Antimicrobial activity of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves conferring disease resistance to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

An investigation was carried out at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi to study the effect of Stevia rebaudiana on physiological and biochemical attributes of wheat conferring disease resistance. In the present investigations even medicinal plants were taken viz., Rauwolfia serpentina, Gymnema sylvestre, Terminalia arjuna, Stevia rebaudiana, Strychnosnux-vomica, Tinospora cordifolia and Psoralea corylifolia and treated against one bacterial sp. (Xanthomonas spp.), and four fungal pathogen (Bipolaris spp., Curvularia spp., Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctoniasolani.).Stevia rebaudiana found best among these medicinal plants. In the present investigation different biochemical parameters were carried out i.e. APX, TPC, PAL, MDA, H2O2 and SOD to observe and relate antimicrobial activity of wheat and found that APX activity decreased in wheat. The TPC activity was significantly increased after spray of stevia leaf extract which indicate that crops showed better resistance against the pathogen while PAL activity decreased. On the other hand MDA and SOD activity was also significantly increased.