Determination of antifungal potential of <em>Sida acuta</em>

Abstract

Sida acuta has been widely used for its various pharmacological properties. Hence, in the current study we aimed to determine the antifungal activity for leaf, stem and root extracts of Sida acuta. Ethanol (50%) was used successively for extraction of active principles from the dried powdered leaves, stem and root of Sida acuta. The antifungal screening was done with two plant pathogens viz. Fusarium oxysporum ATCC 26225 and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides ATCC 20358 as test microorganisms. In the agar-well diffusion assay highest zone of inhibition in diameters were recorded with leaf and stem ethanol extracts of S. acuta. Both microorganisms were markedly affected by all the three extracts under study. In conclusion, findings of this study demonstrated that all parts of S. acuta, particularly the leaf and stem possessed antifungal property, and which ethanolic extract of leaf and stem parts of S. acuta could be used to control plant diseases as a safe alternative option to chemical fungicides.