Fungicidal effect of hydroxytyrosol-rich preparations from olive mill wastewater against Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium dahliae cannot be reached by many fungicides during its parasitic phase inside the plants and few fungicides are available to cure plants once they are infected by this pathogen. A hydroxytyrosol-rich (29.27% weight/dry weight) olive mill wastewater (HROMW) and a hydroxytyrosol-rich (52.67% weight/dry weight) extract (HRE) were prepared from fresh olive mill wastewater (FOMW) using hydrolysis and post-hydrolysis purification processes, and were tested as bio-fungicides. The HROMW and HRE showed strong fungicidal activity in vitro against V. dahliae with minimal fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) of 28–56 mg L⁻¹ (dry weight). The HROMW and HRE at 15 g L⁻¹ (dry weight) resulted in a reduction in the viability of V. dahliae by >4 log units after 30 min of contact time according to European Standard EN 1275 (1997) standard method. In tomato pot growth experiments incorporation of HROMW and HRE into the soil reduced significantly Verticillium wilt disease incidence by 86 and 83% and wilt severity by 86 and 84.5%, respectively, compared to untreated plants.