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In vitro antifungal activity of chitosan and its Schiff bases against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (TR4)
Actividad antifúngica in vitro del quitosano y sus bases de Schiff contra Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Raza Tropical 4 (TR4)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/rfnam.v79.123866Keywords:
Biofungicides, Disease control, Modified chitosan, Mycelial growth inhibition, Musaceae crops, Sustainable agriculture (en)Biofungicidas, Control de enfermedades, Quitosano modificado, Inhibición del crecimiento micelial, Cultivos de Musacea, Agricultura sostenible (es)
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The lack of effective and eco-friendly alternatives against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4), the causal agent of Fusarium wilt in Musaceae, makes the development of new control tools imperative; therefore, this research aimed to synthesize and evaluate in vitro the antifungal potential of two chitosan-derived Schiff bases through reaction with vanillin and p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde. The compounds were characterized by FTIR, confirming the formation of the imine group, and were tested using a completely randomized factorial experimental design evaluating compound type and concentration (1, 1.5, and 2% w/v) across 10 treatments with 5 replicates each. Mycelial growth inhibition (MGI) and sporulation inhibition (SI) data were analyzed via ANOVA and Tukey’s test (P<0.05), revealing that the 2% vanillin-Schiff base achieved the highest sporulation inhibition (85.1%), significantly surpassing unmodified chitosan (77.9%), while the 2% concentrations of native chitosan and the p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde-Schiff base were most effective for MGI at 56.6 and 56.3%, respectively. It is concluded that the chemical modification of chitosan, particularly with 2% vanillin, enhances its in vitro antifungal activity by drastically inhibiting Foc TR4 sporulation, acting as a key reproductive blocker that halts micro/macroconidia and chlamydospore production. This interrupts the primary pathway for pathogen dispersion and survival in the soil, targeting the most critical point for its epidemiological control toward sustainable disease management, although in vivo validation remains necessary to confirm its agronomic efficacy as a biofungicide.
La falta de alternativas efectivas y ecológicas contra Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Raza Tropical 4 (Foc TR4), agente causal de la marchitez por Fusarium en musáceas, hace imperativo el desarrollo de nuevas herramientas de control. Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo sintetizar y evaluar in vitro el potencial antifúngico de dos bases de Schiff derivadas del quitosano mediante reacción con vainillina y p-dimetilaminobenzaldehído. Los compuestos se caracterizaron por FTIR, confirmando la formación del grupo imina, y se evaluaron mediante un diseño factorial completamente al azar analizando el tipo de compuesto y la concentración (1; 1,5 y 2% m/v) en 10 tratamientos con 5 repeticiones cada uno. Los datos de inhibición del crecimiento micelial (ICM) y esporulación (IE) se analizaron mediante ANOVA y prueba de Tukey (P<0,05). La base Schiff-vainillina al 2% logró la mayor inhibición de la esporulación (85,1%), superando significativamente al quitosano nativo (77,9%), mientras que el quitosano nativo y la base Schiff-p-dimetilaminobenzaldehído al 2% fueron los más efectivos para ICM (56,6 y 56,3%, respectivamente). Se concluye que la modificación química del quitosano, particularmente con vainillina al 2%, mejora su actividad antifúngica in vitro al inhibir drásticamente la esporulación de Foc TR4, actuando como un bloqueador reproductivo clave que frena la producción de micro/macroconidias y clamidosporas. Esto interrumpe la principal vía de dispersión y supervivencia del patógeno en el suelo, atacando el punto más crítico para su control epidemiológico hacia un manejo sostenible de la enfermedad, aunque se requiere validación in vivo para confirmar su eficacia agronómica como biofungicida.
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