A Review on Moringa oleifera as a Potential Biofungicide against Soil Borne Fungal Disease on Chilli Growth

Abstract

Moringa oleifera, or drumstick tree, is popularly known as the miracle tree. Almost every part of this tree is scientifically proven to be useful, be it root, bark, gum, leaf, fruit, flower, and seed. Over the years, many scientific studies have illustrated large bioactive compounds from Moringa oleifera extract. It is possible that the antifungal property of Moringa oleifera is closely associated with the presence of its bioactive compounds. However, this finding is limited to human studies and few on agricultural importance despite their potentiality. Nonetheless, various studies found good antifungal activity of Moringa oleifera extract, the promising results for the antifungal activity made it a good candidate to replace the synthetic fungicide. In this regard, this review focuses on using Moringa oleifera extracts as a potential biofungicide against the soil borne fungal disease that destroys most cash crops, especially chillies. Conclusively, this review outline the current state of knowledge and provides a compilation of evidence-based literature on Moringa oleifera extract to provide a reference for its potential application as biofungicide against soil borne fungal disease.