Evaluation of Plant Extracts as Antifungal Agents Against Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc.

Experiments were carried out to test the aqueous extracts of twenty plants for their antifungal activity against Fusarium solani the causal of dry rot disease of potato. The obtained results showed a differential activity of the plant extracts against the mycelium growth. The combined leaf extracts of Lawsonia alba and stem extracts of Acacia catechu in general showed a strong enhancement in activities over the individual extract of each against the mycelium growth. The seed extracts of Dedonia viscosa also showed strong inhibitory effect against the test fungi. The petal extracts of Mimosa hamata, leaf extracts of Acacia arabicae, Jacranda mimosaefolia and Ocimum sanctum showed appreciable good inhibitory effect against the test fungi. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world's fourth kept in dark between the filter papers at room temperature important food crop after wheat, rice and maize because of till completely dry. Each plant sample was individually its great yield potential and high nutritive value for grounded into powder for preparation of extract. The human. FAO data show that in 2005, for the first time, the fungus Fusarium solani (IARI 5155 F) used for the study developing world's potato production exceeded that of was obtained from the Division of Plant Pathology, IARI, the developed world and India ranks third contributing New Delhi. The fungal cultures were maintained at 4°C on around 7.5% to the world's production. Ever increasing Yeast Glucose Agar medium with periodic sub-culturing. world population requires the production of huge quantity of potato but our efforts are hampered due to Antifungal Activity Test: The plant part extract (15% w/v) various biotic as well as abiotic factors. Among the biotic was prepared by brewing in hot water. Fifteen g dry factors, Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. was first described powder of each plant sample was weighed and put in a by C.F.P. Von Martius in 1842 from rotted tubers of potato cheesecloth bag and suspended in 100ml of boiling (1). Dry rot of potato caused by Fusarium solani is an distilled water for 20 minutes. The extract was allowed to internationally important disease of potato resulting in stand for some time and decanted off into the flask and about 25 to 60% loss in yield in different countries and final volume was raised to 100ml by adding boiled distilled attempts have been made to manage the disease by water. The supernatant was used for assay. The treating with chemical compounds, biological agents as antifungal activity of each plant part extract was reported by Wharton and Kirk (2). In the present study, determined by measuring the mycelia growth inhibition of efficacy of twenty plant extracts including combined tested fungi as described by Bragulat et al. (3). A known plants extracts for antifungal activity against dry rot volume of 15% plant sample extract was supplemented pathogen was tested. with yeast extract, glucose and agar. The medium was