Antifungal activity assessment of some plant extracts against Trichothecium sp

Abstract

Trichothecium is a genus of plant pathogen fungi able to produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites including mycotoxins which can infect and spoil a variety of fruit crops, and thus, they have an economic impact on the farming industry in various countries worldwide. This study aimed to assess the antifungal activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Juniperus oxycedrus, Peganum harmala, Nerium oleander and Rosmarinus officinalis against the phytopathogen Trichothecium sp. using Agar well diffusion method. The obtained results showed that the aqueous extracts of leaves of R. officinalis and P. harmala in addition to the ethanolic extracts of leaves and seeds of P. harmala and that of leaves of J. oxycedrus and N. oleander demonstrated an inhibitory action against the growth of Trichothecium sp. This is the first study, to our knowledge, regarding the control of Trichothecium and could constitute a basis for the fight against such phytopathogens.