Growth inhibitory effects of bioactive metabolites in wood extracts of Robinia pseudoacacia L. inhibit the growth of various microorganisms

Abstract

The need for more efficient use of natural resources recently became apparent. Lowering the amount of harmful chemicals released into the environment is a crucial task.  Besides it is essential to seek for novel resources closer to natural origin.

The aggressive growth of certain plant species is attributed to their metabolic features as well. Several plant secondary metabolites have been identified recently that are crucial for their intensive spread. These metabolites are only present in particular taxonomic groups. The most important attribute they share is that they regulate the interactions between the plant and the environment. These metabolites often possess traits that inhibit the growth of pathogen microbes. Due to their antimicrobial effects these bioactive substances may be utilized   as novel pesticide agents in the future.

In our project we assessed the inhibitory effects of various black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) wood extracts on the growth of different microorganisms using agar plate disc diffusion method. Our results suggest that black locust wood extracts evolves comprehensive inhibition against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and Fusarium proliferatum The highest bioactivity was carried by the    hexane and methanolic fraction. Further purification using HPLC revealed some particular components that show significant correlation with the inhibitory effects of the extracts. Some extracts were able to lower the infection ability of Fusarium proliferatum in in-vivo infection tests.