Screening of ethnomedicinal plants for their antifungal and nematicidal activities against soil-borne phytopathogens

This study contributes to the screening of antifungal and nematicidal activities of some ethnomedicinal plants against soil-inhabiting phytopathogens. The plant possesses natural remarkable antifungal and nematicidal activities due to the presence of phenols, alkaloids, tannins, protein, saponins, glycosides, triterpenoids, flavonoids, amino acids and carbohydrates in its different parts. In this present scenario, fifteen ethnomedicinal plants Allium sativum, Annona squamosa, Caesalpinia bonduc, Capsicum annuum, Cassia fistula, Catharanthus roseus, Cleome viscosa, Gliricidia sepium, Lawsonia inermis, Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum sanctum, Parthenium hysterophorus, Piper betel, Polyalthia longifolia and Tephrosia purpurea were tested for in vitro antifungal and nematicidal activities against Macrophomina phaseolina, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum and Meloidogyne javanica causative and soil-inhabiting destructive diseases. Out of fifteen plant extract examined, three exhibited remarkable antifungal and nematicidal activities against soil-borne phytopathogens by mortality test and poisoned food technique. Piper betel, Allium sativum and Cassia fistula showed 85 to 98 percent inhibition of mycelial growth of fungi while the same plant extracts at the concentrations of 5 and 10 percent showed 76 to 98 percent mortality and egg hatchability rates 72 h after treatment. The current results indicated that selected ethnomedicinal plants have the influence of nematicidal and antifungal activities and can be utilized as natural agents to the management of soil-borne phytopathogens and thereby reducing the dependence on synthetic compounds.