Antisporulant Activity of Watery Extracts of Plants against Sclerospora graminicola Causing Downy Mildew Disease of Pearl Millet

Abstract

Watery extracts of forty plant species commonly growing in across India have been screened for antisporulant activity against Sclerospora graminicola (Sacc.) Schroet., the causative agent of pearl millet downy mildew. The collection represented 38 genera of 30 families. The extracts of thirteen species did not show any effect, whereas the activity of extracts of Allium sativum, Clematis gouriana, Evolvulus alsinoides, Mimusops elengi, Parthenium hysterophorus, Piper nigrum and Tagetes erecta were commensurable to that of marketed botanical fungicides and Mikal 70 wp. The crude extracts of 12 species (Agave americana, Aloe vera, Artemisia parviflora, Citrus limon, Citrus sinensis, Eucalyptus globosus, Euphorbia hirta, Leucas aspera, Murraya koenigi, Ocimum sanctum, Santalum album and Zingiber offinale) completely inhibited the zoosprorangium formation while in the case of remaining 8 plants the crude extracts reduced only partially the sporulation. The antisporulant activity of commercialised Azadirachta preparation (Nutri-Neem) was more pronounced than that of Reynutria based one (Milsana) and Sabadilla (veratrin), however, these botanical preparations held off synthetic fungicides and the most active watery extracts.

Screening of plant extracts for organic management of downy mildew of sorghum

“…There are also a few reports of successful use of plant extracts as antisporulants in the laboratory as well as in field conditions (Deepak et al 2005;Kamalakannan and Shanmugam 2009). In this investigation, an attempt was made to screen and evaluate the anti-pathogenic potential of locally available plants …”

Hunting Bioactive Molecules from the Agave Genus: An Update on Extraction and Biological Potential

“…This effect was held after the extracts were diluted 10-fold. However, high diluted rates led to a lost antifungal effect [133].…”