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The aim of our research is the screening of extracts of marine sponges for their antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi. The in vitro screening of hydroalcoholic and organic extracts of ten marine sponges from Atlantic coast of Morocco against five phytopathogenic fungi (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium digitatum) showed that only two sponges (Haliclona viscosa and Cynachirella tarentina) are active against all phytopathogenic fungi studied.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of haliscosamine isolated from Haliclona viscosa sea sponge from the Moroccan Atlantic coast against Penicillium digitatum, the causal agent of citrus green mould. The in vitro antifungal activity of haliscosamine, determined using the agar disc-diffusion method, showed that haliscosamine and DESOGERME SP VEGETAUX â (reference product) have fungicidal activity with inhibition diameters of 19 and 18 mm, respectively. Haliscosamine and a positive control (DESO-GERME SP VEGETAUX â ) were tested in vivo in comparison with a negative control on orange fruits in normal storage conditions. This test showed that after four weeks of storage, the rate of decay of citrus fruits treated with haliscosamine or DESOGERME does not exceed 14%, whereas in the negative control the decay rate is 77%. The results of in vitro and in vivo tests indicate that haliscosamine and DESOGERME SP VEGETAUX â have an important antifungal potential against P. digitatum and that haliscosamine (a natural product) may represent an alternative to the use of chemical fungicides.

Marine sponges are a potential source of new molecules with diverse biological activities. We have previously isolated a sphingosine derivative, (9Z)-2-amino-docos-9-ene-1,3,13,14-tetraol (Haliscosamine) from the Moroccan sea sponge Haliclona viscosa. The aim of this study was to test Haliscosamine in vitro and in vivo for its antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis causing fusarium wilt of melon.Overall, in vitro test showed that haliscosamine has a similar effect as DESOGERME SP VEGETAUX®. In addition, in vivo showed a significant effect against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis. Taking to gather, our results suggest that haliscosamine constitutes a potential candidate against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis and the possibility to use in phytopathology.