Antifungal activity of anacardic acid, a naturally occurring derivative of salicylic acid

Abstract

The antifungal activity of anacardic acid and two of its derivatives was tested against some plant pathogenic fungi and the inhibitory effect was compared with that of salicylic acid. Anacardic acid was found to be most effective and it inhibited Colletotrichum capsici spore germination at 125–150 μg mL −1 . The results suggest that salicylic acid with appropriate structural modifications may prove to be a superior antifungal agent and can be utilized in controlling certain plant diseases under field conditions. Key words: salicylic acid derivatives, antifungal activity, fungal spore germination.