Antibacterial activity of essential oil from Zingiber officinale Roscoe against Xanthomonas strains: chemical composition and docking study of α-zingiberene

Ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) have been used for treating several diseases including headaches, colds, nausea, and emesis. Considering the agrochemical potential of essential oil from ginger (EO-ZO), this study aimed to chemically characterize and assess its in vitro anti-Xanthomonas spp. activities. Xanthomonas species are plant pathogens capable of inducing certain diseases, such as canker, necrosis, and gall. For the first time, data demonstrated that EO-ZO exhibited high activity against Xanthomonas citri, X. euvesicatoria, X. vasicola and X. campestris since its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values ranged between 1.25 and 6.5 µg/ml. GC-MS and GC-FID revealed that α-zingiberene (50%), neral (15%), geranial (11%), and 1,8-cineole (9%) are the major constituents. A structure-based virtual screening approach was applied to α-zingiberene to predict antibacterial activity in silico and confirm its activity. In summary, EO-ZO appears to be a promising antimicrobial agent that may be used in sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture.