Antimicrobial Activity of Native and Recombinant Antiviral Proteins from Bougainvillea xbuttiana Leaves Against Plant Pathogenic Fungi and Viruses

Antimicrobial activity of native antiviral proteins (AVPs) as well as recombinant AVP, BBAP1 from the leaves of Bougainvillea xbuttiana cv Mahara, was tested against 6 fungal and 3 viral strains infecting crop plants. The purified BBAP1 was found to be inhibitory to pure culture of fungus Rhizoctonia solani. Similarly, the powder as well as extract prepared from the leaves of B. xbuttiana, which is a source of native AVPs, also were found effective against R. solani. In addition, in a bioassay using cowpea plants, the BBAP1 was found effective against groundnut bud-necrosis virus (GBNV). Similarly, diluted Bougainvillea leaf extract was found to be very effective against GBNV as well as tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). The study suggested that the recombinant AVP, BBAP1 as well as Bougainvillea leaf extract have a potential to be used as biopesticides against fungi and plant viruses.