Zinniol
Application Notes
Zinniol is a non-specific phytotoxin, first isolated from the pathogenic fungus, Alternaria zinniae, by White and Starratt in 1967 and the structure solved by Starratt the next year. Zinniol has since been isolated from several other Alternaria species, as well as Phoma macdonaldii, the causative agent of sunflower stem blight. Signs of zinniol's phytotoxicity include inducing shrivelling of plant stems, chlorosis and browning of leaf veins in zinnia seedlings, sunken and discoloured lesions in sunflower cultivars and necrosis of carrott leaves.
References
- White G.A. et al. (1967). The production of the phytotoxic substance by Alternaria zinnia. Can. J. Bot., 45, 2087.
- Starratt A.N. (1968). Zinniol: a major metabolite of Alternaria zinnia. Can. J. Chem., 46, 767.
- Barash I. et al. (1981). Production of zinniol by Alternaria dauci and its phytotoxic effect on carrot. Physiol. Plant Pathol., 19, 7.