LAUSR

BACKGROUND The resistance of traditional chemical fungicides to plant pathogenic fungi and the threats to the safety of human and environment highlights an urgent need to find safe and efficient alternatives to chemical fungicides. Owing to the wide spectrum of antifungal activities, low persistence and nontoxicity to mammals and aquatic life, essential oils have considerable potential as low-risk pesticides. In this study, the essential oil and the main components of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (Danggui) were extracted, analyzed by GC-MS, and evaluated for their antifungal activities against six plant pathogenic fungi. RESULTS Among them, 3-butylidenephthalide (3-BPH) showed the best antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum with an EC50 value of 14.35 μg/mL. The antifungal mechanistic studies revealed that 3-BPH induced the generation of endogenous ROS to cause lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane and inhibited the biosynthesis of ergosterol, thereby causing the cell membrane damaged to exert its fungicidal activity. Significantly, 3-BPH could reduce deoxynivalenol production compared to the control. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated the potent fungicidal activity of natural phthalide compound 3-BPH and highlighted its potential as an alternative agent to control F. graminearum. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.