PREVENTION OF FUNGI BY NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS

Mehta Surbhi, Sharma Kanika

Department of Botany, University College of Science, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

ABSTRACT

Plants and plant based products are good source of bio-control agents. Antimicrobial compounds present in the plants can be considered as most potent alternate of synthetic fungicides due to their less negative impacts on the environment, animals and plants. In the present study Eucalyptus globulus Labill leaf extracts were evaluated against Alternaria solani which is a causal organism of early blight of tomato. The dried and powdered leaves were successively extracted by cold extraction as well as hot extraction method. The antifungal activity assay was done by poison food technique. 100% alcohol crude extract and petroleum ether extract of E. globulus leaves showed highest activity against test fungi. The inhibitory effect was significant and better than the synthetic fungicides used as mancozeb and bavistin. Inhibitory action of the extract was concentration dependent. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was found to be 2.5 mg/ml and Minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) was 5 mg/ml for A. Solani. The results obtained in this study clearly suggest the possible use of leaf powder as eco-friendly herbal fungi toxicant to prevent serious damage to the economically important crops.

Keywords:

Antimicrobial, cold & hot extraction, anti-fungal activity, poison food technique, Minimum inhibitory concentration