Plant extracts found to suppress disease-causing fungus in persimmon trees

In this study, researchers from South Korea obtained extracts from various plant species and tested their efficacy in suppressing the fungus Colletotrichum coccodes, which causes anthracnose in Diospyros kaki (Japanese persimmon). Their findings were published in the journal Biological Agriculture & Horticulture.

• For their analysis, the researchers obtained extracts from various parts of 45 plant species from 27 families using different extraction methods.
• Testing was conducted for the extracts alone and for a few selected ones in combination with emulsifiers like brown rice vinegar, powdered soap, loess-sulfur and natural emulsifier-B.
• The researchers found that 10 percent fermentation extracts of Torilis japonica (Japanese hedge parsley) roots and Portulaca oleracea (common purslane), all above-ground parts, as well as 10 percent ethanol extracts of Rheum palmatum (Chinese rhubarb) roots and Cinnamomum cassia (Chinese cinnamon) bark effectively suppressed anthracnose by 83 percent or more in laboratory tests.
• The researchers also found that anthracnose was 100 percent suppressed by three percent brown rice vinegar, three percent powdered soap, five percent loess-sulfur and five percent natural emulsifier-B in laboratory tests.
• In field tests with organically grown D. kaki trees, the researchers found that the five percent fermentation extract of T. japonica and the five percent ethanol extract of R. palmatum reduced anthracnose by 63 percent and 51 percent, respectively.
• Meanwhile, the five percent fermentation extract of T. japonica combined with either one percent natural emulsifier-B or one percent loess-sulfur reduced anthracnose by 79 percent and 67 percent, respectively.
• The five percent ethanol extract of R. palmatum combined with either one percent natural emulsifier-B or one percent loess-sulfur reduced anthracnose by 63 and 56 percent, respectively.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that plant extracts combined with natural emulsifiers can be used to control anthracnose in organic production systems.

Journal Reference:

Jang SJ, Kim SS, Kuk YI. EFFECT OF PLANT EXTRACTS AND EMULSIFIERS ON CONTROL OF ANTHRACNOSE (COLLETOTRICHUM COCCODES) IN PERSIMMON TREES. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture. 11 October 2018;35(2):123–131. DOI: 10.1080/01448765.2018.1526711