Effect of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Fruits Peel on some Phytopathogenic Fungi and Control of Tomato Damping-off

Abstract

Pomegranate peel powder and its extract were used to study their efficiency against some phytopathogenic fungi and tomato damping-off caused by Fusarium oxysporum. In vitro, methanolic extract of pomegranate peel caused inhibitory effect to the linear growth of different phytopathogenic fungi, i.e. Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum dematium, Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani, Phoma sp. and Rhizoctonia solani, which isolated from different hosts. Also, pomegranate peel extract (PPME) effectively decreased the linear growth and spore germination of F. oxysporum, when the greatest decrease was recorded at 4000 ppm. Under greenhouse conditions, application of pomegranate peel powder as seed treatment or soil drench decreased pre- and post-emergence damping-off of tomato seedlings caused by F. oxysporum compared with the untreated check. Treating tomato seedlings or soil with peel extract before sowing provided a good protection against damping-off. In this concern, soil drench was more effective than seedling treatment. Analysis of methanolic extract of pomegranate peel revealed that it contained different compounds of antifungal compounds including three flavonoids, three tannins, four phenolic compounds, one glycosides, along with four sterols.