Effectiveness of Ringworm Cassia and Turmeric Plant Extracts on Growth Inhibition against Some Important Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Abstract

Crude plant extracts of ringworm cassia, Cassia alata L. and turmeric, Curcuma longa L. were prepared by either hot water or organic solvents such as ethanol and ether. Various concentrations of the crude extract were then subjected to an in vitro test for their effectiveness on mycelia growth inhibition against some important plant pathogenic fungi such as Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum fsp. lycopersici, Sclerotium rolfsii, Phytophthora infestans and Pythium sp. in comparison to commercial fungicides such as copper oxychloride and mancozeb. Reduction of the fungal growth was significantly obtained with C. longa extracts and the best median effective inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 6.07, 6.50 and 7.13 mg/ml was from the ethanol extract for S. rolfsii, C. gloeosporioides and F. oxysporum fsp. lycopersici respectively. While all extracts from C. alata were almost the least effective against these fungi. The efficacy of C. longa extracts therefore, provided an alternative regime for the control of the fungal diseases and a promising appreciable choice for a replacement of chemical fungicides.