Antifungal activity of volatile metabolites emitted by mycelial cultures of saprophytic fungi

• Published in: Chemistry and ecology 2011-12, Vol.27 (6), p.503-513
• Main Authors: Schalchli, Heidi, Hormazabal, Emilio, Becerra, Jose, Birkett, Michael, Alvear, Marysol, Vidal, Jorge, Quiroz, Andrés
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohols; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Antifungal activity; Antifungal agents; Applied ecology; Bio-assays; Bioactive compounds; Bioassays; biological activity; Biological and medical sciences; Botrytis cinerea; Chemical composition; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Ethanol; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungi; Fungicides; Fusarium oxysporum; Gas chromatography; General aspects; Headspace; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolites; Molecular chains; Mucor miehei; Mycelia; Organic chemistry; Organic compounds; phytopathogenic fungi; Profiles; Rhizomucor miehei; saprophytic fungi; Schizophyllum commune; Solid phase methods; SPME; Trametes versicolor; Trichoderma viride; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 0275-7540; 1029-0370
• DOI: 10.1080/02757540.2011.596832

The antifungal activity of molecular identified Chilean saprobiontic fungi, Trichoderma viride, Schizophyllum commune and Trametes versicolor, on the fungal plant pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum, and the saprotrophic mould Mucor miehei was investigated using two types of inhibition bioassay: (1) bi-compartmented Petri dishes and (2) two Erlenmeyer flasks connected by their upper parts. The chemical composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by saprobiontic fungi was also investigated using headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Of the saprobiontic fungi evaluated, one isolate of S. commune showed the highest inhibitory activity against B. cinerea and M. miehei, 86.0±5.4 and 99.5±0.5% respectively. The volatile profiles of fungal isolates were shown to contain a different class of compounds. The major components in the headspace of mycelial cultures were 6-pentyl-α -pyrone (T. viride), ethanol and β -bisabolol (S. commune), and a sesquiterpene alcohol (Tr. versicolor). This is the first study reported on the release of VOCs by Chilean native fungi and their antifungal activity wrt. plant pathogenic fungi.