Bioefficacy of Plant Extracts in The Control of Root Rot Disease of Sponge Gourd

The efficacy of 13 plant extracts viz-leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica, Catharanthus roseus, Lantana camara, Ocimum sanctum, Ricinus communis, Saraca indica and Thuja occidentalis, latex yielding plants Calotropis procera, Nerium indicum, Datura, Ficus religiosa and bulbs of Allium cepa and Allium sativum were tried to control root rot pathogen in vitro in sponge gourd seeds using Standard blotter method (SBM). They were evaluated for their antifungal activity over Rhizoctonia solani. All the plant extracts showed significant reduction in the growth of the pathogen compared with control. Among the different extracts leaf extract of Ricinus communis and Allium sativum bulb extract gave better result to control R. solani. Application of plant extracts is non pollutive, cost effective and ecofriendly method for controlling the plant diseases.