Euphorbia helioscopia vs Penicillium digitatum

Today it is necessary to encourage the use of environmentally friendly biopesticides. On the other hand, the residues of pesticides in the fruits are a problem for its commercialization. In this work we analyze extracts of Euphorbia helioscopia against the growth of Penicillium digitatum. This fungus is responsible for the green rot and it produces great losses in the citrus fruits, being so important this crop for the Mediterranean region. Our work compares the effect of leaf-fruit and stem-root extracts of Euphorbia helioscopia on the growth of Penicillium digitatum in in vitro and lemon fruit trials. The results show inhibition of the fungus by the presence of the vegetal extracts which raises the possibility of using them as new biorrational fungicides.