<i>Lantana camara</i> L.: a potential biocontrol agent against phytoplasma infection in chili plants

Phytoplasma, a phytopathogenic mollicute, poses a major threat to global agriculture with no effective control strategies currently available. <i>Lantana camara</i> L., an invasive weed, contains bioactive compounds with promising antimicrobial potential. This study investigates its potential, by utilizing the bioactive potential of green unripe berry extract from <i>Lantana camara</i> L., to mitigate phytoplasma infections in chili plants (<i>Capsicum annuum</i>). Phytoplasma infection in symptomatic chili plants was confirmed by nested PCR. Treatment with optimized <i>L. camara</i> extract led to significant recovery from little leaf disease. GC-MS analysis of <i>Lantana camara</i> L. green unripe berries identified six bioactive compounds with potential phytoplasma-inhibitory and antibacterial properties. To further explore their therapeutic potential, molecular docking studies were performed against the target protein SAP05 effector complexed with AtRpn10 (PDB ID: 8JTL) which is a known effector protein associated with phytoplasma pathogenicity. Among the docked compounds, Carsalam showed the strongest binding affinity (-7.2 kcal/mol) by interacting with Lys56 (C) residue. Other compounds like 5-(4-Chlorobenzyl)-1H-tetrazole and Cyclohexylmethylphosphonic acid also exhibited strong binding and targeted critical residues involved in protein function. These findings suggest <i>L. camara</i> has the potential to inhibit phytoplasma, marking a preliminary step toward sustainable phytoplasma management and an alternative to chemical treatments.