Antifungal activity of some medicinal plants on Soybean seed-borne Macrophomina phaseolina.

ABSTRACT

Soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr. seeds, pods and seedlings are susceptible to fungal attack due to its rich nutrient content. The most commonly isolated soybean (JS-335) seed-borne fungi were Fusarium spp., Macrophomina phaseolina., Pythium spp., Aspergillus spp., Phoma spp., and Phomopsis spp. Macrophomina phaseolina is an important plant pathogenic fungus that causes charcoal rot of soybean and infects more than 500 hosts. In humid climates, the fungus causes a post emergence damping-off of soybean seedlings leading to 50% of crop losses. The objective of this work was to study the efficacy of the botanicals on soybean seed-borne Macrophomina phaseolina. Among the 10 botanicals screened, Datura metel (L.) methanol leaf extract showed the most promising activity against Macrophomina phaseolina.