Molecular identification of white root fungal pathogens and in vitro effect of nanopesticide

Abstract

White root is an important disease in plantation crops such as rubber, cashew, clove, coffee, and nutmeg. This study aims to molecularly identify white root fungi isolated from white root disease of rubber and nutmeg plants and in vitro effect of nano formulated citronella and clove oils to the fungi. Few fungi isolated from the rubber and nutmeg plants were identified using 4 pairs of universal primers. Effect of nano-pesticide citronella and clove oils was evaluated in invitro against mycelial growth of white root fungi isolates (K1 and P1). The result showed that DNA of the fungi was successfully extracted from fungi isolated from nutmeg and rubber plants using 4 pairs of universal primers. K1 and P1 isolates were identic to Marasmius palmivora (99.1%) and K2 was closed to Rigidoporus microsporus (97.5%), while KP isolates could not be identified because the DNA was contaminated with Trichoderma harzianum. Nanoformulation of citronella and clove oils at 0.5% concentration inhibited mycelial growth of M. palmivorus isolated from rubber and nutmeg plants. The study implies that nano formulation of clove and citronella oils are potential to be tested at green house scale and then in the field for controlling the white root fungal pathogen.