Crop protective effects of formulated neem and karanja oils on cucumber and cannabis plants

农业作物需要一系列密集的农业投入，如杀虫剂、生长调节剂、化肥和其他合成和有机产品。食用植物的有机生产需要仔细评估所有可能的病虫害控制途径，并需要充分研究功效数据和行动模式。目前，加拿大用于疾病控制的有机认证产品的来源仅限于几种广为人知和广泛使用的材料，其中包括细菌配方和螯合化学物质。植物提取物吸引了广泛的兴趣，但产品的一致性和稳定性使其无法广泛使用。植物天然含有广泛的酚类化合物、萜类化合物、黄酮类化合物、植物保卫素和其他具有潜在抗真菌特性的化学物质。在这项研究中，印度印楝树(Azadirachta Indica)和卡兰树(Pongamia Pinnata)提取的配方提取物将用于防治影响温室黄瓜植株的两种重要真菌病原体，这两种真菌已成为最近限制药用大麻(Cannabis sativa L.)生产的因素。也种植了温室。这些树种在种子、树叶和树皮中含有高水平的四环三萜类(柠檬苦味素)，以及种子中高水平的黄酮类(Karanja)。这些制剂的体外毒性不利于这两种病原菌的菌丝生长和孢子萌发。随后将评估温度和pH对产物活性的影响。温室实验将评估这些配方是否对植物生长(以高度和干重衡量)以及对这两种植物的根(镰刀菌)和叶片(白粉病)具有减少疾病的活性。这项研究将调查在处理的植物中诱导的酚类化合物、抗氧化剂和信号分子，如茉莉酸和水杨酸的水平是否增加。这一结果将为这些植物衍生产品如何影响植物生长的机制提供更多的见解，并为有机使用植物提取物保护加拿大宝贵的园艺作物提供更多机会。

Agricultural crop plants require a range of intensive agricultural inputs, such as pesticides, growth regulators,fertilizers and other synthetic and organic products. The organic production of food plants requires a carefulassessment of all possible avenues for pest and disease control, and efficacy data and modes of action need tobe well studied. Sources of organically-certified products for disease control in Canada are currently limited toa few well-known and widely used materials that include formulations of bacteria and chelated chemicals.Plant extracts have attracted wide interest but the consistency and stability of the product has not enabled theirwidespread use. Plants naturally contain a wide range of phenolic compounds, terpenoids, flavonoids,phytoalexins and other chemicals that have potential antifungal properties. In this research, formulated extractsderived from the Indian neem tree (Azadirachta indica) and the Karanj tree (Pongamia pinnata) will be testedfor management of two important fungal pathogens affecting greenhouse cucumber plants, and which havebecome recent limiting factors to production of medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) also grown ingreenhouses. These tree species contain high levels of tetranortriterpenoid (limonoids) in seeds, leaves and bark(neem) as well as high levels of flavonoids (karanja) in seeds. The invitro toxicity of these formulations will betested against mycelial growth and spore germination of the two pathogens. This will be followed byassessment of temperature and pH effects on product activity. Greenhouse experiments will evaluate whetherthe formulations have activity on plant growth (measured as height and dry weight) as well as disease reductionon the roots (Fusarium) and leaves (powdery mildew) of the two plant species. The research will investigatewhether induced levels of phenolic compounds, antioxidants and signalling molecules such as jasmonic acidand salicylic acid, are increased in treated plants. The results will provide additional insights into themechanisms of how these plant-derived products can affect plant growth and provide additional opportunitiesfor organic uses of plant extracts for protection of valuable horticultural crops in Canada.