Morphological, molecular, and biological characterization of bulb rot pathogens in stored Lanzhou lily and the in vitro antifungal efficacy of three plant essential oils

Chaoqun Liu; Yinquan Wang; Ling Jin; Yan Wang; Dongling Liu

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1307966

Morphological, molecular, and biological characterization of bulb rot pathogens in stored Lanzhou lily and the in vitro antifungal efficacy of three plant essential oils

Front Microbiol. 2024 Apr 11:15:1307966. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1307966. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Chaoqun Liu¹, Yinquan Wang^{1

2}, Ling Jin^{1

2}, Yan Wang¹, Dongling Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Pharmacy, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China.
² Northwest Collaborative Innovation Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Co-Constructed by Gansu Province and MOE of PRC, Lanzhou, China.

Abstract

Lanzhou lily (Lilium davidii var. willmottiae) is an exclusive sweet lily variety indigenous to China, which is susceptible to bulbous rot caused by fungal infection during storage. This experiment tests the pathogenicity of the pure culture isolated from the diseased tissue was confirmed in accordance with Koch's postulates, and the pathomycetes were identified based on their morphological and molecular characteristics. Furthermore, the biological characteristics of the pathogens were investigated, followed by an evaluation of the antifungal effects of three plant essential oils against them. The results showed that two strains of fungi were isolated from Lanzhou lily rot, which were identified as Fusarium oxysporum Schl. and Aspergillus sydowii (Bain. Et sart.). In addition, the pathogenicity of these two strains of fungi was demonstrated that only F. oxysporum induced rot with similar symptoms during the post-harvest storage period. The biological characteristics of F. oxysporum indicated the potato maltose agar and lily dextrose agar were identified as the most suitable media. Sucrose was determined to be the optimal carbon source, while ammonium nitrate was found to be the best nitrogen source for the growth of F. oxysporum. Mycelial growth and sporulation of F. oxysporum occurred at an optimum pH value of 6. Total darkness facilitated mycelial growth and conidial germination. The ideal temperature for growth was found to be 28°C, while relative humidity did not significantly impact mycelial growth; however, a relative humidity of 55% was most favorable for spore production. Among the three essential oils tested, cinnamon essential oil displayed superior antifungal efficacy against F. oxysporum, whereas angelica essential oil and tea tree essential oil also exhibited moderate inhibitory effects against this pathogen. This research provides valuable theoretical insights for disease control during the storage and transportation of Lanzhou lily.

Keywords: Fusarium oxysporum; Lilium davidii var. willmottiae (E. H. Wilson) Raffill; anti-fungal effect; biological characteristics; bulb rot disease; plant essential oils.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the earmarked fund for National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System Grant (CARS-21) of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, the Strategic Research and Consulting Project of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (GS2021ZDA06), Double First-Class Major Scientific Research Project of the Gansu Provincial Department of Education (GSSYLXM-05), Evaluation of the Toxicity of Rotten Lilies Based on the Elegant Caenorhabditis elegans (2022CX12), and Gansu Province Science and Technology Major Special Project (23ZDFA013-1).