Phytotoxic effects of trichothecene metabolites from pathogenic strains of Myrothecium roridum on Cucumis melo L.

The trichothecenes are a group of naturally occurring sesquiterpenoid secondary metabolites produced by various genera of fungi including Myrothecium (Ueno, 1980). They have also been found in Brazilian shrubs of the Asteraceae family, specifically Baccharis megapotomica (Kupchan et al. , 1977) and Baccharis cordifolia (Busam and Habermehl, 1982), and exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities including antimicrobial (Freeman, 1955), insecticidal (Kishaba et al. , 1962), phytotoxic (Brian et al. , 1961), cytotoxic and cytostatic properties (Cundliffe et al. , 1974).