Conyza canadensis: Green Extraction Method of Bioactive Compounds and Evaluation of Their Antifungal Activity

Synthetic fungicides are a common treatment for post-harvest diseases in fruits, although demand is increasing for alternatives such as biopesticides. The aim of this work was to investigate the presence of naturally occurring antifungal compounds in Brazilian specimens of the weed Conyza canadensis. Two compounds [(4Z)-lachnophyllum lactone and (4Z,8Z)-matricaria lactone] were isolated and their antifungal activities were evaluated against eight postharvest disease fungi. Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sp., and Penicillium digitatum proved susceptible to the treatment (minimum inhibitory con...