Efficacy of Certain Plant Extracts as Safe Fungicides Against Phytopathogenic and Mycotoxigenic Fungi

The efficiency of different natural plant extracts and of the chemical fungicide Micronite was carried out to determine their effects on the soil fungi particularly phytopathogenic and mycotoxigenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus flavus. In vitro studies were carried out to test the antifungal activity of 4 plant extracts; performed with either cold distilled water. The results revealed that plants extracts had a strong antifungal activity with significant inhibition on the growth of the all tested fungi. Extracts of Azadirachta indica and Jatropha curcas were the most effective to inhibit the growth of the tested fungi. On the other hand, the chemical fungicide was more efficient than the natural compounds. Different concentrations of plant extract of A. indica and of chemical fungicide were studied on the growth of Aspergillus flavus and Alternaria alternate. Findings from this study confirmed that plant extracts can be used as natural fungicides to control pathogenic fungi, thus reducing the dependence on the synthetic fungicides. Azadirachta indica extract, which was found to be the most efficient extract, might be a promising agent for controlling these fungi.