|
Antifungal effect of some
plant extracts on Alternaria alternata and Fusarium
oxysporum
Fawzi, E. M.*, Khalil, A. A. and Afifi, A. F.
Biological Science and Geology Department, Faculty of
Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy Cairo, Egypt.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
emanfawzy@hotmail.com.
Accepted
11 May, 2009 |
|
In vitro
studies were carried out to test the antifungal activity of
5 plant
extracts;
Cinnamomum zeylanicum
(Cinnamon), Cymbopogon proximus
(Halfa barr),
Laurus nobilis
(Laurel), Persea americana (Avocado) and Zingiber
officinale (Ginger) performed with either cold
distilled water (CDW) or boiling (BDW) on two pathogenic
fungi, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum.
The results revealed that plants extracts especially those
performed with CDW had a strong antifungal activity with
significant inhibition on the growth of the 2 tested fungi
and their hydrolytic enzymes, β-glucosidase, pectin lyase
and protease. Extracts of Halfa barr and ginger were the
most effective to inhibit the growth of the tested fungi
followed by avocado, cinnamon and laurel. Findings from this
study confirmed that plant extracts can be used as natural
fungicides to control pathogenic fungi, thus reducing the
dependence on the synthetic fungicides. Halfa barr, which
was found to be the most efficient extract (75% inhibition),
might be a promising material for controlling these fungi.
Key words:
Antifungal agents, Alternaria alternate,
Fusarium
oxysporum,
plant extracts,
pectin
lyase, β-glucosidase, protease. |
