Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity of Methanolic Extract of Fimbristylis dichotoma and Fimbristylis miliacea

Abstract

Fimbristylis genus had commonly found as a dominant weed in the rice fields. The sedges have been identified as one of the invasive weed in the world and their undesirable presence disturb the growth of the crop. The presence of secondary metabolites, on the other hand, revealed that this plant is capable of a wide range of biological activities. Therefore, this study focused on the phytochemistry, antioxidant and antifungal properties of 2 weeds in the genus Fimbristylis. The methanol extracts of 2 species; Fimbristylis miliacea and Fimbristylis dichotoma were screened for phytochemical, antioxidant and antifungal activity. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of saponin, terpenoid, phenolic and flavonoid. Antioxidant activity was determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The extracts have significant antioxidant activity with values of IC50 = 250.67 μg/ml (F. miliacea) and 213.72 μg/ml (F. dichotoma). Antifungal activity was validated by dual culture test; minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) using crude methanol extract 10mg/mL. The percentage of inhibition radial growth (PIRG) value by dual culture test against Colletotrichum spp for F. miliacea was 42.67%, and F. dichotoma was 38.33%. For MIC and MFC test, the lowest values against the plant pathogenic fungi showed at 1.25 mg/mL and 2.5 mg/mL. From the results, it showed that these extracts have the potential to be develop as natural products in integrated control strategies.