Italian “Vessalico” garlic ecotype: characterization of sulfur compounds and antiviral activity against Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV)

Many varieties or cultivars of garlic are available, due to the high environmen- tal adaptative ability of the species, and they can be selected and identified based on morphological, biochemical, and chemical data [1,2]. In this study Vessalico garlic, one of the best-known Italian garlic ecoytpes, was compared with Messidrôme and Messidor, whose cloves are used for sowing, and with the geographically adjacent Caraglio ecotype. UHPLC‐Q-trap analyses of the extracts of 52 garlic accessions belonging to these four ecotypes showed similar profiles for sulfur compounds, highlighting the presence of typical molecules of stored garlic. This result was consistent with the usual storage of commercial garlic bulbs at cellar temperature for six-eight months after harvest, to ensure year-round supply for customers. HC, PCA and SOM, ap- plied to the LC/MS data, allowed to separate the four ecotypes, identifying three sub-classes in the accessions of Vessalico ecotype, and confirming sim- ilarities between Vessalico and French accessions. All garlic extracts showed ability to deactivate Tomato brown rugose fruit vi- rus (ToBRFV) and Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) infectivity, as a possible conse- quence of disassembly of the virus coat protein (CP). Molecular docking showed a strong interaction of the sulfur compounds characteristic of aged extracts with a high number of residues into ToBRFV CP binding site, interfer- ing with virulence progress. This result could be a good starting point for the possible use of garlic extracts as antiviral agent in organic agriculture, as re- covery of waste product or unsold at the season end