Eco-friendly wood-biofungicidal and antibacterial activities of various Coccoloba uvifera L. leaf extracts: HPLC analysis of phenolic and flavonoid compounds

Abstract

Aqueous, acetone, and ethanol extracts of Coccoloba uvifera L. (Polygonaceae) leaves were assessed for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The fungal pathogens Fusarium culmorum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Botrytis cinerea were isolated from strawberry plants, and they were molecularly identified through internal transcribed spacers (ITS) sequence analysis. Wood treated with ethanol extract at 3% showed the highest inhibition of R. solani, B. cinerea, and F. culmorum growth, with mycelial growth inhibited by 64.4%, 100%, and 38.5%, respectively. Moderate growth inhibition was found against the plant pathogenic bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, Erwinia amylovora, Ralstonia solanacearum, Pectobacterium atrosepticum, and Dickeya solani. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis identified the phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the extracts. Regarding phenolic acid compounds, benzoic, ellagic, gallic, and o-coumaric acids were found as the main compounds in ethanol, acetone, and aqueous extracts. Regarding flavonoids, rutin, myricetin, and quercetin were identified in aqueous, acetone, and ethanol extracts. The results suggesting that the extracts can be used as environmentally friendly bioagents.