Antifungal potential of leaf extract of Datura stramonium L., against some important plant pathogenic fungi

Chemical fungicides are used worldwide for enhance crop yield and control plant diseases. When crops are treated with chemical fungicides over a long period then some fungi develop resistance to these chemicals beside this these chemicals are harmful to other non target microorganism and disturb microbial community of soil. In view of these facts, it is urgent need to discover eco friendly, renewable, indigenously available, easily accessible, non-phytotoxic, relatively cost effective and biodegradable botanicals fungicides. A study was carried out to see antifungal properties of commonly occurring weed, Datura stramonium in arid zone against the most important disease causing pathogens Fusarium and Rhizoctonia. Both the pathogens are soil borne in nature and causing wilt, damping off, root rot disease in many economic important plants. The starter culture of Fusarium and Rhizoctonia was prepared in PDA medium. Aqueous and alcoholic extract of D. stramonium leaves were evaluated for antifungal potentialities against four important plant pathogenic fungi (Rhizoctonia solani, R.bataticola, Fusarium solani & F.moniliforme) by poison food technique. The alcoholic extract of datura leaves showed more antifungal activity then aqueous extract. The antifungal activity was assessed in terms of percentage inhibition of fungus growth. Effect of different concentration (10, 20, 30, 40 & 50) of ethanol extract on growth of selected fungi showed that increase in concentration of extract (50% concentration) also increase inhibition of fungus growth. The ethanoilic extract of D. stramonium leaf exhibit maximum inhibition against Rhizoctonia solani (88%) followed by Fusarium solani (76%).