Original Research Article
Year: 2016 | Month: July-September | Volume: 1 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 47-52
In Vitro Effect of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Leaf Extracts on Mycelial Growth and Spore Germination of Fusarium species
Ehiobu, J.M, Ogu, G.I.
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Novena University, P.M.B 2 Ogume, Delta State, Nigeria.
Corresponding Author: Ogu, G.I.
ABSTRACT
The use of biological agents to control pests and pathogens of agricultural crops are being currently explored globally because of their obvious selective advantage over the chemical alternatives. In this study, both aqueous and ethanolic extract of Colocasia esculenta leaf and corm peel extracts at concentrations 100 mgml-1 were applied on actively growing mycelial cultures and spore suspensions of Fusarium sp. and monitored using standard microscopic and mycological techniques for 5 days. Both the aqueous and ethanolic corm peel extracts lack significant activities against the growth and spore germination of the test fungus. The percentage mycelia growth inhibitions of the leaf extracts were significant (P<0.05) and included 51.15% and 59.78% for aqueous and ethanolic extract respectively. The spore germination was also significantly inhibited (P<0.05) by both leaf extracts (71.05-86.09%). Findings from the study suggest that leaf extracts C. esculenta possess significant effects against mycelial growth and spore germination of Fusarium sp, and thus could be considered as a potential bioactive control agents against the test phytopathogens in plants
Keywords: Conidial germination, mycelial growth, phytopathogens, bioactive molecules.