Molecular Fingerprinting of Three Ex-Situ Cultivated Populations of Acalypha gaumeri Pax & K. Hoffm (Female and Male) and Evaluation of Their Antifungal Activity Against Phytopathogens
Christian Pérez-Chablé1, Daisy Pérez-Brito1,*, Anuar Magaña-Alvarez1, Jairo Cristóbal-Alejo2, Irma L. Medina-Baizabal1, Marcela Gamboa-Angulo1,*
1 Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., 43 # 130, x 32 y 34, Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida, Yucatán, México
2 Tecnológico Nacional de México, campus Conkal, Avenida Tecnológico S/N, Conkal, Conkal, Yucatán, México
* Corresponding Author: Daisy Pérez-Brito. Email: 
; Marcela Gamboa-Angulo. Email: 
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Plant-Derived Antimicrobials: Phytochemical Defense, Plant Metabolism, and Ecological Roles)
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.072668
Received 01 September 2025; Accepted 05 January 2026; Published online 19 January 2026
Abstract
Acalypha gaumeri (Euphorbiaceae) is the only endemic species of the genus in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is dioecious and has antifungal properties against various phytopathogens. In the present study, molecular identification of
A. gaumeri was performed using the
rbcL region, confirming its belonging to the
Acalypha genus. Its genetic diversity was evaluated using 10 SPAR markers (ISSR and DAMD) from 60 individuals collected from female and male plants of the Kiuic, Tinum and Yaxcaba
ex-situ populations. The results showed a high level of genetic polymorphism (PIC = 0.980) and significant differences among the populations. Ethanol and aqueous extracts from leaves, stems, and roots of both genders and three populations were evaluated against three phytopathogenic fungi. Only the ethanol extracts of the roots showed inhibitory antifungal activity, whereas Kiuic and Tinum, both male and female individuals, showed inhibitory effects at 1000 µg/mL against the three pathogens. The ethanol extract of the female flowering plant of Kiuic showed activity at minimum inhibitory concentrations of 250 µg/mL against
Alternaria chrysanthemi CICY004 and 500 µg/mL against
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides CICY002 and
Penicillium oxalicum ITC25. Chromatographic profile of the ethanol extracts confirmed the presence of alkaloidal components in the
ex-situ cultivated plants, which were analyzed by HPLC. The results revealed that the peaks at
TR of 7.60, 7.88, and 8.49 min were the most abundant components (9.95%–21.93%), with differences between female and male plants of the three populations. This research confirms that
A. gaumeri cultivated and genetically characterized is a potential raw material to develop an eco-friendly product for the control of fungal diseases in crops.
Keywords
Acalypha gaumeri; antifungal activity; alkaloidal compounds; eco-friendly crop protection; genetic diversity; phytopathogenic fungi
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