Fusarium, one of the main fungal pathogens, can infect field crops and cause great economic loss. This paper concerns a research on the antifungal activity of camphor. In our study, an assessment was made on the antifungal activity of camphor against four common phytopathogens: Fusarium oxysporum G5, F. solani G9, F. verticillioide, and F. graminearum. The method adopted was mycelial growth inhibition. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of camphor against the four tested fungi were 4.0, 4.0, 4.0, and 2.0 mg/mL, and the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, and 1.0 mg/mL, respectively. The paper proper also involves an investigation the, fungicidal mechanisms via cell membrane permeability, proteins and nucleic acids leakage and scanning electron microscopy. The results of preliminary antifungal mechanism revealed that camphor can cause cytomembrane destruction, enhancing the permeability of cytomembrane and releasing intracellular macromolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins. Supposedly, the results suggested that the cytomembrane may be the target of camphor. In addition, these outcomes indicated that camphor can exhibit pronounced fungicidal activities against the four tested fungi and could be a promising alternative for the control of phytopathogenic Fusarium.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.