Fungal antisporulant activity of a complex lipid fraction extracted from pea seeds

Abstract

A substance was isolated from dry whole pea seeds (Pisum sativum 'Alaska') that inhibited sporulation, but not growth, of Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus ruber, Ascochyta pisi, Phyllosticta antirrhini, Rhizoctonia solani, Nectria haematococca var. cucurbitae, and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi race 2. The substance had no effect on sporulation or growth of Aphanomyces euteiches. The mean effective dose (ED50) of the partially purified material was 30 μg/ml when tested against Alternaria alternata. The partially purified substance was soluble in petroleum ether, chloroform, and hexane but formed an emulsion in water. The partially purified material contained amino acids, lipids, phosphorus, and carbohydrate. Its molecular weight was in excess of 14 000. These properties indicate that it is a complex lipid with properties similar to many proteolipids.