Antibacterial activity of Cymbopogon species essential oils against Xanthomonas citri and their use in post-harvest treatment for citrus canker management.

Citrus canker is a disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas citri subp. citri (X. citri), which affects all commercially important varieties of citrus and can lead to significant losses. Fruit sanitization with products such as chlorine-based ones can reduce the spread of the disease. While effective, their use raises concerns about safety of the workers. This work proposes essential oils (EOs) as viable alternatives for fruit sanitization. EOs from Cymbopogon species were evaluated as to their antibacterial activity, their effect on the bacterial membrane, and their ability to sanitize citrus fruit. The in vitro assays revealed that the EOs from C. schoenanthus and C. citratus had a lower bactericidal concentration at 312 mg L-1, followed by 625 mg L-1 for C. martini and C. winterianus. Microscopy assay revealed that the bacterial cell membranes were disrupted after 15 min of contact with all EOs tested. Regarding the sanitizing potential, the EOs with higher proportions of geraniol were more effective in sanitizing acid limes. Fruit treated with C. shoenanthus and C. martini showed a reduction of ∼68% in the recovery of viable bacterial cells. Therefore, these EOs can be used as viable natural alternatives in citrus fruit disinfection.

Recent advances in the biocontrol of Xanthomonas spp.

Bacterial diseases caused by members of the genus Xanthomonas affect agricultural crops of great importance in the world. At least 350 different plant diseases are caused by species of Xanthomonas. Important crops, such as: rice, citrus, cassava, tomato, sugar cane, passionfruit and brassicas are severely affected by bacteria of this genus. Due to its rapid propagation, handling difficulties, problems with chemical control and severity of the losses of the affected plantations Xanthomonas is a difficult obstacle for agriculture around the world. In addition, chemical control of some of these diseases is carried out using copper-based chemicals, which causes a negative impact on health and the environment. A more sustainable alternative to combat these diseases is the control of Xanthomonas by microorganisms directly or indirectly through the use of its secondary metabolites involved in biocontrol. This review is a report concerning the recent advances in the search for microorganisms for the biocontrol of several Xanthomonas that are important for the world economy.