Evaluation of Herbal Formulations on Fungal Pathogens of Plants: A Case Study

Abstract

Plant pathogens and pests are the major challenges in crop production since ancient times and continue to haunt the agricultural industry even today. Fungal pathogens take a heavy toll on crop yield across all crop lants world over. Chemical fungicides dominate the disease management strategies in agriculture, though many of them are known pollutants of the environment at large. Plantderived fungicides have been explored and evolved as a safer alternative during the recent past, and still, more research needs to be done on this domain. We present the results of the in vitro evaluation of plant essential oil-based antifungal formulations, WiltProof and Fungiproof developed by our company on Fusarium solani and Helminthosporium sp. isolated from infected plant materials. Trials on the efficacies of the two formulations on PDA medium in terms of colony diameter has demonstrated fungistatic effects of both formulations on the fungi tested with FungiProof showing higher activity. In situ trials using bell pepper and F. solani as a model system for investigating the infection cycle and influence of the intervention by the two products in the laboratory also confirmed the above conclusion on relative efficacies of the two products. 10. W du Plooy., et al. "Essential oil amended coatings as alternatives to synthetic fungicides in citrus postharvest management".