<i>In Vitro</i> and <i>In Vivo</i> Biological Evaluation of Crude Extracts of <i>Dioscorea dumetorum</i> and <i>Psidium guajava</i> Leaves in the Control of Storage Rot of Onion (<i>Allium cepa </i>L.) Bulbs

Abstract

Keywords: Crude extracts, in vitro and in vivo, antifungal effect, onion bulb, fungal pathogens.ABSTRACT. The antifungal activity of the ethanolic crude leaf extracts of Dioseorea dumetorum and Psidium quajava on the fungal pathogens isolated from infected onion bulbs were investigated in vitro and in vivo. The pathogens were Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer. For the in vitro antifungal assay, various concentrations of the extracts ranging from 10g/200ml, 20g/200ml, 30g/200ml, 40g/200ml and 50g/200ml were separately added to PDA media. The fungal pathogens were separately inoculated into the media and incubated for seven days. For the in vivo assay, healthy onion bulbs were properly surface sterilized using 99% ethanol and sodium hypochlorite (bleach). The sterile onion bulbs were then sprayed with the extracts at different concentrations two hours prior to inoculation with the fungal pathogens.