Fungicidal Properties of Some Medicinal Plants Against Colletotrichum Capsici 2071

In the search for bioactive compounds, hexane and methanolic extracts of twenty medicinal plants were used in traditional Indian medicine for treatments of infectious nature were screened for antifungal activity by well diffusion method against Colletotrichum capsici.  Among them the methanol extracts of Elephantopus scaber L. and Siegesbeckia orientalis (Linn.), exhibited high degree of inhibition followed by Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less, Andrographis paniculata Nees and Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) extracts.  The hexane extracts of plants did not show any antifungal activity against Colletotrichum capsici. The results, evaluated by the diameter of the inhibition zone of fungal growth, indicate that Elephantopus scaber L. and Siegesbeckia orientalis (Linn.), plant species, among the twenty plants investigated showed significant antifungal activity. The results suggest that these medicinal plants are potential for the management of phytopathogenic microorganisms which are known to cause diseases on many crop plants.