#fungicidal

The study sought to protect sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) root tubers from storage root rot diseases caused by fungal pathogens with three indigenous plants extracts; bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) and holy basil (Ocimum sanctum). Fungal pathogens suspected to cause root rots were isolated and pathogenicity test performed to confirm their identity through Koch postulate. Likewise, antifungal activity of the three plants using their crude extracts against the five fungal isolates namely; Fusarium oxysporum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Trichoderma harzianum, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Aspergillus niger was also performed. The crude extracts reduced weight loss significantly (P ≤ 0.05) from the first to the sixth week of storage. Sprout development was suppressed by bitter leaf on both sweet potato varieties with 87 % and 86 % on orange-flesh sweet potato (OFSP) and white-flesh sweet potato (WFSP) respectively. The highest rot inhibition was caused by bitter leaf on F. oxysporum inoculated root tubers for WFSP and by lemon grass on F. oxysporum inoculated root tubers with 73% and 65% respectively. Six point sixty-seven (6.67) and 8.0 mm were produced as the least rot lesion diameters for lemon grass against T. harzianum and bitter leaf against F. oxysporum for WFSP and OFSP inoculated root tubers respectively.

The study sought to protect sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) root tubers from storage root rot diseases caused by fungal pathogens with three indigenous plants extracts; bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) and holy basil (Ocimum sanctum). Fungal pathogens suspected to cause root rots were isolated and pathogenicity test performed to confirm their identity through Koch postulate. Likewise, antifungal activity of the three plants using their crude extracts against the five fungal isolates namely; Fusarium oxysporum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Trichoderma harzianum, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Aspergillus niger was also performed. The crude extracts reduced weight loss significantly (P ≤ 0.05) from the first to the sixth week of storage. Sprout development was suppressed by bitter leaf on both sweet potato varieties with 87 % and 86 % on orange-flesh sweet potato (OFSP) and white-flesh sweet potato (WFSP) respectively. The highest rot inhibition was caused by bitter leaf on F. oxysporum inoculated root tubers for WFSP and by lemon grass on F. oxysporum inoculated root tubers with 73% and 65% respectively. Six point sixty-seven (6.67) and 8.0 mm were produced as the least rot lesion diameters for lemon grass against T. harzianum and bitter leaf against F. oxysporum for WFSP and OFSP inoculated root tubers respectively.

The study sought to protect sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) root tubers from storage root rot diseases caused by fungal pathogens with three indigenous plants extracts; bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) and holy basil (Ocimum sanctum). Fungal pathogens suspected to cause root rots were isolated and pathogenicity test performed to confirm their identity through Koch postulate. Likewise, antifungal activity of the three plants using their crude extracts against the five fungal isolates namely; Fusarium oxysporum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Trichoderma harzianum, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Aspergillus niger was also performed. The crude extracts reduced weight loss significantly (P ≤ 0.05) from the first to the sixth week of storage. Sprout development was suppressed by bitter leaf on both sweet potato varieties with 87 % and 86 % on orange-flesh sweet potato (OFSP) and white-flesh sweet potato (WFSP) respectively. The highest rot inhibition was caused by bitter leaf on F. oxysporum inoculated root tubers for WFSP and by lemon grass on F. oxysporum inoculated root tubers with 73% and 65% respectively. Six point sixty-seven (6.67) and 8.0 mm were produced as the least rot lesion diameters for lemon grass against T. harzianum and bitter leaf against F. oxysporum for WFSP and OFSP inoculated root tubers respectively.

The global fungicides market is primarily driven by the reduction in fertile and arable land, improving the resistance of fungi, increasing crop losses due to fungi, advanced agricultural practices and technologies, growing need of higher crop quality and yield, and increasing post-harvest losses. Further, integrated pest management (IPM), and developing nations provide significant opportunities to fungicides manufacturers in this market.