The National Nakdong River Biological Resources Center, an agency under the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, announced Thursday that a natural compound called Lobatoside C, isolated from the native freshwater plant Calystegia soldanella, inhibits the growth of fungi that cause disease in crops, including the rice blast fungus.

Fungal crop diseases cause significant economic losses each year by reducing both the yield and quality of agricultural produce. Synthetic fungicides have long been the primary means of control, but concerns over human health risks and the emergence of resistant strains from prolonged use have driven growing interest in eco-friendly alternatives.

In response, researchers at the center have been searching since 2022 for antifungal compounds derived from freshwater plants that can suppress a range of crop-pathogenic fungi.

They isolated and identified Lobatoside C, a broad-spectrum antifungal agent, from extracts of Calystegia soldanella.

Analysis showed that Lobatoside C exhibited broad antifungal activity against a variety of crop-pathogenic fungi, including the rice blast fungus, damping-off fungi and Fusarium head blight fungi.

Research into the mechanism of its antifungal activity against the rice blast fungus found that Lobatoside C inhibits spore germination and the formation of appressoria — specialized structures that pathogenic fungi develop to penetrate the surface of host plants.

Building on these findings, the center filed a patent on Aug. 10 covering the antifungal applications of Lobatoside C.

Jeong Yu-jin, head of the center's applied technology development division, said the research "demonstrates the potential of discovering useful natural compounds from native biological resources and applying them as eco-friendly control technologies to protect the agricultural environment." She added that the center would continue to expand research into sustainable use of biological resources based on natural products.

Calystegia soldanella [Provided by the National Nakdong River Biological Resources Center]
Calystegia soldanella [Provided by the National Nakdong River Biological Resources Center]

thlee@heraldcorp.com