Antifungal activity of medicinal plant extracts against phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria spp

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of extracts of 10 plant species used in traditional Uruguayan medicine against the phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria spp. The plants were selected on the basis of their reported ethnobotanical uses. Aqueous, saline buffer and acid extracts of different plant species were screened in vitro for their antifungal activity against Alternaria spp. For the antifungal evaluation we used a microspectrophotometric assay. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the extracts were determined. Three solvents were assayed on different tissues of the plants and among the 29 evaluated extracts, 31% of the extracts inhibited growth, similar to the effects of a chemical fungicide. Acid extracts of the plants were more effective than the aqueous or buffer extracts against Alternaria spp. The MIC values of the extracts were determined ranging between 1.25 and 25 µg mL -1 . The MFC values of the extracts ranged between 1.25 µg mL -1(Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and 10 µg mL -1 (Cynara scolymus L.). MICs and MFCs values obtained from leaves (Salvia officinalis L. and R. officinalis) and seeds extracts (Salvia sclarea L.) were quite comparable to values obtained with the conventional fungicide captan (2.5 µg mL -1 ). The extracts of Salvia sclarea, S. officinalis and R. officinalis could be considered as potential sources of antifungal compounds for treating diseases in plants. These extracts showed maximum activity, even at very low concentrations, and the same fungicide effects as chemical fungicide. We conclude from this that these extracts exhibit amazing fungicidal properties that support their traditional use as antiseptics.

Chemical Composition, Toxicity and Antifungal Activities of Megaphrynium macrostachyum (K. Schum) Leaf Extract against Foodborne Fungi

“…The quantitative phytochemical analysis of the ethanol extracts of M. macrostachyum leaves revealed that there were high yields of alkaloids, flavonoids and saponins from the ethanol extracts from leaf of M. macrostachyum. The potency in the activeness of the constituents in the plant extracts justified the claims by several scientists that have identified the role of phytochemicals in the inhibition of fungi responsible for spoilage of food (Dellavalle et al, 2011;Cabral et al, 2013;Rakholiya et al, 2014;Negi and Chaturvedi, 2016). The analyzed compounds via GC/MS and HPLC fingerprinting showed constituents in the plants at its crude level and these might be responsible for the inhibition of test isolates.…”

In-vitro effects of garlic extracts on pathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum and Neofabraea alba

“…Increasing regulations on the use of synthetic fungicides, build-up of chemical residues on the fruit and the emergence of pathogen resistance to the most frequently used fungicides, validate the search for novel biological control strategies. 1 In recent years, a number of plant extracts, their essential oils and their volatile components have been reported to have strong antifungal activity. 2 In the agricultural sector, plant extracts, essential oils and their components are gaining increasing interest as a result of their volatility, reasonably safe status, eco-friendly and biodegradable properties, and wide consumer acceptance.…”

In vitro Antifungal Activity of Cucumis melo on Candida albicans

“…In Uruguay, Diaz-Dellavalle et al determined that aqueous extract of 10 plant species exhibit anti-fungal activity against Alternaria spp. [26]. Aqueous extract of both mature and immature fruits of our study had no effect on C. albicans compared to alcoholic extracts, so it may be some plant compounds such as phenols and alcohols have more anti-fungal potency than other types of extract [2].…”