Inhibitory activity of plant extracts on the early blight pathogen Alternaria solani

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of two plant extracts, Ricinus communis and Chromolaena odorata on the control of the early blight pathogen, Alternaria solani (Ell. and Mart.). The study was conducted in the Laboratory of the Crop Production and Horticulture Department, Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) replicated three times was used. Three concentrations (25%, 50%, and 100%) of each plant extract were determined for inhibitory activity of A. solani growth. From the radial growth results, it revealed that Ricinus communis at 100 % concentration was recorded for the lowest radial growth rates of 1.43 cm, 2.00 cm and 2.72 cm at 24, 48 and 72 hours were recorded, respectively. It was concluded that the plant extracts used at different concentrations showed promising prospects for control Alternaria solani growth in vitro. However, it was recommended that there is a need to evaluate the inhibitory function of the plant extracts in the field to ascertain their effectiveness.