Evaluation of antifungal effect of organic extracts of Algerian Citrullus colocynthis seeds against four strains of Aspergillus isolate from wheat stored

摘要

Anti-mycotic activity of the methanolic and aqueous extracts from Algerian Colocynth(Citrullus colocynthisL. Schrad) seed parts were screenedin vitroagainst four important plant pathogenic fungi, namely,Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus fumigatusandAspergillus niger,using micro-dilution technique in the broth medium after their phytochemical analysis. The qualitative phytochemical screening of organic extracts revealed the presence of biochemical substances such as alkaloid, flavonoid, steroid and saponins liable for biological activity. Extracts inhibited the mycelial growth of almost all strains ofAspergillusand the results unveiled that the methanol extract was more of antifungal effect than the aqueous extract with minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of 15 mg/ml againstA. ochraceus,17.5 mg/ml againstA. nigerand 25 mg/ml againstA. fumigatus.A. flavusproved to be the most resistant strain to the two types of extracts and no activity was recorded. These results showed that the extracts could be considered suitable alternatives to chemical additives for the control of fungal diseases in plants.