Efficacy of a pyrimidine derivative to control spot disease on Solanum melongena caused by Alternaria alternata

The pyrimidine derivative (4,6-dimethyl-N-phenyldiethyl pyrimidine, DPDP) was tested as a foliar spray fungicide at 50 mg l(−1) for protection of eggplant (Solanum melongena) from spot disease caused by Alternaria alternata. Varied concentrations of DPDP (10–50 mg l(−1)) differentially inhibited mycelial growth, conidial count and conidial germination of A. alternata growth in vitro; the magnitude of inhibition increased with increasing concentration. In vivo, an experiment was conducted in pots using a complete block randomized design and repeated twice with three replications and four treatments (control, A. alternata alone, DPDP alone and combination of DPDP and A. alternata) for 5 weeks (1 plant in pot × 3 pots per set (3 replications per treatment) × 4 sets (4 treatments) × 5 weeks × 2 experimental repetitions = 120 pots). In this experiment, 10-day-old eggplant seedlings were transplanted in pots and then inoculated with A. alternata, DPDP or their combination 1 week later. Leaves of the A. alternata-infected eggplant suffered from chlorosis, necrosis and brown spots during the subsequent 5 weeks. Disease intensity was obvious in infected leaves but withdrawn by DPDP. There were relationships between incidence and severity, greater in plant leaves infected A. alternata alone and diminished with the presence of DPDP. Moreover, the infection resulted in reductions in growth, decreases in contents of anthocyanins, chlorophylls, carotenoids and thiols as well as inhibitions in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Nonetheless, the application of DPDP at 50 mg led to a recovery of the infected eggplant; the infection-induced deleterious effects were mostly reversed by DPDP. However, treatment with DPDP alone seemed with no significant impacts. Due to its safe use to host and the inhibition for the pathogen, DPDP could be suggested as an efficient fungicide for protection of eggplant to control A. alternata spot disease.