Antifungal effect of some plant extracts on Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum.

In vitro studies were carried out to test the antifungal activity of 5 plant extracts; Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinnamon), Cymbopogon proximus (Halfa barr), Laurus nobilis (Laurel), Persea americana (Avocado) and Zingiber officinale (Ginger) performed with either cold distilled water (CDW) or boiling (BDW) on two pathogenic fungi, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum. The results revealed that plants extracts especially those performed with CDW had a strong antifungal activity with significant inhibition on the growth of the 2 tested fungi and their hydrolytic enzymes, beta-glucosidase, pectin lyase and protease. Extracts of Halfa barr and ginger were the most effective to inhibit the growth of the tested fungi followed by avocado, cinnamon and laurel. 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. Halfa barr, which was found to be the most efficient extract (75% inhibition), might be a promising material for controlling these fungi.