice as a seed dressing biofungicide, before sowing. In this study, we demonstrated the efficacy and the high control potential of garlic extract against seed-borne wheat fungi. Such results suggest that using garlic extract can minimise the risk of infection as well as minimise the risk of chemical fungicide exposure. On the basis of these results, scale-up to field trials using garlic extract and allicin as the dressing biofungicide before sowing for disinfection of wheat seeds, seems justified as a sustainable alternative to the use of chemical fungicides.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors have declared that no conflict of interests exist.
 
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