TSU biologists have tested how to protect plants from fungal diseases

Alina Kovaleva, a master's student at the TSU Biological Institute, is engaged in developing environmental methods of plant protection and searching for new growth stimulants. In studies conducted on various plant cultures using a drug based on a fir-tree juice, its ability to suppress fungal diseases was first shown.

- Green technologies are a priority in plant protection. As practice shows, such tools can be not only no less effective than chemical analogs, but sometimes even surpass them in terms of the strength of action, - explains Alina Kovaleva. - In my studies at the Department of Agricultural Biology, we tested a drug of the Tomsk company Solagift made based on fir-tree juice.

Previously, mainly antioxidant properties of fir extraction products were used, and the drug was added to cosmetics and drinking water. As a result of experiments conducted at the TSU Biological Institute, it was proved that a product made from fir needles also has antifungal activity.

In the experiment, seeds of medicinal plants were treated with a preparation based on cellular juice of fir. Then, over time, the degree of their destruction by fungal diseases was evaluated in comparison with the control group. Also, the seeds were sown in the soil and their germination was analyzed. Material treated with the drug was more resistant to fungal diseases and showed better germination when planted.

As Alina Kovaleva notes, to protect plants that are pharmaceutical and are actively used in officinal medicine, it is especially important to find a way to provide environmental protection against pests, because the health of patients depends on it. A drug based on fir raw materials, unlike pesticides, does not accumulate in the soil and the plants themselves, while it demonstrates high effectiveness.

Provided by Tomsk State University