Efficacy and safety of some plant extracts against Tomato early Blight disease caused by Alternaria solani

Abstract

In an attempt to establish new control practices with low mammalian toxicity and low persistence in the environment against plant pathogens, crude extracts of seven plant species (Cassia senna, Caesalpinia gilliesii, Thespesia populnea var. acutiloba, Chrysanthemum frutescens, Euonymus japonicus, Bauhinia purpurea and Cassia fistula) were evaluated against Alternaria solani in tomato under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis was carried to identify the biologically active components of the most effective extract against A. solani. Moreover, the safety of the most effective extract was evaluated with respect to histological changes in treated rats' organs. The results showed that, B. purpurea was most effective plant extract against early blight pathogen under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. The GC-MS analysis for the most effective plant extract showed the presence of different bioactive chemical components than known by its antifungal activity. The most effective plant extract showed low toxicity on rats relative to control. The results revealed that, the using of plant extracts can be regarded as effective and safe control of 4. solani in tomato. © 2011 Asian Network for Scientific Information.