Antifungal activity of aerial parts and saponins of Medicago spp. against Cephalosporium gramineum

摘要

Powdered aerial parts of Medicago arabica, M. heyniana. M. murex and M. polymorpha added to corn meal agar (CMA) at a dose of 10 mg ml(-1) reduced mycelial growth of Cephalosporium gramineum (a fungal pathogen of cereals) by 60%, 52%, 70%, and 65%, respectively. Total saponins extracted from aerial parts of the above Medicago species also significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of C. gramineum on CMA enriched with different doses (10-100 mug ml(-1)) of these substances. On the contrary, both biomass and total saponins of Medicago saliva applied at the same rates did not inhibit the growth of the fungus. Pelleting of grass seed inoculum of C. gramineum with powdered aerial parts of the tested Medicago spp. did not reduce sporulation of the pathogen, indicating that practical use of these plant materials to control Cephalosporium stripe is limited.