@Article{phyton.2026.072668,
AUTHOR = {Christian Pérez-Chablé, Daisy Pérez-Brito, Anuar Magaña-Alvarez, Jairo Cristóbal-Alejo, Irma L. Medina-Baizabal, Marcela Gamboa-Angulo},
TITLE = {Molecular Fingerprinting of Three <i>Ex-Situ</i> Cultivated Populations of <i>Acalypha gaumeri</i> Pax \& K. Hoffm (Female and Male) and Evaluation of Their Antifungal Activity Against Phytopathogens},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {95},
YEAR = {2026},
NUMBER = {2},
PAGES = {--},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/v95n2/66467},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {<i>Acalypha gaumeri</i> (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 <i>A. gaumeri</i> was performed using the <i>rbcL</i> region, confirming its belonging to the <i>Acalypha genus</i>. 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 <i>ex-situ</i> 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 <i>Alternaria chrysanthemi</i> CICY004 and 500 µg/mL against <i>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</i> CICY002 and <i>Penicillium oxalicum</i> ITC25. Chromatographic profile of the ethanol extracts confirmed the presence of alkaloidal components in the <i>ex-situ</i> cultivated plants, which were analyzed by HPLC. The results revealed that the peaks at <i>T<sub>R</sub></i> 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 <i>A. gaumeri</i> cultivated and genetically characterized is a potential raw material to develop an eco-friendly product for the control of fungal diseases in crops.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2026.072668}
}