Antifungal activity of Punica granatum root extracts and their potential role to trigger date palm defense reaction against bayoud disease

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (Foa) is a cosmopolitan soil-borne fungus responsible for the most destructive disease of the date palm tree Phoenix dactylifera L. in Morocco. In the present study, we used aqueous and methanolic root extracts from Punica granatum to evaluate their ability to induce date palm defense against Foa and their antifungal activity. The in vitro treatment of Foa by these extracts showed different inhibitory effects depending on the nature of the extract. The methanolic extract showed significant inhibition of both mycelial growth (51%) and biomass production (86.3%), while the aqueous extract inhibited the sporulation (99.3%) and the spore germination (75.9%) of the pathogen. Moreover, treatment of date palms with methanolic extract has shown a significant increase in phenolic content and peroxidase activity known to be involved in date palm defense against Foa. These preliminary results open a promising field to control date palm Fusarium wilt.