Antifungal Activity of Plant Extracts Against Alternaria alternata Isolated from Aphid Galls
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v13i12.4116-4122.8257Keywords:
apple, aphid, Alternaria alternata, antifungal activities, biological control, plant extractAbstract
Dysaphis devecta is a common aphid species on apples. In this study, the antifungal activities of different plant extracts against Alternaria alternata isolated from galls formed by the apple aphid D. devecta were investigated. Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower), Salvia officinalis (sage), and Thymus vulgaris (thyme), which are medicinal and aromatic plants with high antimicrobial activity, were used as test materials in the study. Plant extracts were prepared using two different solvents (ethanol and methanol) by ultrasound-assisted extraction method and antifungal activity tests were conducted according to the food poison method. The results indicated that all plant extracts had significant antifungal activity against A. alternata. All ethanol and methanol extracts with 100 mg/mL concentration exhibited complete inhibiton (100%) against A. alternata for all investigated plants. Among the extracts prepared with ethanol, R. officinalis at a concentration of 50 mg/mL showed the highest activity with a rate of 100%. For the extracts prepared with methanol at a concentration of 50 mg/mL, E. purpurea exhibited the highest antifungal activity, at 68.15%. These findings suggest that plant extracts may represent a potential alternative to chemical fungicides in the biological control of plant pathogens, and future field trials may be useful to confirm this effect.
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