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

Ginger rhizomes (<i>Zingiber officinale</i> 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 <i>in vitro</i> anti-<i>Xanthomonas</i> spp. activities. <i>Xanthomonas</i> 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 <i>Xanthomonas citri, X. euvesicatoria, X. vasicola</i> and <i>X. campestris</i> 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 <i>in silico</i> 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.