Biological Management of Ginger Soft Rot Disease Under In Vitro and In Silico Condition

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is an economically and medicinally important spice crop, but its cultivation is severely affected by soft rot disease. In the present study, Fusarium solani (F. solani) associated with ginger soft rot was isolated, identified, and used as the target pathogen for antifungal evaluation. Diseased ginger rhizomes were collected from Gangapur village, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India. The pathogen was isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA), characterized morphologically and microscopically, and confirmed as F. solani through ITS sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The antifungal potential of Trachyspermum ammi (T. ammi) essential oil was then evaluated against F. solani under in vitro conditions and supported by in silico analysis. The essential oil showed strong activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.20 µL/mL and a minimum cidal concentration (MCC) of 0.60 µL/mL. The minimum killing time (MKT) of pure oil was 40 s, while the oil at its MCC required 24 h. Antifungal toxicity persisted at high inoculum density and remained stable after heating to 80°C and autoclaving. Molecular docking of F. solani cutinase indicated strongest binding for thymol, followed by p-cymene and γ-terpinene. These findings highlight the potential of T. ammi essential oil as an eco-friendly antifungal agent for managing F. solani-associated ginger soft rot.