Antifungal activity of leaf extract against mycotoxin producing fungi

Abstract

About 90% of the world food crops are being produced by using seeds. Healthy seeds are important for production of healthy crop and these seeds are also responsible for disease transmission. It happens either in field or in post-harvest storage condition. Due to these seed borne fungi, seed get deteriorated which may cause a great economic loss as well as several types of abnormalities occur in seeds. Major storage grain fungi contaminated with mycotoxin, mycotoxins contaminants of fungal origin occurring worldwide and characterized by its acute and chronic toxic effects on human health. In the present attempt were made to study the antifungal activity of leaf extract against mycotoxin producing fungi. Fungi isolated from stored seed grains like cereals, pulses, infected oil seeds were collected from from Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India. Antifungal activity of leaf extract of Calotropis procera, Azadirachta indica, Ocimum sanctum, Withania somnifera and Datura metel were tested against Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus ochraceus, Fusarium gramineorum and Penicillium citrinum by using 96-well plate method. Leaf extract showed remarkable activity against tested fungi at different concentrations as Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. The leaf extract of Calotropis procera and Azadirachta indica, have good potential antifungal properties against different mycotoxin producing fungi.