Effectiveness of plant extracts against cumin blight (Alternaria burnsii)

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is an important seeds spice crop at world level and India is the leading producer (70% of world production), consumer and exporter of cumin in the world. Almost 80% of the crop cultivated is consumed in India. This crop is affected by major three fungal pathogens (viz., wilt, blight and powdery mildew), among them blight (Alternaria burnsii) is considered as most important one. Among the phytoextracts tested, the majority were found effective in inhibiting the radial growth of test fungus and highest inhibition was in tulsi, akda and garlic extract at 10 per cent concentration which recorded 73.76, 70.63 and 70.09 per cent inhibition, respectively.