In vitro Evaluation of Botanical Extracts against Some Soil and Seed Borne Fungi of Economic Importance

Introduction: The investigation was done to observe the effectiveness of botanical extracts against Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium oxysporum and Sclerotium rolfsii. Biologically based and environmentally safe alternatives are needed for the management of pathogenic micro-organisms. Plant extracts might be a substantial alternative of chemical pesticides.

Aims: To investigate the effectiveness of three botanical extracts namely garlic, ginger and neem at different concentrations (5%, 10% and 15%) on the mycelial growth of Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium oxysporum and Sclerotium rolfsii.

Study Design: In vitro testing.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was taken in the Plant Protection Laboratory of Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University from June 2011 to June 2012.

Methodology: Poison food technique was followed to measure the effect of botanical extracts. The inhibition percentages of the tested fungi were calculated based on the growth of the pathogen on PDA plates in absence of crude extracts by following the formula of Sunder et al. (1995). The plates were arranged in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications. The replicated plates were used for each treatment under each experiment and completely randomized design was followed for data analysis.

Results: The different botanical extracts in different concentrations inhibited the mycelial growth of fungi significantly (p<0.01). At 15% concentration garlic maximum inhibited S. rolfsii 72.20%, neem and ginger maximum inhibited in F. oxysporum 56.41% and 55.80% respectively.

Conclusion: The mycelial growth inhibition of soil and seed borne fungi was found to be increased with the increase of concentration of botanical extracts.