Medicinal Plants, A promising Source of Natural Fungicides against <i>Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum</i>, Causal Agent of Wheat Blast

Abstract

Wheat blast, caused by a fungal pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae Tritichum (MoT) pathotype (wheat isolates), was first reported in Bangladesh among Asian countries in 2016. It is a serious disease of wheat causing yield failures and significant economic losses during epidemic years. Extensive use of persistent synthetic pesticides to control notorious wheat blast imposes enormous threat to human health and environment. In addition, the increasing demand for organic food has stimulated people to look for alternative methods. Nowadays, the need for synthetic chemical-free agricultural practices is gaining importance due to effective in managing crop pests, inexpensive, biodegradable, easily available and have low toxicity to non-target organisms. In order to identify active plants, 12 kinds of methanol extracts obtained from 12 medicinal plants were conducted in vitro to test the effect against Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum (MoT) pathotype. The remarkable inhibitory activity {(29.6 ± 01.5) mm, (25.1 ± 01.0) mm and (20.0 ± 02.0) mm zone of inhibition)} exhibited by the extracts (5 mg/disk) obtained from Artemisia indica (Nagdona), Persicaria orientalis (Bishkatali) and Clerodendrum indicum (Bamonhati), respectively. Other medicinal plant extracts did not show any significant or no activity at all. Therefore, the three plant extracts might be a promising source for developing natural fungicides against wheat blast.