A 2-ARYLBENZOFURAN FROM ROOTS OF CICER BIJUGUM ASSOCIATED WITH FUSARIUM-WILT RESISTANCE

A new 2-arylbenzofuran, xy-4',5'-methylenedioxyphenyl)-6-hydroxybenzof uran (cicerfuran) has been isolated from roots of the wild chickpea Ci cer bijugum by preparative HPLC. The structure was determined by one a nd two dimensional H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy and Fast Atom Bombaid ment-Mass Spectrometry. The concentration of cicerfuran and a previous ly identified isoflav-3-ene, judaicin, was found to be greater in the roots of plants grown in the presence of the wilt pathogen Fusarium ox ysporum f.sp. ciceri than in those grown in wilt-free soil. In additio n, both cicerfuran and judaicin inhibited germination of the fungal sp ores when tested at natural concentrations. Cicerfuran was more potent than both maackiain and medicarpin, which are known antifungal phytoa lexins in Cicer. The potential value of cicerfuran as a novel natural defence mechanism for the cultivated chickpea C. arietinum is discusse d. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.